Page 33 of The Bones We Break
Add that to the list of things I’ll be fixing on this car.
She keeps her head low and her fingers tangled together in front of her as she rounds the car to stand in front of me. I stand to my full height, my presence looms over her like a protective cloak and she slowly begins to tilt her head to face me, and I have to tip my chin down to properly meet her crystal blue eyes, the early morning sun shining across her face. A smattering of freckles dust her small nose and the yellow tinge of the bruises that grace her face have me grinding my back teeth to the point that they begin to ache in my jaw. She instantly dips her head again, a curtain of black closes across her face.
Lyla tips her head from side to side and whines, her nose pushing into my hand. “She’s okay, baby girl.” I coo to her, knowing she’s worried about Ana. I rub her soft fur to comfort her and Ana lifts her head again, her eyes softening when she lands on Lyla, a small smile tips her plump lips up and I instantly feel a warmth run through my entire body.
Is it wrong for me to hope that maybe Ana will smile at me like that one day?
“Can.. Can I touch her? I always wanted a dog but I was never allowed.” Ana admits and my hackles instantly rise at the thought of her not being allowed such pleasures in life.
“Course, just place your hand out, palm up and she’ll come to you.” Ana instantly obeys my orders, and the buzz beneath my skin intensifies, my brain instantly wondering what else she will obey. I shake the forbidden thought from my mind and watchher untangle her fingers and slowly place her hand in front of her, her fingers shaking slightly. Lyla’s big brown eyes connect with mine and I tip my head to give her the go ahead. She begins to slowly walk over to Ana and places her face into her open palm, her soft tail swishing from side to side. Ana’s thumb begins to caress and stroke Lyla’s nose.
“She’s beautiful.” Ana says softly, her warm gaze never leaving Lyla.
“Yeah.. she is.” I mumble, my eyes taking in every inch of Ana, noting every emotion that passes over her face and committing it to memory.
I clear my throat after a couple of minutes to shake me out of my trance, attempting to climb out of the uncharted territory that I’ve found myself in and Ana instantly drops Lyla’s face from her hand.
“Shall we head inside?” I throw over my shoulder as I begin the short walk up to the front of the garage, hearing Ana’s footsteps behind me and Lyla’s matching hers. Leaning down to unlock the shutters I peer over my shoulder to notice my dog sitting at Ana’s feet.
Little traitor.
I huff out and lift the heavy metal shutter until it hits the top of the runner, the sound echoing around the empty space. In my periphery, Ana jumps from the sound and she instantly wraps her arms back around her middle, almost like a safety net.
Fuck, she’s more terrified than I thought.
Dipping my hand into my pocket I grab the garage keys and begin to unlock the door, pushing it open for Ana to go in first.
“Ladies first.” I swing my hand in and give her a small smile. Lyla walks in first then Ana follows, her head low but I noticeher pink lips tip upward for a fraction of a second. She walks past my outstretched arm and I instantly inhale her sweet aroma, the scent of fruit and vanilla hits my senses. She smells like a delicious dessert and my mouth waters, and I have to suck in my bottom lip to give myself a minute, before following in behind her and disarming the alarm that’s currently beeping. Flicking the switches on the wall, the fluorescent lights begin to illuminate the open space of the garage, my black bike beams under the lights next to the cherry red1970 Ford MustangI’m working on for Shelly who runs the local bar we have here in Rockford, she doesn’t trust anyone with her baby except from me and I take pride in that. She brought it in for a new exhaust and a full respray which I happily provided for her. She said her wife’s favourite colour is cherry red so that’s exactly the colour she wanted to spray the car.
I hang my backpack in the small, chaotic office before coming back into the main space to find Ana still standing in the same place that I left her in, her curious eyes bouncing around the garage, taking in all the details.
“Take a seat, make yourself at home.” I gesture to the leather couch that sits next to the reception desk. “Can I get you a drink? Coffee maybe?” She looks over to the couch and begins to lower herself down, her face scrunches and winces for a split second before she fully sits down and the anger I felt before at seeing her bruises hits me like a freight train. I quickly dip my head to avoid bursting in front of her.
“I’ll have a coffee, please. Thank you.” She says so quietly, and if I wasn’t hanging onto every word she said, I probably would’ve missed it. “Coffee it is. I will warn you, it’s not the best but it’s better than nothing.” I joke, even though it’s very true. I’m an ex hitman come mechanic, not a barista.
Ana’s light laugh infiltrates my senses and my entire worldspins on its axis at the noise, my mouth opens slightly but she doesn’t notice my brain malfunction as Lyla jumps onto the empty seat at the side of her and places her head in Ana’s lap, her slim fingers brushing through the black and tan fur, a stark difference to her creamy pale skin.
Spinning, I turn away from them both and head into the kitchen I have built at the back of the garage. It’s not much but it’s fully stocked enough to have something decent to eat and drink, even if the coffee isn’t as good as Valerie’s. Once I’ve finished making Ana’s drink, I bring it out to her, facing the handle of the mug with the garages’ logo printed on the side, towards her so she doesn’t burn her hands. She slips her fingers into the handle, her opposite hand cups the bottom, and our fingers brush over each other for a fraction of a second, but I feel it all over my body, like strong lightning.
She brings the coffee to her soft lips, the movement alone has my eyes locking onto her, the most mundane action traps me in a trance. My eyes roam over her jaw and down to her slender neck where a very stark, purple hand print wraps around the tender skin, her throat bobbing as she swallows the hot liquid. My fists begin to tighten in my pockets at the injury but her soft moan of approval throws me straight back into reality, blood instantly rushing down south.
Not the time for a boner, Dean.
“It’s delicious, thank you, Dean.” The way my name rolls off her tongue is like a sensual spell and I can’t stop the images that splash across my mind of her moaning my name instead. My throat constricts as I swallow the dryness away and nod my head, not trusting myself to speak to her just yet. I lift my hat and run my fingers through the short wavy locks before putting my hat back on again.
Is it hot? I feel very hot.
I feel Ana’s eyes on me over the rim of the mug, my skin tingling under her stare.
“I.. er, I’m gonna get Shelly’s Mustang ready to leave if you’re okay waiting here, then I can bring your car in.” She tugs her bottom lip into her mouth, her pearly white teeth peeking through the gap, her soft brows dropping.
“Shit. I forgot about the flat tire.” She curses out, her hand coming to her forehead in frustration. “I can take it somewhere else, you’re probably really busy here and I can’t expect you to fix my car first.” Her eyes dip low then she begins to stand. Immediately, I put my hand out to stop her and she freezes, like a deer caught in headlights, and I instantly regret the movement, slowly dropping my hand to my side.
“Please.” I beg. “Stay. Stay here with Lyla for the day. I can have your car done in no time, it’s no problem. I promise.” I say, my voice deep and low. Ana takes in every word that leaves my mouth and lowers herself back down to the couch, Lyla taking the space back on her lap.
“Only if you’re sure?”
“I’m more than sure.”
