Page 9 of When Autumn Arrives

Shane

Thea pulled up to the shop in her minivan, and my gaze never left her as she approached. I rested a shoulder against the doorway of the office, arms crossed over my shoulders, a smirk on my face. Thea’s wardrobe consisted of athletic pants, tank-tops, or things like leggings that were torn and scattered with paint to work in. Then she also wore tiny sundresses that showed off her sexy tanned legs and gave a show of her ample cleavage.

Today it was a red sundress to match the red paint of the Stingray. The color made her already sparkling eyes glow, and the smile she wore made the blood pound so hard, I felt the beat of my heart in my ears.

She was beautiful. I’d thought that the second I laid eyes on her. But in that god forsaken dress, she was a weakness I couldn’t afford. “Hey,” she said when she was standing a few feet away. “What did you want to show me?”

I pushed off the wall and headed for a shelf of paints in the corner. She followed. Naturally, she was a curious woman. I grabbed a can of the red pearl coat I’d ordered on sale. I bought it with her in mind, but she didn’t need to know that.

“You’ve got a cherry red color on the ‘Ray right now. But…” I handed her the can, and she took it without question. “What do you think of a candy apple red pearl over black?”

She grinned, glancing up at me. “I think it’ll give it a deep burgundy color. I’ve been toying around with darkening the red. This will be perfect.”

I gave her a swift nod. “I ordered more than I needed for a hood repair, so it’s yours. I figured the car was out of commission anyway. Now is the perfect time to start a paint job.”

She swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, then turned her head so I couldn’t see her crying. I scrunched my nose, unsure why something like a can of paint would get her tearing up. The need to wrap an arm around her and pull her into my side was there, but I resisted.

I knew I couldn’t do that, couldn’t get close and console her. If I did, I’d want her too much, and she wasn’t mine to want. As much as she was perfect for me, I don’t think I’d ever be able to share with her the way that Hendrix and Parker did.

I was too jealous, too possessive, too fucking needy, and selfish. What if I needed her, and she was in bed with Parker? Or what if I wanted to take her out for dinner and she was already committed to Hendrix for the evening? The logistics of it seemed too messy, and I was too old and grumpy to have the energy to try.

I took a step to the side, creating distance between us. Then I cleared my throat. “My schedule is slow next week. We could start then?”

Thea nodded, her head bobbing as she placed the can back on the shelf. “Yeah,” she said, her voice shaky. “That works.”

I headed for the SUV in the center to change its oil. “Are you going to be at the bar tonight?” I asked.

“Not tonight, Chrissy is running it for me so I can take a much needed break.” She covered her mouth as she yawned, as if to demonstrate just how exhausted he was.

Chapter seven

Hendrix

When I arrived at the tiny house at the end of my sixteen-hour workday, I was exhausted. My feet ached, the back of my neck was sunburnt, and despite bringing a gallon of water, I was dehydrated. The last thing I wanted to do was have to teach Thea Rose a lesson. Yet here I was.

I didn’t knock. There was no need for it when I had texted Parker and told him to keep it unlocked. The wooden door groaned as I shoved it open. Thea gasped from the couch while Parker’s back remained to me. He was shirtless, standing over the stove and the scents in the air told me he was making something delicious. Something savory and, most likely, his favorite dish, bulgogi.

My stomach grumbled in reaction to the aroma. I hadn’t eaten today on the site. My lunch was still sitting in the cooler in the bed of the truck, forgotten after the scaffolding accident. One of the guys fell from a crane machine and got pinned behind a rock. His leg had been brutally fucked up, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d lose it.

I went to the hospital with him, waited for his family to show up, and remained until he went back into surgery. Now, I was tired, starving, and didn’t have the energy I needed to show Thea just how unforgiving I still was toward her betrayal.

Right now, all I wanted to do was shower, eat the home cooked meal he was making, then sit on the couch with a cold beer while Parker rode my cock.

“Is that blood?” Thea asked through the silence.

Parker whipped around, surveying me from head to toe, checking me for any damage. I side-eyed him. “Not mine,” I promised.

He nodded, then turned back to what he was doing. I stepped toward Thea. She jumped from the couch, her throat bobbing when she swallowed hard. I loved how sexy she was, her eyes wide with fear. With each step I took, she stepped back, and before long, she would be pinned with her back against the wall. It spurred the primal part of me I reserved for Parker. Normally I’d push it aside, focus on her pleasure. But I needed a release, and here she was, ready to be taken. Ready to be taught a lesson.

“Hen,” she whispered when her back hit the wall.

Her chest rose and fell with each bated breath, and heat rose from her neck to her cheeks.

“I don’t forgive you,” I said sternly. “I don’t fucking forgive you for lying to me, Thea. That’s the one thing I cannot get over. You. lied. To. me.”

“I-I-I didn’t.” Her head shook rapidly. “Please. You have to understand. When—this has to end when summer ends. I was protecting myself.”

My head tilted, curious how she thought she could talk her way out of the damage she’d already done. Could I forgive her? Maybe if she came clean about the rest. If she told me without my asking how she came to have Riley in her life, if she offered up the information about her daughter. If she told me why she was really in Georgia.

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