Page 11 of Ace of Spades

"You did what?" I say, baffled but entirely amused.

Can't say they didn't deserve it.

I hear a frustrated roar down the street from who can only be Dickhead Duncan and the Police Chief's son and when I turn back to her, she's biting her bottom lip into her mouth.

The look on her face is downright devilish.

"See?" She steps to the side of me and picks up the trash bag I dropped earlier, carrying it the rest of the way to the garbage bin at the side of my garage.

"You don't have to do that," I say, following behind her like a puppy.

She tosses the bag in and shuts the lid. "Let me guess, you can handle it yourself?"

"Okay… you've made your point."This woman.

She looks me up and down, her eyes lingering on my left hand for a moment before meeting my gaze again.

"Where's the wife you so nobly defended?" She asks, not withholding her curiosity.

And she has no shame.

"Ex-wife," I clarify. "Though that's not any of your business."

And yet somehow I can't help myself in telling her that detail.

She nods her understanding, holding onto that salacious smirk.

"What’s with all the pirates?" She points behind her at the custom bike shop I built from the ground up.

I cross my arms over my chest. "You've got a lot of questions for someone whose name I don't even know."

She bends down and picks up an old license plate off the ground, flipping it around leisurely in her hands.

"You’d know my name, if you hired me."

Fair.I stand off to the side as she continues to run her hands over materials the crew has haphazardly tossed outside the garage. I've never noticed what a mess it was back here until now.

"Sorry, but the position’s been filled," I inform her.

She places the license plate onto a stack of old tires.

“Fine, then I’d like to interview for the mechanic position.”

“No longer available,” I say without thinking.

What is wrong with me?

We obviously need the help. And neither one of those positions have actually been filled. I just can’t do it. I can’t be around someone like her day in and day out.

She’d wear down my defenses. She’d be a distraction.

Clearly, my body isn’t getting the memo that she’s a no-go.Yeah. I need her far away from here.

She straightens and looks over her shoulder at me, slowly blinking long lashes in my direction.

"That’s too bad. You missed out on a great one."

The look in her eyes is pure fire. And for a split second I reconsider it.

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