Page 3 of Until Ireland

She stuck out her hand. “Ireland Banks. Welcome tomyshop.”

Fucking. Hell. Superiority flashed in her eyes as a smug grin tugged her kissable mouth. I wanted to wipe the expression from her face. I needed her to crave me as much as I craved her. Undoubtingly, she was waiting for me to trip and stutter an apology for my miscalculations, but instead I took her hand and squeezed. Electricity shot up my arm and spread through my body. “Mack Redman.”

She blinked. Her eyes went wide. “As intheMack Redman who owns Flame?”

I nodded. “The one and only.”

“You’re pretty cocky still.”

I laughed. “I am.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You should dial it back some.”

“Why?” I held back the grin threatening to form on my lips. I was thoroughly enjoying this banter. I hadn’t met someone as refreshing as Ireland in a long time.

“Because it makes you seem full of yourself.” She shrugged.

“What if I am?” I inched closer to her. “I have a feeling you might like me this way.”

Ireland snatched her hand from mine. “Whatever, you’re still on strike two.” The steel in voice was tempered as she looked away. Pink tinged her cheeks and the tips of her ears. It was adorable and sexy as hell.

I smirked, taking another step closer to her. “About this strike system.” I had a reputation for getting what I wanted when I wanted it. Money wasn’t an object for me. In the years since I’d begun my luxury auto sales, I’d prided myself on being fair, honest, and ruthless when necessary. In a cutthroat auto industry, only the best rose to the top. I aimed for the number one spot every day.

She made an incredulous noise and changed the subject. “What’s wrong with the car?”

I glanced over at the shop and found Hunter and another man watching us. The other guy was a bit younger than Hunter but not by much. While Hunter had an amused look on his face, the other man appeared ready to snap. He didn’t scare me, though their presence only fueled my need to make her mine.

“Your bodyguards are watching over you.” Acid dripped from my tone. Again, jealousy ripped through me. Whoever the men were, they needed to keep their fucking noses out of our business. Of course, they’d never be competition for me. I’d win every time. However, the irrational gut churning protectiveness left me on edge. I didn’t like it.

“You mean my older brothers?” The droll stare she gave me along with her deadpanned words made her a tempting morsel. My palms itched to spank her ass for being sassy with me.

Then her words sunk in and some of the jealousy receded. “Oh.”

She laughed. The warm, sweet sound made my back teeth ache and my gut clench. “Let’s start over. I can admit I was distracted back there.” She held her hand out again. “Welcome to Banks Automotive. I’m Ireland Banks.”

“Mack Redman. I own Redman Auto Sales and Flame.” I hitched my thumb in the direction of the Aston Martin. “I need some work done.”

Her eyes flashed with excitement and anticipation. I bit back a groan as her smile widened. “It’s a ’65. A Bond car.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, it is. My client called it a Bond car too.”

“There are exactly one thousand and twenty-one 1965 Aston Martin DB5s in the world, and you brought me this antique.” She looked like she was about to jump out of her skin. Her slim body vibrated with energy as she continued to stare at the car on the rollback. “What’s wrong with it?”

I stared at the building again, worried Gareth could still be mistaken, even though she appeared eager. “Are you sure you can handle a vehicle like this one here?”

She huffed out a breath. “How about this?” I saw her wheels turning, like she tried to come up with a solution I’d agree to, so she could get her hands on the vehicle. “I’ll run a full diagnostic on the car, and if my assessment is agreeable to you, then I’ll start the repairs.”

“If you’re wrong?”

“We’ll go our separate ways,” she said. “Pretend this never happened.”

Bullshit. I’d never walk away. “I want the strikes against me cleared out.” I took another step closer to her. “Take walking away from each other off the table too, because that shit ain’t happening.”

She sucked in a breath. “You’re like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”

I smirked and leaned in. “More Hyde than Jekyll. Do we have a deal?”

She licked her bottom lip, and I clenched my jaw, forcing myself not to do something stupid while her brothers watched us. “You’re on.”

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