Page 38 of Mechanic

Stepping into the lobby, my steps falter when I spot Rhodee standing in front of the customer service desk. She wears a Cheshire Cat grin as she stands with her hip propped against the counter.

“What?” I ask warily, my eyes bouncing all around the room, looking for something strange.

“Oh, nothing,” Rhodee responds unconvincingly.

“Alright then,” I say, moving past her toward the locker rooms.

Another wonderfully uneventful shift at the casino has a smile plastered on my face.

Stepping out of my car, I check the alley behind The Whiskey Genie to make sure nothing is out of place. Padston might be a small town, but a woman alone can never be too careful.

Approaching the stairs, the hair on the back of my neck prickles as the feeling of being watched comes over me.

“Are you going to stand there all night?” an all-too-familiar voice says from above me.

Glancing up, I see Rod seated on the top landing of the stairs. The tension immediately leaves my body once I realize it was him watching me.

Shaking off the fear, I start up the stairs. I keep my voice just loud enough that only Rod can hear me speaking.

“If you are here for a repeat of last night, forget it. That was very unlike me, and I have no idea what I was thinking,” I manage to complete my semi-rehearsed speech.

Rod occupied every spare moment of my thoughts today. The image of pouring chocolate down his chest so I can watch it run down and pool in the ripples of his abdomen and then lick it off.

Snapping fingers in front of my face has my attention back on the man in front of me.

“Where’d you go?”

“Sorry, I have a craving,” I mutter, moving past him in order to unlock the door.

Rod bends down, picking up a couple of plastic grocery bags that I hadn’t previously noticed.

“There isn’t chocolate sauce in there, is there?” I question, causing Rod to chuckle out a reply.

“No, should there be? Better yet,” he says, leaning close. “Should I go get some?”

“I already told you,” I say while unlocking the door and stepping inside, Rod hot on my heels.

“That isn’t what I’m here for,” he says, cutting me off and closing the door behind him before making a beeline for my kitchen.

Rod makes himself at home as he places the bags on the counter before pulling out the contents. With items strewn about, he moves to rummage around the cupboards.

“Why are you here?” I ask, anger and annoyance leaching into my voice.

“Making you dinner,” Rod says as if speaking to a child.

“You’re what?” I ask incredulously.

He pauses briefly to look at me.

“Last night, I was trying to ask you out. Since I didn’t have your number, I couldn’t call or text you to ask,” Rod says as if this explains our current situation.

“So you decided to stalk me?”

“No!” he exclaims, running his hands through his hair.

Leaning back against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest, legs extended and crossed at the ankles. Rod’s shoulders sag.

“Look,” he starts, staring directly into my eyes. “I took a chance. If you want me to go, I will. It’s just…” his words trail off.

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