Page 2 of Yearning for the Lumbersnack
“Of course,” Her cheeks flushed red, and her words came out in spurts, as if she couldn’t catch her breath. She was acting like she’d never been in the presence of a guy before, which I found hard to believe, considering she was a mechanic. All of her coworkers were most likely guys, or at least the majority. “Yeah, that’s no problem.” Another nervous giggle. “Did you...uh, did you…sorry, what’s the year, make, and model of the uh…the vehicle, your vehicle there?”
Okay, either she was really shy, or couldn’t carry on a conversation with a stranger. But her job was working with customers, was it not?
And if she was so flustered by men all day, how the hell did she work on cars?
Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to have her change the oil in my truck. Maybe I should come back another time and figure something out.
“It’s a two thousand and twenty-oneToyota Tundra.When you pull my license plate, it should be in the system.”
“Got it. Want to drive your truck in to the stall?”
I gave her a weird look.
She held her hand out while fighting back laughter. “Sorry, bad joke, I guess. Or maybe just a tough audience. I’ll put it in. Give me about twenty and you should be good to go.”
I handed her my keys. Dammit, I couldn’t resist. Something about her had me in a chokehold. Every part of me screamed to take my truck and go, but one part remained curious.
Curious to see what she could do.
And that outweighed everything else.
CHAPTER TWO
Celeste
Um,who the hell is that Greek God of a man?
I walked over to his truck, the feeling of his eyes on me sending shivers down my spine. It was as if I walked on clouds, my feet light, a spring in my step there that never was before, and a fiery desire coursed through my bones and filled my head with dirty fantasies.
Opening his truck door, my hand shook on the door handle, imaging his same large ones wrapped around it. The air from inside assaulted my senses, my nose enjoying most of the pleasure of his woodsy, spicy, manly scent, a hint of cinnamon mixed in. As soon as I slid behind the wheel, the scents wrapped themselves around me like a warm hug, and I closed my eyes for a moment as I leaned against the seat.
The world around me paused for a moment as a safe comfort settled deep in my bones, this scent now etched in my brain.
Focus, Cece. In a second, he’s going to storm over here and ask what the hell I’m doing. I wouldn’t blame him if he does.
With a deep breath, I forced my eyes open, put one hand on the wheel, and another on the shift. Navigating into the stall, I parked the truck onto the lift, killed the engine and got out, shoving the keys in my pocket. It was a bad habit I developed after first starting here, even though we had a designated area for customer keys. It was just easier this way, and it kept me organized, knowing which car I was focusing on.
Lifting the truck up high enough to stand beneath it, I got to work grabbing supplies and beginning the oil change. I had perfected my method over the past few years and followed the same steps in my head each time.
Usually, I completed oil changes in a snap, but not this time. Whether it was his eyes on me or plain bad luck, but every misstep that could happen happened. One bolt was stripped, and I needed extra pliers and lots of muscle to work it off without it breaking off. I dropped the oil pan and spilled some oil and also walked right into a tire while fetching the oil filter.
He must’ve thought I was the biggest klutz in town.
But it was him. Him who flipped around my insides and caused my brain to short circuit like water spilled on a computer.
How? I barely know the guy.
Yet the feels were still there all the same.
As I finished, I finally allowed myself to look over and steal a glance at him, only to find his eyes set firmly on me. He sat in one of the waiting room chairs and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs, his look hot and intense.
Like he wanted to eat me for his next meal. An animal studying its prey, a mountain man with only one thing on his mind.
My panties flooded with heat at the thought of his big hands on my skin.
Most guys around here did nothing for me, some like a brother, and some like a good friend. I never found myselfattracted to any of them and it wasn’t like I prevented it, though I would never go after it. Work and personal life didn’t mix well. Ever.
But him…I didn’t even know his name, and I wanted to learn everything about him.
