Page 105 of Grease Monkey
Smiling weakly, I step away from him, pulling out the band keeping my hair up.
“Much better, sweetheart,” he coos. “Why don’t we go out for dinner? Surely, this dingy town has somewhere half decent.”
“No,” I blurt, and Richard’s eyebrows raise at my sudden outburst. But I can’t help it. I don’t want to go outanywherewith Richard with the chances of bumping into Teddy after everything we’ve done, everything he just found out about, being so high. It would be a disaster in the making. “Why don’t we order in? I don’t feel that great and a night in, snuggled up with a film, could be nice?”
He hums, his fingers itching his clean-shaven chin. “I guess we could do that. I do have some work I could get on with while you watch your chick flick.”
“Sounds good,” I say, pulling out the drawer I’d tossed all the takeout menus that had been posted through the door, and grab a selection. It won’t matter what I suggest. Richard will always disagree with my choice and decide on somewhere else. It’s best to avoid the whole thing and let him choose. He decides on Italian, and I quickly call the restaurant and place our orders.
“Why don’t you find a movie, and I’ll get set up with my laptop?” he asks, kissing the top of my head as he walks to his briefcase, just as there’s a knock at the door. “That was quick. That doesn’t bode well for the food if it took less than twenty minutes to arrive after ordering.”
“I can get it.”
“No, it’s fine. I want to inspect it before the delivery boy leaves, and we’re left with yesterday’s reheats.” Richard opens the door, and I hear him talking to whoever’s outside. “You’re not the delivery boy.”
“No, I’m not.” Shit.No, no, no.“Is Ana here? I need to talk to her.”
“And you are?”
“He’s the mechanic,” I splutter, rushing to Richard’s side, trying to take over for him. “My car broke down when I arrived, and he’s been fixing it.”
“Your car?” Richard eyes Teddy up and down, lingering on the backward baseball cap, and sighs, shaking his head in disapproval. Looking down at me, he says, “I told you that car was an unreliable waste of money. Maybe this will prove that you should listen to what I tell you and follow my advice, Morgana.” His eyes flick to Teddy as he possessively palms my hip. “So, you do house calls? A bit unorthodox, is it not?”
“Unfortunately, an unresolved issue needed a good pounding to fix. And then, when it was ready for collection, Ana was tangled up in something else, and we forgot to get the paperwork signed.”
My eyes bulge, imploring Teddy to stop whatever he thinks he’s doing by goading Richard. Surely, he wouldn’t tell Richard anything about what happened between us. He wouldn’t be so cruel.
“And it couldn’t wait?” He exhales impatiently. “Well, I’m here now. I’ll deal with whatever you need doing. Especially since Morgana has clearly demonstrated her lack of understanding about cars by buying one that broke down less than three years after she test-drove it.”
Teddy’s jaw muscles flex as his gaze bounces between Richard’s hand on my body and me. “I think Ana is capable of making her own decisions.”
“Yes, well.” Richard clears his throat. “As her fiancé, I feel better suited to speak on her behalf.”
“And asmycustomer, and since I’ve been handling her since she got into town, I will discuss it with Ana, andonlyAna.” They both stare at each other defiantly, neither wanting to back down.
“It’s okay, Richard,” I say, pushing at his chest. “I’ll be five minutes, okay?”
Richard’s eyes, still trained on Teddy, narrow, and he grunts before storming off down the short hall and out of sight. Teddy grips my forearm and tugs me into the hallway and down the stairs until we reach the ground floor and barrel out onto the street.
“Does he always try to control you like that?” Teddy snarls, his body coiled tight as he drops my arm and walks the short distance to the parking lot out the front of the apartment building. He laughs, taking his cap off and roughly shoving his hand into his hair. “I fucking hate him. Hate him for speaking to you like you’re an idiot, speaking to me like I’m nothing better than the dirt on his shoe. No wonder your mom thinks he’s a great fit for you. But what do I know? I’mjust the mechanic.”
I rub my hands up and down my arms, the cool breeze nipping at my skin. “What was I supposed to say, Teddy?Don’t mind him, he’s my ex?”
“I was thinking more, don’t mind him, but we had mind-blowing sex last week and I came harder with him than I ever have with you.”
My eyes narrow. “Oh, really? And then, should I also add that he threw me out like day-old trash as soon as the sun was up?”
“Hey, not my fault you were only after one thing from me,” he growls, spinning to face me. I can’t have this argument with him again. The streetlights above hit all the sharp features of his face, his jaw, his nose, his chin making him look devastatingly handsome. It almost steals my breath.
“Teddy…”
“Why is he here, Ana?” he asks, his face pinching and his nostrils flaring, and while he doesn’t look happy when he reaches up and runs his hand through my hair, his touch is gentle, and I know he’s still thinking about my missing curls. He drops my hair and gently runs the backs of his fingers down my cheek.
My eyes flutter shut, leaning into his touch. “I don’t know. He just showed up and…”
“Are you leaving with him?”
My eyes snap open. “Now? No.” I lower my head. “But… eventually? Yes. When my time’s up on this contract here.”
