Page 35 of That Moment
She moves closer until the light catches the faint smatter of freckles across her nose. “So, what are we working on tonight?”
I clear my throat, trying to ignore how natural that sounds coming from her mouth. “Just this old F-250. She’s been acting up again, with an electrical short somewhere in the starter relay.”
“Show me.”
I almost tell her no. I should. But instead, I reach for the small flashlight and tilt it toward the engine bay. “Alright then. Come here.”
She steps up beside me, close enough that her shoulder brushes my arm. I swear I can feel her pulse through the contact.
I point to a tangle of wires. “See that right there?”
She leans in, hair brushing my bicep, and I tell myself not to inhale her scent. “That mess of wires?”
I chuckle. “That mess is the problem. The starter relay’s supposed to fire clean, but the contact points are loose. When it’slike that, the current skips and causes hesitation when you turn the key.”
“Sounds like me before coffee,” she smiles.
“Here,” I say, handing her the flashlight. “Hold this steady for me.”
She obliges, watching me curiously for several minutes in silence.
“What are you thinking?” I ask against my better judgment. I glance up at her over my shoulder. “Come on, I can practically hear your brain turning from here, just spill it.”
“I guess I’m just curious about thatmaybedate you had a while back.”
I glance at her, confused. “What’s that?”
“You don’t have to pretend to be mysterious with me, Bescher.” Her voice softens, but I can see there’s something more behind those eyes, something she isn’t saying. “We both know your track record of having a revolving door.”
“Trust me, Barbie,” I say, focusing on the wrench in my hand, “my life’s not that interesting, there’s no revolving door.” I strain a little against the bolt, “and there was no date.”
She hums, like she doesn’t believe me. “Riiight, the love ‘em and leave ‘em king has finally retired his crown?”
I glance at her again, and for a moment, all I see is the way the light spills over her face, turning her hair into a silk tangle of golden curls. The way she’s watching me with a vulnerability that has me wanting to pull her into my arms and tell her that she’s the one who’s completely turned my world upside down.
My throat goes dry, but I manage a chuckle. “Careful now, Miss Slade, you’re gonna make me think you’re jealous.”
A smile flickers nervously across her face. “Maybe I am.”
That simple confession sinks straight through me.
I go back to the engine, mostly to keep from saying something I can’t take back. “Alright, so if you weretroubleshooting this, you’d trace the current from the battery here…” I point with the wrench, my hand brushing her wrist as she leans closer to follow the line. “…down through the harness to the solenoid.”
She’s so close now that her breath skims my jaw when she tilts her head. “You really love this, don’t you?”
“What?”
“This.” Her eyes drop down until she’s staring at my lips. “Teasing me.”
My cock throbs, all rational thought going right out the fucking window. That coy, flirty look that usually accompanies her remarks has morphed into something completely different. The look is pure wanton lust, and it’s about to bring me to my fucking knees.
“Is that what I’m doing to you?”
She’s quiet for a second, like she’s fighting a battle she has no intention of winning, then whispers, “I know a way you can find out.”
I squeeze the handle of the wrench, heart thudding like I’ve been running. “You always gotta say stuff like that?”
“Like what?”
