Page 30 of Seeking Vengeance
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Why?”
“Because we need to talk about your future here.”
“Can’t we do that right now?” She cast a sideways look toward the bays, where at least three other guys were still working.
She was worried about being alone with him again, and it thrilled him to no end. In his opinion, that was a clear indication that what he was feeling was mutual. If it wasn’t, she’d just tell him to fuck off.
“I never talk business on an empty stomach.”
Her thoughtful gaze raked him from head to toe as she considered his offer. He fought the urge to preen, though he couldn’t help but stand a little taller and puff out his chest.
“You buying?”
His grin grew.Oh yeah. She didn’t like it, but she felt just as compelled to be near him as he did her. He could see the struggle in her liquid eyes, in the way she fought her body’s natural angling toward his. The feeling of not being alone was so heady that he wanted to throw a fist pump into the air.
“Yep.”
Seconds ticked by as she warred with herself; it felt like an hour. Sean knew he’d won when she took a deep breath and her posture sagged slightly, as if she was either unable or unwilling to continue to fight it. Either worked for him.
“All right.”
* * *
Half an hour later,they were seated in the back corner booth at O’Leary’s Diner in Birch Falls.
“Why this place?” she asked.
She’d probably expected them to hit the local IHOP just down the street from his garage. When he’d ushered her into the sleek black Shelby—now meticulously restored to perfect condition—he’d seen her surprise when they went in the opposite direction and crossed the river into Birch Falls. To her credit, she’d played it cool.
“Best cinnamon rolls ever,” he replied with a smile. Not to mention, he had an ulterior motive. He was not above stacking the deck in his favor, not for something he really wanted.
Nicki watched with mixed horror and fascination as Sean put away a half-pound burger, thick-cut fries, coleslaw, three Cokes, and two of the largest cinnamon rolls she’d ever seen. Only after the last plate was cleared away and the waitress brought a carafe of coffee and two mugs did he sit back and regard her with those icy-blue eyes.
“You’re a hell of a mechanic, but you’re too much of a distraction. I can’t offer you the full-time mechanic position, but I have something else in mind that will benefit us both.”
Her features, relatively relaxed up to this point, hardened, and her eyes flashed, reminding him of steel blades. “You brought me all the way out here to fire me?” she hissed, her voice low. She reached into her pocket and drew out a five to cover the unsweetened tea and bowl of vegetable soup she’d had, slapping it onto the table. “You think it’s okay as long as you buy me lunch? Fuck you, Callaghan.”
God, he loved the fire in her. He just wished it were channeled into something more pleasurable.
“You’re not listening, sweetheart,” he said calmly, pushing the five back toward her. “Close that sweet little mouth before I shove something in it and just listen, will you? Dayshift won’t work—we’ve already established that. But evenings will.”
That shut her up. But not for long. “Evenings?”
“Yeah. You’ll have the place practically to yourself.”
Nicki’s eyes narrowed. “Why? So you can attack mewithoutwitnesses? No, thanks. I’ll take the pervs at Angels any day. Oh, wait. That would be you, too, wouldn’t it?”
His groin pulsed. “Don’t kid yourself, baby. You came for me—both times. And I mean that quite literally. You wanted it every bit as badly as I did.”
Nicki scowled; white flames danced in those beautiful, pissed-off eyes. She wanted to deny it, but she couldn’t. Triumph raced through his body, but it was short-lived.
“I’ll pass. I’ve already got a job, working nights.”
Sean withheld his growl but just barely. Declining his offer was simply not acceptable. He wanted her near him and away from every other male on the planet even if that meant doing something insane.
“What if I promise not to do anything unless you ask me to?” he whispered. “No touching. No kissing. No accidental brush-bys. You have my word.”
She snorted derisively. “Yeah, right. What do I have to do? Put on some skimpy outfit while you watch me work and jerk off in the corner?”
