by S. M. Butler
It didn’t make sense for someone to want to come after him. He wasn’t anyone important. He was just a mechanic in a tiny ass town that really didn’t need a full-time mechanic. He growled and tossed the rag into the heap of other dirty rags he kept in the corner.
He glanced at the Glock sitting next to his toolbox. He didn’t usually keep guns around, but he’d been unable to put it back under the bathroom sink after yesterday. His entire body was humming with fear and it was only stopping to breath every few minutes that kept him calm. He took another breath, in and out, trying to calm himself again, but something—
In a second, his gun was in his hands as he spun, pointing that black barrel at his newest guest.
“Shit, Bea.” He huffed out as the woman arched one perfect, dark eyebrow and lifted her hands. Her rose-tipped lips turned up into a small smirk. He lowered his weapon and cursed again. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people.”
If he didn’t know better, he’d swear she was about to laugh at him. That was the weird thing about her. Actually, about all of his co-workers. None of them would even blink at the sight of a weapon. Yes, this was Texas, and everyone had a gun, but their reaction just wasn’t normal.
“I guess that’s the best I’m going to get for an apology.”
“Sorry,” he grumbled. His grip tightened around the lowered weapon as she lowered her hands. Without even thinking of it, his eyes followed the movement as her palms came to rest next to her thighs. Her hips swayed slightly as she took three steps into the room, toward him.
When she worked in the office, she wore these cute little dresses with bright colors and floral patterns that accented her smooth, caramel-colored skin. He didn’t really see much of her outside of that, but right then, he wished he had if this was how she dressed outside of work. She wore this black tank top that hugged her soft flesh in all the right ways, but not so tight that it was constricting. Long black pants smoothed over her hips. The legs disappeared into black, knee-high boots that had some intricate lacing all down the outsides of them.
Why didn’t she ever come to work like that? Shit, he’d never have gotten any work done if she did. It was fucking hot.
“You seem a little stressed.”
“I’m not,” he snapped, immediately regretting his tone as her face hardened into a cold mask. Okay, maybe he was a little stressed. “What are you doing here? The guys said you were out of town.”
She shrugged. “I got back early. Then I saw the light on and figured one of the boys left it on, as usual.”
“Always cleaning up after them,” he chuckled as he set the gun down on the table again. “Do you ever do anything for yourself?”
Her lips twitched like she was amused by his question, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she slid her long fingers along his stupid, non-functioning bike. “You’d be surprised.”
He guessed he would. She didn’t seem to do anything but work, and he had no idea what she did when she wasn’t working. Either he saw her in those dresses in the office or she had a pair of jeans and t-shirt on, working out there with the other guys underneath a car. He had to admit he loved that she wasn’t too girly to crawl that cute ass under a car and get dirty.
Lucky fucking cars, actually.
“You don’t usually bring guns to work with you,” she said, not looking at him, but instead concentrating on the bike, like she was trying her hardest not to look back to him.
“Changed my mind recently about it,” he lied. Truth was, he’d regressed to a five-year-old that couldn’t manage to not walk around with his security blanket. Sooner or later, maybe he’d be sucking his thumb too.
“Well,” she sighed, “Guess I’m going to head out. I’ll see you in the morning.”
She turned to leave, and something dropped straight into the pit of his stomach as he got a full view of her shapely ass. No. It passed his stomach and dropped straight between his legs. His cock pushed against his jeans like it had just woken up from a long nap.
But she was walking back toward the door.
“Wait.”
Was that his voice?
Yes, yes it was. Shit. Why did he say that?
Since the attack that morning, he’d been jumping at every little sound. His shoulder throbbed underneath the bandage, leaving him a very real reminder of what had happened that morning. He didn’t want to bring his problems to her, but he also didn’t want to be alone with his thoughts anymore. Not with the ghosts of his past trying to claw their way through to his present. Being alone had done nothing but eat little bits of his sanity away.
She glanced back at him, looking over her shoulder in just about the sexiest way he’d ever seen. He’d always found her attractive and flirting with her was his favorite pastime. But mainly because it always seemed to fluster her, like she wasn’t used to men paying her attention, and that made no damn sense to him. Bea had this crazy deadly beauty to her that fascinated him, woke something deep inside his chest he desperately needed to get out.
“Yes?”
Oh, right. He’d spoken first, hadn’t he?
“I… Do you want to go out sometime?” He blurted out the words without thinking, his heart pounding as fast as he said them.
Her face paled, but only for a second before she was back in control. “I don’t date my co-workers.”
“Come have a drink with me, then? As friends?”
She shook her head. “We’re not friends, Axel.”
He sighed. He wasn’t getting anywhere with her. And if he didn’t find a reason to get her stay there, she was going to leave, and he was going to be alone in his head again. And the bottom line was… He couldn’t take alone right then. He set the gun back on the table and stepped over to her.
Her sharp eyes missed nothing he did, which was one of the things he liked about her. Nothing missed her notice. Even the smallest movements, she tracked like a predator. He’d made this move on women before, the careful, deliberate step toward them that showed what he really wanted. Most of them looked like a deer ready to be pounced on by a mountain lion. But not Bea. She gave him no leeway, gave him no opening. Her chin jutted out in sheer confidence as he stopped in front of her.
No, not confidence. Defiance.
“Maybe I want to change that,” he said. “We’ve known each other for over a year, and yet, I feel like we’ve never taken the time to get to know each other. I mean, I’ve hung out with Chris, Jordan… but not you.”
“I don’t hang out,” she replied evenly. “I’m not the type, Axel.”
“I get that,” he said, his voice low and quiet. “Please come have a drink with me?”
“I don’t drink,” she whispered.
That might have been true, actually. He’d never seen her drink before. But then… he’d never taken the time to get to know the real Bea either. He sighed. Maybe he was doing this for the wrong reason. He’d been shaken up by this whole getting shot at thing and maybe he was losing his mind. “Okay. I’ll stop. I’m sorry.”
He walked back over to the table and picked up his weapon. He’d brought the whole box down to the garage with him, not just the weapon, so he removed the magazine from it and put the thing back into its usual place in the box. He could store it in his office for now, because there was no way he was going back to his apartment tonight.
He walked the box to his office and slid it into the empty bottom drawer. As he locked the drawer, he straightened up and turned. Bea stood in the doorway. He hadn’t even heard her walk behind him. She’d been as light on her feet as a ghost. Was that her secret? Was she really a ghost?
“How about a walk?” She asked.
He blinked. She hadn’t left. He’d assumed after his asshat behavior she’d have bolted, but here she was, offering an olive branch.
He grinned. “Sounds good to me.”
She smiled, a real, live smile. It occurred to him right then that he’d never really seen her smile. She had beautiful white teeth, but her front two were sl
ightly crooked. It was barely noticeable, but then, he noticed everything about her in that moment. From her slightly crooked teeth to her wide, muscular shoulders. He’d never seen her workout, but her body was like a gymnast’s, lean and perfectly proportioned to contort itself to her will. She held herself up like a queen, but there was a real vulnerability hiding behind her masquerade. Something she didn’t want anyone to see, but she wore it like a badge on her chest.
She started to leave but paused and looked at him. “Well?”
He stared at her. “What?”
“You coming or what?”
He blinked, then reality slammed back into him. Right. Walk. They were going on a walk. Did people take walks anymore? He decided he didn’t care, because if Bea wanted to walk with him, who was he to say no?
His feet burst into action, grabbing the door to hold it so she could walk through, even though it was propped open already. Her lips turned up just slightly, enough that he could tell she was trying not to laugh at him as she headed back through the garage. And he followed her like a lost puppy, like she’d just knelt down to scratch his ears and now was going to go on about her day.
~*~*~
This was such a bad idea. He was definitely going to think something was wrong. She’d never spent any time with him outside of work. Hell, half the time, they were at each other’s throats. Or rather, she was at his. He seemed to find it funny to irritate her.
This was just a challenge to him, she was sure. She was the conquest he couldn’t have. No doubt, he was probably inwardly patting himself on the back for winning this round.
She tried not to think about the warmth that radiated from him as they walked along the quiet evening. Jubilee tended to close up around dusk, unless there was some town festivity, but the grain festival wasn’t for a few days. And they had a few weeks before the town Halloween parties would crop up.
Axel’s hair was more unruly than usual, like he’d been raking his fingers through it too many times. He was definitely on edge, if the way he’d pulled that gun on her earlier was any indication. She felt bad for him. It didn’t seem like he knew why anyone would want to kill him. But then… she’d met great actors in her time, particularly when she had been growing up with Genevieve. No one was really ever what they appeared to her.
His dark eyes focused everywhere but on her, which made her glad she’d gotten him to leave the gun behind. She was armed, of course, so she’d be sure that nothing happened to him. And the last thing she needed was a nervous former Marine pulling a gun where there was no real threat because he was on the edge of panic.
Her eyes rested back on his hair as his long fingers ran through it again. She wondered if those curls were as soft as they looked. Under different circumstances, maybe she might have taken a man like Axel back to his place and spent the night running her fingers through that curly mane while she rode him into oblivion. But the circumstances weren’t different. He was a co-worker, even if he didn’t realize her real job. And now, she was tasked with protecting him. That meant from himself, too, if needed.
“Why now?” He asked her suddenly. She blinked and glanced to him. His dark eyes were focused completely on her now as they walked.
“Why what now?” She shot back, frowning.
His lips pressed tightly together like he didn’t like the answer. He stopped and faced her. “You’ve never wanted to come out with me before.” His voice was hushed, but his eyes pinned her still. “Actually, you’ve always gone out of your way to say no.”
“A woman can’t change her mind?” The answer was weak, and she knew it, but she hadn’t really expected the question.
He shrugged. “I just… I never thought you would, is all.”
It was out of character for her. Maybe she’d made an error trying to be more friendly with the man. They’d bickered for months before this. Now suddenly she was on board with spending time with him. She took a step back. “You know, you’re right. We don’t need to do this.”
“No!” The word came out a bark, his hand outstretched toward her, but he stopped himself. He let out a breath. “I’m sorry. Please don’t go.”
She stopped. Shit, this was such a bad idea. What had she been thinking? They had enough cameras around the shop and Axel’s apartment that she could watch him, and he’d never know it.
But hadn’t they had all those cameras when he’d been shot at and attacked in his own apartment? Nathan was right, actually. He needed someone with him. And as much as she hated the guys for ribbing her about Axel, she was the best person for the job. The only one better maybe was Chris, since they’d seemed to have become good buddies over the last year or so.
He held his hand out to her. “Please don’t go. I’m sorry. I’m being an idiot. It’s just… been a long day.”
Wasn’t that the truth? Being attacked and shot at… Especially in a place where he’d thought he were safe… His own home… Maybe he didn’t even realize a hit squad was after him. How would he react if he really knew who was gunning for him? Or how she knew his assailant?
She stiffened, snapping her back straight as she walked back toward him, ignoring his hand. “I’m not a challenge. I’m not a conquest. I’m not Mrs. Parker.”
He winced. “Chris told you.”
“No, Mrs. Parker did,” she smirked. “You do know that woman never shuts up, right?”
She bit back the amusement as his mouth dropped open. But to his credit, he recovered quickly and fell into step next to her as they continued down the quiet road.
“So, who are you?” Axel asked after a long silence. “All I know about you is that you don’t like anyone giving you any attention, good or otherwise. You don’t mind getting dirty under the hood of a car. And you take a lot of family trips, but you never talk about your family.”
She swallowed but didn’t reply immediately. Family trips. Those were all the trips she took for Nathan. The only family she’d ever had was Genevieve, and that woman wanted her dead. Hopefully, her old mentor still thought she was.
“That’s called private information,” she said.
“That’s what people say when they don’t want to talk,” he replied. “So, my original question stands.”
“I just thought you needed a friend.”
“A friend?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay,” he said. Silence fell between them. Long minutes passed as they reached the town center. She climbed the steps into the white gazebo and sat down on one of the wooden benches. He didn’t sit. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and stared at her.
“What?” She asked.
“You said we weren’t friends.”
“And you said you wanted to change that,” she shot back.
More silence. She didn’t know what to say to him to make it seem normal. He didn’t seem to know either. He slipped into the space on the bench next to her, his big body half-turned toward her. “I know you’re not Mary Jo Parker. No one could ever be her. Really, I don’t think anyone would want to.” He sighed. “She’s a very lonely woman.”
Her voice stopped in the back of her throat, so she didn’t answer him. Hesitantly, he reached for her, his warm hand sliding over hers as it rested on her thigh. Her eyes widened as she shot her eyes up to his.
“I’m not after the conquest of Beatrice Li,” he said. “I just want to get to know you better. I mean, the guys always say that once you’re comfortable, you warm up. But… I’ve known you for over a year now, and you don’t seem anywhere close to being comfortable with me.”
His entire demeanor changed as he shifted so he could face her better. His entire attention focused on her and she very nearly melted into a puddle of goo under the strength of his gaze on her.
“I like you, Bea. I’d like to get to know you better, if you’d let me.”
5
Surely, she wasn’t trembling, Axel thought. Bea was the strong one, the one that scared the shit out of him on a daily basis. For over a
year, they’d been sniping at each other back and forth. Here… Axel zeroed in on her high cheekbones, her defiantly jutted chin, her exotic dark eyes… She seemed unsure of herself, something he wasn’t used to seeing from her.
“I’ve wanted you since the first moment I saw you,” he heard himself say.
Shit. Why would he say that? Especially to her? If she left right now, he’d head butt himself into a wall for being so stupid. She wasn’t the type to like a guy falling over himself for her. She’d want someone as strong as she was.
The corners of her mouth lifted into a playful smile. “I believe I flipped you off the first time we met.” Her delicate hand rose up with middle finger extended.
He snorted. “Yes, you did.” Before his brain could catch up with his body, he caught her extended arm by her wrist and brought it to his mouth. He sucked in her middle finger, keeping his eyes on her as he swirled his tongue around it. He wanted to do so much more to her body.
God… her taste. He couldn’t even put into words what it did to him. His cock punched out against his jeans, straining, like it pointed towards her and nothing he did would get in the way of that.
Her entire body shuddered and if that didn’t just turn him on more.
But she broke the contact, curling her hand against her chest. He leaned toward her, wanting to taste her more. The light citrus scent of her shampoo filled his nostrils.
Her hand shot to his chest, holding him at bay. He stopped, mere centimeters from her mouth, those luscious dark pink lips he wanted so badly to taste. “I’m not going to lie, Axel. That was weird. Almost creepy weird.”
“You do things to me, woman,” he replied. “I want to kiss you.”
“How many women does that creepy thing actually work on?” Was that anger in her voice?
