Beyond Broken(50)

Caleb glanced at the sheet in her hands, wiping his hands on his jeans. This close to him, she could smell him. That same woodsy smell, but now there were undercurrents of oil and salt, a surprisingly pleasing smell. Maddie wanted to lap at his skin, her body giving a throb of approval at the direction of her thoughts, but she ignored it and cleared her throat.

"I'll have to sit down and research this one. Just put it on my desk with any others you find," he told her, thrusting the paper back in her hands, this time with little black smudged fingerprints decorating it. She stared at them, at the swirls and ridges that were solely Caleb's, and then lifted her head. She watched as he began to push the car's body backwards, metal blocks and all, so he had space to unchain the engine.

The question was out of her mouth before she realized it. "Can I watch you for a bit?"



       
         
       
        

Maddie suspected that she could watch him for hours doing this and the thought of going back upstairs to an empty office and old laptop when he was down here doing this was mildly depressing. She didn't even know why she found it so intriguing, but she strongly suspected that an equation of Caleb plus cars plus hard, sweaty work that displayed his generous muscles had something to do with it.

You're supposed to be getting over him, she reminded herself. Watching him would most certainly not help.

Caleb shot her an unreadable look, but he didn't say no. He didn't say yes either. He didn't say anything actually, just continued on with his work, so Maddie perched herself on the work bench, jumping up to get comfortable. Briefly, she worried about stains getting on her dress, but the sideways glance that Caleb gave her legs, even though she had tights on, made her forget all about it. He flipped on a light switch, since the sun was already setting and the garage was darkening quickly.

A comfortable silence took hold. Although, Maddie thought that perhaps it wasn't the same kind of comfortable silence she shared with her brother, or mom, or Kyra. She didn't feel antsy and her throat didn't start to close up. With Caleb, she knew she didn't have to say anything if she didn't want to. Hell, he probably preferred it if she didn't talk, but there was always an awareness between them. So, while it was comfortable, it also felt charged, like they were both saving up energy for something bigger.

Maddie watched as he lowered the engine onto a wheeled flat platform and then pushed it off into the corner with the hood. And then he went to work on the doors, unscrewing them with a fancy looking tool. His back muscles rippled under his t-shirt as he heaved off the passenger door and carried it to the wall, setting it down gently.

After watching him do the same thing on the driver's side door, she finally worked up the courage to say, "I think we should talk about last night."

He glanced at her, wiping his forehead with his forearm. "What about it?"

"I'm mad at you, you know."

He cocked an arrogant brow. "You don't seem too upset with me, princess."

"I want to know why you kissed me in front of Paul."

"Why did you let me kiss you? Maybe that's what you should be asking yourself," he shot back, scowling. "Obviously, you weren't too concerned about Paul."

Her face burned because he was right. She had let him kiss her and she'd kissed him right back with the same amount of enthusiasm. The moment Caleb had stepped into her line of vision, all thoughts of Paul had gone catapulting out the window.

Maddie squared her shoulders, not wanting to back down. "Are you jealous of him?" 

Caleb's head snapped up so quickly she wondered if it hurt his neck. "No," he snarled. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Then why does he bother you so much?" she asked, studying his reaction. Maddie might not have much experience when it came to men, but Caleb looked a little too furious for something he was denying.

He sucked in a breath, staring at her. Maddie sensed he was about to lay into her, but at the last moment, he exhaled a few whispered curses instead and turned his back, snatching up another tool from the opposite bench.

Maddie realized she was right. He was jealous. The thought unleashed a whole flurry of butterflies in her stomach and she had to bite her lip to keep from smiling.

Caleb still saw it though and he glared.

"Listen to me, princess," he started, his tone low and angry, stalking around the car until he stood right in front of her. One step closer and he'd be nestled between her legs.

"I'm listening," she chirped in a cheerful tone because she knew it would grate on him. A part of her liked to tug on the tiger's tail.