Crashed (Entangled Indulgence)(47)
She tensed against him, her outrage blatant.
“Yes, I did see Emily this morning. She came to my office uninvited, and when she confronted me about my interest in you, I told her the truth, that we were seeing each other. She didn’t take it very well.”
Alex spun to face him. “So what? You’re telling me she attacked you like some wildcat because you’re seeing someone else? She has a boyfriend, doesn’t she? Why would she care who you’re seeing?”
She didn’t trust him, not in the slightest, and that pissed him off more than it should under the circumstances, especially with his own issues in that department. “Yes, she attacked me, and it wouldn’t be the first time. The woman has a temper, and I’ve taken the brunt on more than one occasion.”
“But why…” Alex turned more fully. “Deacon…”
“Do you believe me?”
She bit her lip and mulled over the simple question far too long for his liking. “I guess so.”
“Either you do or you don’t.”
“Fine.” She threw up her hands. “I believe you.”
“Good.” He brushed her silky dark hair off her shoulder and cupped the side of her throat, letting the smooth heat of her skin soothe him, calm his pounding heart. “I don’t want to talk about her anymore.”
“Fine with me.”
He dragged her onto his lap and kissed her, slow and deep, letting her taste, her warmth calm him further. He pulled back, then kissed her once more because he had to. “I’m going to miss you while I’m away,” he said, lips touching hers. She made a small noncommittal sound in the back of her throat.
She still didn’t get it, still hadn’t realized he didn’t plan on letting her go. Ever.
But she would.
“You’re the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met, you know that? And that’s saying something with the sisters I have.”
She laughed, soft and sweet, and his heart squeezed in response. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
He rolled his eyes, purposely trying to bring back the fun from earlier in the day. “You would, you little tyrant.”
“I take my job very seriously,” she said, attempting to sound serious, but the glint in her eyes gave her away.
“Hmm, and what job is that?”
She nipped his lower lip, then sucked and licked the abused flesh, making him groan. “Driving you crazy.”
He slid his hand over her ass and gave it a squeeze. “You need a pay raise then, because you’re already a fucking expert.”
She threw her head back and laughed, a full belly laugh that had him mesmerized. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
No, Alex Franco, I’m never letting you go.
Chapter Fifteen
Alex watched the Ford Mustang roll out of the parking lot and emptied her lungs in a rush. “Holy. Shit.”
Rusty planted her hands on her slim hips and grinned at her, green eyes bright with excitement. “Can you freaking believe that?”
Alex shook her head, still stunned. “Nope. Maybe we’re on a hidden camera show and some dude with a microphone’s gonna jump out laughing his ass off and screaming, ‘Suckers! We’re only messing with you!’”
“This is what we were hoping for, what we said all along would happen, but still…” Rusty brushed her auburn hair back from her face. “Poaching one of R.I.P. Classic’s customers? We get this one right…” She shook her head. “Shit, we’ll be jumping in the deep end with the big boys.”
Alex rubbed her suddenly sweaty palms on the sides of her shorts. “I think that’s what it means, right?”
Rusty’s spine straightened, determination transforming her entire face, making her even more stunning, if that was possible. “That’s exactly what it means. We screw this up, we might not get another chance. We have to kill it.”
Alex bit her bit. “Right. No pressure then.”
Rusty gave her a sharp nod. “Nope. None at all.”
“Okay. Mr. Cannon’s Charger should be ready for the painters day after tomorrow. Then you and me can concentrate on the Mustang, and Pipe can pull on a pair of coveralls and do the small jobs already booked in.”
“Sounds good.” Rusty looked down at her boots, and when she looked up her eyes were dancing, her grin barely contained. “We’ve so got this.”
“We’ve more than got this. We fucking own it,” Alex said, trying to keep a straight face.
“We’ll fucking own it and spank its ass for good measure.”
Alex crossed her arms and nodded. “We’ll spank it till it purrs, force-feed it rocket fuel, then wheel spin that bitch into R.I.P. Classic’s workshop, screaming, ‘This is how we do it at West Restoration, bitches!’”