“Coffee’s right there,” she told him, making him jump.
His voice came from under the car. “Jeez, Jenna, I almost brained myself.”
She laughed. “Sorry.”
She made herself comfortable behind the counter, taking sips of the hot, strong coffee while Ryker talked to her as he worked beneath the chassis of her car. Both their voices were raised so they could hear each other.
“So what kind of work do you do that lets you move around all the time?” Ryker called out.
“Oh, I’m a writer.”
“What, like novels?”
“No.” Her cheeks heated. “I write ad copy.”
“What’s that?”
He dropped something, the item clanging on the ground, and he swore.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, fine. You were telling me about what you write.”
Dammit, she thought, she’d been hoping he’d forget the topic. “It’s basically advertising but in the written form. So, if someone is putting a catalogue together, I write the description of the product.”
He pulled himself out from beneath the car. “What sort of things do people get you to write about?”
The heat in her cheeks intensified. “Lots of different things. Toys … and stuff.”
“What kind of toys?” He looked sexy with black streaked across his jaw. His full lips were pursed and he studied her with his intense blue eyes. From where he stood, she could smell the hint of cologne and engine oil.
“Jesus, Ryker.” Her eyes widened at him, trying to tell him without needing to say the words. “You know… toys!”
“Oh!” He pressed his lips together, trying to repress a smile, and his eyes moved up and down her body. “I’m going to start a list of all the surprising things I discover about Jenna Armstrong.”
“Well, I don’t even know your last name,” she said, wanting to change the subject.
“It’s Russo. The name’s above the door.”
So it was. She hadn’t noticed the garage was called ‘Russo’s.’
“Sounds more like you should be a restaurant,” she said.
“Except I have no idea how to cook!”
She couldn’t help the flirtatious tone entering her voice. “And there I was thinking you were perfect.”
“Oh, I make up for it in other ways,” he said, a wicked smile on his face.
But she was never going to find out. She needed to leave, and even if she didn’t need to leave, she could never have a relationship with him—not the kind of relationship he would want, anyway.
She fell quiet, but he misunderstood the reason for her silence.
Ryker glanced down at her. “You don’t need to worry, Jenna. No one is going to hurt you when you’re with me, I promise.”
She just wished it was a promise he was able to keep.
Chapter Seven
Ryker finished what work he could on her car, and then made a couple of calls to suppliers to locate the parts.
Jenna watched him expectantly as he thanked whoever was on the other end of the line, and hung up.
“Well?” she asked.
“The parts have been shipped. We can’t do any more than that.”
She chewed on her lower lip. “What happens if the parts don’t come in?”
He shrugged, but a small smile tugged his mouth. “I guess you’ll have to stay an extra day.”
“I can’t, Ryker. I already explained that.” She thought of something. “Anyway, I won’t have anywhere to stay after tonight. The motel is already booked, remember.”
“No problem. I’ve got a spare room. You can stay with me.”
She glared at him. “No, I can’t! Stop pushing me on this.”
He raised his hands in submission, but laughed as he did so. “Okay, okay. I won’t mention it again—at least until the time comes when you find yourself with nowhere to stay, then we’ll talk.”
“Why is the motel booked for tomorrow anyway?”
He grinned. “It’s our annual tomato festival.”
“Tomato festival?”
“Yeah, there will be a parade and bands playing, a tomato eating contest, plus who has grown the ugliest tomato competition.”
She couldn’t help laughing. “Seriously?”
“Of course. Didn’t you notice the posters around town?”
“I guess I was a little preoccupied.” She didn’t want to think about the reason why. “So what else happens?”
“There’s a fun run. Do you like to run?”
She spread her arms out either side of her body. “Do I look like I run?” He shrugged as an answer. “If I’m running,” she continued, “it’s ’cause something is chasing me.”