After a brief tour of the garage and meeting some of the employees—all of whom seemed pretty nice—Ian took her into what appeared to be his office.
There was a door that locked and shutters that were closed. A computer sat on the desk, some kind of spreadsheet on the screen. She averted her gaze, but tried not to look at Ian either.
The office wasn’t small, but it felt downright closet-sized with just the two of them inside it. Especially when he closed the door behind them.
Feeling his gaze on her—hot and heavy—she did her best not to squirm.
“So, how long have you had the garage?” That probably sounded like the lame and obvious stall tactic that it was.
“Six years.” He moved toward her and her heart leapt into her throat. But he strode past her and dropped his keys on the desk instead. “Da fronted me the money to get it off the ground since the bank wouldn’t lend to me.”
“They wouldn’t?” It didn’t really surprise her all that much, though it did disappoint a little.
“No. I didn’t have the best credit history. And I’m sure the felony on my record didn’t help.”
Hearing him say the words aloud were a bit of a punch, and she could feel her eyes rounding. She’d known about the felony, but had always tried to not think about it. Wanted to believe it had been some kind of mistake.
Ten years ago she’d had a momentary lapse of sanity and had decided to try and contact Ian again. When her father had discovered what she was about to do, he’d presented her with Ian’s latest background check—the felony conviction highlighted in yellow.
Ian seemed to be waiting for her shock and disgust. One brow was arched and his lips were curved into a slight smile, but his eyes were hard. They were always hard. As if the weight of the world, barbed and vicious, sat on his shoulders.
“Aren’t you going to ask what the felony was?” His words were soft. His steps deliberate as he approached.
This time she knew his destination truly was her and not his desk.
“It’s none of my business.” The words came out on a croak.
I won’t step back and let him think he scares me. No, it wasn’t really him that scared her anyway, but her response to him.
“Second degree assault,” he answered anyway. “I beat a man nearly to death.”
Bile churned in her stomach, and there was no disguising the shock in her eyes now. She blinked and jerked her gaze from him, staring instead at the wooden panels of the wall.
But along with the shock, there was such heavy sadness and disappointment. Not only had Ian not changed since he was a teenager, but his life had gone down a darker path.
“I’m not sure that’s bragging rights.”
“I’m not bragging, I’m warning you that I’m dangerous.”
“You think I don’t know that?” She gave a harsh laugh of disbelief and swung her attention back to him. “I tried to stay away from you, and yet you’ve dragged me back into your life.”
He stood just inches from her, and despite her intent to stay strong, she wanted to scurry back another three feet. Put at least a bit of distance between them.
“You needed my help, doll. Which reminds me. We should talk payment.”
Was this a joke? She’d already told him she was broke. “I don’t have—”
“I don’t want your money.” He reached out, so quickly she hadn’t seen his hand move, only felt it against her cheek.
Despite his large, calloused hands, his touch was surprisingly gentle. And it still had the ability to turn her body to mush. Made her mind a little foggy.
“I want a kiss.”
Chapter Six
She blinked and wet her lips. “W-what?”
“You heard exactly what I said.” His gaze honed in on her mouth and his eyes darkened. “A kiss. It’s not that complicated.”
Oh, it was definitely that complicated.
“Not a chance.”
“Why?”
“Are you high? Because we’ve got a history—a pretty complex one where I made it clear I wanted nothing to do with you. And beyond that, I’m not for sale, dammit.”
Ian laughed. The sound so deep and sexy, she hated the way it heated her blood.
“I’m not asking you to suck me off. Though I sure as hell wouldn’t protest if you tried. It’s just a kiss.”
The imagery. Oh, God, the imagery those words created. She shoved it aside, and sputtered, “You’re disgusting. You kiss your mother with those lips?”
“Not since she moved back to Scotland with Da. And the only kissing I’d like to focus on is between you and I.”
“It’s not going to happen.”