His heat presses up against my side. “You came.”
Carrick.
Turning to him, I smile. God, he looks good. His eyes are bright, and his cheeks flushed, like he just came in from outside.
“I did. I got here a while ago.”
“Hmm. Did you now?” He cocks an eyebrow. “You should have come and found me.”
“I thought maybe you were busy as you were nowhere to be seen.”
“I was cornered. Couldn’t get away.”
“But you’re free now?”
A mischievous glint appears in his eyes. “Yeah, I’m most definitely free.”
Feeling that tension run over my skin, I look back out at the bar.
“So, Amaro—that’s Brazilian, right?” He leans closer to me.
I slide a glance at him. “Right.”
“Dad told me that you just arrived in today from there.”
“I did.”
God, aren’t I full of the vocab tonight?
“Not to be offensive, but you don’t sound Brazilian. Your accent sounds a little diluted.”
“I’m from England originally. I was born here. My mother’s Brazilian. We moved there when I was ten.”
“Ah, right. Explains the dilution then.” He smiles.
“So, I didn’t wish you a happy birthday earlier,” I say, changing the subject from my history.
“No, you didn’t.” His stare on me is suddenly direct and intense.
“Well…happy birthday,” I say awkwardly.
His stare relaxes, and a smile lifts his eyes. “Thanks.”
“Let me buy you a drink. Beer?” I check, nodding at the bottle in his hand.
“Mmhmm.”
He downs his bottle, and I can’t help but watch his lips around the rim or the way his throat moves as the alcohol slides down.
“What can I get you?” That’s the bartender.
Feeling like I’ve been caught staring at Carrick, my face flames.
“Um, two beers, please.”
The bartender deposits two bottles on the bar just as Carrick puts his empty one down.
I’m digging in my bag for the money to pay when I see Carrick handing a twenty over.
“Hey, I was supposed to buy you a birthday drink.” I frown.
“Call it a welcome-to-the-team drink from me.”
“Well, thank you. But that kind of defeats the purpose of me buying you a birthday drink.”
I lift my bottle to his and chink it, and then I take a drink.
“So, Andi—what’s that short for?” he asks me.
“Andressa.”
I did tell him my full name before in the garage, but clearly, he’s forgotten. Then again, he probably has a lot of women’s names to remember.
“Andressa…” He rolls my name around his mouth.
I love the way it sounds in his Irish lilt, the way his tongue rolls on the S. It sends shivers hurtling down my spine.
“Of course, you did tell me earlier. So, why Andi instead of Andressa?”
“Because Andressa is a bit of a mouthful, and it’s just what everyone has always called me.” My dad started calling me Andi. It apparently drove my mum mad until she finally gave in.
Carrick raises his eyes, and I can read the sexual innuendo all over his face.
“A mouthful can be a good thing.” He grins sexily. “Andi is a boy’s name, and you’re far from a boy. No, Andressa…that’s a beautiful woman’s name. It’s perfect for you.”
Oh, he’s good.
I feel him move in even closer to me. My heart starts to beat harder and faster than I’ve ever known it to do before.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Unable to look at his face, I keep my eyes on his chest. “You’re pretty rich in lame pick-up lines.”
“That’s not all I’m rich in.”
As I look up, I see him flash a glance down, causing my eyes to focus on the very prominent bulge in his pants.
Good God.
And that breaks the spell he was weaving over me.
I turn back to the bar, leaning into it, I put my bottle down and rest my elbows on it. “You really shouldn’t talk to me like this.”
He rests his back against the bar, but I can feel his eyes on me. “And how exactly should I talk to you?”
I slide my eyes to his. “Like you would speak to any of your mechanics.”
“How do you know I don’t speak to Ben like this? And Robbie? He and I have something special going on.” He winks cheekily before taking a swig of his beer.
A laugh escapes me.
Cutting it off, I stare ahead. “Seriously, we need to draw a line here. So, let me just lay it out for you—”
“Perfect. Your place or mine?”
“Jesus, can’t you be serious for one minute?”
He angles his body toward mine. “I am being serious.” The tone in his voice screams a totally different kind of serious to mine.