She felt her nipples stiffen and quickly crossed her arms to cover the effect he was having on her body. Scowling up at him, she pushed her anger to the forefront. “That car is here because our skill, our workmanship…our finished product surpasses yours in every way. End of story. I’d say I’m sorry your male ego has taken a beating over the fact that three women can do what you so obviously can’t, but I’m not sorry in the least. We’ve worked hard for this, and we’ve earned it.” She shrugged like he had. “Deal with it.”
He tilted his head to the side, eyes still locked on her, a giant damned cat about to pounce. “This kind of work is time consuming. How do you plan to keep afloat while you’re sourcing new jobs?”
“Sourcing new jobs hasn’t been a problem for us.”
That killer smile reappeared. “I’ll bet.”
Was he trying to piss her off on purpose, or was he really this much of a dick? “You really think someone would lay down a shitload of cash just to get a look at us in grease-stained coveralls? Really? Our customers don’t mind the extra time and are happy to pay the extra money because they know when they see the final result, when they drive their car out of here, they’re driving away in a work of art. No amount of factory-built, rush jobs can compete with that, and you know it, or you wouldn’t be here.”
One of his shoulders lifted, then dropped. “You’re right.”
“Come again?” Alex said beside her.
“I agree. You’re providing a service that people want, and you’re doing it fucking well. But our work’s not inferior.” He was addressing Alex but didn’t take his eyes off Rusty.
“I think we’ll have to agree to disagree on that one,” Alex said, smirking. The phone in the office rang, and she excused herself to rush off and answer it, leaving Rusty alone with tall, dark, and chauvinistic.
“Do you know how long I’ve been in this business? How many shops I own?”
“Considering I had no idea who you were until you walked in here, you figure it out.” Of course she knew who he was, everyone in this business knew Reid Parker. She just hadn’t expected him to walk into her garage with his designer tighty-whities in a wad, gloating about his numerous shops and flashing around a watch that was probably worth more than their entire business, even though they’d been steadily stealing work from him.
The way he shook his head, the lift of those lips, he knew she was full of it. “I own ten shops, and R.I.P. is the biggest in this city. I think I know a thing or two.”
He may as well have just pulled out his bank statement and shoved it in her face. But the guy wasn’t fooling anyone, especially not her. To be his age and have all that he did, Reid Parker had received more than a helping hand. She’d bet her truck he had a rich daddy behind the scenes throwing money at him. Well, they’d worked their asses off to get where they were now. They didn’t owe him a damn thing. “Big doesn’t necessarily mean better, Chuckles.”
He took a small step closer. He wasn’t exactly in her face but close enough that he’d entered her personal space. It was a struggle to hold her ground with all the intense hot-man vibes he was throwing off. “That’s what people generally say when they’re…small. But I guess you could be right there, too.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “Big feels pretty damn good, though, don’t you think, Rusty?”
She got the feeling they weren’t talking about cars anymore. Her gaze dipped before she could stop herself, taking in the impressive bulge behind his fly. She heard him suck in a rough breath.
Busted.
Looking up at him, she did her best to ignore the interest she saw blazing there, or the way it made her feel, and took a retreating step. “Dude, I don’t know what you’re on about. It’s been real and all, truly, but I’ve got work to do and that doesn’t include standing around talking in riddles with you.”
She turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her gently toward him. Those tingles returned full force, lifting the hairs on her arms, making her shiver, making her want to move in closer to that hot body.
He let go but managed to pin her to the spot with his intense gaze. “Come by the shop sometime. Let me show you around, show you how we do things.” The grin was back. “You never know, you might learn a thing or two.”
Was he for real? “I doubt that. And if this is your way of asking me out…”
“If I was asking you out, you’d know it.” The words were nothing but a deep rumble, and heat flooded her system in an unsettling wave.