“Does it run?” she asked.
“Yeah, but it needs some body work.” He finished up Caitlyn’s hair, then told her it was time for homework.
A shuffle of footsteps sounded behind her. She turned to see James standing in the doorway, filling up the space.
“I’ll do it,” he said in a low, two-pack-a-day voice. “Gettin’ ready to work on the McMillan car now. Can do the Charger at the same time.”
Her gaze bounced between the two of them. Rand was scowling at James.
“Um, how much do you want for it and how much to fix it?” she asked.
“Nothing to fix it,” James said. “The least I can do.” He held up his bandaged arm. He’d cut himself in the shop earlier when she was out taking a look around. As she applied a bandage, she’d secretly done a little healing. She told him he needed to go to the emergency room and get stitched up, but he’d refused, saying he hated quacks.
“What’d Manny give you for your Honda?” Rand asked. She told him. “Keep five hundred bucks, give me the rest, and the car is yours.”
“Deal.” She was thrilled. She’d secretly wanted to own a muscle car for as long as she could remember.
She yawned at the memory of all she’d done in the past few weeks—new jobs tended to be exhausting anyway—but she still couldn’t seem to fall asleep.
Just as she flipped her pillow to the cool side and curled up again, a key sounded in the lock and the door snicked open. Conry’s tail thumped on the floor.
Asher?
Her chest tightened and her heart slammed against her ribs.
She listened, hardly daring to breathe, as he slipped off his boots and tiptoed past the foot of the bed to the bathroom, then she heard the shower running.
Rand had told her Asher would probably be gone for several months, so why was he back so soon? Had there been a meeting, or was it just an excuse for him to get away? She had no claims on him, but the thought of him with another woman turned her stomach.
A few minutes later, the mattress dipped as he climbed into bed. She pretended to be asleep. He smelled not like his body wash, which she’d been expecting, but of the herbal oil that she’d left in the soap dish. Sliding in behind her, he molded his body to hers. His arm came to cup her breast, but not in a sexual way. More like it was a natural place for his hand to rest. He let out a long, slow exhale as if he’d been holding his breath.
“I’m sorry I left without a goodbye,” he whispered into her hair. “But I’m glad you’re still here.” And just like that, he fell asleep.
Although Rand and the guys had been great, she’d felt a strange emptiness in Asher’s absence. It was as if a piece of her was missing or slightly out of sync. She felt much better now.
The next morning, she woke tangled in the sheets and blissfully rejuvenated. Yawning, she stretched and reached over to Asher’s side of the bed. He wasn’t there. She sat up and looked around. She hadn’t dreamed he’d come back, had she?
Trying not to be too disappointed, she got up and took a quick shower. She dug through a few of the boxes from her apartment and grabbed a pair of black slacks, a black tank, low kitten heels and a pale blue cardigan.
Conry had climbed onto the bed and was now curled up where she’d been sleeping.
“Have I stolen your place, buddy?” she said, laying the clothes out on a nearby chair and sitting next to him. His tail thumped on the bed and he rolled over for her to scratch his belly. “I’ll be gone soon, so you’ll have it back. I promise.” He licked her hand. “You are so sweet.”
The fact that Conry was still here made her think she had imagined Asher’s return. If so, wouldn’t the dog be with him now? She and Asher hadn’t had sex last night, so maybe it was just a dream.#p#分页标题#e#
After getting dressed, she put on a little mascara, towel-dried her naturally wavy hair, and pulled it into a low side-ponytail. She left the room, taking care not to catch her thin heels in the open mesh of the stairs. Conry was right behind her. A couple of mechanics on the far side of the garage were already working and waved to her when they saw her, but for the most part, the place was still empty.
Entering the office, she unlocked the outer door and went to start the coffee. One of the guys must’ve eaten breakfast in here because the place smelled of bacon and toast. Conry sniffed around, probably looking for a stray piece of bacon, then curled up next to the desk. Whoever had been here must’ve made the coffee, too. The pot was still dripping, so it hadn’t been brewing for long. Hopefully, it was the kind of coffeemaker that would let you remove the carafe before it was done. She was in desperate need of some caffeine and didn’t want to wait.