smile. “Thanks for letting me cry on you.”
“Any time,” he said, his voice husky with desire. He was very much aware of how close her body was to his. He shouldn’t have been tempting himself so much, but he didn’t want her to move from where she knelt between his legs either. Her leg brushed against his inner thigh as she shifted positions. It took all his strength for him to not start tearing at her clothes right that moment.
She moved her hand from his, and he let it fall away from her cheek. “I guess it’s time to figure out the next move,” she said.
“That reminds me. I found an engine if you want it for under two thousand. I’ll have to let the guy know something soon. He said he can only hold it a few days. No labor charge of course. I insist.” The engine was closer to four thousand, but she didn’t need to know he was cutting the cost in half for her. He had a feeling she wouldn’t have it if she knew.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said. “I can pay for the labor.”
“Do you want my mom to kill me? Besides, I want to.” And he really did. He had a strong urge to do anything he could to take away any of her sadness or frustrations that he could. He knew she’d had a lot of them in the twenty-four hours since they’d met. And after staying up all night talking to her, he knew she was something special. He’d been pretty tired at work all morning, but it’d been worth it.
She smiled. “Thanks. Let me think about it, okay? I’ll let you know on Monday. I might just take the bus home and buy a new car. Let you have that one for scrap metal or something. I have no idea what my next move will be right now.”
“Okay. But it really is a pretty decent car excepting your engine. I think with this new one, you could get some decent mileage out of it before you have to get another one.” He didn’t want her to leave town so soon. And if she did leave, he’d prefer it if she had a reason to come back. So he really wanted to fix that car for her.
She nodded. “I need to make a call.” She rubbed a hand over her face and seemed stressed at the thought of that call. “After that, would you mind just taking me to get a few things? Is the Radio Shack open?”
“Radio Shack closed at noon, but I’ll take you Monday.”
“Okay.” She sighed. “That’s right. I don’t have any money yet anyway. I’d still like to get out of here for a while. Maybe I’ll go for a walk.”
“I have to go to the grocery store for Mom. If you give me a minute to get cleaned up, you can come with me if you want.”
“Sounds great. Thanks.” She stood and stretched. Her shirt rode up, exposing a flat, smooth inch of brown stomach. She walked to the doorway and looked over her shoulder. “Coming?”
“Um yeah. In a little bit.” He needed a minute. And to think some very boring thoughts.
She nodded. “I’m going to go see what all your mom needs from the store. I’ll be out back in the garden with her.”
“Okay,” he said, watching her walk away. It only made his, uh, problem worse, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.
#
Her call to the group’s manager had been exhausting. It’d taken all her effort to hold it together as she told the man it was all over. That she wasn’t going to be able to make it to Miami. All hope wasn’t lost for the group, not by any means. But it was all lost for her.
After that horrible conversation, Austin drove them into town. When he stopped at the red light on Main Street at the one and only major intersection in town, she looked over at him.
“Is this the only traffic light in Sweet Neck?” she asked in a teasing tone.
“The only real one.” He gave an easy grin. “There’s one farther out. One of those blinking yellow ones.”
“I can’t decide if that’s funny or not.”
He laughed softly. The light turned green, and he drove forward.
“What does Vernon do for a living? And Leigh Anne?” she asked as they drove past the
“Any time,” he said, his voice husky with desire. He was very much aware of how close her body was to his. He shouldn’t have been tempting himself so much, but he didn’t want her to move from where she knelt between his legs either. Her leg brushed against his inner thigh as she shifted positions. It took all his strength for him to not start tearing at her clothes right that moment.
She moved her hand from his, and he let it fall away from her cheek. “I guess it’s time to figure out the next move,” she said.
“That reminds me. I found an engine if you want it for under two thousand. I’ll have to let the guy know something soon. He said he can only hold it a few days. No labor charge of course. I insist.” The engine was closer to four thousand, but she didn’t need to know he was cutting the cost in half for her. He had a feeling she wouldn’t have it if she knew.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said. “I can pay for the labor.”
“Do you want my mom to kill me? Besides, I want to.” And he really did. He had a strong urge to do anything he could to take away any of her sadness or frustrations that he could. He knew she’d had a lot of them in the twenty-four hours since they’d met. And after staying up all night talking to her, he knew she was something special. He’d been pretty tired at work all morning, but it’d been worth it.
She smiled. “Thanks. Let me think about it, okay? I’ll let you know on Monday. I might just take the bus home and buy a new car. Let you have that one for scrap metal or something. I have no idea what my next move will be right now.”
“Okay. But it really is a pretty decent car excepting your engine. I think with this new one, you could get some decent mileage out of it before you have to get another one.” He didn’t want her to leave town so soon. And if she did leave, he’d prefer it if she had a reason to come back. So he really wanted to fix that car for her.
She nodded. “I need to make a call.” She rubbed a hand over her face and seemed stressed at the thought of that call. “After that, would you mind just taking me to get a few things? Is the Radio Shack open?”
“Radio Shack closed at noon, but I’ll take you Monday.”
“Okay.” She sighed. “That’s right. I don’t have any money yet anyway. I’d still like to get out of here for a while. Maybe I’ll go for a walk.”
“I have to go to the grocery store for Mom. If you give me a minute to get cleaned up, you can come with me if you want.”
“Sounds great. Thanks.” She stood and stretched. Her shirt rode up, exposing a flat, smooth inch of brown stomach. She walked to the doorway and looked over her shoulder. “Coming?”
“Um yeah. In a little bit.” He needed a minute. And to think some very boring thoughts.
She nodded. “I’m going to go see what all your mom needs from the store. I’ll be out back in the garden with her.”
“Okay,” he said, watching her walk away. It only made his, uh, problem worse, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.
#
Her call to the group’s manager had been exhausting. It’d taken all her effort to hold it together as she told the man it was all over. That she wasn’t going to be able to make it to Miami. All hope wasn’t lost for the group, not by any means. But it was all lost for her.
After that horrible conversation, Austin drove them into town. When he stopped at the red light on Main Street at the one and only major intersection in town, she looked over at him.
“Is this the only traffic light in Sweet Neck?” she asked in a teasing tone.
“The only real one.” He gave an easy grin. “There’s one farther out. One of those blinking yellow ones.”
“I can’t decide if that’s funny or not.”
He laughed softly. The light turned green, and he drove forward.
“What does Vernon do for a living? And Leigh Anne?” she asked as they drove past the
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