Page 17 of Filthy Player
“Tonight?” her dad asked. “She can go now.”
Paige glared at me, then her dad and shook her head. “Can’t. I’m not caught up on work and I’m covered in grease.”
The only thing she was covered in was a body made for a long night of fucking. Her jeans had a few dark spots on them, but I’d memorized the curves of her ass in them earlier. She was wearing a blue tank top with Halloway Motors stamped in a curve directly over her chest.
My gaze lingered there for a moment before I grinned at her.
“Work can wait,” her dad said and reached for her hand. His trembled until she grabbed it. “When’s the last time you had fun? More importantly, when’s the last time you had a date?”
Behind me, the men choked back laughter.
Paige’s ears turned the brightest shade of pink I’d seen on anything outside my sister’s toenail polish.
I grinned shamelessly while she shot her dad the same lethal look she’d given me. Apparently she’d mastered it long before I showed up in her life.
“I have to go home and shower.”
“Cool.” Her dad shrugged. “That’ll give me time to chat with Mr. Hale here about his intentions with my daughter.”
The guys behind me lost the control they had on their laughter and all three assholes slapped me on the shoulder. “Sounds like you have a ride, then, man,” Powell said. “And speaking of rides, your sister—”
“Don’t finish that thought,” I growled at him. He never missed the opportunity to talk about Shannon. I turned back to Paige’s dad. “Just dinner and a bit of car shopping, sir.”
“Then you can tell me how it felt to stand on that podium last winter winning that ring that looks like it’s weighing down your hand.”
I liked this guy. He was a no-nonsense straight shooter with a protective streak for his daughter. “That okay with you?” I asked Paige.
“Looks like the decision’s been made for me,” she grumbled and kicked her dad’s chair again.
“That’s because you’re too young to be making as many as you already are. Let your old man do something nice for you. Don’t get the chances anymore.”
“Damn you,” she whispered, her voice hoarse.
“If you want,” Mike said, “Sam and Mr. Hale can hang in the garage with me while I get it fixed enough to take it to a dealership. You can go home and come back when you’re ready, Paige.”
Her gaze swept around the group still standing around. My teammates were off to the side, no doubt hanging around to say their goodbyes and taking as many notes in order to give me as much shit as possible. Hell, it’d been a long time since I’d met a girl’s dad, much less felt the need to impress him or the guy who was with him. Could have been her brother, but while they were close, they didn’t treat each other the same way Shannon and I did. Close, but not close enough.
More questions to dig into during dinner.
“Paige?” I asked and her shoulders slumped.
A small, hesitant twitch of her lips before it evaporated said she wasn’t as annoyed as she seemed. “I can be back in about forty-five minutes if you don’t mind.”
I lifted my hands and dropped them to my hips. “I’ve got all night.”
A faint hue hit her cheeks. Damn, she was pretty when she blushed and sexy when she glared. I’d have my hands full with this woman.
Good thing I had big hands.
“So that’s settled,” Sam said. “Let’s say goodbye to these boys and you and I can sit and chat while Mike finishes up your car.”
I told the guys I’d see them tomorrow at practice and when Sam and Mike were distracted, I walked up to Paige. “I was kind of a dick, bringing up dinner in front of your dad.”
“Yeah, you were.”
“I’m not sorry this time. A man uses all the plays at his disposal when he has to.”
“Spoken like a player,” she said, and she wasn’t talking about football.
