“Hello, gentlemen.” Samantha climbed the two steps to the deck and regarded us with thinly-veiled amusement. “I can see you’re terribly busy here.”
Pete held up his nearly-empty beer bottle. “Cap and his six buddies needed our help. We already finished your car, so we’re on dinner break.” He used his foot to nudge out the empty chair next to me. “Have a seat.” Craning his neck, he looked over to where Samantha’s ride had been. “Does your friend want to join us, too?”
Samantha shook her head and waved to the Jetta, which didn’t waste any time in pulling away. “Nah. That’s my roommate, Harper. She was supposed to be off tonight, but she got called into work because of an emergency.” She sat down, crossing her legs.
I cleared my throat, speaking at last. “Is she a doctor?”
“Nope. A chef.” Samantha’s lips curved. “But apparently, kitchen emergencies are taken very seriously in the culinary world. If she had access to lights and a siren, she’d totally be using them now.”
“Ah.” I slid the decimated nacho plate over closer to her. “Sorry that we pretty much destroyed these, but help yourself to the crumbs. Evans’ wife Cecile makes the best nachos in Virginia.”
“Thanks.” She didn’t waste any time in nabbing part of a chip and using it to scoop up what was left of the cheesy goodness. “I’m starved. Harper and I were supposed to get dinner together after we picked up my car, but I got blown off for the kitchen wars.”
“Now that’s a real tragedy.” Evans reached for a fresh bottle of beer, popped it open and handed it to Samantha. “Here. You need something to wash down the chips.”
“Perfect. Thank you.” She chugged it, earning noises of appreciation from all three of us. Some women sipped beer or had to drink it from a glass. While I had no problem with a girl with class who could behave with manners when the situation called for it, I admired a chick who didn’t mind slamming back a cold one with us at other times.
“So is my car okay?” She ran one finger delicately around her lips in lieu of wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. My eyes never left that finger. I imagined tracing the same path with the tip of my tongue.
“Better than okay. Starter’s replaced, and she’s running like a champ.” Evans inclined his head. “You take good care of her, I can tell.”
“I do.” Reaching into the small purse that rested on her lap, she glanced at Pete. “What do I owe you?”
“Ah ...” He shot me a look and then coughed. “It’s on the house.”
“Bullshit.” Samantha shook her head. “At least let me cover the cost of the part.”
“Don’t worry about it. It was taken care of.” Evans might’ve thought he was being slick, but he gave it away by winking at me.Real smooth.
“Oh, no.” She squared her shoulders, reminding me of the day before, when she’d gotten her back up. “No way. I’m not letting you pay for my car repair.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I tried to look innocent.
“You know, maybe we should go take a look at that radiator hose.” Pete stood up. “Toss me your keys, Cap. C’mon, Mick. Let’s get to work.”
I handed over the keys to my car, and both cowards hustled away from us without a backward glance.
“What was all that about?” Samantha took another pull on her beer.
“The radiator hose on my car is leaking. That’s why I’m here—so Pete and Mickey can see what’s going on with it.” I shrugged. “And Cecile knows I like her nachos, so she made me a plate.”
“Uh huh.” Samantha crossed her arms over her chest, and suddenly the tits that had been camouflaged by loose material were on full display, the cloth of her shirt straining over them. I clenched my hands to keep them still. “And that’s the only reason you’re here tonight?”
“Why else?” I wasn’t going down without a fight.
“I don’t know. Maybe you’re here because you knew I was coming by to get my car. Maybe, despite the fact that we seemed to be complete opposites yesterday, you wanted to see me again.” She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and dropping her voice. “Maybe you were curious to see if the attraction you felt yesterday was a fluke, or if it was still raging tonight. Maybe you just couldn’t stay away from me.”
My heart was pounding, and I could feel the pulse echoed in the throbbing between my legs. “You’re pretty sure of yourself. What did I say or do to make you think that I, uh, felt some kind of attraction to you?”
She smiled, slow and sultry. “Maybe because I was feeling the same thing. Or maybe I’m totally off-base, and it was just wishful thinking on my part.”
I eased back, stretching out my legs and crossing them at the ankle. I knew that Samantha was taking a risk here. She was telling me that she’d felt the spark and giving me the chance to admit that I did, too, or to lie to both of us and claim that I didn’t want her. Her bravery in risking rejection floored me.
Still, even though I was picturing tossing her onto this deck and pounding into her body until neither of us could breathe, the still-rational part of my brain held me back. “Maybe we do feel the same way. Maybe ... I’m here because I couldn’t make myself stay away. But maybe we both need to be smart adults, realize that we’re very different people, with goals that might be in conflict. Maybe the smartest thing to do would be to pretend we don’t feel any of this and just walk away.”
Samantha seemed to consider my words, shifting her gaze to focus at some spot over my shoulder. When she spoke again, it was so soft that I had to strain my ears to hear her. “Maybe you’re right. I’ve never been accused of overthinking my decisions when it comes to sex. I tend to be a little impulsive.”
“And I’m never impulsive about anything.” I linked my hands together behind my head. I was already regretting not giving her an immediateyes. “Everything in my life, each decision in my world, is carefully plotted and planned. I never leap before I look.”
