3

CHAPTER

Three

Duke made himself promise not to watch Carmella all morning long. A difficult promise that only worked out partway because there was no denying he liked to look at her.

It was impossible not to. She was everything he loved about redheads. To say she was curvy wouldn’t have done justice to just how juicy those curves were. It wasn’t just the banging tits and that sweet ass, but the way she dressed. Confidently, sexily, mindful of what she looked good in, and she worked it.

Damn did she ever. Not blatant. She wasn’t a sex bomb that way. But the heat was there, just beneath the surface. Hints of it had driven him nuts over the last few years of living next door.

But when the morning break came and she’d come out of the office and had hustled into the break room, he’d managed to sidle up next to her.

She smelled really good. Flowers and spice. Not overpowering at all. In fact, he only smelled it when he was right next to her. Just a bit of it here and there. He wanted to tell her that, but he was her boss and so he didn’t.

Carmella had her hair held back from her face with a navy blue band. She wore a blue and white polka dot blouse that dipped in the front but didn’t even approach inappropriate and navy blue pants with flats. Even so she came off as tall. Statuesque. Like one of those Italian actresses his old man used to love back in the day.

But she wasn’t. Standing next to her, he realized just how petite she was. All that tall stuff was the way she made him feel. Damn.

Her makeup was pure forties with dark-lined eyes that brought out just how blue they were. Freckles danced over her nose and cheeks and her lips were shiny.

“Redheads should wear red lipstick more often.”

It was out before he could stop himself. Another thing a boss probably shouldn’t say.

Her mouth was so lush he wanted to lean in and bite her bottom lip. Currently it curved up at one edge as she smiled. “My grandmother taught me that red lipstick is revolution in a tube. Nothing else so cheap and small can make you feel so much better after you use it.”

He laughed. “Your grandmother sounds wise in the way of things.”

“She was pretty fantastic in her day. She passed a few years ago, but her best lessons have stayed with me. So, how goes the Ford?”

“Want to see the final product?” He wanted to show off. Wanted her to see what he did and find it impressive.

Her eyes lit up. “Yes. I’d love to. I figured because you had the tarp over it, you wanted to do a reveal all official like.”

“Mainly to keep the dust off as we cleaned stuff up. Asa is going to move it to the showroom in a few minutes. Come on down.”

She followed him, and when he drew the tarp off, she gasped, clasping her hands in front of her body. “Wow.” She circled the car slowly, taking in all the details.

He swung the driver’s side door open and she hummed. A sound so carnal and greedy it shot straight to his cock. He licked his lips and swallowed hard. A woman who’d make a sound like that over a car was the ultimate aphrodisiac.

“Tell me what you’ve done,” she murmured as she continued to take in all the details.

“The car had been sitting under sheets in a barn for at least forty years. The undercarriage was a ruin. There was a family of mice living in the seats. The frame was about sixty percent salvageable. I rebuilt the rest. The client wasn’t that big a stickler on it being stock. Which was good since it would have been next to impossible. We updated the engine. Asa designed the rims. Client wanted suicide doors so we built them from the original.”

She pointed to the custom work they’d done on the inside of the doors to echo the seats. “This is beautiful. You guys have made a piece of art.”

Duke grinned and Asa strolled up, pleased by the compliment as well. “Wait until you hear the engine.”

Her eyes were bright, her smile big as she stepped back. “I can’t wait. The paint? Obviously not stock, but wow the deep wine color, so sexy.”

“That’s all Penelope Jean.” Asa’s expression softened at the mention of his incredibly talented girlfriend. “Client saw this color on a pillow. Brought it in for us to see. PJ created a custom color from that.”

“It’s fantastic.” She moved out of the way as they pushed open the bay doors, prepping to move the car next door to the showroom. When a client picked their car or bike up, it was a big deal and Twisted Steel made it that way.

The lights would be on it just right, highlighting it for delivery. They’d had this moment many times but every single time was special. Every single customer reacted differently.

“So what’s next for you guys?”

“Two projects. A ’forty-seven Chevy two-door coupe. They want a custom rebuild so this will be crazy fantastic. The other is a trike. One of our signature builds.”

“Can’t wait to see—”

Asa started the Ford and the air was filled with muscle. All the normal talking silenced and then applause and whistles broke out.

Twisted Steel was about to deliver another winner.

When Lottie had told Carmella they brought in a feast when a project was delivered, she hadn’t been kidding. The post-delivery celebration had also turned into a good-bye party for Lottie.

They’d closed the shop and headed into the back, where pizzas, salads, sodas, beers, sweets, and hoagies waited.

PJ showed up, coming straight over to give Carmella a hug. “Asa told me they’d hired you. How are you? You look like you’re ready to bolt. I promise they only look like bad boys.”

Carmella snickered, patting PJ’s arm. “Believe me, I know the difference. It’s just … well I’m new and this is a good-bye party. I don’t want to intrude.”

PJ shook her head. Asa came up behind her, sliding an arm around her shoulders. “Ha. No intruding. This is a welcome party for you as well as Lottie’s going away. Let everyone get to know you. Have a few beers. Relax.”

So, Carmella went back into the break room, now burgeoning with people and food, and couldn’t help but smile at them. Duke leaned against the far wall, the neck of a beer dangling between his fingers as he listened to something Chick, one of the metal fabricators, was saying.

Lottie buzzed around hugging people, trying not to cry.

PJ handed her a plate and Carmella grabbed a bottle of cream soda. Two slices of loaded pizza later, she found herself squeezed in between Duke and Asa as they argued about just where they found a part. Duke insisted it was in a junkyard in Concrete, Washington, and Asa was saying it had been in Macon, Georgia.

It was clear the two men shared a deep friendship, which she liked a great deal.

“How did you two meet?”

“We served in Iraq together,” Duke said.

Asa made a sound. “Duke saved my ass in a firefight. Three of our guys were killed. I was pinned down. I’d been shot four times and was bleeding like a stuck pig. He tossed me over his shoulder and ran for it. He saved three of us that afternoon.”

Duke waved it away with a blush. “You do what you gotta do. They’d have done it for me if the situation was reversed.”

Asa rolled his eyes and kept talking. “He does that. Like he’s shy. Which he totally isn’t. But he still saved my life, and after that, I figured he had to be pretty okay.”

“We came back stateside and Asa lived out here. I floundered awhile back East until I finally gave in and moved out here. The rest is what you see.”

“Well that and a lot of work I expect. I like that story,” Carmella said.

Asa and PJ ducked out, leaving Duke and Carmella alone. “So you want to go out for a beer after this? I mean, a group of us are heading out.”

Oh, how she wanted to. It’d be so nice to make a few really bad choices and end up with that hot man meat in her bed.

And yet, it was always the morning after that got you. “I’d better not. I have plans for the morning.” A trip over to her mother’s apartment to dole out pills and listen to complaints.

“Has Ginger been inside all day?”

Damn, it was nice that he thought about that. “No. I have a doggie door. I went home for lunch too. She’s fine. Don’t let her con you with those big no one ever feeds me eyes. She’d eat the chrome off a bumper if you let her.”

He laughed and she had to stop herself from leaning closer to get more. He had a good laugh. A really good laugh. God.

She wanted to step away but her back was to a wall and he stood in front of her. He stared at her—at her mouth—for long moments before he seemed to snap out of it.

“Okay. Well, next time then. We do lunches here on Fridays but we often hit the bar up the street for beers after work. Everyone’s happy to have you here, I know they’d love it if you came out with us.”

Maybe later. Once she’d managed to get some walls built between her libido and the man in front of her. Right then she wanted to push him back on the table and scramble aboard.

On top she’d have him spread out below her so she could dip down to kiss him as she rode his cock. He’d have access to her nipples, to her pussy. She had no misperceptions about him. A man like Duke would know how to make a woman come. Quite ably. Most likely more than once.

She’d snuck enough looks at his lap to know he was packing something thick.

She loved a thick cock.

She nearly moaned at the thought, catching herself only barely in time.

“I should be going. Unless you need help cleaning up?”

He shook his head, still standing really close. Close enough that all she could really see was him. He blocked the rest of the room with those wide shoulders of his.

“We’ll get it. Everyone works their tail off for us, we can clean up the mess. I’ll see you Monday then. Have a good weekend.” He stepped back and she gulped in some air.

“You too.” She waved her good-byes and allowed Lottie to hug her and wished her luck.

As fast as her feet could take her, she cleared out and headed home before she did something monumentally stupid like take Duke up on the sensual promise in his gaze.

She had a good job. With benefits. And a retirement plan. She could not—would not—fuck her boss, no matter how fat his cock was or how nice of an ass he had.

Nope.

But that didn’t mean she couldn’t think about it when she was alone in her shower with her detachable showerhead. Which she planned to do in an hour or so.