The car shuts off; killing the deep idling. Shortly after, the door opens, and my breath hitches when the driver appears. They’re wearing a black hat and shades and I notice the very broad muscular chest right away. I hang back, waiting for the driver to reveal themselves. He finally looks into the garage bays, and the butterflies immediately take flight in my belly. My heart frantically beats faster at the sight of him. It’s Chase. A big smile takes over his face, nearly knocking me on my ass when he looks my way.
"Vern!" he shouts as he removes his sunglasses. Damn. That one nickname. I sigh. The butterflies just died. I release the doorframe and saunter towards him. When I was a baby, Vance couldn't say ‘Veronica’, so it came out as ‘Vern’. After that, for years, I was Vern. They teased me relentlessly in middle school...them being the cool high schoolers and all. He pulls me into an embrace, leaving my arms to my side while he squeezes me to his chest. My face is smashed to his pecs--very nice pecs, I might add. I breathe him in, taking in his distinctive scent.
"Dingleberry," I retort, and I feel his chest vibrate in laughter.
"How original, Vern." He releases me, and I take a step back.
"Well, you know..." I rub my nails on my shoulder. "I'm a pretty original girl."
He flashes another megawatt beautiful smile. "That you are."
I purse my lips. I’m not quite sure if he means that in a good way, so, instead of prying I brush it off.
"Whose car is this?" I walk around him and towards the silver beauty.
"Mine."
"When did you get this?"
"Right before I left. Vance found it online and it was too good of a deal to pass up."
"It's beautiful!" I walk over to the driver’s side door. "May I?" I ask while gesturing to the door handle. When he doesn’t respond instantly, I glance up and find him staring at me.
"What?" I question self-consciously. Do I have something on my face? He shakes his head and smiles. "Nothing. Yeah, sure, check her out!"
I open the door and sit inside. The leather’s a little warm yet, lingering from the body heat he’s emitting. It smells like him, mixed in with the leather. I inhale deeply, wishing I could bottle this scent. I could call it ‘Leathered Chase’. HA!
I take in the interior. There’s a gauge pod with four gauges that line the frame by the windshield, and a touch screen that was installed nicely. The trim on the dash is all carbon fiber, and very clean. It is very well done.
"Nice work." I tilt my head up in his direction but instead find him kneeling close to my side.
"Thanks." He is staring at me again, and I can’t bring myself to look away this time. It feels intimate. Maybe it is just me, but the way he is looking at me is like I am something more than his friend's little sister. I like it. A lot. It’s this exact moment when Vance decides to make his appearance.
"Yo Chase!" He jogs over, and Chase stands up to greet him with a smack of their hands. “Hey man.”
"Let me pull out this van, and you can bring her on in." Vance turns and walks to the van, climbing inside.
"What are you guys doing?" I remove myself from the car. Chase remains where he was, which puts us very close together.
"I want to go bigger!"
"That's what she said," I snort.
"Ah!" He laughs. "That was a good one."
I giggle and do a slight curtsy, "Why thank you."
Suddenly Chase is real serious; stepping forward into my space. "But you know..." he takes another step. Then another. His chest brushes mine and causes my body to break out in goosebumps. He grins while cocking his head to the side--then steals a quick glance at my lips. His blue eyes find mine. "That's something you won't ever say to me...."
I suck in a breath. He, ever so slowly, moves away--never taking his eyes off me--a sexy smirk playing on his lips.
"Pull her in!"
Vance’s yell snaps me out of whatever trance I was in. I move away from Chase with shaky legs, exhaling deeply. Whoa. I quickly walk into the bay, the sound of the engine starting up behind me, and keep moving into the office. I am completely speechless, and my brain is all over the place. What was that? What did that mean? I mean, obviously, he thinks he has a big...package. Is that information he wants me to know? Holy balls. I’m flustered and confused. I’m conflustered!
The clock on the office wall tells me it’s well after closing now. I quickly turn off the outside lights and lock the door and everything else follows. Grabbing my purse from the desk drawer before hitting the office lights, I lock up the door leading to the bay and close the door behind me. Taking a breath I slowly turn around. The hood of the Z is open. Vance's hands are moving above the engine bay, and Chase is nodding with whatever he’s saying.
"Hey, I'm leaving," I call across the bays. Vance glances up and waves, "Yeah, okay!" then continues talking, but Chase’s intense gaze is on me. He’s giving me attention I find unnerving and, yet, extremely wanted. His body is facing my way, and his arms are crossed over his chest, making his biceps bulge. A wicked grin forms on his beautiful lips, and then he winks. It’s a simple gesture that hits me in my core and spreads warmth throughout my body. Good lord. I need to get out of here. As soon as I’m in my car I dial Taylor. I need to talk to my best friend about this.
Feelings
I've avoided Veronica all week. I told myself I couldn’t let anything happen between us. I cannot--should not--have a thing for my best friend's little sister. That's definitely some kind of unspoken rule. I even went out with a redhead Vance was pushin' my way. He was claiming she was so hot and down to get in between my sheets. I wouldn't know…I couldn't focus on her. A particular brunette has been running amuck in my thoughts. I made plans to meet up with Vance this week to look over my car. I wasn't sure if Veronica would be there. If I really didn’t want to see her I would've asked if she would be working. I decided to leave it up to fate.
As it seems, fate might be on my side-- or not. Depends on how you look at it. When I pull up and Veronica comes out of the office, I can't stop the smile that forms on my face. The fact that she's so into cars is extremely sexy. She was always a bit of a tomboy, but that would happen with four brothers. She may still be that tomboy, but she definitely grew into her own. Her face is lit up in awe, over my car, and I can’t help but feel proud. That's right! This beast is mine. Love me now.
When she catches me staring the first time, I admit, I’m a little embarrassed. When I do it a second time--not at all. During our little chat-- and her little ‘that's what she said’ dig--I can’t push aside my instincts to flirt with her. I want to pin her against my car and ravage her mouth. Just thinking about it makes my jeans feel tighter. When she leaves, I’m bummed, yet relieved. Such conflicting reactions, but I can't focus with her around. I keep watching the office door, wanting to see her. She is becoming one of my favorite things to look at. When she is here, it’s like nothing else is happening. All I see is her. My mind is still on V while Vance prattles on about something or other, and an idea pops into my head.