“We need to make sure it’s clean.”
He opened the small cupboard and took out a first aid box.
“I can do that.”
He shook his head, looking around. “Where’s a towel?”
“I don’t think there is one. You didn’t give me one either. Good thing I had my own soap. Otherwise, the shower would have been a total wash.” I waggled my eyebrows, trying to get him to lighten up. He looked far too serious.
He ignored my humor. “I forgot. Sorry.”
Before I could recover from his apology, he whipped his shirt over his head, standing in front of me bare-chested. He wrapped my hand in the shirt, still warm from his body, then rummaged in the first aid box. I tried not to gape. I had seen him naked in the motel room, but the lights were low. That view hadn’t done him justice. He was sculpted and firm, his muscles rippling as he moved. He had a six-pack, maybe even an eight-pack. I couldn’t count, my head was so muddled. He crouched in front of me, saying something, and I blinked.
“What?”
“I said, this is going to sting.” Then he dabbed at the torn skin with alcohol, and I yelped.
He blew on my hand, and my breath caught. It was highly erotic watching his mouth work to cool my skin. His closeness was having the opposite effect on the rest of me. My body felt heavy and warm. The desire to drape my arms over his shoulders and have him lift and carry me to the small bed down the hall was prevalent. He bent his head as he added some ointment, then covered the skin with a large bandage.
“We’ll check it tomorrow,” he said, looking up and freezing.
Our eyes locked in a heated, silent exchange. His hands tightened on mine, gripping them with an intensity that was thrilling. His pupils dilated, his breathing picking up to match mine. Memories of the night we shared came alive, swirling around us. I licked my lips, and his gaze flicked to my mouth, then back to my eyes.
We drifted closer, like magnets unable to stop the pull. His mouth was almost touching mine, and I whispered his name.
“Maxx.”
He released my hands and stood so fast, I almost toppled over. He stepped back, his eyes wild.
“I have to go and do some errands. Try to be more careful in the garage, Charly.”
Then he turned and almost ran, as if the hounds of hell were pursuing him.
I drew in a shuddering breath, hearing the sound of the garage door closing and his truck starting.
I dropped my head into my hands, wincing at the pain.
What just happened?
Chapter 10
MAXX
I pulled out of the driveway so fast, my tires kicked up a cloud of dust and pebbles, shooting them all over the road.
I didn’t care. I had to get out. Get away from her.
A short distance away, I steered to the side of the road and hung my head.
Twice.
That was twice in one day I couldn’t stop my reaction to her.
When I walked in the office this morning, the sight of her sitting at my desk, her legs folded under her as she worked, caught me off guard. I thought I was prepared to see her. I wasn’t.
Her hair was piled high with tendrils escaping in little corkscrew curls around her face. Her shirt hung off her shoulder, exposing the creamy flesh I remembered kissing. Tasting. And the kicker? The sexy, come-fuck-me librarian glasses perched on her nose. My cock hardened instantly.
I wanted to drag her off the chair, pull those glasses off her face, and take her. Right there on the desk. I had to turn around and leave before I did. Give myself a chance to collect my thoughts and brace myself to go back and pretend nothing was amiss. Treat her the way I had the day before—with barely concealed annoyance.
Except, I was finding it hard to do so for some reason. She had been working hard, for how long, I wasn’t sure. But she was obviously determined to make the best of the job I hired her for. I hassled her a little, but this morning, my barbs were off and my comebacks weak.
Then when she fell, the sense of needing to look after her shocked me. Cleaning her hand, being that close to her was a mistake. The heat between us was undeniable. The urge to kiss her, yank her to my chest, and lose myself to her was intense. To carry her over to the little bed in the back and spend the rest of the day inside her, palpable and strong.
I had to physically remove myself. I hadn’t even put a shirt on. I grabbed a spare one from the back seat and yanked it over my head, then banged my hand on the steering wheel in frustration.