Mad Gold (Providence Gold 2)

“Uh,” she said as she shuffled some papers around and then tapped the screen of her phone looking at something. “Yeah, we have a space. What do you need done?”

Fuck, what did I need done?

“It sputtered when I was driving this morning,” I lied – again.

Nodding, she tapped on the screen and waited. Within a few seconds it beeped and she was typing something back. I was only slightly uncomfortable standing there, mostly because it gave me the opportunity to look at her and take everything in.

She had golden hair that fell in big loose curls to around the middle of her back and I’d say she was roughly five-foot-six inches tall. I could tell that because she came to slightly above nipple height on my body.

I really shouldn’t have thought of nipples because as soon as I did, my eyes flicked to hers and took in the pointy tips poking through the t-shirt she was wearing.

Was it the temperature in the room making them do that, or was it me?

She also had a beautifully curvy body. I’d never gone for the thin look, even in high school. It wasn’t that I had anything against it, it just wasn’t my type. But curves? I was a sucker for those.

And those nipples…

I only just managed to look away from them before she looked back up at me and smiled.

“Okay, take it to bay seven and they’ll have a look at it for you.”

That was it?

Something inside of me screamed at me not to walk away without asking her out. I wasn’t a forward guy, I tended to be more reserved than most, but with her I would break every rule I had for myself at this moment.

So, I did.

“Do you want to go for lunch?” I tried to sound as soft and inviting as I could, but this was a new situation for me so I probably sounded awkward as fuck. When she just looked at me with a stunned expression on her face, I carried on. “I’m meeting the Townsends for lunch. It’s Taco Tuesday at La Cantina and they’re forcing me to join in on their traditions.”

And it was true, they totally were. Monday meatloaf, Taco Tuesday, whatever Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday which involved alcohol and nachos at a bar in town called Rocket, franks ‘n beans Friday… it was never ending. And once a month they had a totally different week where they mixed it all up.

It was hell!

My dad was a great guy, in fact the best dad you could ask for. We had a blast together, and he’d had my back from day one. He’d also tried to foster Luna when I’d told him about how she was living – with a mother who was snorting and shooting everything into her body she could, and her father who was a complete asshole. I didn’t know the extent of what he was doing to her at the time but fuck me I wish I had. Maybe if we’d gotten her, she wouldn’t have gone through what she did just mere months ago or been dragged around the state by the abusive bastard.

I had to shake my head to get my mind away from those thoughts because they took me to a dark place and I didn’t want to waste any time I had with Dahlia. It had been a long week mulling over what it was about her that was different, and I’ll be damned if I could figure out the answer to that question. I also couldn’t find it in me to talk myself out of the decisions I was making about her.

I was the definition of discombobulated when it came to this woman.

“Are you sure?” she eventually asked me quietly. “You don’t look like you’re happy at the prospect.”

A smile made my lips twitch, drawing her eyes to them and then back to my own. “I’m not the most social person,” I explained. “They keep making me do shit with them.”

Rather than look at me like I was crazy, Dahlia nodded her head in understanding. “I get it. I like my space too,” she shrugged. “I grew up with just me and my dad, so I got used to doing my own thing,” she paused and then took a deep breath and blew it out. “Okay, I’ll go with you.”

At that moment, I gave in and just let it happen.

I smiled. And she didn’t run away screaming.

Winner, winner, taco dinner!FourMadixI t was after I’d dropped the truck off at the bay and we were walking toward La Cantina in silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable or tense, just two people enjoying the walk.

I was still intrigued though. I wanted to know more about her.

“You said you grew up with your dad?” I asked, looking over at her as I ducked to avoid a tree branch which was hanging just a little too low for my height.