Rachel rested her head on his chest. Her fingers stroked his chest. “You haven’t got any chest hair,” she said.
“I was blessed without any.”
He could live like this forever with her body against his.
Paul held her in his arms knowing the time would come when they’d have to face Mitch. His friend had trusted him with her care. Why couldn’t Mitch see that he was the best man to take care of her?
Pushing his thoughts away, Paul held her close and talked with her. They laughed and smiled about growing up, reminiscing over the old times. They stayed naked together on the sofa in complete satisfaction with each other.
He may not have had sex with Rachel, but he was loving the time they spent with each other. In the moment they were sharing they had complete privacy where no one could look in and judge. They could simply bask in the joy of the moment without fear. Paul wondered how long he’d have before he needed to start looking over his shoulder.
Chapter Seven
Paul couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. Last night falling asleep on Rachel’s sofa with her in his arms topped the best experiences of his life. Nothing compared to the feel of her soft body against his. He thought over his life, and no matter what he compared it to, everything else paled in comparison. The first time he had sex, the moment he bought this garage, to the realisation that he was in love with his best friend’s little sister, all those moments and experiences did not match up to the perfection of waking up with his arms surrounding Rachel. Whistling a tune Paul stared at the engine before him but still couldn’t get her out of his mind.
“I take it your woman troubles are over?” Darren asked.
“What woman troubles?” Paul threw a rag over to his worker and chuckled. Nothing was going to put him in a foul mood today. Rachel was everything he’d hoped. She was funny, smart, and sexy as hell all rolled into one.
Mitch still posed a problem. Paul knew it was only a matter of time before he came home. The last time Mitch had phoned he was in some field in a tent, camping. Paul would never understand his friend’s need to become one with nature. His friend’s reaction was something he was going to need to discuss with Rachel. She might have a solution to their problem when it came to Mitch.
“When do I get to meet her?” Darren asked.
“Soon. Real soon.” Paul was determined not to keep their relationship a secret. He wasn’t embarrassed by being with her. The only thing holding him back from screaming his love for her from the rooftops was his respect for Mitch.
He would talk to her at some point that night. She was coming over to his place, and there he intended to go the whole way with her. The teaching was off the table. He wasn’t going to teach her like some fucking pupil. Rachel was his woman. He looked forward to dating her and had already picked a movie for them both to watch. Also, he was going to make them dinner. Paul would never be a chef, but a meatball pasta dish he could throw together and it would be edible.
“I look forward to meeting her. Whoever can put that damn grin on your face is a mighty fine woman in my book,” Darren said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ve had your fair share of women, and none of them have left you like that. You look … happy. Like real happy.”
Laughing, Paul went back to work. He needed to get this car fixed before he could get home and start cooking. Everything needed to be perfect, the dinner, the movie and the mood.
Paul wasn’t sure if he was ready to take her virginity yet. Her first time needed to be pretty special. The last thing he wanted was to cause her pain and make Rachel hate him for the rest of her life.
Stop panicking. Get the car fixed, and then I can deal with everything else.
He drowned out the rest of the noise Darren was making. Darren was known for singing out of tune while working on cars. Ignoring the sound, Paul allowed himself the time to simply work. Pushing Rachel out of his thoughts he started working.
Time passed. He wasn’t known for wearing watches and didn’t know how much time had passed when Darren whistled at him.
“Hey, boss. Tracy Hall is outside waiting for you.” Darren knocked on the car gaining his attention. The garage was sectioned off from the main reception. They had the shop closed off today, and only on a few rare occasions did Paul open it up. He hated people watching him from across the street. It drove him insane.
“What?”
“Tracy Hall is here to see you. She’s dressed to impress and won’t leave until she sees you,” Darren said, shrugging.
“What does she want?” he asked, feeling uneasy. He did not need Tracy at his door, not now. It had been a couple of months since he’d last been with her. She was a woman who was easy to get in the sack.
Shit, he hated his old habits.
“You fixed her car, and she’s refusing to pay anyone but you. She’s got it bad, Boss. I’d be careful if I was you. That girl has a mean streak.” Darren walked back to the car he was working on.
Paul cursed. He’d forgotten about Tracy. This was not what he needed today. “I’ll be right out.”
Tracy had been badgering him for months now. Up until now he’d been able to deflect her attentions. Wiping his greasy hands on a cloth he made his way through to the main office. He didn’t want to deal with Tracy, not after what Rachel told him the other night with regards to her gossiping. Rachel knew he had a past. She would have to wait for him to explain Tracy’s appearance. For the past few months Tracy had been hounding him trying to get him to agree to a more permanent relationship. He refused. One, because Tracy couldn’t keep her fucking legs shut. When he was with a woman, exclusively, he didn’t cheat. Two, he never loved her, and three, she wasn’t the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Tracy would never be that kind of woman.
In that moment Paul wished he could wipe out his past. Unfortunately for him, he did not possess a magic wand. If he did there would be a whole lot of things he’d change.
Mussing up his hair he made his way to the main office where they dealt with the customers. There leaning on top of his counter was Tracy Hall. She wore a mini skirt and tight tank top that left nothing to the imagination. Her breasts were practically heaving out of the top. Tracy clearly bought clothes a size too small. He’d never let Rachel out looking like this. What shocked him the most was that before having Rachel like he did last night, Tracy had been the woman who turned him on. At any other time he’d have pulled her through to his private office, where he kept all the personal details, and have her spread across his desk fucking her by now. Judging from the way her clothes fit, she seemed to be in pain, they were that tight.
“Hey, sugar.” She purred at him with her full lips pouting. Keeping the counter between them, Paul stood with hands on his hips waiting.
“I’m busy, Tracy. Why couldn’t you pay Darren?” he asked.
“He and I don’t have a thing. Besides, I can barely understand the man. Does he even talk English?” She gazed down at her nails while insulting his staff. He would bet Rachel would have found something to talk to Darren about.
“You’re being a bitch.”
“Well, that’s the way you like me, baby. I can be a dirty bitch when needed.” She handed over her card. Paul took her card, typed in the bill and waited for her to finish typing in her code and whatnot. “You’re in a mood today. What’s the matter?”