Pieces of Us (Confessions of the Heart 3)

There was nothing I could do to stop the flush that rushed to my cheeks. “Well . . . I think she might be exaggeratin’ a bit.”

He grinned, leaning back. “I doubt that.”

More redness. This time rushing all over. “Well . . . I . . . thank you,” I finally settled on, not exactly sure what to say, feeling a little unsettled with the way he was appraising me.

“Thank you for stepping up the way that you have. We needed someone like you in the office.”

“I’m really happy to have this job,” I told him, right before my attention was getting hooked. Stuck on the roar of the big truck that rumbled into the lot.

My breath snagged in my throat when I realized who was driving, Maxon’s face so gorgeous when he pulled into an open spot and hopped out.

My heart that had barely leveled since I’d left his house this mornin’ shifted into overdrive.

This out of control pound, pound, pound that beat in time with every overconfident step he took. As if my entire being was emitting a thundering signal that begged him to come my way.

He wore jeans and a tight-fitted tee, just innuendos of those tattoos I’d seen last night peeking out the bottom of the sleeves, the rest of the innocuous shapes winding down into the art on his forearms.

The grime from last night had been washed away, but the butterfly bandage over his eye was still intact.

It only made him appear sexier.

Rougher and rawer and everything that shouldn’t be making my mouth go dry.

Dr. Nelson turned his focus in the direction mine had gone, and he reached out and set a hand on my arm as if he thought he needed to offer protection.

“You know this guy?” His voice sounded with speculation and distrust.

“Yeah,” I barely managed.

Maxon’s easiness faltered when he saw Dr. Nelson touching me.

His chin lifting and those eyes flashing possessively. If I didn’t know better, I would have been sure there was smoke puffing from his nose.

“Maxon, what are you doin’ here?” The words were a rasp.

“Told you I was going to get your car taken care of today. You didn’t think I’d forget, did you?” Confidence rode out with the question, and that strong brow lifted as his eyes dropped to Dr. Nelson who was still gripping my arm.

The problem was, I didn’t have the first clue what to think when it came to him.

What to say or what to do.

So I just stood there staring with my mouth hanging open.

Maxon cocked his head, waiting. Then he put out his hand as a smirk twitched up at the corner of that lust-inducing mouth. “I’m going to need those keys, beautiful.”

I nearly had a stroke right there. It was bad enough last night when he was mumbling those sweet things incoherently. But out in broad daylight? In front of my new boss?

Every cell in my body was seizing.

He edged forward, and I was inhaling, sucking down the overwhelming presence of the man. “Izzy . . . your keys?”

“Oh, right, right,” I fumbled, snapping out of the spell he had me under. Apparently, I went stupid when I had two very gorgeous men loomin’ over me.

Sucking in a breath, I stepped away from Dr. Nelson without drawing too much attention to the act and turned all my focus to digging around in my massive purse I had slung over my shoulder, kind of wishing it was big enough for me to crawl into so I could hide. Disappear.

I finally found them and pulled them out, and I held them up like a prize. “Here we go.”

Maxon sent me a smile. One of those smiles that had my tummy tumbling and my pulse going haywire. Dimple denting on one side of that cheek and those blue eyes dancing.

Oh lord. What was he tryin’ to do to me?

He stuck his hand out under them, and I dropped them into his waiting palm.

Kind of like he was asking me to do with my trust.

“Thank you,” I told him honestly.

Wholeheartedly.

His expression softened, and his lips pressed together. “It’s the least I can do.”

I bit down on my lip to try to keep the wash of emotion from floodin’ my eyes, and I simply nodded, taking a step back toward the office.

He seemed to take the hint that I needed to get back to work, though he hesitated, looking back at Dr. Nelson who seemed to be staring him down.

What in the world was happening?

But there was no missing the tension banging between the two of them.

Some sort of challenge being thrown.

Mack’s eyes narrowed before they slowly shifted back to me. “I’ll have this back before you get off.”

“Thank you again,” I whispered.

He nodded, then glared back at Dr. Nelson before he turned and started across the lot toward my car. He paused to glance over his shoulder. “Can’t wait for tonight, Little Bird.”