One of the Guys Page 6

  Miss Loretta shuffled to the driver’s side of the vehicle and sat in the car. She turned the key in the ignition and the engine coughed, and then died on a clicking sound. Probably a dead battery. Ronnie could use her battery tester but a better idea came to mind.

  “I may have to let my dad listen to this. I’m not sure what the problem is.”

  Miss Loretta’s eyes lit up. “Oh. Do you think Ezekiel would mind?” She patted her gray and black wig.

  “Not at all. He’s a better mechanic than I am, so I’m sure he can figure it out.”

  “Wonderful.”

  “I’ll go get him.” Ronnie turned away and then snapped her fingers as if she suddenly remembered something. “Could I ask a huge favor of you?”

  “Certainly. What is it, dear?”

  “In a couple of weeks, Daddy’s going to have cataract surgery, and he needs someone to take him to the surgery center in the morning and pick him up a few hours later when they’re done. Do you mind?”

  “I would love…I mean, I don’t mind at all.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yes, yes.”

  “Great. Thank you so much. Give me a few minutes.”

  Ronnie left her neighbor’s yard, barely able to contain her excitement. Her father was descending the stairs when she entered the house.

  “I saw you next door. What did Loretta want?” he asked.

  “Her car won’t start. Could you look at it for her?”

  “I’m not her personal mechanic.”

  “No, but you could do a good deed, considering you don’t have any problems eating all the baked goods she brings by.”

  “It would be rude to refuse.”

  Ronnie’s eyebrow jerked upward.

  “I don’t ask for them,” Ezekiel said defensively. He stood on the bottom stair.

  “And she didn’t ask for your help. I offered on your behalf.” Ronnie passed him on the way up.

  “All right,” he grumbled.

  “Take the battery tester,” Ronnie said, continuing to climb.

  “If you know what’s wrong, why do I need to go over there?” he called after her.

  “I don’t know for sure what’s wrong. That’s why you’re taking the tester.” Ronnie paused on the staircase. “And by the way, she’ll be taking you to your surgery appointment.”

  “Why can’t you? What’s going on?”

  Ronnie didn’t answer and ran up the stairs, grinning to herself.

  Chapter 10

  For the second time that morning, Diego asked to speak to Ronnie, but Alfred insisted she was too busy to come to the front.

  The first few days after the night at Dilligan’s, each time he approached Ronnie she either stiffened, a wary expression in her brown eyes, or looked ready to jump out of her skin. She fidgeted with her keys or watched him from the corner of her eye when he showed her a couple of cars he recently got the title on. Starting Wednesday, however, she’d steered clear of him altogether. She did an excellent job of avoiding him, and Diego’s patience had worn thinner than tissue paper.

  He scrutinized the activity in the garage through the glass that separated the waiting area from the mechanics’ workspace. Although Ronnie and another technician worked on two vehicles, there was no conceivable reason why she couldn’t take a few minutes to speak to him. Only two customers sat in the waiting area. A man wearing a suit and tie typed on a laptop. A woman sipped the free coffee Taylor Automotive provided and watched a rerun of Family Feud on the wall-mounted television.

  “Did you tell her I came by earlier?” Diego asked.

  “Yes, I did. Like I told you two hours ago, she’s busy.” Alfred gave him a blank stare.

  Diego fisted his hands on the counter.

  The owner of an ’85 Corolla had never picked up the car after Diego towed it from the side of the road. The car was in good physical condition, and after cleaning it inside out, it sparkled.

  Unfortunately, right when he was about to offer it for sale, the engine stopped turning over on a cold start, so he asked Ronnie to take a look at it. If she could fix the problem, he stood to make a couple thousand dollars. All he wanted was an update.

  Ronnie glanced through the separating glass at him, and their eyes met and held. Heat rushed his chest and blood.

  She broke eye contact first, donning a pair of protective goggles and going to work under a black SUV hoisted high on a lift.

  Diego clenched his jaw. “It’s really important—”

  “I’ll let her know you came by.” Folding his arms, Alfred stood very still, a protective air about him.

  Diego could only imagine what Ronnie had told the old man. He blew out a puff of frustrated air. “Thanks.”

  Before he left, his eyes were dragged once again to Ronnie. She couldn’t avoid him forever.

  “Knock, knock.”

  Ronnie twisted from the file cabinet and smiled when she saw Alfred. “You heading out?”

  He nodded. “Everything’s locked up tight, except…” He glanced over his shoulder. Lowering his voice, he added, “Diego’s sitting in the waiting room.”

  Crap. She should have left earlier.

  “You need me to stick around?” Alfred asked.

  “No, that’s okay. Let him know I’ll be right out.”

  “Will do.”

  Ronnie took her time filing the paperwork. He could wait, just like he was making her wait for that damn kiss. When she finished, she slammed the cabinet closed and, squaring her shoulders, marched into the waiting area.

  “You wanted to see me?”

  Diego rose from the chair, his jaw tight and green eyes boring into hers. He really knew how to make the tan work shirt and jeans look good. “You have time for me now?”

  She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Not a whole lot of time, but I can fit you in.”

  “I’m so honored you could take time out of your busy schedule for me,” he said sarcastically.

  “You’re so welcome.” Ronnie smiled tightly. “How can I help you?”

  Glowering at her, he didn’t answer right away.

  Avoiding him was a defense mechanism. At first her emotions vacillated between anxiety and disappointment that he didn’t make a move. She was almost certain he purposely tortured her, standing too close when he pointed out the cars he wanted her to examine. Saying her name—Veronica—in a low, sexy voice that should be reserved for the bedroom.

  She walked around like a skittish doe, anxious about when a predator would charge out of the brush and claim its prize. To preserve her sanity, she avoided him altogether.

  “I’m here about the Corolla,” Diego said.

  “I finished working on it this afternoon.” She went over to the wall and started flipping switches. Bright overhead lights illuminated the garage.

  “You could have told me you finished.”

  “I was going to tell you tomorrow.” Or rather, have Alfred tell him.

  “Were you?” Diego asked, skepticism coloring his voice.

  “Of course,” Ronnie answered in a breezy tone. She glanced over her shoulder and caught his eyes focused below her waist. Her hand stalled on the wall and her breath hitched.

  Diego walked toward her, those intense sage-green eyes now focused on her mouth. She bit the inside of her bottom lip to keep it from quivering.

  “Lead the way,” he said.

  Fumbling for the handle, Ronnie opened the door and led Diego to the far end of the garage. The Corolla sat in the last station. The previous owner had given it a new paint job. Instead of the factory tan, the car was silver and glowed like a bullet after Diego had it detailed and waxed.

  Clearing her throat, she popped the hood and propped it open. “The problem stemmed from the carburetor. I cleaned the choke mechanism and replaced the linkage. She starts fine now.”

  Diego sank into the driver’s seat and turned the key. The car immediately started. He hit the accelerator and revved the engine.

  Grinning,
he stepped out and patted the roof of the car. “Perfect. How much do I owe you?”

  She and Diego had agreed that if a repair fell below a certain dollar amount, she had permission to fix the vehicle without asking. Fixing the carburetor fell below the threshold.

  Ronnie told him the total and he nodded.

  “Not bad.” Eyes on the parts under the hood, he came to stand beside her and she smelled him—that musky male scent of having worked all day, an intoxicating aroma that teased her nostrils and sent her pulse pounding.

  She eased back one foot.

  One of his eyebrows lifted toward the ceiling. “What’s the matter with you?”

  “You know what’s the matter with me.”

  “No, I don’t. Why don’t you tell me.”

  Ronnie slammed down the hood. “You think this is a joke, don’t you?”

  His trademark sexy smile, where one side of his mouth lifted at the corner, made an appearance, infuriating her further.

  “Why don’t you go ahead and kiss me already?” she demanded.

  The smile broadened to both sides of his face. “Anxious, are we?”

  “I just don’t want this damn kiss hanging over my head anymore.”

  “It’s only been a week and one day.”

  “Eight days too long.”

  “Too bad. I’ll kiss you when I’m ready and not a minute before.” With a smug smile he moved past her.

  “If you keep delaying I won’t honor the bet.”

  “Yeah you will.” He kept walking, unconcerned. Uninterested. Not the least bit worried by the threat.

  “Probably not that good anyway.”

  Diego froze. Turning slowly, eyes narrowed, he asked, “What did you say?”

  Ronnie placed one hand on her hip and rolled her neck. “You heard me.”

  His nostrils flared and he stalked back to her. “Are you saying you think I can’t kiss?”

  Ronnie shrugged in a casual manner. “I’m saying I find it odd such a confident man won’t kiss me. I have to assume there’s a reason, and it’s not because you don’t want to. You’ve been after me for over a year. The only conclusion left is that you’re afraid you won’t measure up.”

  Fire sparked in his green eyes. “I’m an excellent kisser.”

  Ronnie flicked a dismissive look over him. “You have a nice body, but it’s probably all window dressing.”

  She didn’t believe those words for a minute. Diego didn’t only look like the type to kiss well, he looked the type to curl toes and throw out backs. Big arms, big hands, powerful thighs. He had to be good in bed. It would be a travesty if he wasn’t.

  “I know you’re purposely goading me, but you know what, I don’t care. You want a kiss? I’ll give you a kiss so good you’ll forget your own name.”

  He advanced on her, intent in his eyes.

  Ronnie’s heart thumped against her ribs. She backed up, all bravado vanishing.

  “When I get through with you, you won’t remember the difference between a timing belt and a drive belt. When I get through with you, Veronica Taylor, you’ll be begging for more than a kiss.”

  His hand whipped out, and warm, calloused fingers closed around the back of her neck. Diego dragged her into his embrace, and she slammed into his hard chest. The first press of his lips sent an explosive shock charging through her body. Her brain cells evaporated. Every last one of them disintegrated under the flaming pressure of his mouth.

  His lips moved firmly over hers with barely restrained intensity, and her eyes fluttered closed. He savored her mouth, easing back and then diving in again, plucking at her lips and dragging the tip of his tongue along the inside of her mouth.

  Her belly quaked, the breath from her lungs trembling in a rush through her nostrils. It had to be the most divine, most delicious feeling she’d ever experienced, and the sensations from his kiss reverberated between her thighs.

  She ran her hands over his biceps to his shoulders, with the intent of pushing him away. But her fingers turned traitorous. They clamped on to his hard muscles, holding him tight. Refusing to let go.

  Shamelessly, she kissed him back, angling her head, enjoying the warmth of his mouth and the way his muscled body pressed against hers. Both his hands clutched her hips and held her close to the contours of his body. His hot, firm body.

  Her nerves went berserk; heat flushed her skin. Trembling, Ronnie wound her arms around his neck, falling into a deep pit of hunger as her senses erupted with erotic sensations.

  She moaned, trembling fingers running through his wavy black hair. So thick. So soft. Head tipped back, she allowed him to deepen the kiss by sinking his tongue into her mouth. There was a second explosion of sensation when he cupped her small bottom in his big hands, squeezing her butt cheeks and hauling her tight against his hard thighs. His gripping fingers dragged her onto the tips of her shoes.

  Her back met the wall, and soon a muscular thigh was sandwiched between her legs. The swell of something big and unyielding nudged her stomach, and she gasped. Nipples tightening. Head spinning.

  Ronnie’s eyes flew open at the shock of how quickly the kiss soared out of control, lasting way too long. That wasn’t part of the plan. She’d expected something fast and quick.

  He was still deeply engrossed in the intimate act, eyes closed. But panic filled her, and she pushed hard and shoved him away.

  In the aftermath they stood a few feet apart, panting. Lungs grasping for air, chests heaving up and down. He appeared just as startled as she, a heaviness in his eyes that indicated lust. Longing.

  She couldn’t ever remember being kissed like that before. Sure, she’d felt desire, experienced passion. But this…this kiss possessed an all-consuming heat. Hot and intense. Not lukewarm. Not mediocre. It blew her mind.

  “What was that?” Ronnie asked. The voice that came from her throbbing mouth startled her in its raspiness. She cleared her throat and stared at him, touching her neck where his fingers had caressed her skin. Her chest, back, and ass tingled though he never touched bare flesh, the phantom sensation of his caresses rippling up and down her spine. “You. Me. No way can that happen,” she said.

  “It just did.” His own voice sounded raw and husky.

  “You drive me nuts.”

  “Apparently, I turn you on, too.” His gaze dragged down her body and he bit his bottom lip, as if he wanted to take a bite out of her, too.

  “But we get on each other’s nerves.”

  “Our mouths don’t.”

  Ronnie inhaled deeply and lifted her hands. “Okay, I paid my debt. So…we’re done.”

  “You taste even better than I imagined. No way we’re done, mami.”

  His tongue dragged along the outside of his lower lip, as if he were reliving the flavor of her mouth. The spot at the apex of her thighs quivered with longing.

  “After that kiss, I won’t be satisfied until I have all of you.” He came at her again, and his mouth landed across hers, searing their lips together and making her knees as weak and wobbly as a newborn foal’s.

  She crooned with pleasure, clinging to him, kissing him with unrestrained desire. Throughout it all, one word shone like a lamp in the muddled darkness of her brain.

  Finally.

  Chapter 11

  Ronnie rubbed her aching breasts against his chest, wishing her nipples were free and bare to experience full contact. Her entire being felt achy and inflamed, as if someone had set a match to gasoline and poured it into her veins.

  Diego unzipped the jumpsuit and muttered something in Spanish when her half-naked body was revealed. She didn’t know what he said and really didn’t care. She only cared about the way his hands felt on her skin when he peeled the fabric past her shoulders and let it collapse into a puddle around her ankles.

  He kissed her neck, his mouth providing a moist suction that wreaked havoc on the sensitive skin. She leaned into his lips and slid a hand between them. Cupping the hard steel between his legs, she shivered at the power a
nd strength he exuded.

  She wanted this. Longed for it. Had dreamed about it.

  “Veronica.” He groaned her name, with such ingrained agony that the sound elicited an answering moan from her.

  Her fingers continued to caress him through the jeans as he unhooked her blue cotton bra at the back. The material fell away and bared her breasts. They were small, but more than enough to satisfy mouth, as he dipped his head and plucked a pouty black nipple into his lips, sucking until she let out a pleading gasp. Hands on her waist, he circled the tip with his tongue and worked the nipple. Her head fell back to the wall, eyes closed as gave herself over to his relentless oral assault.

  His hands traced the curve of her spine, and her toes curled. Her dreams didn’t nearly compare to this immeasurable pleasure. She never wanted him to stop touching her.

  “Should I make you come on your back or on your stomach?” he asked.

  Oh my goodness.

  “Whatever you want.” The words trembled on the way out.

  A husky, masculine laugh followed, and Diego took his time kissing his way between her breasts and over the flat plane of her stomach.

  Crouched before her, he dragged the yellow cotton panties down her legs, and for a split second Ronnie regretted not wearing matching underwear—or something lacy. When she dressed for work, she only thought about comfort and practicality. But Diego didn’t seem to mind.

  “Hermosa. I knew you’d have beautiful legs,” he said, smoothing his hands up and down her thighs. He nipped at her skin and licked the crease of her hip. He slid his hands down her legs, along the back of her knees, and down to her calves. Tiny tremors rippled over her skin wherever he touched.

  Ronnie looked down at the top of his dark head and filled her fists with his hair, purring encouragingly as he continued to caress and mold her slender curves. When he flicked a thumb over her sensitized clit and kissed her wet mound, her knees buckled, almost giving way.

  He removed her shoes and divested her of all clothes. Then he came to his feet and stood back to take a good look.

  Diego’s eyes smoldered with green fire. As if he wanted to devour her. And instead of being self-conscious, she felt empowered and sexy. Standing boldly, head held high, she put on a teasing show for him by squeezing her breasts together.