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“Morning, Lexa,” Trigger called as he wiped his grease-covered hands on a stained rag.
“Morning,” I returned, glancing around at the others hard at work in their own bays. “Do you have any order forms I need to take care of? And if you guys want me to call in lunch orders, make sure to have them ready by ten thirty.”
“I think Raven took care of everything last night before she left. She stayed a little later than usual to tie up any loose ends so you wouldn’t have to deal with them this week.”
“This week?” I repeated, confused. “Dad didn’t mention the rest of the week. He just asked me to cover for him and Mom today.”
He shrugged. “Bash said Raven would be out all week. Just assumed you would be covering for her during that time.”
“I will. I don’t mind. They just didn’t mention it, is all.” Frustrated because my concern for my parents was only escalating, I started
straightening up my dad’s bay, needing something to do. He usually only worked on classic vehicles and bikes, and he kept his work area pristine, but I felt an urgent need to do something with my hands. “Did they mention why Mom was taking the week off.”
“No. But it was something that came up all of a sudden, so who knows with our queen, right?” Giving me a grim smile, he excused himself and walked back to his own bay.
“Yeah,” I muttered to myself as I returned to the shop. “Who knows with her.”
The rest of the morning went by without any issues. The pace was steady, and in between customers, I cleaned the shop even though it wasn’t the least bit dirty. After calling in everyone’s lunch order, I left the shop an hour later to pick it up.
As soon as I walked through the door at Aggie’s, memories of the night before assaulted me, and I avoided looking around as I crossed to the counter. It didn’t surprise me that my aunt Quinn was already there, even though she’d been working the evening before. Ever since Aggie had made her a partner in the diner and started taking more and more time off, Quinn always seemed to be there.
The perky blonde beamed at me as I approached her. “Well, this is nice. I get to see you two days in a row. What can I do for you, lovely girl?”
“I’m picking up the huge call-in order for the guys at the shop,” I told her. “I’m covering for Mom this week.”
“Ah, okay. Give me like five minutes, and I’ll get everything together. We’ve been swamped with call-in orders. Apparently, the entire police department called in one too.” Even as she was talking, the bell over the entrance went off, and I felt every fine hair on my body lift. “Looks like everyone is arriving all at once to pick up their orders. Afternoon, Sheriff.”
I felt Ben more and more the closer he came until my entire body was vibrating with anticipation. His deep voice sounded like it was right beside my ear when he spoke. “Quinn.” He stepped in close to the counter, his side brushing against mine. “Lexa,” he murmured.
Closing my eyes, I savored the sound of my name coming from him, even as my heart clenched so painfully, it was hard to draw in a deep enough breath for a moment. “Sheriff,” I gritted out, sidestepping so he wasn’t touching me.
When I opened my eyes, they lingered on him, taking in his short, dark hair, that strong jaw and broad nose. The urge to lick his lips hit me all over again, stronger than it had been the night before. After I forced my eyes away from those lips, they went straight to his wide shoulders encased in his work uniform, then down to his tapered waist with his belt that had his revolver, flashlight, and a radio attached to it. Damn it, he made that uniform look so freaking good, there should have been a law against it.
Thankfully, Quinn didn’t seem to notice our interaction, or the fact that I was drooling over the guy who’d so effortlessly shattered me without even a word the night before. “Like I was telling Lexa, Sheriff, we’ve had a lot of large call-in orders today. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll get you taken care of.”
“Take your time,” he told her, and even though I refused to look at him, I knew his eyes were on me. “I’m in no hurry.”
Giving him her signature beaming smile, Quinn went into the kitchen to gather our food.
The restaurant was crowded with hungry customers, but suddenly, I felt alone with Ben right beside me. It was just the two of us in the universe for a single moment, and I craved for the situation to be different so I could have the one thing I knew I never could.
When his fingers skimmed down my arm, I shivered, then quickly jerked back and looked around to make sure no had noticed him touching me. “Don’t,” I hissed.
“We need to talk.” He said it casually and just loud enough for those nearest to hear. “You left before we could discuss everything.”
Brushing the hair back from the right side of my face, I turned so he could see what I’d shown him the night before. The scar that had so disgusted him he’d been left speechless and I’d been shattered.
His eyes landed on it and darkened. Last night, I hadn’t gotten a good enough look in the dark to see what color his eyes were, but I could see them all too clearly now. They were a brandy brown, and after the kiss we’d shared the night before, I knew he could be just as smooth and intoxicating as his eyes promised.
“Tell me who did that to you,” he commanded, stepping closer and lowering his voice so only I could hear.
The savage fury in his voice made me shiver again, but it didn’t frighten me. I’d faced scarier men than him in my lifetime.
Stepping back, I tucked my hair back down over the right side of my face, hiding the scar that went from my temple to the corner of my mouth. “That isn’t any of your business, Sheriff. Nothing you can do about it now anyway.”
“Lexa, please.” His voice was softer now, the feral beast once again caged. “Tell me.”
“A very bad man,” I answered honestly.
