“You are amazing,” she says with a laugh. “I told him to leave more than a dozen times and he just kept pushing.”
“You did the right thing by waiting in your car. Truth be told hun you are going to meet men like him all the time. Men that think you are some sweet girl they can take advantage of. Don’t ever let them see your fear. But also never put yourself in a situation where they get the upper hand. Been there before and that was a hard lesson to learn. It made me hard, made me question every single man I come into contact with. If I’m being honest it’s also made me a little cold. So don’t ever let a man change you, but also don’t ever give one the opportunity to have the power.”
She only nods her head as I get moving and hook up her car.
On the ride back to the shop she is a little quiet, timid, as she texts her parents letting them both know she is safe. When we roll up and I see the O’Shay Construction truck parked out front with Aaron behind the wheel, my energy shifts.
Now is not the time.
I am still riding the high of my altercation with dough boy and I’m afraid that it may very well spill over into whatever he and I hash out.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Aaron
I noticethe armor the very second she climbs out of the truck. The instant her shoulders square up and her brows furrow. There’s a shift, her becoming a woman ready to battle in a war that isn’t even being fought.
I wait, wondering if she will walk in my direction or if she’ll completely ignore the fact that I am even there at all.
She unhooks the red car on her truck, another man coming out to offer assistance. She stands by as the car is driven into the shop and a younger girl follows, taking a seat in the small waiting area through the floor to ceiling windows in front.
Kendall glances back at me, and then toward the shop, tucking her hands into her back pockets. I watch and wait, wondering what her next move will be, still unsure of exactly what I’m doing here. I was on my way to the office, when I took a left instead of a right.
And now here I am.
When she says something to a tall guy just inside the garage door then starts to walk in my direction, my nerves kick up.
Crossing the road, she gets closer and I climb out of the truck.
Immediately noticing the waistband of her jeans, I point. “Plan on shooting me?”
She looks down and her shoulders relax just a little, a smile tugs at the corners of her mouth.
“Had to scare a man a little,” she says in explanation.
“I think you’ve mastered that skill, Kendall.” The words are out of my mouth before I even have time to filter them.
Lifting her gaze to meet mine once more, she arches a brow. “Why Aaron do I scare you?”
I hold her stare, so many things racing through my mind at once, then I nod. “For so many more reasons than you know,” I confess.
I’ve been tied in knots for weeks. My head jumbled with ideas and doubts.
“What are you doing here, Aaron?” She doesn’t even attempt to touch on my words. She doesn’t ask what they mean, just brushes right past them and gets right to the point.
“Honestly?”
“Yeah,” she replies, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I was on my way to the office and ended up here instead.”
“Where is your friend?” she asks. “Probably should have gone to visit her instead.”
“Why does it bother you?” I already know this conversation isn’t going to get us anywhere and most likely will end with us getting pissed off at one another and her storming off or me peeling out. But I’m unable to stop it from moving forward in the wrong direction.
“It doesn’t.” Kendall’s nostrils flare.
I ignore her answer. “And why is it so easy for you to lie about how much it irritates you?"
