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From the corner of my eye, I watch as she shakes her head and wanders further inside the barn that has been converted into a garage complete with lifts and a shit ton of tools.
“Nope. He was busy.” When she glances at me again, our gazes locking, I feel the electrical current straight down to my toes. “Is that a problem?”
I grit my teeth.
Fuck yeah, it’s a problem. I don’t want this girl anywhere near me. Without even realizing it, she pushes all my buttons.
Buttons I had no idea existed.
“Let me get your keys and you can take off.” The faster I hustle her ass out of here, the better off we’ll both be.
“All right,” she says with a careless shrug, taking in the car I’ve been working on. “Seems like you’re busy.”
“I am.” I release a breath, relieved we’re on the same page. Five minutes tops and she’ll be long gone.
I nab her keys from the bench before swinging around again. As I do, her gaze falls to my bare chest and I still, unconsciously allowing her to look her fill. Every muscle tightens as air gets trapped in my lungs, making it impossible to breathe. A suffocating silence falls over us as the energy in the barn ratchets up, turning oppressive.
What is it about this girl that drives me so crazy?
One look at her in the locker room and I knew deep in my bones that she would be trouble.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t wrong.
I wish to hell I had been.
In the short amount of time I’ve known Poppy, she’s become impossible to evict from my brain. And touching her the other night, kissing her sweet lips, has only made it more of a struggle.
“Hey Pop, you want me to wait around and make sure you get back to your apartment?”
The moment is shattered as my gaze cuts to Levi, who loiters in the wide doorway. His gaze settles on the blonde before bouncing to mine.
“Hey, Coach.” He lifts his hand in a wave before glancing around. “Cool shop.”
What the fuck is he doing here?
“Thanks,” I grumble, glaring at the QB.
“You know, I took a few auto mech classes in high school.” He puffs out his chest and focuses his attention on Poppy. “I can change your oil anytime.”
“Good to know,” she says with a smile.
“It’s already been done,” I bite out, hating the idea of him doing anything for her. Can’t she see it’s just a ploy to get closer? “Any fluids that needed to be changed were taken care of and the rest were topped off.”
“Well…I can do it next time.” He gives her a wink along with a grin. “I won’t even charge you.”
She nods but remains silent. Her gaze flickers from him to me.
This little punk needs to get the hell out of here before I totally lose my shit. What the hell is he doing, sniffing around Coach’s daughter? Poppy might think their friendship is purely platonic, but he doesn’t. The hunger lurking in his eyes when he stares at her is clear as day.
I probably recognize it because I feel it, too.
Unlike him, I don’t want to.
“You can take off, Levi. I took her car out for a test drive earlier and it’s all good. There won’t be any problems.”
Ignoring the suggestion, he glances at Poppy for confirmation. Her gaze stays fastened to mine.
A tense silence follows before she says, “It’s fine. You can take off.” When she rips her gaze away, the sense of loss that hits me is like a punch to the gut. “Thanks for the ride, I appreciate it.”
