Page 18 of Brazen

“All right.”

I grinned.

“This afternoon? Right away, if possible?”

My wolf prowled and howled. My dick stirred with the possibility of being close to my mate again. It was killing me leaving her be.

Ernie snorted. I wasn’t fooling him for a second with my eagerness, but the moment he realized he could bill an extra couple hundred for what would otherwise be an eight-dollar mark-up on a part, I had him. Plus, there was no way he wanted his wife of at least forty years annoyed. “Yeah, okay. I’ll send her over with it now. But don’t think your flirting is going to get you anywhere. Vera Marsh is playing matchmaker with her son.”

No shit. “I have no illusions,” I promised instead and ended the call.

Clio was coming here, to the ranch. Where I had home arena advantage.

I grinned. Game on.

7

CLIO

* * *

I parked in front of the barn as Ernie had directed and grabbed the new shaft along with my toolbox. I kept a standard one in my trunk but added a few extra tools from the shop specifically for this job. I hadn’t made it ten feet toward the building before Sam came out to meet me. It was as if he’d been waiting.

Which was possible since Ernie had told me Sam requested my help in putting the new part in. He’d then told me to not linger because he was sure I needed to get ready for my date tonight with David Marsh.

I also needed to get back to pick up JT from school, feed him dinner, and get him ready for Ernie and Edna, who had been my go-to babysitters since I arrived in town. Edna had happily taken on a grandma role for JT, spoiling him rotten. Telling JT yesterday that he would be spending the evening with Miss Edna had been met with whoops of joy and telling me they were sure to bake cookies like the last time.

“Hey there, Sparks,” Sam called.

I stopped in my tracks because he was once again not wearing a shirt.

Damn.

Damn.

He had the nicest body I’d ever seen, hands down.

His shirt was in his hand, and he was using it like a rag to wipe off his sweaty, dusty chest. My ovaries jumped for joy while inwardly, I groaned.

“Sparks?” I asked.

He shrugged, then kept right on walking closer. And closer. And closer.

“Yeah. Like the spark plug.”

“Because I work on cars?”

He laughed, flashing those dimples, and his gaze took in every inch of me. “No, because you light me on fire. Like a spark plug. Get it?”

Heat pooled between my legs despite my resistance. “Oh, I get it, but you’re insane.”

“Uh huh. Crazy for you.”

I ignored that comment, even though my nipples heard and perked right up.

“Don’t you ever wear a shirt?” I wondered.

He shrugged. “It’s hot.”