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Chapter One
His doctors had it all wrong: another 190 mile per hour crash into the wall wasn’t going to kill him. Oh, no. Melanie Ann Smith was going to be the death of him.
Carter Ambrose grimaced at the socket wrench in his hand, then bent over the engine and began to ratchet the bolt.
For the past three weeks, Melanie had been coming over to his garage to check on him or in her words, “make sure he didn’t go insane from lack of company”. While he was trying to take some time to clear his head, she was driving him insane, with her short skirts, patterned tights, platform heels and glossy lips.
Damn unnerving if anyone asked him.
Although no one ever did, mostly because he wouldn’t tell anyone that he’d started noticing a damn thing about Melanie Ann Smith. She was off-limits, forever on the list of women he had no business entertaining lustful thoughts about. A man just didn’t do that with his sister’s best friend.
The side door to his garage opened and closed.
The sound of her heels had him thinking of her mile long legs wrapped around his waist while he tasted her strawberry-flavored lip gloss. Something he knew, because he’d covertly watched as she coated her pouty lips with the stuff at least a hundred times.
He gritted his teeth and thought of stats, of his crew chief balling him out when Carter let his tires marble. Of having to let his teammate, Jake Henley, permanently race without him, because Carter had totaled his car during a friendly competition back in September.
A total rookie move, and one that he was still recovering from. Unfortunately, racing wasn’t an option, not anymore. He wasn’t one of those hardcore guys, willing to gamble on his health. Besides, he’d actually like to settle down and have kids one day.
Only he wasn’t sure how soon he wanted to pursue that avenue. And he wasn’t sure where he wanted to live or start his classic car restoration business—small town Holland Springs, with his entire family, or Charlotte, with his racing friends and extended family.
That’s why he’d come home. Usually being in Holland Springs cleared his mind and put things in perspective. Usually.
“What are you working on today?” Melanie asked, sidling right up next to him and pulling him out of his thoughts. She was the wrench in the clear-his-head plans.
Her hip bumped his as she leaned over and he dropped the socket wrench. Then the bolt fell through the engine and hit the concrete floor with multiple pings as it bounced. Son of a bitch. “Same thing as yesterday,” he muttered and hair the color of sunshine filled his vision, along with the smell of coconut tantalizing his senses. Damn if she didn’t make his mouth water, and damn if she didn’t bring to mind sitting on the beach with a six-pack.
“I’ll get it!”
Carter turned to tell her no, got a glimpse of a white bra with cherries on it and bumped his head hard against the hood of the Jeep. Only years of his dad’s ‘don’t-curse-in-the-presence-of-a-woman’ speeches made him bite back every cuss word he knew. He blinked, rubbing the top of his head.
Melanie stared at him, her chocolate brown eyes wide with concern, as she held out the socket wrench. Across the bridge of her nose was a smattering of freckles that should’ve made her look like a little girl, except he thought those little golden dots were sexy. Lately, he had been thinking everything about her was sexy.
God help him.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Taking the tool from her, he set back to work. “Fine. ” He hoped like hell she’d get the hint and leave before he did something stupid. Like kiss her senseless.
She shook something by his ear. “Thought you might be hungry. ”
“Nope. ”
Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he watched her green platform shoe wiggle from side to side. “But it’s your favorite: chicken salad and crackers with a slice of Daisy’s famous German chocolate cake. I had her add some extra coconut to the frosting. ”
So that’s what was making his mouth water, not her. Relieved, he moved to his work bench and carefully placed the socket wrench in the third drawer, then turned and smiled. “You’ve convinced me. ”
Her smile lit up the room. “Great. ” She joined him at his work bench, setting the large brown bag down and pulling out the contents. “Hope you don’t mind if I join you. ”
Thing was he didn’t; he actually liked Melanie. Always had, even when she was being a pain in the ass, along with his sister, Zoe. “Sorry for being so short with you. ”
“That was the hunger talking,” she said with a wink. She hopped on one of the four barstools he kept near the worktable, crossing those mile long legs and making him swallow hard.
“Shouldn’t you be at work?” he asked, moving to the sink and washing his hands. Then he ambled over to her and sat down. Melanie had opened all of the containers and fixed them both a plate. “Jen’s place, right?”
Taking a bite of chicken salad, she held up a finger and swallowed. “Jen didn’t need me anymore. Whose Jeep?”
“Rose Holland. She needed something reliable and asked me to find something for her. ”
Melanie’s eyes lit with genuine warmth. “She certainly asked the right guy to help her. ”
Maybe so, but it hadn’t stopped some of the guys around here from asking if he was doing her or her older sister, Summer. Perverts. He shrugged. “I think Rose’s taking care of her little sister all by herself. No one’s seen their mom in a while. ”
“Poor kid,” she said, popping a grape into her mouth.
“You’re not much older,” he pointed out, earning a look of annoyance from her.
“I’m twenty-four. ” She leaned forward to snag one of his grapes, once again flashing her bra and amazing cleavage.
He choked down a half eaten cracker. Grabbing the bottle of water she’d brought, he drank down a third of it before he came up for air. “Yeah, I saw pictures on facebook of your drunk tail celebrating your twenty-fourth birthday at Poor Boy’s. My sister’s, too. ”
“Why, Carter Ambrose, I can’t believe you’ve been looking at my tail. ” She unscrewed the cap of her water bottle. “What would your momma say?”
His momma would tell him to get the hell away from a woman like Melanie. Then again Leah Ambrose warned all of her sons about staying away from every woman that didn’t meet her standards. So far that had meant all of them, but one—his ex-fiancé.
“Are you looking for another job?”he asked, trying to steer their conversation away from her ass and his mother. Two things that would never be in the same sentence ever again.
“Yes. ” Lowering her eyes, she stared at the ground for a moment and then peered up at him through lacey, black lashes. “Zoe said you needed a temporary assistant. ”
“No, absolutely not. ” He couldn’t get the words out fast enough. Yes, he needed someone to organize his office, answer emails and a slew of other tasks that he didn’t have the time or inclination to attempt to do or finish. But there was just so much temptation a man could take.
“Oh come on, Carter. You’ve been here for almost three weeks and haven’t hired one person. ” She held up her hand and began to tick off her fingers. “Not Kelsey Greggs, Maisey Perry, Bernice Waters or—”
“How in the—”
“Evangeline told Zoe, who then told me,” she said, gathering their trash and placing it in the bag she’d brought. “Where did you move the recycling bins?”
“Over by the door. ” He watched her cute ass shake as she walked over to the bins. He hadn’t hired any of those women, because they had been looking for a man. And by man he meant a groom. Bernice had even brought a bridal magazine with her to the interview. “Did Zoe also tell yo
u not to repeat what you heard to anyone?”
“I didn’t repeat it. ”
Crossing his arms over his chest, he said, “You just told me, honey. ”
“You don’t count, baby doll. ” Glancing over her shoulder, she gave him a look that made his cock start to harden. “What are your office hours?”
Still stunned by that heated look, he blurted, “Nine to five. Except on Fridays. ”
“Great! See you tomorrow. ” With a backwards wave, she left his garage.
What the hell had just happened? Oh right, he’d just hired Melanie to be his new assistant. Glancing at the clock, he uncrossed his arms and ambled over to the fridge. Opening it, he grabbed the first bottle and twisted off the cap.
“It’s five o’clock somewhere,” he muttered, then toasted the framed print of The Intimidator. “Cheers, Dale. ”
Chapter Two
“He hired you? Just like that?” Zoe Ambrose asked with a snap of her fingers. Astonishment shone in her dark green eyes.
Pleased with herself, Melanie nodded. “Just like that. ”
A grin curved the corners of her best friend’s mouth. “Good for you. ” Zoe’s grin fell. “Carter wasn’t mad at me for telling you, was he?”
“Nope,” Melanie lied. Well, it wasn’t exactly a lie. Carter hadn’t looked mad. He’d looked like he normally did when she talked to him— sexy as hell. Lately, that look had turned into sexy as hell and oh-crap-she’s-here-again. And for a woman who’d been in love with him for as long she could remember, it stung. “Anyway, I report for duty at nine o’clock sharp. ”
“Then you’d better be there at 8:45,” Zoe said, snagging a breadstick and tearing it in half. “He’s a stickler for punctuality. ”
“You sure you’re related to him?”
Giggling, Zoe said, “Fairly certain. Anyway, will it interfere with taking care of Mr. Henry’s dog and house?”
Shaking her head, Melanie dipped her own breadstick into marinara sauce. “I’ll let Cody out at seven, then check the plants, tidy up the kitchen and be back home in time to get a shower and be at Carter’s by 8:50 at the latest. ”
“It’s so sweet of you to help Mr. Henry out like you do,” Zoe said. “Cody is a menace to society. ”
Cody was a yippy, two-pound Chihuahua that thought himself to be a one hundred and fifty pound attack dog. “You mean it’s so sweet to let eighty-five year old Mr. Henry ogle my butt for twenty bucks a day?” Melanie asked, innocently batting her lashes.
“Well, when you put it that way…”
Melanie snorted. “I swear, you should hear the beeps of his heart monitor when I walk in. One day, I’m going to forget to not bend at the waist to pick up Cody and the man’s gonna keel over from a heart attack. ”
“At least he’ll die with a smile on his face. ” Zoe pulled out her phone, then looked at the screen and sighed. “Another rejection. Maybe I should give up this writing thing?”
“I’m sorry, Z. One day you will get a yes. ” Melanie pushed Zoe’s wine glass closer. “But in the meantime, have another drink. ”
After taking another sip, her best friend eyed her. “Is that what you hope will happen with Carter?”
“No. ”
Zoe’s face fell. “But I thought—”
Melanie snorted, then wriggled her eyebrows. “I want more than one yes from him. In fact I want a lot of yeses followed by oh God and more. ” Really, who wouldn’t want six foot two and two hundred pounds worth of a man on top of them? Who wouldn’t want to run their fingers through dark brown hair and stare into sexy emerald-colored eyes? A man with a gorgeous face and a hot body that filled out jeans as well as he did boxer briefs in major ad campaigns.
“Despite being majorly squicked out at the thought of my brother saying those words to anyone, I totally support your efforts. ”
“You’ve always supported my efforts. ” Melanie laughed, brushing a loose chunk of hair over her ear. “It’s why we get along so well. ”
“When we were little, it was the only time I got in trouble,” Zoe reminded her, tucking her phone back into her purse.
“Yeah, yeah. Melanie Ann Smith, Troublemaker Extraordinaire. That’s me,” she grumbled. “I’m surprised your momma ever let us be friends in the first place. ”
Zoe rolled her eyes. “She’d hoped I would be a good influence on you. ”
“Bless your momma’s heart,” Melanie sighed dramatically, placing her hand on her chest. “Her hopes have been dashed to pieces by now. ”
The owner of Jack’s Fine Italian Dining, Jack Macpherson, strode to their table, smiling at Zoe, then giving Melanie a pointed look. “Smoke break’s . ”
Melanie pushed up from the table and grabbed her tray. “Yes sir!” She gave him a salute.
The sound of dishes breaking in the restaurant kitchen captured her boss’s attention. “What the—”He stomped to the kitchen, yelling at everyone in his path. Good thing it was a very slow Monday night. Three out of twenty tables were filled.
She frowned. That wasn’t good at all. Tips would be scarce and she always managed to give back the tip Zoe left for her. It didn’t feel right taking money from her best friend, even if Melanie had earned it.
“When did you start smoking?” Zoe asked as an extra cheesy portion of the ziti fell from her fork onto the table.
“Never. ” Melanie grinned, tossing the tray back and forth between her hands. “Figured it was the only way I could get a break like Darlene and Kelsey. Fair’s fair, you know. ”
Her best friend laughed. “Just don’t get fired, okay?”
Melanie drew a little x over the pocket on her white shirt and walked away. “Promise,” she said over her shoulder. And she meant it. She couldn’t afford to lose another job. Two out of the three things she wanted most in life cost money that she didn’t have. It was part of the reason why she asked Carter for a job. She knew his personal assistant position paid well, even if it was temporary.