Silverbow (5 page)

“Good afternoon,” he greeted me with his low growly tone and kicked a chair out for me. Now he was taking my moves, slacker. I sunk into the chair, crossed my legs and held my hand out to Laney who approached with my beer as I expected her to. Smiling at her and catching the scent of her violet perfume, I watched her walk away and then turned back to Murphy. His eyes were already all over me and I tried not to notice.

“How are you sleeping at the inn,” I asked and rested my wrist on my knee leaving my beer bottle to hang limp between my fingers, tapping my shin. My other hand lifted to the rose around my neck, something I often did without realizing it. I watched his pale grey eyes follow my hand to my chest and eye the charm.

“I don’t need much sleep,” he replied with his eyes still on the silver rose. I dropped the rose and lowered my hand to my lap. “I stayed here for a while last night and the little lady behind the bar had to show me the door. Drove out to the middle of nowhere, fired a few rounds and watched the sun come up.” His rough voice was slightly arousing. I found I liked listening to him speak. His accent was slightly southern but sounded closer to those on the east coast rather than from around here. I made a mental note that he carried a gun. I hadn’t expected anything less.

“I did laundry,” I replied and smirked as I sipped my beer and watched his lips peel back over his flawless teeth. His grin held the promise of wicked things

“Is that what they are calling it these days?” Wandering grey eyes slid to my rose again and then to my eyes.

“Desert rose,” he said in almost a whisper. I nodded and didn’t offer him the story behind the charm. It wasn’t his business. I shifted my gaze to the bar as I turned up my bottle and finished its contents. I heard the sound of shifting leather as he moved but I didn’t turn to watch him. I didn’t want him to get the idea that I was jumpy or wary. I could feel this warmth as he leaned forward in his seat to get closer to me. I slightly rolled my eyes, now watching the television behind the bar. I was sure he was going to use the excuse of looking at my charm to get a better shot of my chest.

I shifted my gaze to find he wasn’t that close to me at all and his eyes were closed. I watched his nose flair as I had the evening before. He was taking in my scent again. Tilting my head, I watched him for a moment and also wondered how he radiated such heat. He lowered his head and sat back in his seat again. Big hands reached for the Marlboro Reds on the table and fished one out. I watched as his Zippo appeared and lit the cigarette. He tossed the lighter to the table top and I could see the image of a howling wolf engraved on its side.

“Would you like to check out the shop this afternoon,” I asked him trying to sever the tension building silence between the two of us. “I don’t take customers on Fridays. I usually work on my own truck but I would love for you to get the feel of the shop before I open on Monday.” He took a long drag and blew the smoke away from me. I appreciated that.

“Sure thing, babe,” he replied and I felt the heat. The heat confused me because it was radiating from both my temper and my sexuality. I hated it when men gave women little pet names. I was the typical woman who would give a man a black eye for calling her “baby”. Well, I would probably shoot off his pinky toe. And at the same time the way he said “babe” sent a ripple through my middle. I’d save a bullet today and he would keep his little toe. I almost wanted to hear him say it again. Confused with myself and my sudden attraction; I exhaled heavily and pouted in an attempt to avoid biting my lower lip. I watched him shift slightly away from me as if my emotions were reaching out for him and he smirked.

“Care to follow me back or can you find it on your own,” I asked and glanced at my empty bottle. One beer was enough this early in the day. I sat the bottle down and climbed to my feet. Standing before him, I felt his warmth even more as my knee brushed his. He sure was one hot natured man. He turned his eyes up to meet mine and I noticed a second of shock in his gaze. It faded and he gave me a simple nod which didn’t answer the question I had asked. I didn’t bother repeating myself.

Grabbing my keys off the table, I turned and headed for my jacket. Slipping into it, I heard him clear his throat and stand up. I turned to watch him drain his beer, grab his things and toss a twenty dollar bill on the table. I waved to Laney and made my exit.

My boots scuffed over the planks of the porch and violated the sand on the dusty parking lot. I straddled the Harley and took my time grabbing my helmet. Before I could get my key in the bike Murphy walked out the door and stretched his arms up over his head, looking like he had just woken up. Worn jeans hugged muscular thighs and hung perfectly over his black boots. His shirt lifted slightly as his arms rose and gave me a glance at his defined lower torso. His boots thudded beneath him as he headed for his Chevelle and climbed in. He was a big man but he carried himself with a rugged grace that made him easy on the eyes. He let out a deep yawn that gave way to what sounded like a deep growl and shut the blue door behind him.

The bike purred to life beneath me and I cast a glance at Murphy before I pulled out. His gaze met mine over the top of his cheap black shades and the look gave me chills. With the bike alive between my thighs and the dangerous and promising look in his eyes, my passion began to ache. I felt my teeth pull at my bottom lip and tore my eyes from his. I had to fight it. What the fuck was going on?

Pulling out onto the road, I watched Murphy pull out and keep a safe distance. I hoped the ride home would give me time to lecture my hormones and collect myself but every time I glanced in my mirror I could swear I could see him baring that taunting grin. Arguing with my body was becoming difficult.

We pulled into the driveway that led to the garage and I hopped off to open up the shop. After rolling the bike inside and storing it, I shoved the second and third garage doors open and found Murphy seated on the hood of his blue Chevelle with a cigarette hanging loose between his lips. With his shades off, his eyes squinted against the sunlight and shifted from one end of the garage to the other. He nodded and looked me over as I moved from the office down to the third door where the lift was. With my arms crossed over my chest I smiled.

“This is my baby. Welcome to Marshall’s Motors. We are open Monday through Thursday, nine to whenever. Sometimes work is slow, other times my yard looks like a used car lot. With the end of the month rolling around, we will have a lot of oil changes. I do have one client bringing in a 1952 Chevy Bel Air on Monday. He won it in a bet. It’s a piece of shit right now but he wants it restored. Hope you are up for it,” I informed him and slipped out of the shop to stand closer to him and turned to look at the place. “There is a single out back for body work. I like to keep my grease and paint separate.” He nodded and turned to look at his car.

“Do you mind if I oil her up,” he asked and I smiled.

“Only if you do mine too,” I replied and tossed him my keys. I pointed to my 1962 Chevy pick up across the yard by the house. He arched a brow as he looked it over and then nodded.

“Needs a paint job too,” he commented. I nodded. I would get to that eventually.

“There are some coveralls in the office. Help yourself when you need them. I’m going to go work in the house for a bit. If you need anything just come on in.” I was offering him his one and only shot at any trust with me. If he messed up my shop, I’d kill him. Hoping he knew what he was doing, I turned on heel and headed across the dry yard towards the back of the house.

While I listened to the shop tools outside and the radio in the kitchen I gathered the laundry basket and headed out to the line to pull and fold the dry clothes. I could see the shop from the back yard and casually glanced that way while I took my time. I could see that his car was jacked up and all I could see of him were his legs and boots sticking out from beneath it. The sound of a socket wrench was comforting and made me think back on times when I was in the yard and it was my father working in the shop. I really missed him.

After carrying in the folded clothes, I hung the wet set from the washer and called “quits” on the laundry for the day. I made some sweet tea and gave it time to cool while I paced the kitchen for a while. I wanted to go out to the garage and help or watch but I had a feeling it would be trouble, at least for my hormones. I wondered what the attraction was. I had a gorgeous boyfriend and we weren’t lacking anything. Murphy was rugged, a little cheesy and…dangerous. That was it. He was dangerous. Greyden was your typical good guy. He could hammer someone’s head if it was necessary but he wouldn’t start a fight or provoke trouble. I always got my way with him and he was easy to boss around. That wasn’t completely a bad thing but I liked a little resistance from time to time. Greyden wasn’t a challenge.

I stopped pacing and mentally slapped myself. I had to stop all this analyzing or I was going to talk myself into some serious trouble. Just as I let it go, there was a knock at the front door. My boots became cement blocks and I stood there staring at the front door for a moment. Finally, I picked up my feet and opened the door. Murphy stood grinning as he wiped his hands on a red, grease smeared rag.

“Want some sweet tea,” I asked as he pulled the screen door open and stepped inside. I turned my back to him and showed him the way to the kitchen. Without an invitation he had a seat at the table and leaned back in the wooden chair. I poured the tea over ice and sat it on the table with the pitcher.

“Thanks,” he said as he began to empty the glass. I could hear ice breaking between his teeth and cringed. It made my own teeth hurt just to listen to it. I hoisted myself onto the kitchen counter and watched him in and his attempt to cool off. He had been working pretty hard for almost two hours now. “Love the shop,” he said as he sat his empty glass down.

“I’m glad. Coming back on Monday,” I asked him and he gave me a quick nod. “I’ll enjoy the company out there,” I added and he nodded again.

“I’ll take care of your truck and then I am going to head out for the weekend. I have other…business to tend to. I will be back in time for work on Monday,” he informed me with that deviant smirk of his. “I’ll show you some tricks with that Bel Air when it arrives. That ought to be a good time.” I liked that he seemed excited about working with me. I was definitely going to appreciate his help with the Bel Air. I could do all the restoration work but I was slow with it. His help would be a major plus.

My legs swung from the counter’s edge and I turned to look out the back window into the backyard where my clothes were drying. With my cheek turned, I could still feel his eyes on me. I was nearly across the room and could feel his heat. A soft electric hum pulled at my ears. Chill bumps flourished over my flesh as I felt what seemed like static fingers touch the nape of my neck. They prickled over my shoulder and down to trace my collar bone.

The phantom touch slid around the outside of my right breast, tracing its curve through the thin cotton of my white shirt. I felt my core quake. My lips parted and I sucked in a deep breath as if I had forgotten to breathe for the last five minutes. Slightly startled by the sensation, I turned to look at Murphy. I felt my face turn red as my eyes found his wicked smirk awaiting me. I tilted my head and narrowed my brow. I was confused. How was he toying with me like this? No better way to find out than to just ask. “How do you do that to me,” I asked quietly but sternly. My teeth found my bottom lip and my eyes searched him over, hungry for answers.

“Do what to you,” he asked. His abrasive voice held a slyness to it. One that told me he knew exactly what I was talking about and that he wasn’t going to offer an answer. I felt my blush turn from embarrassment to frustration.

“I know you know what I am talking about,” I informed him and slid down off the counter. I headed for the front door and just as I walked past him, I felt those static hands trail low on my waist to the small of my back. My jaw tightened as well as my sex and I turned to glare at him. Glancing at him over my shoulder his defined lips curled back over his perfect teeth and he held his hands in the air. I wanted him so badly and I also wanted to know why. What was his power over me? I had a perfectly good man and I had no reason to tangle myself in the web of this one.

“A man can’t help it if you are attracted to him,” he said smugly and stood from his seat at the table. I turned sideways in the front doorway. Crossing my arms over my chest, I watched as he got the hint and headed slowly towards me and the exit. His grey eyes stayed on me and that wicked smirk remained smeared over his tempting mouth.

“You can go now. I’ll take care of my truck this weekend. I have no other plans,” I said with a sharp tongue. He chuckled and shook his head. I held my hand out for my keys. He unclipped them from his belt and dangled them above my palm. Before I could take the keys and move away, his hand circled my wrist and he pulled me swiftly against him. A strong current vibrated between our touching bodies and a shocking chill rippled though me as his breath whispered over my lips.