Super Nova (13 page)

Nola and Sally sounded like they’d be missing for hours, wandering aimlessly in retail hell.

Their excitement seemed to draw a crowd. When Bryce straggled from the garage to see what was up, the puppy whimpered. For a moment, Kaige thought it was objecting to the crush of people peering down at him and wiggling their fingers in his face. As the big guy got closer and the dog made it tough to hang on to him securely, Kaige began to think maybe he feared the hulking dude.

Until a yelp from the bundle of fur startled Nola. Kaige reflexively put a hand on her back to keep her from losing her balance, but with only one hand left to secure the squirming creature, the puppy refused to be held a moment longer. He wriggled until Nova had to bend to deposit him on the grass. That or let him kamikaze dive the whole way.

With a happy bark, their new friend hopped through the tall blades right toward Bryce.

“Well, who do we have here?” Laughing, Rebel picked up the puppy and looked at it eye to eye. He examined the black-and-white markings and pointy ears of the junkyard castaway. Had someone thrown out a litter of puppies?

Kiage rubbed his chest. Nola linked her fingers through his free hand and squeezed.

The dog’s miniature tail wagged like windshield wipers in a monsoon.

“I’ve always liked Boston Terriers. Is he yours, Nola?” The wistful stare he shot the woman by Kaige’s side sealed the deal.

“No.” She shrugged, dragging Kaige’s linked hand along with hers when her shoulders rose. He liked her warmth and the ease with which she’d touched him.

Unafraid. Despite the glimmer of temper she’d seen slip through his control that first day in Eli’s office. Could she handle one of his full outbursts? Why should she have to? Maybe he could be better for her.

“I think he’s yours.” Nola beamed, her bright white smile hitting Kaige in the gut. “He seems to have adopted you.”

Eli, Alanso, Carver, Holden and Roman had joined them by now.

The rest of the Hot Rods talked excitedly about the possibility of an addition to their family. Except right then, Kaige was thinking of inviting someone else entirely into their midst. Could this work?

Would they welcome a woman with arms open as wide as they were for this pup?

He thought they might. The guys appreciated Nola—her hard work, her humor, her refusal to be cowed. Sally had latched on to her in a way that made him realize how short of female companionship the painter had been for years.

Not least of all, the sparks of attraction between him and the prickly consultant grew brighter by the hour.

“What’s this ruckus out here for?” Tom moseyed over from his house. “Can’t a guy take a nap in his hammock?”

Though he addressed the whole group, he peered between Kaige and Nola, who still held hands. Huh. Nova hadn’t realized he’d never let go. And neither had she.

“I was taking some pictures for our presentation and heard an animal. Kaige rescued him.” Nola beamed up at Kaige until he had to look away.

“My hero!” Holden teased as he kicked up one heel and folded his oil-stained hands like a damsel in distress.

Kaige didn’t waste any time in flipping him the bird.

“It’s a puppy.” Rebel held out his new buddy toward Tom. “A Boston Terrier under all this mud, I think.”

“Looks like.” Tom nodded, smiling. Still, he glanced at Kaige and Nola more than the tiny monster, who now licked any piece of Bryce he could reach.

Alanso jogged to the hose and filled an old flowerpot for the dog. The mutt didn’t wander more than an inch or two from Rebel as he drank the cool, refreshing water.

“Can we keep him?” Sally begged King Cobra.

Tom laughed. “I’ll never forget when my son asked the same of me the day you wandered into the youth shelter.”

“And look how well that turned out.” Even Carver got in on the action, trying to persuade their boss on behalf of Bryce, who’d clearly already decided what he wanted. Kaige silently cheered for them to prevail. Then maybe Nola would come visit the bugger after her assignment was over.

“What the hell are you guys asking me for?” Eli shrugged. “It’s
our
place. All of ours. If everyone wants the dog…”

“We do,” Roman spoke up. Usually quiet, when he had something to say, they listened.

“Then it’s settled,” Eli grumbled. “But I’m not going to be the only one feeding it and walking it.”

“Between us all he’ll be no problem.” Bryce didn’t take his eyes off the puppy, who practically fit in the palm of his hand.

“What should we call him?” Kaige wondered.

“Buster?” Holden offered at the same time Sally pointed to his white feet and suggested, “Hightops?”

Everyone looked to Bryce for a ruling. He glanced between both of his friends and frowned, as if he didn’t want to hurt either of their feelings. Especially now that they were getting frisky together, their bond had drawn even tighter.

Sensing the discord, Nola did what she ruled at. She solved the problem. Smoothing things over in the process. “I think Buster McHightops is the most adorable name I’ve ever heard for a dog.”

A giant smile spread over Rebel’s stubbly jaw. “It’s perfect.
He’s
perfect. Thank you.”

Kaige never abandoned his hold on Nola’s hand. Not even when his friend sidled closer and surrounded her in a quick embrace.

Could the rest of the Hot Rods like her too? As in
like
like? Oh shit, Kaige hadn’t even considered that he might have competition for the woman. He didn’t mind sharing, but he wanted her to be his first. He was going to have to move fast.

Ask her out. To the wedding, or something simpler.

Soon.

And maybe the energy he sensed flowing between them all could come in handy later. After he’d already staked a primary claim.

Chapter Seven

Despite his best efforts to coax her out, Nola had evaded being alone with Kaige for almost two days. Either by chance or by design, he couldn’t tell. Could she sense that he intended to corner her in the hopes of pressing things beyond their professional boundaries? After the puppy fiasco Thursday, everyone had given up on work for the last few hours of the day.

On top of that, when Nola spied her car on the lift she’d been thrilled until he declined her offer to take the parts and labor out of her bill. Like hell he would.

Eventually she’d graciously accepted his help, thanking him with a kiss that could have become a lot more steamy if Buster McHightops hadn’t chosen that moment to scurry between them and piss on Kaige’s boot. A love/hate relationship had sprouted between him and the mutt.

Of course all the other Hot Rods had thought the antics hysterical. And while Kaige was upstairs changing, Nola had slipped away. Maybe the intensity between them had frightened her or maybe it had been the rest of her employers catching them sucking face that had shoved her out of arm’s reach during business hours. Because ever since then the week had flown by with their consultant keeping her cute head buried in her laptop, pounding out the details of her presentation.

How the hell much could she be doing? Enough to warrant even coming in on the weekend to keep trucking, he supposed.

She wouldn’t let him see her progress until the thing was finished. Of course, that meant she was constantly around, if out of reach behind her expert demeanor. They’d shared meals together, played with the new shop mascot, hung out near the water cooler on breaks and chatted about everything and nothing in between his jobs and her work.

At night, they continued their email exchanges. Nola was like no pen pal he’d ever imagined. It seemed as though the distance between them made it easier to talk about their pasts and their hopes for the future. In person, their discussions never took on half the weight of their correspondence.

He found he liked both sides of her. The serious professional and the vulnerable woman who understood so much about the events that had shaped him. She’d never once judged him. He believed his secrets would be safe in her hands. Something he rarely could say about people other than the Hot Rods.

By Saturday afternoon, Kaige had played it as cool as he could manage. He plopped into the shitty folding chair in Nola’s makeshift office, rocked it onto its back legs, locked his hands behind his head and crossed his ankles on the table. The flash of heat her semi-covert scan inspired curled his toes in his boots.

“You’re going to break your neck, fool.” She seemed genuinely disturbed, despite her acerbic barb. Somehow she knew how to reach him. Just like the gang, who used endless taunts—borne of love—to communicate their concern.

“Nah. I’m not flying off to heaven until you escort me there.” He reached for her fingers, which, surprisingly, she let him take.

“That’s a lame line.” She rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, but it still kind of worked, didn’t it?” A grin tipped one corner of his lips upward.

“If it did, that only makes me lame too.” Nola put her head in her free hand. “I know better than to fall for a guy like you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The metal thudded to the floor as he sat up and leaned forward.

“You’re a smooth talker. A hound dog latched on a scent. But will you tear me apart when you catch me? Will you still want me after you’ve won?” Her eyes grew wide in the dim interior of the room. They’d doused the lights so she could show him her finished presentation by projecting it on the white-painted cinderblock wall.

“This isn’t some kind of game, Nola.” He frowned. “I’m not toying with you. I’m interested, impressed and turned on every time I’m around you. Hell, even when I’m not. I’ve never had this kind of chemistry with a woman before. I’m sorry if I don’t know how to show you that. I’ve never had to try before.”

“You’re doing fine on that count.” Maybe honesty had something in its favor. When she stared into his eyes and read the genuine curiosity there, she smiled a bit—stealing his breath—before groaning. “But we have a project to finish. Come on, I’d really like you to see this. I’m kind of proud of how it turned out, okay?”

She waved her hand toward the bright square illuminating the wall.

“All right. If I behave and watch your thingy, will you go out with me? Like on a real date.” He considered his options. “Work at work and fun when we’re off the clock, like you want.”

“That isn’t
exactly
what I said.”

“So compromise.” He couldn’t help himself from leaning in to steal another taste of her juicy lips. Whatever gloss she seemed addicted to was making him crave it too. Sweet and shiny, it tempted him to caress her mouth with his all day. He’d never get bored of this. When they finally broke apart, he whispered, “It’s what
I
want.”

Nola shivered. She was breathing hard against his skin.

He smiled broadly.

“Fine,” she panted. “You win. Just…focus, please. We’ll talk about the rest after. Don’t distract me anymore either.”

Kaige chuckled when she slapped his wandering hands and scooted her chair over to the left several inches with a horrendous screech of metal on concrete.

“As you wish, Ms. Brown.” He folded his hands in his lap, hoping that between them and the low light his erection might escape her notice.

Or not.

She did a double take before clearing her throat as she fiddled with her computer.

Kaige decided to take that as a compliment. Patiently as he could manage—he refused to piss her off and give her some excuse to renege on their date deal—Nova waited for her to exhibit the end result of her hours slaving away in this tiny room, which had more in common with a cell than a real office. Maybe he’d see how the rest of the gang felt about letting her move her operations upstairs to their common area. At least it had decent natural light.

All thoughts of restructuring her workspace vanished when a graphic of one of Bryce’s restomods zoomed across the screen followed by other projects the guys had been especially proud of. Each job had showcased something special, a component of his strategy.

She’d visually described what he’d struggled to put down on paper.

Genius.

Once idling in place, the lineup of cars glowed subtly, limned in a throbbing light timed to some kick-ass music. The Hot Rods logo flew into their midst. Flames consumed it until it glowed like the chassis of a car in the wake of his blowtorch.

“That was awesome!” He gawked at her. “How’d you do that?”

“It’s my job.” She shrugged. “Go ahead. Click something.”

“Which one? Will it mess you up to go out of order?” Kaige hovered the mouse over the 1968 Bullitt Fastback they’d given some special attention to. He’d always loved how that project came out. So had its owner. The dude had insisted they accept a fifty-percent bonus.

“Nah. It’s designed to be interactive. Viewed in any sequence.” She smiled at his eagerness to explore. “The whole idea is that it takes a multi-avenue approach to get the brand to the next level. No one component is more important than the others. They go hand in hand, right?”

She’d really listened to him.

For a moment, Kaige blinked faster in an attempt to erase the sting behind his lids.