Drive Me Wild - Melanie Harlow Page 0,16

this morning, since he’d seemed a bit moody and distracted when he left for work. He’d barely looked at me and only mumbled something undecipherable when I’d thanked him again. I thought maybe he was annoyed with my being there, but then again, he might simply have been tired. He couldn’t have been too comfortable all night, trying to sleep sitting up like that. I hoped the coffee and donuts would perk him up. He really was a nice guy.

With a hot body.

And a huge package.

My core muscles clenched up, as they had been doing every time I recalled accidentally grabbing at his crotch. My God, it was so embarrassing! He knew I hadn’t meant to do it, right? Every time I thought about it, I sort of wanted to die—but also sort of wanted to do it again. It was so cute the way he’d practically run out of the room afterward. It had made me feel even safer with him.

Turning off the tap, I carefully carried the full cup of water back out to the lobby and dumped it into the dry dirt. I did the same thing two more times before tackling the desk.

Griffin was right—it was a mess.

Stacks of invoices littered the surface, piles of folders threatened to topple over, paper clips and pencils and several staplers were scattered everywhere. It was the complete opposite of Griffin’s apartment, which was completely clean and uncluttered.

I got to work filing and organizing immediately, stopping only to answer the phone the few times it rang. Once a customer came in to pick up her vehicle, and I’d poked my head into the garage to let Griffin know, but it was a younger, skinnier mechanic who came to the desk with her keys.

Once the customer was gone, he turned to me and smiled. “Hi, I’m Andy.”

“Nice to meet you, Andy. I’m Blair.”

“I know. I mean, that’s what Griffin said.” He glanced over his shoulder. “He’s looking at your car now.”

“Great.” I smiled. “Fingers crossed it isn’t too bad.”

“Yeah, I’m—I’m not sure.” Andy looked a little uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Like I said, I’m not sure, I just . . . hear a lot of cussing back there today.”

I bit my lip. “More than usual?”

“A lot more. He’s in a real mood. But that might be because of the bank.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Business isn’t so great these days because of Swifty Auto. And he’s been trying to get this loan forever, see, and—”

“Hand me!” bellowed a deep voice.

I looked over Andy’s shoulder and saw Griffin’s huge frame filling the doorway. Hand me what? I wondered.

“What the hell are you doing up here?” he demanded, his eyes shooting daggers at Andy, his forehead creased with anger. It was the most intimidating I’d ever seen him.

“I was just giving Mrs. Stephens her keys.”

Griffin crossed his arms over his bulging chest. “I don’t see Mrs. Stephens here anywhere.”

“She only left a minute ago. I was introducing myself to—”

“Yeah, well I don’t pay you to stand around running your mouth,” Griffin barked, moving into the lobby and jerking his head toward the garage. “Get back to work.”

“I’m going, sorry.” Andy hurried back into the service bay.

I felt bad for him, and I was about to apologize and take the blame for keeping him out here, but I didn’t have a chance.

“Your car won’t be ready today,” Griffin announced abruptly.

My heart plummeted. “It won’t?”

“No. I don’t have the parts. And I won’t be able to get them quickly.”

“How . . . how long?” I swallowed hard. “A day or so?”

“Probably more like a week.”

“A week!”

He cocked his head. “You think parts for fifty-year-old British cars grow on trees around here?”

“No, I just—”

“You’re just used to getting everything you want exactly when you want it because no one has ever said no to you. I get it, princess. Welcome to the real world.” And with that, he stormed back into the garage, pulling the door shut behind him.

I stood there for a moment in complete shock, one hand over my mouth, one flattened against my stomach. No one had ever spoken so rudely to me before. I sank onto the chair behind the desk, my face burning.

What had I done to make him so angry? Wasn’t I the customer? And wasn’t the customer always right? No wonder business hadn’t been so great lately, if he spoke to people like that. And how dare he make fun of me!

This Griffin was nothing like the guy from last night—obviously, he had a