Tiger Lily - May Dawson Page 0,18

have loins, but Blake was never getting anywhere near them.

“Watch your mouth,” I told him.

“Oh, there are the claws,” he said, then smiled faintly.

I popped my hands on my hips. “Why are you always trying to rile me up, Blake?”

He slid past me to the door, and the spicy scent of his cologne or maybe his own scent teased my nose. He smelled delicious.

He looked down at me, and I raised my gaze from the Blake embroidered on his coveralls to those golden-amber eyes. “Well, it’s the only way you notice me, pussy cat.”

“Don’t—” I began.

He gave me a wide grin, but he was already leaning against the door into the bay. It opened behind him and he stepped out of sight.

Was Blake really annoyed that I…didn’t notice him?

Because I felt like I noticed him far more than I should.

And I couldn’t make sense of the protective, bossy way he treated me, either.

I didn’t like it. Or at least… I definitely should not like it.

9

Dylan

Blake was in a bad mood.

It might have been hard to tell for anyone else. Blake had a tough, stoic sensibility that fooled most people.

But then, most people had never come downstairs for a midnight bowl of cereal to find Blake wiping tears away as the credits of a Nicholas Spark movie rolled. He’d been gruff because he was embarrassed, of course, but deep down, the man was…well, he was a big soft puppy.

He just had bite when he cared about someone.

When I finished up the minivan, I leaned over the engine he was working on. “What’s up?”

He grunted.

Then, grudgingly, he added, “The guy that stopped by was a prick to Lily.”

“She can take care of herself,” I pointed out.

“Can she?” he asked, although he was stretched across the engine, so the question appeared to be addressed to the carburetor.

Engines never have much to offer in terms of observations on the human psyche, though. When the carburetor didn’t say anything wise, I guessed it was up to me.

“Yeah, of course.” I frowned at his implication.

“Because she reminds me of a dog who’s been kicked,” Blake said, the crinkle between his brows deepening, “and I really hate when someone kicks a dog.”

“She did just lose her job,” I reminded him. When Blake heard that Lily was home because she’d lost her job, he’d gone into full big-brother mode. “She can just come work at Hot Wheels!” He’d been so excited.

Apparently, he’d been excited enough for both of them, because Lily didn’t seem familiar with the emotion.

“There’s more than that.” He swiped his hand through his hair and let out an exasperated sigh. “I suck at talking to her. I always make her mad.”

I clapped his shoulder. “For almost twenty years now. It’s sweet when you think about it.”

He pulled a face. “Can you talk to her?”

“Yeah.” I was surprised he wanted me to; I knew how big a crush he had on her.

He genuinely wanted the best for Lily. That was so sweet.

Not that he’d ever admit to being sweet.

He’s got that German Shepherd try-hard.

“I’ll see if I can take her for lunch,” I said. “I’m done with the mini-van, do you guys mind getting it down for me?”

“Sure,” Archer said, glancing at us from beneath the car he was working on, “So happy to do your work for you while you romance our childhood crush.”

I shrugged.

“Go ahead,” Blake said. “Ignore him. He’s just…Archer-ing.”

“Can you get her grandpa’s convertible up and you look at it with her when we get back?” I asked.

Archer sighed and went back to work on the truck.

I walked backward against the shop floor, stuffing my hands in my pockets. “Well, Archie, you could take your turn. I’m asking her to lunch. Blake is teaching her auto 101 this afternoon. You could ask her on a date.”

He didn’t answer until I reached the door, and I was about to open it when his voice floated over.

“Maybe I will.”

“Maybe you should,” I agreed.

“Maybe that would be fantastic,” Blake added.

Oh, brothers.

I rolled my eyes as I turned to the lobby.

Lily was swiveling absently back and forth on the high stool behind the reception desk, sorting through a stack of papers in front of her, and humming a Disney song.

She looked beautiful with her cloud of reddish-gold curls wild around her face, her eyes intent on the computer as she twisted back and forth between the files and the screen. I smiled just seeing her and hearing her beautiful voice, no matter how soft it was