Page 7 of Need (Men of Inked Sinners #3)

LULU

“I’m sorry,” I say to Oliver as we sit at his stepfather’s desk, waiting for him to finish up in the finance office.

“For what?”

I shrug and leave my shoulders slumped forward. “I’m sure you have better things to do today than this.”

“Nope. There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”

I blink a few times, staring at him. No one likes going to a car dealership. Stepfather or not, this isn’t on anyone’s things-I-love-to-do list. “You’re a good liar.”

Tiny lines form near the corners of his eyes as he laughs. “I’m not lying.”

“Yeah, you are. No one wants to spend their day off here. ”

“If I didn’t want to come, I wouldn’t be here. It’s that simple, Lulu.”

“Are you here because you love car dealerships, or are you here because…” My voice trails off because I don’t want to say it.

Last night was great. The conversation flowed so easily between us.

The man wasn’t lying because I watched him polish off an entire thin-crust pizza with extra cheese and extra pepperoni like it was nothing at all.

I made it through a quarter of the other pizza before I felt like I’d need to be rolled out of there.

I don’t remember the last time it was so easy to be around someone who was still a stranger.

And don’t even get me started on the kiss before his brother walked in.

It made my toes curl in my shoes. I thought he’d try to kiss me again after we had pizza, but it didn’t happen, and to say I was disappointed would be an understatement.

Maybe he changed his mind after our tongues did the tango. Maybe he realized I wasn’t a good kisser and the entire thing turned him off. Now he’s here out of a sense of obligation to help me since my car was destroyed and he feels sorry for me.

“Because?” he asks with a raised eyebrow.

“I don’t know,” I whisper, unable to make myself say the words I want him to hear. I can usually handle rejection, but there is something about him at this point in my life that would make the sting hurt more than usual .

He reaches across the small space between us and places his hand on top of mine. “I’m here for you.”

I peer up at him as my belly flutters. His palm is warm against my skin, and when his fingers curl ever so slightly around mine, my heart rate picks up. “For me?”

God, I sound so lame. Anyone with a brain would know that. He isn’t here for a visit with the old man.

“Why is that surprising?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

“Because I didn’t kiss you again last night?” he asks, shocking me.

My eyes widen for a brief moment. “Kind of.”

“Did you want me to kiss you again?”

I’m speechless for a second. He’s so direct. More direct than anyone else I’ve ever known besides the people in my family. “Yes,” I say breathlessly.

“Were you sad I didn’t?”

“Yes,” I whisper.

“It won’t happen again.”

My stomach drops as the realization he doesn’t feel the same crashes over me. “Oh. I understand.” I try to pull my hand away, but he tightens his grip.

“No, you don’t. You misunderstand me, Lulu. I won’t let you leave me again without giving you a kiss. Last night, when we got back to the garage, you ran away like your ass was on fire. Figured you didn’t want to kiss me, but now I know, and I won’t make that mistake again. ”

My belly flutters again. I did run away like my ass was on fire because it literally was about to be. I overdid it on the pizza and the cheese. My stomach was having none of it, and I had to rush home before I had an accident in front of the most beautiful man I’d ever met.

“Sorry about that,” Randall, Oliver’s stepdad, says as he walks up to the desk, killing the moment.

Twice now, his family has ruined things, and I almost feel at home with their streak because it’s the kind of shit my family would do too.

“Did anything catch your eye on the way in?” Randall asks as he sits down in his chair across from us.

“Straight to business, huh?” Oliver says, his hand not moving from mine as I swing my gaze to him.

“Figured you wanted out of here quick,” Randall replies without being the least bit rattled.

Oliver grunts.

For a split second, I think we’re going to be out of here before I have a chance to get a car.

“Sorry if I was being rude. It’s nice to meet you, Lulu. Oliver said you need a new car. Did anything strike you on the way in?”

I shift in my seat, uncomfortable with the entire exchange. “It did.”

“Excellent. Which one?”

“The black SUV right outside the door.”

“Ah. Good choice. Do you want to test drive it? ”

I nod. “It may be out of my price range, though. I’d hate to waste your time.”

“Ignore the sticker. I can work up a quote while Oliver takes you out there to look on the inside. I’ll grab the key. Good?”

“Perfect,” Oliver answers.

“Good,” Randall says before he pushes himself up from the seat and stalks away.

“Why were you mean to him?” I ask Oliver.

“I wasn’t. Randall isn’t the nicest, but he could at least say hello. We’re not strangers. He’s my stepdad, for shit’s sake. A simple greeting would be nice.”

“Well, it’s his work.”

“If you walk into the bar, does your dad say hello or just ask what you want to order?”

He had a point. “He’d say hello.”

“Exactly. Everything with Randall is business. I deal with him because he makes buying a new vehicle easy, but it would be nice if he could act like a normal human being since he practically raised me.”

“That sucks.”

“Yeah,” Oliver mutters. “He’s always been an asshole and I’ve come to ignore it, but he doesn’t know you and could at least act civilized.”

“I don’t mind.”

“You should.”

“I don’t, though. I just want the SUV and to dip as quickly as possible.”

“Then he’s your man. ”

“Keys,” Randall says, shaking them near my side. “You two go look at the inside or take it for a test drive, and I’ll work up that price.”

I take the keys from his hand. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” he says before walking away.

“Come on,” I say to Oliver, squeezing his hands that are still intertwined with mine on the arm of my chair. “I’m dying to see in the inside and try that baby out. If he gives me a good price and I like the SUV, we’ll be out of here before we’re forced to make small talk with him.”

“You have a point.”

“You know I’m right,” I say to him. “Up you go, big man.”

He chuckles as he stands and follows me toward the glass front doors of the dealership.

“I think the SUV is going to be perfect for my business.”

“It has a good engine on it, but you’re going to pay a ton for gas with that hemi.”

“Oh. I didn’t notice,” I say, playing stupid, but I totally did. “Is that good?” I know the thing is going to purr when I start it. Hemi engines always do.

“If you like horsepower and speed, it is.”

“I want something that when a car hits it, they bounce off and not the other way around.”

“That’ll be this one,” he says as we stop in front of the beautiful black SUV.

Everything is black. The grill. The wheels. The rims. Even the windows are tinted. “I love it so much,” I say as I drag my finger over the newly polished paint. “I need to drive it.” I push the button on the remote, and the doors unlock, sending a thrill through me.

“Do you know what to do with this much power?”

“Handle it like a boss,” I tell him as I open the door and climb inside.

Oliver’s laugh makes me giggle in return. “You’re something else, Lulu. You’re funny as shit.”

“You won’t be laughing when I handle the turns.”

“That’s hard to do when the speed limit is twenty-five in the city.”

“Can we take it on the freeway?”

His happy face falls instantly. “You want to take this on the freeway?”

I nod quickly. “Well, of course.”

“Then let’s do it. I want to see what you think is fast.”

I raise an eyebrow, loving a challenge. “If there’s no traffic, I’m going to make your heart stop.”

“You already do,” he whispers.

“What?” I ask, because I’m not sure I heard him right.

“I’m ready,” he says, but I know that’s not what he muttered before.

“Buckle up, buddy,” I tell him as I reach behind my shoulder and grab the seat belt. “This is going to be a wild ride. ”

“Oh boy,” he mutters as he grabs the seat belt and clicks in before gripping the handle on the side door.

“Scared?” I ask, teasing him. I’m going to drive like a grandma. I already have enough tickets, and the last thing I need is more. But it was fun to joke about it and see the panic start to rise behind his eyes.

“A little.” He gives me a nervous smile as I ease the car into drive.

“It’s good to get your blood pumping a little each day.”

“I’d prefer it not to be from fear of dying.”

I chuckle. “You’re too easy,” I tell him, finally coming clean. “I’m not going to hurt this baby before I have a chance to buy her. Anyway, I have too many tickets right now to risk getting another one. They’re so damn expensive too.”

He lets out a long breath and touches his chest. “Thank God. I didn’t really want to meet my maker today.”

“Even if I were going to haul ass, what makes you think I would be bad at it?”

He’s quiet for a moment as I pull onto the busy street. Chicago traffic is a nightmare. It doesn’t matter what time of day or where you are in the city, it’s always crowded.

“If you say it’s because I’m a woman, I’m going to?—”

“No,” he snaps. “It’s not that. I’m not an asshole.”

I tighten my hold on the steering wheel, loving the way the SUV handles. The tires grip the road, and the heaviness makes me feel like I’m driving a tank. “Then why?”

“Because I don’t trust anyone else’s driving except my own,” he says.

I glance over at him, seeing his hand now on his knee, and his knuckles are white. “I’m an expert driver.”

“Sure,” he mumbles and points out the windshield. “The road.”

I sigh and swing my gaze back to the road in front of us, which I knew was empty since everyone hustled through the light just ahead of us before it could turn red. “I love this uneasy side of you.”

“Sadist.”

“Maybe,” I say with a smirk on my lips. “But you seem so in control and comfortable all the time. It’s nice to see there’s another side of you.”

“It’s hard to be in control when it’s not my hands on the wheel.”

I ignore his statement and focus on the car. “How does she sound to you?”

“She?”

“The SUV.”

“Oh.” He rubs his hand up and down his leg before it stops on his knee again, holding on for dear life. “It sounds great.”

“And she feels right?”

“She feels perfect. ”

“I think so too. I’m buying her as long as Randall doesn’t pull some crazy numbers out of nowhere.”

“The deal will be good.”

“I hope so. I don’t want to fall in love with this thing and then have it ripped away from me a few minutes later. I’d be heartbroken.”

“I won’t let it happen. Randall knows the deal.”

I glance his direction and give him a small smile. “I don’t know how I’m ever going to thank you for everything.”

“You’ve done enough.”

“Not really.”

“The garage is a huge job.”

“It is.” And although I don’t mind how much work it is going to be, I’m really doing it so that I can spend more time with him.

I like Oliver. I like everything about him except for his inability to be relaxed in a car with me as the driver. I can see myself with a man like him, and not a single red flag has popped up either.

“Well, let’s head back.”

“Oh, thank God,” he breathes.

“Seriously?” I ask, but I’m teasing him, and I think he’s teasing me. “I drove like a ninety-year-old woman.”

“I know, and it was scary as fuck.”

“You’re so dramatic. Who hurt you?”

“My mom. She hit a house with me in the back seat when I was little. I never got over it. ”

I snapped my head to the right. “What?”

“No lie. She hit a literal brick house. Smashed right through a tree on the way too. Never been so fuckin’ scared in my entire life.”

Now I understand where his fear of not having his own hands on the steering wheel comes from.

“And then, as a tow truck driver, I see every horrible wreck imaginable.”

“Maybe not the right career path.”

He lets out a nervous laugh. “Nah. I like helping people when they need it.”

“Like me.”

“Like you.”

“Am I the first woman you tackled out of the way of a speeding car?”

“Yeah, Lulu. You’re the first.”

“Well, lucky me,” I tell him. “If it were anyone else in your place, they might have let me become roadkill.” I pull into the parking spot on the lot where the car had been earlier.

Oliver’s entire body immediately relaxes as if someone took a little air out of him.

“We made it. No houses were injured in the test drive either.”

He shakes his head as he reaches for the handle, looking like he needs to jump out as quickly as possible. “Good job,” he says as soon as his feet are firmly planted on the cement. “I had all the faith in the world in you.”

“Uh-huh,” I mutter as I climb out, nearly having to jump down because the SUV is so high. “I love this damn thing.”

“Then let’s go find Randall and get the hell out of here.”

I chuckle as I follow him inside, liking this uncool side of a man who always seems so together. I did that to him, and I kind of like it.