My arm had gone off a half hour ago and I was already on my way to the shop. I hadn’t seen that masked man again, but it had only been a day since then, so that wasn’t really saying much. There hadn’t been any more random flowers or text messages either. Maybe my stalker had gotten bored. That would make my life just that much better.
I just needed to get it out of my head and already had an idea of how to do it. My pn was to ask Mikhail out on a date. There would be no expectation of a retionship—I didn’t really want one.
It didn’t even cross my mind that he’d turn me down. I’d seen how he looked t me when he didn’t think I was watching. I rememered the way he’d gotten close to me on that first day. Plus, I knew what I looked like. I wasn’t a model, but I was still gorgeous.
The parking lot was empty save for Mikhail’s SUV. It didn’t appear that Cynthia had arrived yet, but that wasn’t a surprise. She wasn’t due in until nine when the shop officially opened.
I parked and headed inside. My boss was sitting behind the reception desk, looking at something on the computer, but his attentiuon was pulled to me when the bell jingled above the door.
“Morning,” he muttered witht hat thick Russian accent of his.
“Good morning,” I responded brightly, setting my coffee on the counter. “What are you doing?”
His eyes slid back to the screen. “Paperwork.”
I pursed my lips and rolled my eyes. “Right. I’m going to go work on that grey Buick.”
Mikhail just nodded and I headed out into the shop itself.
I lost track of the time and just immersed myself in changing oil and tires and fixing engines. It was almost like a trance. SO much so that when someone pced a rge, warm hand on my shoulder I whirled around, swinging the tool in my hand.
Mikhail caught my wrist and arched a brow at me.
Shit. I just tried to brain the boss I was pnning on asking out on a date. It was his fault! He shouldn’t have scared me like that. Still, probably not the best look, though.
“Sorry, you startled me,” I said. Papa would goran in disappointment at hearing me apologize, and normally I wouldn’t, but these were extenuating circumstances. I didn’t need an angry boss.
“Don’t apologize, it doesn’t suit you,” he said, an amused twinkle in his eyes.
I chewed on my bottom lip and his eyes narrowed, anger fshing briefly across his face. I wasn’t sure why he’d feel that emotion, so maybe I was just seeing things.
“Uh, so did you need something?” I asked, grabbing a grease towel to wipe my hands.
“It’s lunchtime,” he said.
I gnced at the clock and smiled. “So it is.” The towel was slid into my back pocket. “Have you had lunch yet?”
Mikhail shook his head and took a small step closer to me and every hormone in my body lit on fire.
I swallowed and stared up at his handsome face. “Then…would you like to join me?”
He paused and stared down at me, his face unreadable.
Had I messed up? I knew he was into me, that was beyond obvious, but I’d never considered that he may be in a retionship. Stupid, I should have considered that.
“I would like that,” he finally said.
I’d just opened my mouth to take back the request, but snapped it shut at his agreement.
Mikhail broughgt a hand up and picked up a strand of my hair, letting it run through his fingers.
“Where would you like to go?” he asked me.
Go? Go where? Oh. Right, lunch. “I’d been pnning on going to Gator’s. I’ve been craving one of his burgers.”
“Cravings, huh? Got something you need to tell me?”
My brows furrowed and I tilted my head to the side. SOmething I should tell him?
Then it clicked and my face turned bright red. I shoved at his chest, but he didn’t move. “No, there is not! I’m offended you’d even think that,” I snapped.
The chuckle that rumbled through him made me want to punch his pretty face. He’d just wanted to get a reaction out of me, that bastard.
“Gator’s sounds like a good idea to me.” He took a step away from me.
The restaraunt was a short, ten minute walk from work and we made it there in retive silence. The building was made of red brick and there weren’t any windows in the front, not even a sign that decred what it was.
Gator Redrick didn’t care for tourists and refused to even have a posting on Google. The only way to know about it was if someone told you that it existed.
I pushed the door open and was immediately hit with the smell of cooking meat and fries; my mouth immediately started to water.
The man behind the counter was my height and wore his usual bck, cowboy hat. He was older, probably in his mid-fifties and was the most aggresively southern man I’d ever met.
I’m not entirely sure how or why he’d ended up in Praxton City, but I was absolutely gratgeful for whatever reason that was.
Gator gnced up at us as we walked in and a big grin lit up his tanned face. “Howdy, Ms. Aurora, Mr. Mikhail.”
I bit back a giggle at how he butchered both our names. I’d long ago given up on correcting him. I was pretty sure he wasn’t physcially capable of saying them properly.
“Y’all want your usuals? Hell, I didn’t know ya knew each other.” He blinked and then a realization dawned on his face. “Oh! A date, eh?”
Not yet.
Mikhail chuckled and shook his head. “Nyet, just here for lunch. We work together.”
Ouch. That’s right in the feels. He wouldn’t feel like that for long. I’d make sure of it.
Gator snorted and looked between the two of us. “Mhm, okay. So, usuals?”
We both nodded and sat down at one of the tables that looked like a rge spool of thread that was empty. I hadn’t a clue what they were called, and honestly didn’t really care.
The food was out in ten minutes and Mikhail got up to get it. I’d started to, but the look he’d given me had me sitting back down.
A tingle had raced up my spine, and that thrilled me and pissed me off. I was too much of a control freak to give it up, but at the same time, it aslo felt freeing, liberating.
My monstrosity of a burger was set down in front of me. Bacon, mushrooms, pineapple, so…so much cheese, barbecue mayo, grilled onions, and mozarel sticks on a brioche bun. I wasted no time digging into the greasy mess. It was the best burger to have ever been created.
I gnced up towards Mikhail. He had a chicken sandwich in his hands and was watching me with an arched brow.
I swallowed my food. “What?”
“A woman with an appetite, it’s a nice change.”
I rolled my eyes. “Plenty of women have appetites. Food is good, and, get this, a requirement of survival. Shocking, that,” I said dryly.
The amusement that radiated off of him was palpable. I had the urge again to punch his pretty face for the teasing look in his eyes.
“Da, da, of course.” He took another bite of his sandwich.
Lunch passed quickly without either of us talking. It was a nice, companionable silence. Every time I looked up our eyes met and would stay locked before I tore my gaze away.
I hadn’t asked Mikhail out on the date yet, I was waiting to do that until it was time to leave—which it was time to do now.
The hood smmed shut as I stepped away, wiping my hands on my jeans. I blew a breath out and headed into the office.
Cynthia had her hand on his chest and was staring up at Mikhail, pushing her chest out towards him. I’d say he looked bored, but that wasn’t quite right. There was a storm behind those chocote eyes.
I walked right up to them and Mikhail immediately stepped away from her to turn to me. Cynthia’s face went from adoring to angry in an instant.
I dismissed her out of my mind and smiled at him. “I’m about to head out, but I had a question for you.”
Mikhail tilted his head and arched a brow. “Da?”
“I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me,” I asked.
Cynthia’s head snapped towards me. “What are you–”
“Da, I would love to,” he said.
Her head whipped towards Mikhail. “You would?” she asked, her voice raising in pitch.
“I’ll pick you up on Friday night?” he asked.
I shook my head, pulling my lip through my teeth. “I have pns every Friday night.”
Cynthia let out a frustrated noise, grabbed her purse, and stormed out of the front office.
Mikhail watched her leave before turning back to me. “Saturday then?”
I’d much prefer an dearlier day, but the shop wasn’t open on weekends, so we’d have plenty of time.
“That works for me.”