Grayslake: More than Mated: Waking the Bear (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read Free Page B

glimpse of the house. The large, two-story structure stood proud among the greenery, and except for the repair shop, the place was surrounded by nature. The seclusion of the residence held appeal, and she couldn’t help but envy the owner.
    She continued to the repair shop, and though there were no marked spaces, two cars were neatly lined up next to the entrance. The attention to detail reminded her of the way she’d found her boots neatly placed next to the bedroom door, and she smiled. It seemed Mister Perfect had more than good looks going for him.
    Audrey put her hand on the handle of the glass door, braced herself, and glanced inside the shop. She fully expected to come face-to-face with her rescuer, but like the house, the place seemed vacant.
    A small foyer held four space-saving, but comfortable-looking chairs, but they were all empty, and so was the spot behind the counter. As she pulled on the door, the Help Wanted sign in the window caught her eye, and she briefly wondered what it was for. She hadn’t started looking for a job yet, but she would need to find one soon, and she had no problems working for someone who found her completely uninteresting.
    The sound of metal on concrete had steadily become louder as she made her way to the shop, and an extra loud clank sounded when she stepped inside. The familiar smells of motor oil and grease teased her nose, but the odors weren’t pungent, unlike other repair places.
    Behind the counter, an open door led to what looked like a storage room, and to the left, an invisible wall led to two repair bays. The rolling doors were located in the back of the building, and they were both raised, letting in both light and fresh air.
    One of the vehicles sat completely unattended, but she could hear someone working under the hood of the other.
    “Hello?”
    Another loud clank echoed around the building, followed by a whispered curse, and then Mister Perfect stepped into her view, wiping his hands on an already greasy towel.
    He wore a surprisingly white t-shirt with three tiny holes near his belly button, loose, faded, well-worn jeans, and black steel-toed boots. His dark brown hair looked lighter with the sun behind him, but his dark eyes were exactly how she’d remembered them.
    Fucking hell!
    Deep down, she’d honestly hoped her memory had been better than the real thing, or that she’d somehow created this perfect person in her mind because she’d been so desperate for validation. Having random sex with a stranger hotter than her ex would have given back some of her shaky confidence.
    Except every man in Grayslake was hotter than her ex, and she hadn’t wanted to sleep with anyone except him. Her pussy throbbed, and she leaned forward on the counter so he couldn’t see her press her thighs together.
    Even though he regarded her with obvious frustration, she still wanted him, which was probably the best reason to try and stick around. There was absolutely no chance of anything happening between them, and she could resume her initial plan to give up men.
    “Hello,” he called back.
    His annoyed stare was a bit unnerving, but she chose it ignore it. Hopefully, he wouldn’t hold last night against her.
    “Thank you for rescuing me last night, and for the water and the meds. And the coffee. I had a cup, I hope that’s okay. I’m sorry about grabbing your ass, and…,” she nervously waved her hand around in front of her, “the other stuff.”
    Oh hell, she was babbling like an idiot. Wonderful.
    “You’re welcome,” he said, simply. “Your car is parked next to the house on the other side of my truck.”
    She glanced back toward the house, and nodded as she wrapped her mind around his thoughtfulness. He’d used the truck to drive her home, so he must have gone back for her vehicle.
    “You went back for my car?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Thank you.”
    “I didn’t do it for you,” he admitted. “I have a lot of work to do, and I don’t have time to stop and