Jacked Up Read Free Page A

was exerting at the moment. “I’m afraid if I open my mouth I’ll start screaming and never stop.”
    Whatever his response would have been was prevented by her brother’s car chief yelling from Evan’s car, “Hey Eve, you done hollering at him? Clock’s a-tickin’ while you’re a-bitchin’.”
    That pretty much summed up the utter lack of respect she got. She wasn’t talking to Nolan for shits and grins. She was doing her job. Did no one understand that?
    She didn’t bother to answer Jim.
    “Pay your fine on time,” she told Nolan in a cold voice, turning on her heel, hand still holding together her gaping blouse. She felt . . . defeated. Tired. Overwhelmed.
    In the past eighteen months she had navigated two pregnancy scandals her brothers had been embroiled in, the loss of a major corporate sponsor, Evan’s spontaneous marriage and breakup and then reunion with the first female driver to compete in the Cup series, and being fired and rehired herself.
    She just wanted to be done.
    But there was no done.
    Because what was she going to do?
    She ground to a halt when Nolan unexpectedly touched her elbow. Whirling around, she demanded, “What?”
    “Hey, sorry for the headache this is causing. It truly was an accident. Let me buy you a cold one to make it up to you.”
    So he could irritate her some more? “No thank you.”
    “Don’t want to be seen with a lowly jackman, huh?” But he didn’t look like he believed that. In fact, he looked like he was amused by her.
    Eve didn’t know what to do with that. No one found her funny. No one found her company enjoyable even. It was unnerving. “I don’t want to be seen with a jackass. ‘Ass’ being the operative word.”
    “I double dog dare ya,” he said, his eyebrows lifting as he stood there looking a whole lot of sexy. “Just one beer.”
    Damn it. She could never turn down a double dog dare. Even though it always got her in trouble. Three broken bones. Two speeding tickets. A black eye. And a tattoo on her inner thigh she’d just as soon forget.
    But she couldn’t resist and she knew it. Someone threw down the gauntlet and she had to pick it up.
    “I can’t tonight, I have plans with my sisters-in-law.”
    “Tomorrow then.”
    That would be better. She’d have time to throw away this blouse and steel herself against his annoying sexiness. “Fine. You’re buying.”
    “Of course I am. That’s the whole point. To apologize for the stress I’ve caused you.”
    He sounded sincere. He looked sincere. Eve was suspicious. Most men would have walked away from her with their hands tossed up, not invited her for a drink. She didn’t really understand Nolan’s reaction. Flummoxed, she wasn’t sure what to say.
    Jim saved her. “Ford, get over here. Seriously, enough arguing with the battle-ax.”
    Battle-ax. Nice. That was something every woman wanted to be called.
    “I’m coming, Jim. Give me two minutes or less.” Nolan quieted his voice and leaned closer. “What’s your number? I’ll give you a call and we’ll make some plans without Jim breathing down our necks.”
    Eve never gave out her number. But she gave it to Nolan. Though she found herself pulling her phone out of her pocket and fiddling with it, unable to look him in the eye. He made her feel like . . . a woman.
    Not a lot of men did that, sadly enough.
    His eyes were that impossible green that made you think he was wearing contact lenses. But there were no telltale lines or floating lenses, just mossy green eyes that were raking over her when she found the courage to look up.
    She relaxed her arm, abandoning the death hold on her gaping shirt.
    His phone was at his ear and they were locked in a strange, sensual stare down that she didn’t understand.
    Eve’s phone vibrated in her hand and she started at the unexpected sensation, even though he was obviously calling her.
    “I take it this is you?” she asked, grateful for the interruption of a weird moment. She