Page 35 of Love in Overdrive

Wow. Her cheeks grew even darker. He liked making her blush. Did that rosy color go all the way to her beautiful chest?

The smile faded. “Compared to your girlfriend, I look like Sister Laney, a Catholic school teacher.”

Not sure where that comment came from, he leaned closer. “Laney, what are you talking about? I told you the night we met, I don’t have a girlfriend. I haven’t for a long time.”

“It sure looked like it at the hockey rink. Blonde hair, dressed like… not like she was there to watch the game.” Laney cleared her throat. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter.”

“Fucking Jamilee,” Cade muttered under his breath. He locked his gaze with Laney’s and gave her forearm a gentle squeeze. “Jamilee is not my girlfriend. We dated back in high school, and I barely escaped with my life. Trust me. I didn’t invite her to the game, and I sure as shit didn’t know she’d be there.”

“Oh.”

“Why were you at the game… Watching a boyfriend?” Cade prayed the answer was no.

“My brother plays on the other team.”

Yes! Cade gave an internal fist pump. “Who’s your brother?”

“Sawyer Hunt. He plays on the Devils.”

“Yeah, I met him before the game. My buddy Nash knows him. He asked for auto advice.”

Laney’s blush deepened. “That was for me. My car is rapidly approaching the legal voting age.”

Cade laughed. “My car is old enough for AARP.”

Her look screamed bullshit.

“Not the Civic. That’s my mom’s car. Mine's a 1971 Barracuda. She will be the best looking ‘grandma’ on the block when I’m done with her.”

“She? I never understood why guys refer to their vehicles as female.”

“Maybe because they’re a guy’s first love? All those stylish curves and power under the hood. It’s sexy as hell.” His gaze ran over Laney’s curves. Yeah. Sexy as hell.

“So, um. You’re a mechanic? Is that what you did in the military?” Her gaze dropped, curtaining her face with long, blonde strands. Flustered looked good on her.

Cade bit back a grin. “No, but I always loved working on cars. My dad moved his auto repair and restoration business out of the cities the summer I graduated.”

“You work for him?”

“Yes. I always planned on working with him once I retired from the military.”

She frowned. “How long did you stay in? You don’t look old enough to have twenty-years in.”

“I was in for fourteen years.” He developed an interest in his beans. Nothing to see here.

Right. And the snow wasn't cold. He had a metric ton of baggage. And with everything that happened today, he wasn’t going to dump his shit on top of it.

The more time he spent with Laney, the more he liked her. No. Now wasn’t the time to explain about his sudden leave from the military or his incarceration.

The silence thundered in the room. His chest burned like a branding iron searing him. With a quick side-eyed glance, Cade snuck a peek at her. Dammit. Not only was she watching him, she was waiting for him to elaborate.

Cade cleared his throat. “How’s your leg?”

Chicken. Yes. Yes, he was. Something inside him feared she’d run screaming from this cabin if she found out about his past. In all likelihood, she’d find out sooner or later. No way the police wouldn’t bring up his past when they turned in the money.

“It’s good.” She shifted and winced.

“I’ll get some snow for you to pack on it before we crash for the night.” Cade pushed off from the table and carried their empty dishes to the sink. Using the last of the dish soap in the bottle Laney had found, he washed up the dishes and put them on a towel to dry.

He grabbed a bag from a drawer and headed outside to get some snow.

If he was lucky, he’d figure out how to tell her about his past while he was out there.