Swallowing the pool of saliva that’d appeared in my mouth, I tipped my head to the side, eyeing the bag like a fucking raptor. “What if I said I didn’t like their food?”
“You’d be lying. Now tell me, can you eat, or do you need to get back to work?”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket, checking the time. “I have time to eat. I was already heading to the office for my lunch break anyway. Although, this beats a vending machine buffet, ten to one.”
“Perfect.” He walked around to the front of his truck, giving the hood a rough smack. “You need help up or can your short, little legs make the jump?”
I narrowed my eyes, choosing to ignore his comment in the name of new friendship and delicious chicken sandwiches. “I didn’t even know you had a truck. I’ve only ever seen your Nova.”
He shrugged, hopping up on the hood with ease. “It’s my work truck. I don’t usually drive it around outside of work, but the Nova’s in the shop.”
“Oh. I feel kind of bad for not even knowing what you do for a living.”
“I’ll tell you once you stop being a pussy and get up here to eat.”
I went from raptor to dragon in two-point-five seconds, flaring my nostrils and setting my palms flat on the hood. Pushing off with as much grace as I could, I shoved up and twisted, with the full intention of landing on my ass and staring smugly into his stupid, perfectly proportioned face.
Halfway through my twist, the gaudy security buckle on my belt caught on the grill, disrupting my momentum, and making my fingers slip on the smooth surface. I fell forward, face planting right into his lap.
I flailed and reared back, my mind fully determined to make a run for the building and never speak to him again. But his hands were already grasping my waist, hauling me up and setting me beside him.
Adjusting myself into a more comfortable position, I clasped my hands in my lap, looking anywhere but at the man whose crotch I’d just face snuggled.
“You know, your ears turn red when you’re embarrassed.”
I fidgeted, still not looking at him. “They turn red when I feel anything other than apathy. I know. I’ve lived with them for twenty-five years.”
“It’s pretty fucking cute.”
My eyes whipped over to him, my face, neck, and ears now flushing for an entirely different reason. He held out a wrapped sandwich, giving it a playful shake. I accepted his peace offering; I was embarrassed, not insane.
“Okay, I’m up here. Now tell me what you do for a living.” Unwrapping my gift with a flourish, I took a bite, moaning over the gloriousness that was grease on a bun.
I looked over at Garrett, preparing to lather him in my heartfelt thanks as soon as I swallowed, but paused mid-chew at the dark look he was sending my way. Mouth stuffed, I muttered an unattractive, “What?”
He glared down at his lap, brushing off imaginary crumbs. “I do contract work with turbine engines.” His face softened at my blank expression, and he chuckled, “For helicopters and small aircraft. It’s, more or less, the same thing I did in the Marines, just on civilian aircrafts now.”
“That’s pretty cool. Did you ever want to do something else, or do you like it?”
“I like it. Growing up, I wanted to be a pilot, mostly because I wanted the ability to fly my mother somewhere nice.” He pushed his jaw out, as if he’d said something he hadn’t meant to. “Anyway, it’s steady work, and I’m good at it.”
With those hands, I bet he was good at a lot of things. “Well, I’m glad you enjoy what you do, that’s always a good thing.”
He nodded, still looking at me. I pulled my legs up, sitting criss-cross applesauce as I dove back into my food and tried to ignore the feeling of him watching me eat.