- The guys dealing with their boss and her no-swear policy. She’s trying to cut back before her wedding, but getting a garage full of troublemakers to keep it clean is a real job.
He cursed under his breath again when he scraped his knuckles on the pump. But the sound of someone shaking a familiar glass jar of coins made him tense. He heard it again, even over the blast of AC/DC.
“Seriously, guys?” Del held the newly purposed amber glass growler out to them. Such a sad waste of a perfectly good beer container. Once the half-gallon jar had been home to ambrosia, a killer IPA flavored with hops and a hint of citrus. Now, it was nothing but a no-swearing jar filled with goddamn quarters.
Sam and Foley bitched about the new no-swear policy even as he heard them drop change into what Johnny had taken to calling the “Rattle of Oppression—ROP.” A few clinks of change against glass and everyone seemed to sink into themselves, anxious that their fearsome boss would come storming back in, demanding a quarter for a “hell,” “shit,” or “damn.”
Johnny knew better. Dubbed the smart one of the crew, he kept his nose out of trouble and everyone else on the straight and narrow. Mostly.
He heard Del step in his direction, grazed his already sore knuckle against the frame as he removed the assembly, and let it rip. “Fudge.”
“See?” Del yelled to be heard above a man on the radio screeching about shaking all night long. “At least someone can keep his friggin’ mouth clean.” She patted him on the shoulder, and he did his best not to flinch. Woman had hands like rocks. “Thanks, Johnny.”
He kept his head down and continued to tinker, listening as her footsteps gradually faded . Then an office door closed, and he found it safe to look up.
“You are such a kissass.” Sam frowned. Then again, Sam did nothing but frown.
- Banter between the guys. I love them.
So of course, Johnny had to prod him. “Hey, McSteroid, you and your boyfriend got plans for tonight?”
Foley sighed. Lou grinned.
Sam’s frown darkened. “Why? You got a death wish, stick boy?”
Johnny flexed a greasy arm. “Seriously? Stick boy? Man, I’m ripped. And it’s all natural.” He raised a brow at Sam and pushed his bicep up from the back, trying to appear bigger.
Even Sam couldn’t withstand the Devlin charm. A rare smiled appeared on his face. “Whatever. No, I don’t have plans. And Foley—not my boyfriend, dickhead—has his own life.”
“So.” Lou looked Foley up and down. “No plans for you then?”
“Suck it.”
- Suzie Oozy. Because I want a doll just like her.
They exited the theater amidst chatter about the excessive gore in the movie. “Wasn’t that great?” she gushed.
“A little over the top when the doll started bleeding from every orifice, don’t you think?”
“I thought that made her seem more real.”
He snorted. “Yeah. Dolls that bleed black and screech about demonic possession are so lifelike.”
“Exactly.”
He dragged her with him out of the way of a throng of theatergoers exiting from another movie. The multiplex had been packed, and she felt the crush as they moved toward the building’s exit.
“Thanks,” she said, breathless, as the wall of the corridor braced her back.
Then his mouth was on hers, a whisper of a kiss full of heat and desire. It was gone before she could blink, and she could only stare up at him, wanting more.
“I’ve been dying to do that all evening. And, well, a guy can only take so much temptation.”
“Temptation?” she echoed weakly.
“Yeah.” He sighed. “You loved a demonic doll. I mean, you hate baseball, but you loved Suzy Oozy—she of the hellish diapers and acidic eats-through-anything vomit.”
She nodded, still dazed. “I know, right? Great stuff.”
He chuckled and moved closer, away from the crowd pushing through the complex.
“Problem is I really liked Suzy. Now I’m going to have to hide my niece’s baby-cries-a lot doll the next time I see it. Talk about super creepy.” She rubbed her lips, staring at his, still reeling from that kiss.
“You say creepy, then you touch your mouth where I kissed you. I’m sensing a correlation.”
“Big word for a self-proclaimed knuckle-dragger—wasn’t that what you called your friends at Ray’s the other night?”
“Well, them, sure. But I’m more advanced than that. I can even spell correlation.” He paused. “With a dictionary.”
- Johnny Devlin. I mean, look at him!!
- Johnny’s and Lara’s complementary Halloween costumes
“I like her costume,” Sam said.
“Yeah, well, don’t like it too much,” Johnny warned. Lara had dressed up as the girl from The Exorcist. He’d accompanied her as the priest.
“Sure thing…Father.”
And because I can’t resist, I’m loving the lead-in to Foley’s story…
Foley glanced up. The body accompanying the husky voice seething with rage belonged to a virtual Amazon. Tall, long-legged, curvy, and with a face men would die for. She had wine-red hair curling over amazing breasts—mounds that were high, firm, and, just the way he liked them—big.
He glanced at his hands. He glanced at her breasts, then back at his hands again, itching to cup her.
“You. Foley Sanders, right?” She took a step in his direction, and he had to check his mouth for drool.
“That’s me.” She knows my name. Thank you, God, for whatever I did to deserve this. “What can I do to you—for you?” he amended, but not quickly enough.
Sam appeared next to him, and out of the corner of his eye, Foley saw Sam’s interest as his buddy didn’t even try to disguise eye-fucking the woman.
“Dibs,” Foley called under his breath.
“Well, shit.” Sam turned and went back to looking for his air ratchet.
A storm brewed in the deep brown of the Amazon’s eyes. “Hey, Sanders, my eyes are up here.” She pointed to her face with long, fire-engine-red nails, her body clad in a close-fitting black dress that clung to her voluptuous frame.
Thanks for having me! You can find me at my: Website, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads
Happy reading!
Marie
About Marie Harte
Caffeine addict, boy referee, and romance aficionado, USA Today bestselling author Marie Harte has over 100 books published with more constantly on the way. Writing romance, and in particular erotic romance, across the genres, she’s created stories set on other worlds, among paranormal creatures, and between normal men and women seeking true love.
Marie is a confessed bibliophile and devotee of action movies. Whether hiking in Central Oregon, biking around town, or hanging at the local tea shop, she’s constantly plotting to give everyone a happily ever after. Visit her website and fall in love.
Good To Go | McCauley Brothers | Wicked Warrens | The Works | Ethereal Foes | Best Revenge | Mark of Lycos | Body Shop Bad Boys
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About TEST DRIVE
GET TO KNOW THE BODY SHOP BAD BOYS
Johnny, Foley, Sam, and Lou are the rough and tumble mechanics of Webster’s Garage. These reformed bad boys are used to living fast, but it’s the women in their lives who take them from zero to sixty in a heartbeat.
JOHNNY
Johnny Devlin’s a charmer with a checkered past. He’s has had his eye on scorching-hot bartender Lara Valley for ages, but she’s rejected him more than once. That doesn’t mean he won’t come to her aid when some dirtbag mauls her. When she asks him on a date as a no-strings-attached thank you, he can’t say no. And then he’s saying nothing but hell, yes.
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