Tattooed Adonis leans against the counter and grins. He’s looking at me like he’s contemplating taking me on as a challenge, so I stare back at him with raised eyebrows. “Tell me, sugar tits, did the last guy get your panties in a bunch? I’ll be happy to untwist them, if you like? You’d be amazed how it’ll pop that stick right out of your ass. And with a fine-ass body like yours, I’m a great volunteer and I’d consider it a public service.”

My mouth gapes open and I stare at him in shock. That’s it—to hell with keeping the peace in order to gain his business—this jerk has pushed me too far. “Listen here, buddy, my panties are none of your concern. As for your time, you can shove your money right up your—”

“Holly,” my father scolds as he comes bursting through the front door of the shop, a scowl on his face. I sigh heavily. “I can hear you clear outside. Why are you yelling at our guest?”

The jerk focuses his eyes directly on me and smiles like a spoiled kid getting his way while waiting for me to explain to my father. “I…he…ugh! Why don’t you ask him why?” I mutter, flinging my hands in the guy’s direction. I’m so flustered I can’t even speak.

I can’t believe I almost slept with this guy. I’ll have to kiss Max later for saving me from that giant mistake.

This stranger is frustrating, but I’m dying to see the look on his face when he tries to explain himself to Dad.

Dad scratches at the thinning hair on the top of his head nervously as he glances over at Adonis. I fold my arms across my chest while taking my turn wearing a smug grin. Adonis is so going to get it for being rude to me. My dad never lets that slide. He knows how the guys around here have been treating me lately. I know he won’t stand for it.

Dad frowns and his thin shoulders sag a bit. “I’m sorry, Mr. Douglas. My daughter is normally very polite to all of our guests. Please don’t inform your boss about this. I would hate to see him lose interest in partnering with the track because of Holly’s momentary lack of self-control. I can assure you it’s not a recurrent problem.”

My mouth gapes open. Not only is my father not defending me, he’s apologizing to the pig? I take a deep breath and allow my father’s words to sink in.

Oh. Shit. “Wait. This guy? He’s here to check out the track for the investor?”

Adonis grins even wider as he extends his tattooed arm towards me. “That’s right, sugar ti—” His head snaps towards my father and he quickly clears his throat, realizing he just managed to catch himself before sexually harassing me in front of Dad. “I’m Trip Douglas. It looks like you and I will be getting cozy while you show me the ins and outs of this place.”

I stare down at his hand. Ugh. This is so not happening to me. Our family business is going down the freaking toilet and I have to depend on the guy who thinks with his dick to pull us out of the hole? Maybe the investor can send someone else? Anyone else! No way is some rich, old dude relying solely on Trip’s judgments of the place to make a huge financial commitment? This guy can’t be trusted with something so important. This guy can’t stick with the same woman for five minutes, let alone see such a huge business deal through.

Trip wiggles his fingers at me. “Come on. They won’t bite.”

Dad needs this partnership to work for the sake of the track. He told me last week how important it was for this business to get it. If it doesn’t go through, we’re in big trouble.

Reluctantly, I take his hand. It’s warm and rough against my own skin and it’s hard not to think about the way he felt pressed against me last night as he gives it a couple of quick shakes. “Holly Pearson.”

He rubs his thumb across the back of my hand in slow, deliberate circles and I don’t like what that little movement might be trying to imply. I’ve had about enough of him touching me slowly. I’m not interested now, not after I saw that I was just some random chick to him.

He smiles. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

I roll my eyes and jerk my hand away from his grip, trying to get rid of the tingle that’s left in the wake of his touch. “So what did you need again? Track time?” I quickly ask.

Trip doesn’t answer—his brain obviously overloaded from his constant fixation on my chest—so I clear my throat and fold my arms, blocking his view of my boobs.

“Holly, Mr. Douglas isn’t a paying customer. If he rides, it’s free,” Dad says.

He shakes his head like he’s coming out of a daze. I didn’t know my breasts could be that damn mesmerizing. “You know, Mr. Pearson, now that I’ve been in here, I want to start going over the books. The track test can wait for another day. It will be good to know what kind of shape this place is in financially. Everything else is fixable.”

“We’re actually in great shape,” I snap, not liking the idea of some strange man invading our family business—especially one that I’m totally uncomfortable being in close quarters with for any period of time. I wish I hadn’t liked what he’d done to me last night so damn much. “Besides, I doubt you can read them. You know they have no pictures, right?”

He leans in and braces his hands on the countertop across from me, a cool smile on his lips. “Don’t let the tattoos fool you, sweetness. There’s a stellar mind behind these good looks.” He cocks his head to the side, giving me a look that I bet gets girls to do anything he wants. “You’ll find out that I can pick a person’s brain like no other. And that’s why I’m here…to pick yours.”