Glitch (Next Level #1)(9)

A growl rises from my throat.

Holy Hell. I’ve never acted this way before. It’s fucking everything up.

“You’re Glitch,” she finally says.

I rub the back of my neck and wince. “Yeah.”

“Glitch?”

“Yeah.” How much more awkward can we be here? “And you’re Ara.”

This is painful. Am I not what she thought I’d look like? My body’s filled out, so my deep voice goes well with the muscles I work hard for. I’m six-foot-four and have a full sleeve of ink on my left arm. Am I too much? Not enough? Some women don’t like dark-haired, inked up men like me.

Ara’s gaze lingers on the tattoos covering my forearm. Then her eyes sail across my chest and dip until she…

Yeah, she just checked out my package.

Her cheeks are crimson now. I swear I see a sheen of sweat forming on her forehead.

She likes what she sees.

I arch a brow and clench my molars to keep my smile to a minimum. For once, I’m able to take the reins and drive the first conversation, which is huge for me, honestly. I usually need a minute to warm up to people, but I’m already burning white hot for her.

I run my hand over my mouth, bring her attention upwards. She follows my movements like a cat with a bird.

Heyyyy, Kitty.

“So.” I clear my throat. “It randomly shuts down, huh?” She just keeps eating me up with her eyes. They follow my hand as I tap the top of her computer. “Does it make any weird noises too?”

She blinks. “Oh. Yeah. No. Wait… what?”

Adorable.

It takes me two seconds to see the crack and dent in the side. I’ll be damned. “You actually kicked it?” I thought Trey was joking about that.

Now her face pales. “I didn’t.”

Tension builds in my shoulders. “But someone did?”

She suddenly looks like she wants to bolt. “I, ummm.”

“Here, come with me. Let’s talk about this someplace quieter.” I don’t like that she’s shifty. And I don’t appreciate an audience.

“Okay,” she says quietly, and the boisterous pink-haired bombshell vanishes that fast. A meek, nervous mouse has replaced her. It engages my protective instincts. If she didn’t kick her computer, who did and why?

I’m pissed before I even know the answers. Someone damaged Ara’s property. Someone destroyed something she loves. They should have a lesson in manners.

I’m more than willing to give that motherfucking lesson.

Placing it gingerly on the table in the back of my shop, I get a better look at it. It’s similar to what I have at home. But hers isn’t just cracked, it’s melted on the inside, and something definitely rattled when I carried it in here.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” I feel bad for prying, but I want to know.

“No.”

I respect her answer. It kills me to not know the details, though. I’ll earn her trust and ask again later.

“It caught on fire last night,” she blurts. “I tried to restart it one more time and it blew like a firework.”

There most likely isn’t a way to fix this. “How wedded to this machine are you?” Because I have bad news to give her.

“I…” She bites her lip again. Ara’s beauty blows me away. She’s the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen. Brown eyes, big lips, black winged eyeliner, and now that I’m closer, I can see her hair isn’t all pink. It has some purple and black streaks, too. Fucking stunning. “Is there nothing you can do to save it?”

There’s sentimental value attached to this thing, I bet. “I’ll do everything in my power to get it running again. But if I can’t…”

“It’s okay.” Something passes over her face that I can’t make out, and my heart thuds with an ache seeing it. “I’d just really like to try and save it if it’s possible.”

Same. “How soon do you need it back?”

“No rush.” Ara rubs her neck like she’s a little flustered. “And I’ll pay for your time, even if it can’t be fixed.”

She isn’t paying me a dime.

“I’ll get started on it today.” I suspect it’s a lost cause, but I don’t want to say it without knowing for sure. I’ve worked on consoles that looked worse, so hey, there might be a chance of salvaging this thing. I’ll find out once I tear into it. “I can text you when it’s ready.” Or drop it off at your house and worship you for a night.

She shoots me a killer smile that makes my knees weak. “Yeah, great. I mean, please don’t put me at the top of the pile. I’m sure you have a lot going on.” She looks past me at the kids playing chess at one of the tables and sighs. “Thanks for this, Glitch.”

I love the way she says my name. I want to make her scream it till her throat is raw.

Holy shit, what’s wrong with me? I’ve never been this way over a woman in my life. So ready to drop to my knees and make her feel like she’s the only star I’ll orbit around. Instead, I’m the computer geek she’s entrusting with her broke ass gaming system.

I flash her an easy smile, hoping my vibe will offset the tension in her gaze.

“I’m sure it’s a lost cause.” She clears her throat. “But I just want to know for sure before I plan burial services for it.”