“Mia.” Mandy steps in front of me, cutting off the view I have of him, and I blink at her annoyed expression. “Steph is up next for a client, but Talon asked for you.” She shakes her head. “Well, he didn’t ask for you, but he described you and was adamant that he see you, so he’s yours.”
“Talon,” I repeat, liking that I finally know his name after weeks of giving him random names, none of them as perfect as the one he was given at birth.
“She’s worked with him in the past, so she’s going to be mad.”
“Okay,” I acknowledge, not really caring that she’s going to be mad, since she seems to be mad a lot. With everyone working on mostly commission, there is a lot of competition. Personally, I have no desire to be the top salesperson at the dealership. I just want to make enough money to pay my bills, and if I have a little extra, that’s okay too.
Her eyes narrow, and then she mutters, “Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She spins on her heel and sashays back toward the podium.
I glance at Talon to see if he checks her out when she walks past him and am surprised he doesn’t. Mandy is pretty, very pretty, and most people recognize her, since she’s in every one of the local commercials for the dealership. Heck, men sometimes come in just to try to get her number.
With her gone, I swallow and turn toward the man who saved me when I feel him get close. I slowly lift my gaze to his and remind myself to breathe when our eyes lock. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone with eyes as blue as his, so blue it feels like I could dive into them like the ocean I jumped into once on a trip to Jamaica.
I shift on my heels as he scrutinizes my face like he’s trying to memorize every one of my features, then lick my lower lip and say the only thing I can think of. “You saved me.” He doesn’t reply, but his eyes drop to my mouth, and in response, my nails dig into my palms. “Thank you. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t done what you did.”
“That girl said your name is Mia.” He lifts his eyes off my mouth, and I nod. “I tried to find out who you were after you left in the ambulance, but it was like I imagined you. No one knew who I was talking about.” He shoves his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “I told you to stick close, and you left.”
My brows dart together at his tone. “I left with Grace. She didn’t want to be alone.”
“I know. I went to the hospital, and after I tracked her down, I talked to her.”
“You went to the hospital and tracked Grace down?” My stomach dips, and my heart flutters.
“She told me that you disappeared when her son got there and that you didn’t say goodbye or leave your number.”
“I didn’t want to be in the way,” I murmur, feeling guilty. I should have told her goodbye, but her family was there, and I knew she was in good hands.
“She gave me her number to give you when I found you.” He pulls a piece of tattered paper from his pocket, and I wonder if he’s been carrying it around with him this whole time.
“Thank you.” My eyes meet his as I take it, and I fight the urge to lean into him. His scent reminds me of home, deep and rich, like the forest in Montana after a summer storm, or sitting on the porch of my parents’ house after dark, listening to the crickets chirp.
“Yeah.” He looks over the top of my head, something that is easy for him to do since he’s tall, over a foot taller than me in my flats, and then his eyes meet mine once more. “Do you want to give me a test drive?”
A tingle slides down my spine, and my cheeks warm as my nipples pebble. Good Lord, I need to get away from this man before I throw myself at his feet and offer to have his babies. “Umm…” I glance around quickly, looking for an excuse to get away, and spot Steph eyeing me from across the room with a frown on her pretty face. “I think Mandy said you’ve been working with Steph.”
His brows drag together. “Who?”
“Steph,” I repeat and wave my hand out in her direction. “She’s the blonde over there.” He doesn’t even look. “I’ll get her, and you’ll remember.”
I turn to walk away, but he stops me by grabbing my hand. “I don’t want her. I want you.”
My eyes widen. “Oh. Well, okay.” I tug my hand from his, which isn’t easy to do. “What car did you want to test drive?”
“The black Jeep at the front of the lot.”
“The one parked half on the boulder?” I ask, and he lifts his chin in an affirmative.
“What’s that look?” he asks quietly.
I realize I’m frowning and smile. “It’s a great Jeep.” It’s also the only car on the lot I’ve wanted since I started here… even though I will likely never be able to afford it unless I start competing with my fellow employees and become lead salesman. “I just need to see your ID to make a copy of it, and then I’ll just grab the keys and meet you out there.”
“I’ll come with you,” he states.
I laugh while shaking my head. “I can get them and meet you out there.”
“I’d rather come with you so you don’t try to pawn me off on someone else.”
Offended, I prop my hands on my hips. “I’m not going to pawn you off on someone else.”
“You just tried to pawn me off a minute ago.”
“I was not pawning you off,” I lie, my cheeks feeling warm from being called out. “I was going to let the person you’ve been working with continue to work with you. People around here take their clients very seriously.”
“Does the client get a say in who they want to work with?”
I wave my hand out between him and me. “Obviously, I’m working with you now, aren’t I?”
He shrugs. “Still, I’d rather not take any chances. I’ll come with you.”
“Fine.” I grit my teeth then stomp toward my cubical. Once there, I go behind my desk, and after he enters, I hold out my hand and wiggle my fingers. “I need your ID.”
“Right.” He grins, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. I watch his long fingers tug out his card then narrow my eyes on his when he chuckles and hands it to me.
“What’s funny?”
“You’re cute when you’re pissed.” His gorgeous smile stays firmly in place, and he really does have a gorgeous smile, and really nice teeth, which is something odd to notice about someone.
“I’m not pissed.”
“Hmm.”
“I’m not. I’m annoyed. You’re annoying me,” I snap, taking his ID and placing it in the little copy machine on my desk. Once the red light appears on the device, I know it’s been sent wherever the info is stored. I hand his card back to him and grab my purse. “Let’s go get the keys.”
“Lead the way.” He motions for me to leave ahead of him, and I hear him chuckle as I walk past him. I take him back to the main office and quickly punch in the information for the test drive into the computer before I grab the keys from the box on the wall. Once I have them in my hand, I spin around, and come face-to-chest with him, then look up. “You don’t have to stand so close.”