“Uh… good.” He looks between Mia and me then stands, straightening out his tie. “Thanks for letting me test out the truck, Mia. I’ll be in contact after I get the loan set up.”
“Sure, Harry. I look forward to hearing from you.” She reaches out to shake his hand, and my jaw twitches when he lifts it to place a kiss on her knuckles.
“Have a good day.” He smiles at her then turns to me. “Later.”
“Yeah, later,” I grunt.
“Do I need to get a restraining order, Talon?” Mia asks, taking a seat, her warm brown eyes on mine as I lean on the edge of her desk.
“For that guy, most definitely,” I say, watching her full lips tip up into a slight smile. Fuck, she’s beautiful—stubborn as fuck, but still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and it kills me that I can’t walk up to her, pull her into my arms, and kiss her like I want to. It’s been a week of this, a week of me coming in almost daily, trying to convince her to go out with me, only to have her give me shit and turn me down.
“Seriously, Talon, this is getting ridiculous.” She sighs, tossing her long hair that reminds me of my favorite dark chocolate ice cream with swirls of caramel over her shoulder.
“I’m just here for a test drive, Mia.”
“Right.” She rolls her eyes as she stands, allowing me to see her curves accentuated by the tight skirt and top she’s wearing. “You know if I miss out on an actual sale by taking you out again, I’m going to be annoyed.”
“If you’d just agree to go out with me, I’d sign the papers for the Jeep right now.”
“Why do I feel like I should be offended by that offer?” she asks, wrapping her fingers around the dip in her waist, and I grin while her eyes narrow.
“Put away your claws, kitten. I just want you more than I want the Jeep,” I say, watching her cheeks turn a pretty shade of pink, and my dick twitches behind my zipper.
“Don’t call me kitten.”
“Why not? You remind me of a cute little kitten that shows its claws when it’s riled up.”
Eyeing me for a moment, she sighs as she drops her gaze from mine. “I need to get the keys for the Jeep.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“Of course you will.”
I catch a hint of her soft vanilla scent when she walks past me and fight the urge to reach out and touch her. Fuck, I’ve never been obsessed with a woman before, but the moment I saw her, I felt like I had been sucker punched. With one look, I knew exactly who she was and that I would do anything to have her.
“Mia,” I call her name, having no idea what I’m going to say, just knowing I need to say something.
Stopping suddenly, she spins around to face me, catching me off guard. “You know what? Fine.” She holds a hand up, palm out between us. “I get it. I’m a challenge, and your fragile ego is bruised. How about we go have lunch now and get this over with?”
My jaw twitches in frustration. Fuck, things would be a lot easier if this were just about my ego. “No.”
Her brows draw together. “No? You don’t want to go out with me?”
“I want a date, a real fucking date. I want to pick you up for dinner and take you home after.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she sighs. “Fine, I’ll go to dinner with you, but I’ll meet you wherever you want me to.”
“No.”
Her nostrils flare, and she stomps her foot. “Why not?”
“I just told you why not.”
“Fine, but I can only do Saturday after five.”
“That works for me.”
“Okay.” She uncrosses her arms then starts back toward her office.
“Where are we going?”
“I’m going to write down my number for you, and then I’m going back to work.”
“You still need the key for the Jeep.”
“Why?” she cries, tossing her hands in the air as she spins back around. “I agreed to go out with you. You got your way. There is no need for me to take you out on another test drive, where you’ll ask me to go out with you and I’ll turn you down.” Christ, she’s stubborn.
“I still want a test drive.” I know it’s selfish, but I need my fix of her.
With a loud groan, she turns on her heels and stomps past me, her hips swaying. It’s a good thing I know she’s attracted to me, ‘cause if not, the ego she just mentioned would be seriously wounded right now.
I wait for her to grab the keys to the Jeep then follow her out into the parking lot. I open the door for her then go around to get in on the passenger side. Before we leave the lot, she turns on the radio, something she does every time we’re together. As “I’m a Sucker for You” starts to play, my cell phone buzzes. I want to ignore it but know I can’t when I pull it from my pocket and see it’s my mom calling.
“Hey, Mom,” I answer.
“Talon.” The fear in her voice has the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“Your dad…. Your….” Her voice cracks. “He was in an accident.”
“Is he okay?”
“I don’t know.”
“Where are you?” I try to keep my voice soft, but I know my question comes out harsh, because out the corner of my eye, I see Mia jump.
“I….” She sobs. “You-your aunt’s picking me up and taking me to the hospital. He’s being taken to West.”
“I’ll meet you there,” I say, resting my elbow on my knee and dropping my head to my hand.
“Okay, honey. Drive carefully please.”
“I will, Mom.”
With my heart pounding, I hang up and lift my head, noticing then that Mia has parked the Jeep on the side of the road not far from the dealership. “I need to get my truck.”
“I’ll drive you.”
Running my fingers through my hair, I shake my head. “No, just take me back. I’ll get my truck and you can get back to work.”
“I’m driving you. Just tell me where we’re going.”
“Just take me to my fucking truck!” I shout, and she reaches out, wrapping her hand around my fist and pulling it toward her.
“You’re shaking, Talon. I’m driving you, so tell me where I’m taking you.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, willing myself to calm. She doesn’t deserve me lashing out at her. “I’m sorry, shit.” I scrub my hand down my face. “My dad’s being taken to West. Do you know where that is?”
“Yes. I get it, and it’s okay.” Her hand rests on top of mine as I look at my cell.
I don’t want to be the one to call my family, but I’m not sure who all knows what happened or if my mom will be in a place mentally to call everyone. As Mia pulls out into traffic, I make phone call after phone call, letting everyone know what I know, which isn’t much.
The drive that is only a few minutes long feels like it takes forever, and when we get to the hospital, Mia pulls up in front of the emergency entry and puts the engine in park as I open the door. “Thanks.”
“Wait, give me the keys for your truck!” she yells before I shut the door, and without thinking, I grab them out of my pocket and toss them to her. I watch her catch them, and then without a backward glance, I slam the door and head through the automatic doors, praying my dad is okay.