Why aren’t you jumping at the chance to date him? Because you’re an idiot.
She let out a deep breath. “It’s a deal.” She held her uninjured hand out to him. Her other hand was still throbbing painfully. Perhaps she was being stupid. For all she knew, he was going to take off with her car and she’d never see him again.
Yeah, right. Because your car is totally worth stealing.
He wrapped her small hand in his, gently squeezing. Dear Lord, there was something about such a big, strong man being so very careful with her that did something to her insides.
Likely there was something wrong with him. Maybe he snored. Or he didn’t lower the toilet lid. Perhaps he did drugs. Or pimped out women.
Her breath whooshed out of her at the thought.
“Hmm, I’m guessing you’re back to thinking I’m some sort of serial killer,” he drawled.
“What? No!”
He grinned. “You’re the worst liar.”
She bit her lower lip. “Sorry.”
“Would it help if I gave you my mama’s phone number? She’d kick my ass if I didn’t treat a lady right.”
“I . . . I . . . no!” she squeaked out, completely horrified at the idea. Speak to his mother? On what planet would she want to do that?
He threw back his head with a laugh. “That was a joke. My mama and I aren’t exactly on speaking terms.”
Oh, that was sad.
“Okay, darlin’. Here’s my card. Tell me your name and number and I’ll put it in my phone.” He drew his phone out.
Crap. Well. Here goes nothing. She rattled off her details.
“Thea, it suits you.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Do you think?” She’d always thought it sounded too pretty to be her name. Too elegant and refined. Everything she wasn’t.
He tapped his finger against her nose. “No bad thoughts about yourself allowed.”
How the heck did he know? She gaped at him. But he didn’t give her an explanation. He was too busy tapping away on his phone. “My buddy will get your car in twenty. You said you needed a ride into work?”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll get a friend to pick me up.” A friend . . . an Uber . . . that was close, right?
He watched her suspiciously. But she went back inside her car and brought up the Uber app. It wasn’t a cost she could really afford, but she’d take public transportation home. It would mean taking three different buses and walking for half a mile at night in her shitty neighborhood, but it couldn’t be helped.
When the Uber was booked to arrive in five minutes, she looked at the card.
Carrick Arson.
Cool name. Carrick. He didn’t look like a Carrick. She slipped back out of the car when he got off the phone. Grabbing hold of her bag, she locked up. “What shall I do with the keys?”
“I’ll wait for my friend to get here.”
She frowned slightly. “I don’t want to hold you up.”
He shrugged. “It’s that or leave the keys under the tire, darlin’ and there’s no guarantee even this car will be here when Jack arrives.”
She bristled slightly at the slur to her car. But hell, who was she kidding? It was only the truth. It was a piece of shit.
She sighed. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Thank you works. I mean, if you wanted to say thank you, Carrick, you handsome, gorgeous, sexy man, I wouldn’t say no.”
She grinned. “Thank you.”
He held a hand to his chest. “Wounded.”
A giggle escaped, surprising her. Laughter wasn’t something that really existed in her world. Something inside her softened. This big, gorgeous, funny man had managed to make her laugh.
A car pulled up and she looked over. There was her Uber.
Carrick’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the car. “Friend, huh?”
She shrugged.
Leaning down, he brushed his lips across her cheek. Then his mouth moved to her ear. “Just as well you’re not mine. Or you’d be getting a red ass. Both for lying to me and for taking an Uber.”
Crap.
“You’ve got a thing against Ubers?” she asked, ignoring what he’d said about giving her a red ass. He had to be joking, right?
Or was there something about her that screamed, spank me?
Dear Lord Thea. Chill.
“I’m not happy you’ll get into a stranger’s car but not mine.”
She cleared her throat. “You are a stranger.”
“Not for long. And then we will revisit this. That’s a promise.”
Thea had the feeling she was in far, far over her head. But a shiver of arousal went up her spine as she looked into his face. She saw the intensity in his gaze and nodded, incapable of speech. Then proving himself the gentleman he’d proclaimed to be, he walked her over to the car, opening the back door. She slid in.
The Uber driver turned to smile at her, blanching when he saw Carrick standing there, scowling at him.
Holy. Shit.
“Fasten your seatbelt,” he rumbled.
She scowled. She’d been about to. Maybe. With a sigh, she did it up. He crouched down and grabbed hold of her chin, kissing both of her cheeks. “Have a great day at work.” He turned to the Uber driver. “Drive carefully, anything happens to her, I’m holding you accountable.”
“Carrick,” she protested. Thing is, she wasn’t sure if she was protesting the threat to the Uber driver or the note of possession in his voice.
She didn’t know him. He didn’t get to claim her.
Right, like you’re putting up any sort of real protest.
“Text me when you get to work.”
Before she could remind him that he didn’t get to make demands on her, he closed the door and was walking away.
And man, he sure did fill out his jeans nicely.
It took everything he had to walk away and not drag her out of that car and over into his truck.
An Uber.
Was she freaking kidding him? Not only had she lied to him, but she was trusting her safety to some stranger?
Taking a deep breath in, he let it out slowly.
Easy, man.
Much as he’d wanted to go all caveman on her ass, he’d known he had to let her go. Throwing her over his shoulder and taking her back home wasn’t the way to win her over. And he wanted that. He wanted her trust. Her desire. Her fire.
He’d immediately noticed the way her gaze had eaten him up as he’d walked toward her. It had amused him as she’d stood there, her mouth slightly open, pulse racing. He’d be lying if he said it hadn’t boosted his ego.
Most women who saw him coming toward them would run the other way, not devour him with their eyes. He was a big guy and she was small. Curvy in all the right places, but still so fucking small. Delicate. Even though he’d never use his strength against a woman, she didn’t know that. She should have been more careful. He frowned as he thought about her being that trusting with another stranger. One not as honorable as him.
Yeah, he’d pushed her into that date. And, no, he wasn’t going to let her pull out. But he wouldn’t want anyone else to do that to her.
Ah, well, after your date you won’t let anyone else close to her anyway.
He wasn’t sure what it was about her that called to him so strongly. But he wanted her.