Page 6 of Sassy Pants
“You okay?” I hold my hand out to her while bracing against the side of the truck for support.
“I think I twisted my ankle.”
Chapter 4
Gianna
If this night wasn’t horrible enough, I’m on my ass for the second time in minutes in the presence of this jerk who showed up to give me a tow. If I wasn’t freezing my bruised ass off, I’d break down and cry, but I’m too pissed off to shed any tears. I wish Mother Nature would make up her mind on if she wants to give us snow or ice.
Large hands hook under my armpits. “Easy there, slick.” He lifts, and I go back to my feet. “I’m gonna carry you. Don’t need you doing more damage to that ankle until I can look at it,” he grits through his teeth, picking me up bridal style. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.” He takes a few tentative steps, and I curl into him away from the bite of the snowy winter’s air. Hesmells of leather and weed.Great. I’m being forced to depend on a pothead mechanic in a snowstorm.
Perfect. A few more worrisome steps and he is putting me down, my toes on top his boots to open the door. My unlikely hero picks me up again to sit me on the bench seat of the truck. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.” He reaches across me to turn up the heat then shrugs his jacket off. “Put this on. I’ll have you outta here in a few.”
I slip my arms through the holes being swallowed by his leather jacket. Wrapping my arms around my middle, I wait for the heat to warm my bones while the tow guy finishes getting my car hooked up. I take off my shoe and try to inspect my tender ankle but can’t tell much about it in this position. Minutes later he’s in the truck, and I get my first full look at him under the interior light.
Okay, I admit this guy is hot. Dark hair and gorgeous green eyes with flecks of gold swirling in them. A neatly trimmed mustache and goatee that suits the angular shape of his face.
“Everything go okay?”
“It’s too damn slick. I’ll come back for your car when the roads have been cleared. I barely made it around the truck to get in.” He drives up the road a bit then turns around to return the way he came from.
“Will my car be okay?”
“It can’t get any worse. Besides no one is traveling in this shit. What are you doing on the road anyway?”
“I was on my way home from work.” My pride is as wounded as my ass. I’m so damn stupid. For five seconds I entertained the thought that maybe fate put Jesse in my path again. What an idiot. I can’t believe he’s withDonna. The bitch who made my life hell. Of all people he could get with. Why her?
“Fair enough.” He grunts, pulling a pack of cigarettes out.
“Can you not?”
“My bad. You want one?”
“Ugh. No. I meant can you not smoke.”
“Nope.” He shoves the cancer causing stick between his lips and fires it up. I let out a fake cough and gag, making a fuss but he chuckles and cracks my window. “That better, princess?”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Then what should I call you?” He takes a hard drag off his cigarette, the end glowing in the cab of the truck as we make the slow drive to wherever he’s taking me.
“Gianna. And you?”
“Stud.”
My lips twitch upward. “Your name is Stud?”
“That’s what I said.”
“Okay, but what’s your real name?”
“Only woman who calls me by my birth name is my mother and seeing as you aren’t my mother, it’s none of your business.”
“Wow,” I whisper to myself. Rude much. Okay then. Stud it is.
I really hate men right now but at least this guy is easy on the eyes. I could have worse prospects and he did venture out in this weather to rescue me.
