Ah.I should’ve guessed. She’s too beautiful. “Actress?”
“God, no!” She laughs, but it’s humorless. She glances at her vehicle before meeting my gaze again. “Anyway, I appreciate you stopping, but I’ve got this.”
A smirk grows across my lips. I like her little miss independent ruse. It’s adorable, even if it’s unnecessary. “You don’t look like you do.”
“Excuse me?” Her nostrils flare, her eyebrows shoot up, and one delicate hand goes to her cocked hip. If she could breathe fire, I’d be torched. “Might be shit luck, but I can certainly handle calling a tow truck without the help of abig, strongman.” Those last words fly from her lips with the assistance of an exaggerated eye roll.
Hmm. This damsel in distress isn’t playing games. She’s not looking for a savior, either. With those two realizations my infatuation with her grows tenfold. I’d even bet she has no clue who I am. I have to fight back my smile as I meet her challenging glare. “But you’ll be late for work.”
Her jaw clenches. “I’ll have to call out.”
“See. Told you I could help.” I snap my fingers and flash her my most beloved smile—the one that always gets me what I want. “Where you working today? Americana or JD Studios?”
She blinks, annoyed, and maybe a little impressed. I’ve dated a few actresses in my day, and it’s not as if most locals don’t already know where all the big film studios are. “Americana.”
“Perfect.” I’m headed to Burbank, and Americana is on the way. Besides, I’m hours ahead of schedule. It’s no hardship playing chauffeur to this sexy woman. It gives me an excuse to win her over, get her number, and if I’m lucky, spend the night showing her how big and strong I really am.
Her gaze narrows, her tone wary with suspicion. “How is that perfect?”
I dip my chin to my SUV. “Get in. I’m giving you a ride.”
She snorts, a real and actual snort, then crosses her hands over her chest. “I’m not getting in your car.”
I might be irritated at her defiance if her tits didn’t look so good pressed together. My eyes want to stay there, but I glance back to her scowl before I start sporting a full hard-on. There’re two ways to play this. One would be to charm her, which, given her responses so far, chances aren’t in my favor. The other? It’s fun and a little mean. I smile just thinking about her reaction as I further rile her up. Both have about the same odds, but I’ve never been risk adverse. “Oh, come on, sweetheart. We’re both adults here. No need to play hard to get.” I allow a chuckle to escape my lips at her incredulous gasp, then add a wink for good measure. “When I give you a ride, you’ll enjoy every second.”
4
Rachel
My mouth falls open and I sputter at his brash arrogance. “You’re kidding. Right?”
“Not even a little.” He laughs again and sweeps his arm toward his ride. “Get in. I left the AC running.”
An incredulous scoff leaves my lips and I shake my head. “Uh, I’m sorry, but I don’t get in cars with strangers.”
“What if there’s candy involved?”
Who says shit like that? He’s got to be joking. Or he’s crazy and planning to abduct me right off the side of the freeway. I grate my teeth and stare so fiercely any sane man would run away.
Apparently not this one. He shoves his hands into the pockets of his dress slacks and shrugs. “Puppies, then?”
I roll my eyes, a burst of nervous laughter escaping my lips. “Who doesn’t love puppies?”
“Oh, I have a treat for you.” He rubs his hands together, devious as his smirk.
I should be alarmed, but the look rather suits him.Shit. Zac Efron made Ted Bundy lookrealgood. No matter how charming this man is, I can’t trust him. “I am not taking a ride from you.”
“Oh, come on.” He takes a causal step forward, closing the space between us.
I take a step backward. A horn blares, a rush of air practically knocking me on my ass. My body stiffens, realization coursing through my veins at how close that car came to hitting me or one of our vehicles.
He grabs my elbow and tugs me back towards the cement barrier wall. His gaze is sincere as he shouts above the traffic noise. “Get in the car and I’ll take you wherever you need to go. We’re sitting ducks out here.”
He’s not wrong. But I’m still warry. “You could be a murderer. A rapist. A psychopath.”
“You’re in luck.” His smile pulls wide. “I’m none of those.”
A scoff leaves my lips. “And I’m supposed to believe you?”
