He nodded. "Good idea. That'llreallymake him nuts."
I stared up at the guy.Speaking of nuts.What on Earth was he up to?
Unfortunately, I had no time to figure it out, because a moment later, amidst the sound of squealing tires, I was nearly blinded by the sudden glare of headlights coming up, hard and fast, toward the passenger's side of my vehicle.
I turned to look and felt my eyes widen. Sure enough, it was Joel's car. Or at least it looked like Joel's car, as much as I could tell in the blinding light. But soon, I didn't have to wonder, because the car squealed to a sudden stop a few feet away, and Joel practically jumped out, leaving the driver's side door open and the car running as the headlights blazed on.
The hoodie he'd been wearing earlier was gone, revealing a dark gray T-shirt that did little to hide his powerful physique. He strode forward, calling out as he moved, "What the fuck are you doing?"
In front of me, the guy took a casual step back, finally giving me some space. Looking oddly unconcerned, he said, "Who? Me?" He flicked his head in my direction. "Or the hottie?"
Joel's gaze zoomed in on me. "You okay?"
At this, the stranger gave a low chuckle. In a tone laced with sin, he said, "She's more than okay. You get a look at those legs?"
I stared at him. My coat was long. As far as my legs, I was barely showing ankle, much less thigh or calf. I could have chicken-legs for all he knew.
It suddenly hit me that I was still leaning back against my car. Forget my legs. My hands were freezing on the cold, metal hood. I pushed away and turned to face Joel. I said, "What are you doing here?"
His gaze narrowed. "I should ask you the same thing." He looked back to the guy and said, "So tell me." He took a step forward. "What the fuck were you doing?"
The guy grinned. "Me? I was making a new friend." Sounding annoyingly cheerful, he asked, "What the fuck wereyoudoing?"
Joel's gaze was dark, and his body was rigid. As he stared at the stranger, his biceps bulged, and his forearms looked ready to mangle something – or more accurately,someoneright here in this parking lot.
I wanted to say something to diffuse the tension, but I still wasn't quite sure if the stranger was messing with Joel because they were friends, or because they weren't.
Their reactions were so completely different that I couldn’t be certain either way.
Joel took another step forward. "You were all over her."
I spoke up. "No, he wasn't."
Both guys turned to look. In the stranger's eyes, I saw a flash of humor, like he was loving every minute of this.
As for me, I wasn't. And obviously, neither was Joel. If anything, he looked angrier than ever.So much for reassuring him.
Joel gave me a hard look. "I'll talk toyoulater."
My jaw dropped. "Oh, really? Well, that's rich."
In a tight voice, he said, "What?"
"Itriedto talk to you. Remember?"
His mouth thinned, but he said nothing.
Into his silence, I continued, "And now, you're acting all mad? Like you caught me making out in the back seat or something?" Recalling those girls, I gave him a hard look of my own. "What wereyoudoing inyourback seat?"
Maybe it was a stupid thing to say. Obviously, Joel hadn't had been gone long enough to engage in any serious backseat action. And yet, my stomach clenched at the memory of him ditching me for those two groupies, or whoever they were.
When hestillmade no response, I said, "And whereareyour friends, anyway?"
Looking more irritated than ever, he said, "What friends?"
"Oh, you know," I said. "Bustier and whoever."
He frowned. "Bustier?"
