Drawn Deep (Afternoon Delight 2)

“Have him explain some stuff to you sometime. Might save you another morning spent on the side of the road. Get inside and try to start it, please.”

“Yes, sir.” She didn’t bother hiding her surly expression as she clomped through the snow to get inside her vehicle. She’d definitely learned plenty through osmosis with Brad but obviously not enough.

She gave the engine a crank. It sputtered to life and she grinned for the approximately thirty seconds the car ran before conking out again. “What the hell?” she yelled out the open door.

“Think your fuel pump’s bad too,” he yelled back over the wind. “And the battery’s corroded. How old is it?”

She tried to think back. “I don’t know. Two years? A while. I don’t commit this stuff to memory.”

“Try it,” he suggested, leaning his arm on the car frame like a human shield against the blowing snow. “I’m going to need to tow it in. Want to ride with me in the truck?”

“Not really.” You liar who lies.

Although, overall, he did seem to be a pretty nice guy. The puzzle pieces of his life didn’t exactly add up, true. He could be lying about more than his age. Maybe he’d gotten that fancy house through drug deal

ing or something equally nefarious. He could be in the mob. She would be stupid to trust him after finding out he’d lied during the first conversation they’d had, not to mention the oddness—hot oddness—that was last night.

Snow had collected on his dark hair and starred his eyelashes. “Want me to call Brad?”

So she could explain to her brother why she’d refused a ride back with his tow truck driver? Absolutely not. And that was if he even answered his phone. “No. I’ll ride back with you. Just don’t…don’t try anything.”

He gave her a tight-lipped smile. “I’ll try to resist the urge.”

She grabbed her purse and climbed out of the car. “Funny guy.”

“Get inside.” He jogged to his vehicle and started it up before returning to her. “There’s coffee and the heater’s pretty good.”

“Stop being nice to me.”

“Okay,” he said pleasantly. “Stand out here and freeze.”

She got in the truck. And drank half his coffee before he made it back inside.

“I owe you,” she muttered, clutching the travel mug with hands that still faintly trembled. The chill had snuck under her skin, icing over her bones.

He flicked on the turn signal and pulled away from the side of the road. “I know how you could pay me back.”

“By buying you an extra-large cup from the Dunkin’ near the shop so you don’t have to drink more of this swill?”

“You’ve been drinking that swill.”

“Beggars and choosers and all that. Besides, I’ve been choking down this coffee almost as long as you’ve been alive.” Whoops. She winced. Elephant in the corner, come on in, the water’s fine.

The heavy-lidded look he shot her warmed up her frozen nipples. And the rest of her. “You’re not that much older than me.”

“Try fourteen years, Romeo. I checked out your driver’s license.” At his sharp look, she pursed her lips. “You’re the one who forgot to hide your lie better so don’t blame me for being a snoop.”

He paused long enough for her to wonder if she’d hurt his feelings with the age crack. She didn’t care if she did but still, she wondered.

All right, so she cared. So she liked the lug. So what? It couldn’t go anywhere. He was a man-child with impressive equipment he might not even know how to use properly.

Then again, he might.

“So that’s why you booked. I was wondering.”

“One reason among many, stud.”

“I’m twenty-five, not twelve. You’re thirty-nine, not eighty.”