“Your car. How will you get it tomorrow?”
She stared at his lips and wondered what they would feel like pressed against hers. The way his mouth moved to form the words hypnotized her.
Tatum! Get a fucking grip.
Looking into the deep pools of his eyes, she knew if she wasn’t careful, she could get lost in them. She was already halfway there.
“Kiki will come get me, or Beau will follow her in my car.” She heard the way she sounded, dazed and drugged and totally moronic. She refused to be one of those women who threw themselves at a handsome man. She had never been that way and wasn’t about to start. Tatum lived the past few years alone and enjoyed it—well, for the most part. Cleaning out her mother’s home and going through her estate paperwork had been time-consuming and brought back a lot of bad memories.
“How about I come get you tomorrow afternoon, take you to lunch, then to Kiki’s to get your car?”
Her body screamed yes, but her mind said no. She shook her head. “That’s okay, really. I don’t want to inconvenience you or have any of the other employees saying you’re giving me special treatment.” Not that she really cared what anybody else said, but at this point, she would say anything to dissuade him from helping her. Things were just moving too fast, and she knew if she let them continue on, she would end up doing something she regretted—like jump his bones and make a fool of herself.
“Tatum.” Leo reached out and brushed a hand along her jaw. “I’m not a man who gives a fuck what other people think.” He took a lock of her hair and twined it around his finger. “And I’m not a man who likes to leave a female stranded when I could easily help her.” He let her hair slip from his fingers and leaned in another inch. He was inches from her, and she felt his heat surround her. “I’m also a man who, when I see something I want, I make sure it’s mine.” Their eyes were locked, and she felt every word he spoke go through her body and straight to her erogenous zones.
“Do you understand what I’m saying, Tatum?”
She did, but she found herself shaking her head. Was she that sick and desperate that she needed to hear him say it? Yes… yes, she was.
His lids dropped a little lower until all she could see were slits of blue that seemed to glow in the darkness. “I’m saying I want you, and I know you want me too.” His hand found hers, but she refused to look down and watch as he caressed her fingers.
“I’m saying you can run and deny the heat we both feel, but in the end… I’ll catch you.” He looked at her lips, and she found herself running her tongue along her bottom one. His next words were said on a murmur. “I won’t stop until you want me as badly as I want you.”
And just like that, he moved away from her, out of the car, and opened her door. She couldn’t think, couldn’t move or even breathe for that matter, as his words played over and over again in her mind. Her hand in his, she let him lead her to her front door.
“Give me your keys, Tatum.”
At this point, she felt like she was on autopilot as she reached into her purse and gave him her keys. He moved in front of her and opened the door. He was inside, and Tatum heard him inhaling as he walked into each room. Turning and looking down at her, she realized how fucked up this was.
Never had she been in the presence of a man who was so sure of himself and what he wanted. The fact that someone like Leo Castill wanted her seemed a little farfetched, but he had made his intentions and feelings for her quite clear.
“I don’t really know how I feel about you living out here. The neighborhood isn’t the best.”
She blinked a few times to try to clear her head, but it seemed nothing worked. “I’ve lived here for years, way before you came around. I think I’ll be okay.” Her words held no heat, even though she felt a bit bristled by his comment.
He smirked. “My little firecracker.”
His little what? What in the hell is going on? Had she stepped into the Twilight Zone? “I’m not your little anything.” She took her hand away from his and started rubbing the back of it. It seemed wherever he touched left fire on her skin.
He didn’t respond to her jab, just kept that damn smirk on his face. “I’ll pick you up at eleven. We can go to lunch then to Kiki’s. He caressed her cheek again, and before she could tell him not to bother, he strode out her front door, and his Corvette blared to life seconds later. Grabbing her cell, she typed out a quick text to Kiki, dumbfounded at the way her night ended.