Shit.
There wasn’t a lot of room where she had pulled off since the road had no shoulder. The only good thing was the road wasn’t highly traveled so it should be pretty safe to leave it where it was until a wrecker could come and get it.
However, now she had no choice but to accept his help. They were still a couple miles from the bottom of her driveway, and she wasn’t hoofing it that far, then climbing that mountain in her heels.
Though, he could see her trying simply to spite him.
He stopped his pickup next to her cage and powered down the passenger side window. The interior of her vehicle was dark, but he could see a figure sitting in the driver’s seat, her forehead pressed to her steering wheel as she gripped it with both hands.
“Yo!” he yelled out.
She slowly lifted her head and turned to face him. If she refused to roll down her window and talk to him, he was driving away.
It would serve her right.
If she wanted to be goddamn difficult, so could he. Again, he wasn’t going to grovel for pussy, and he wasn’t going to do the same to help this woman.
But she was smart. She knew she needed help, she just didn’t want to accept it from him.
He grinned but quickly smoothed it back out when she finally rolled down the window.
“Wanna lift?”
“Calling a tow truck.”
“You got coverage?” She didn’t have coverage. He didn’t even have to look at his own phone to know that they still had zero bars.
It took her a few seconds to admit, “No.”
“Get in. I’ll take you home and you can call once we get there.”
“I don’t know you.”
He jerked his chin up at her. “Deacon Edwards, owner of Justice Bail Bonds out of Manning Grove.” He left off the “badass bounty hunter” bit because he didn’t think she’d appreciate that right about now.
“I read all that. That’s not what I meant.”
He twisted his head and looked around, making a point. “Anyone else out here gonna help you? Or are you gonna hoof it the two miles back to your house, not countin’ that long-ass driveway, in those neck-breakin’ shoes of yours?”
“You noticed my shoes?”
“Hard not to.” Made her legs look as long as her damn driveway.
“I’m not sure if I want to leave my vehicle here.”
“Do you have a choice?”
She didn’t answer.
“Got good insurance on it?”
Of course she did.
“Get in,” he said more firmly. “Last time I’m askin’ before I drive the fuck away and leave you sittin’ here in a broken-down vehicle in the dark on a desolate road with no cell phone coverage.”
“That wasn’t a question, that was a demand.”
“Yeah, a demand to get your head outta your ass. Here’s a question for you: Want my help or not? You got thirty seconds to decide.”
She powered her window back up and he started to count off those thirty seconds in his head.
A few seconds later, the BMW door opened, and she climbed out. Standing next to her vehicle, she leaned back in and gathered her belongings.
Deacon pursed his lips and studied her ass as she did so. Even in the limited light, those suit pants not only made her legs look long, but they also made her ass look edible. He wanted a bite of that perfect peach.
He wondered if she did squats or some such shit.
He quickly averted his eyes as she turned with her arms full. He didn’t want to be tagged again with that stun gun, which he was sure she was not leaving behind.
Reaching over, he opened the truck’s door for her. “Got everything important, just in case you come back here and find that Beamer on blocks and stripped bare?”
Her eyes widened and she took a quick look back at her vehicle.
“Heard the bears around here are thugs. Probably make some good scratch sellin’ off those rims.”
She threw her stuff on the passenger side floor and climbed in. He held his breath hoping she didn’t break an ankle climbing on the Ford’s side rail with those heels.
Maybe he should’ve gotten out and helped her.
Fuck that. She probably just would’ve kneed him in the balls and screamed that she could do it herself because she was an independent woman and didn’t need a fucking man.
Heh.
He already had a fried nipple, he’d like to keep his nuts where they belonged.
However, he did take the time to enjoy watching her pull herself into his truck and settle into the seat with a few soft grunts.
“You good?” He tried to keep the amusement out of his voice. He somewhat succeeded.
She stared straight ahead through the windshield. “Yes.”
“Seatbelt.”
She twisted her head towards him. “Can you put your seatbelt on, please?”
He grinned. “Got mine on. Waitin’ on you.”
“No, that’s how you ask. You don’t just throw out demands and expect it not to irritate people.”