Too Hot to Handle (Romancing the Clarksons #1)(11)

She was hiding something—maybe a lot of somethings—underneath her attempt at a bad-to-the-bone appearance, which she didn’t pull off by any measure. Couldn’t pull off when her gaze was so skittish, so—defenseless. It was compelling, really, to watch her try so hard to act indifferent to him when she was clearly anything but. She was daring him to give up and go away. A handful of years ago, he would have. He would’ve swaggered away and found the next, easy conquest. That’s what had landed him in his current position of Hurley’s resident tramp.

But Rita didn’t know that. Which meant Jasper was in control of the impression she walked away with. A sharp thud inside him wouldn’t allow him to pass up the chance. If only to prove he could manage such a thing.

“Now, see. I’d rather talk about you.” He propped his right shoulder on the wall, refusing to capitalize when her gaze snagged on his mouth, difficult as it was. It would be so easy to crowd her a little, brush a thumb over her hipbone and increase the awareness between them. That subtle dance that let a woman know he’d take care of her in bed, and then some. Thanks to her thighs hugging him on the ride into town, her breaths ghosting over his neck, his belt buckle was still feeling the pressure of his hard-on. Old habits were hard to kick. He was more than a good time, though. Probably. He was still working on finding out—and maybe Rita could help him do that. “Where are you traveling from?”

He could see her debating how much information to divulge. “San Diego.”

“Hmm. I would have guessed a bigger city. Los Angeles, maybe.”

“Why?”

“Your knee-jerk suspicion of someone offering help might have tipped me off.” Jasper rubbed at the stubble on his jaw and winced, realizing he’d forgotten to shave—two days in a row—which probably did little in the way of making him appear trustworthy. “I might as well have offered you a live hand grenade.”

Those full lips of hers twitched, and he wrenched his gaze off them before they could inspire his wood to make another appearance. God, she was pretty. If he didn’t think she would take his head off, he would ask to see what she looked like without the heavy makeup.

His voice dropped low, without his permission. “Were both of those men your brothers?”

Rita took a slow inhale and the distance between them seemed to shrink. “Yes. And my sister was there, too.” She tugged on her shirtsleeves, wrapping her hands in the cuffs. “If one of them was my boyfriend, I doubt they would've let me ride off alone with you.”

“Not if they had a lick of common sense.” He adjusted his lean on the wall, trying not to be obvious in his relief that Hulk was a relation. “What do you do back in San Diego?”

Her expression took on a faraway quality. “Nothing anymore. I kind of…burned my bridges, so to speak. We’re driving to New York and I’m going to stay there. Go back to school for graphic design. Never too late, right?” Seeming to think she’d said too much, she fidgeted, her movements jerky. “I don’t know why I told you that. I haven’t even said it to myself out loud yet.”

Jasper leaned close, her cooking-spice scent teasing his nose. “Do you make a habit of talking to yourself?”

That earned him a glare. “You know what I mean.”

“I suppose I do.” Jasper estimated the tow truck was about even with the Suburban by now, so he better work a little faster. Toward something he’d never thought possible, unless he changed his name and moved to Switzerland. “What’s your idea of a good date, Rita? You seem like a coffeehouse type, but I don’t like to assume anything.”

His head might have been on backwards based on the look she gave him. “Wha—date? Why?”

“One question at a time. I’m working on an empty stomach.”

She turned her attention to the road, like maybe she was thinking of throwing herself into oncoming traffic. “I don’t date. It’s a barbaric pastime created by mothers and narcissists. Does that about end this unprompted interrogation?”

“You’re more of a movie-and-sushi girl, aren’t you?” Her strangled growl made him want to laugh out loud, but he didn’t think she’d appreciate it. “You’re going to be in town for a bit—long enough for your Suburban to be repaired. And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Stan isn’t as quick with a wrench as he is with a tow truck. You’re here for the night.” Goddamn, that mouth looked sweet. Holding himself in check was much harder than he’d anticipated. “This is me asking you out, beautiful, if my intentions were somehow unclear.”

“Beautiful, huh?” She backed up a pace, and it took a concerted effort not to follow her. “You almost had me.”

“Come again?” When she only gave an impatient head shake, Jasper pushed on. “Let me take you out, Rita.”

She opened her mouth to answer but snapped it shut, considering him for long moments. “Is there a bar in town or something? So maybe it won’t seem so…” She waved a hand around. “Date-y.”

Damn. He could've sworn he almost had her sold on the sushi. “Yeah, there’s a bar.” His inward sigh was so loud it echoed in his ears. “Although the Liquor Hole is more like a honky-tonk.”

“Liquor. Hole.” It took her no time at all to catch the double meaning. “As in, lick her—”