A Vampire for Christmas(8)

You didn’t. I offered.”

She sucked in her lower lip, chewed on it a moment as she played with the balled-up napkin he’d thrown at her.

He tried again. “I won’t be able to relax until I see that you’re home safe and sound.”

If she said no, he could always follow her. Or he could check up on her later, assuming she lived in that same little house east of Lake Washington. Yeah, he could make sure she was safe, but she’d still be freaked-out. The overwhelming urge to comfort her and take away her fear was too much for him to ignore.

She narrowed her eyes, tilted her head just slightly. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

Not at all.” He could’ve sworn he saw a hint of relief in her expression. He quickly paid the bill and ushered her out of the restaurant.

CHAPTER THREE



WHAT HAD POSSESSED HER to let this man drive her home? In her car?

With one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on the console between them, he sat comfortably in the driver’s seat of the Volvo, as if he’d been driving strange women home all his life.

She studied him out of the corner of her eye. He appeared to be in his early to mid-thirties, the lines in his face apparent only when he frowned or smiled. His light brown hair was fairly short, yet long enough to look messy. Bed-head messy. He had large, capable hands, with slender fingers and short, neat nails. She’d always felt you could tell a lot from a man’s hands. His were fairly smooth, but there was a rugged quality to them that suggested they hadn’t always been that way. If those hands were anything to go by, she’d guess he had brains and brawn.

One of the most attractive men she’d ever seen, he had an intense magnetism about him that was undeniable. If he’d kissed her back in the restaurant, she was pretty certain she wouldn’t have refused him. But letting him drive her home? God, what was she thinking?

Rather than taking his car, he’d insisted they take hers, then he’d call a cab to bring him back. At first she’d protested. He’d done enough to help her out. But when she remembered her busy day tomorrow, she had second thoughts. The meeting with Mrs. Wilson was first thing in the morning. If she had to come back beforehand to pick up her car, it’d put her way behind schedule. She just couldn’t do that to the woman. Her client was keyed up enough as it was.

Readjusting the bag of ice on her wrist, she stared out the window at the twinkle lights on the trees lining this city block. It wasn’t like she was pulling a Kari, going home with anyone who suited her fancy. She was simply taking up a Good Samaritan on his offer, that was all.

She watched, mesmerized, as he tapped his pointer finger on the steering wheel to some unknown beat. Her heart seemed to synchronize itself to the rhythm. One…two…three…four.

What would it feel like to have that hand sliding over her flesh? Her face heated at the thought. Would he be gentle or commanding? Were his fingers dexterous and skilled, able to find all the right places and know what to do when they got there? She was certain that this man knew his way around a female’s body. He was too gorgeous not to have been with many women.

Okay, she seriously had to stop thinking this way. She shifted awkwardly in her seat, trying to eliminate the sudden twinge in her lower belly. It was as if she could feel the beat of her heart there. Calling to him. Needing him.

Char, come on, girl. You’re not Kari.

Reaching into her handbag, she pulled out a tube of lip balm and smeared some on her lips.

It wasn’t just his hands that captivated her. His eyes did, as well. Inside the restaurant, she’d found herself staring at them, wondering if they were blue or gray. With just a rim of color around the edges, his pupils were unusually large, like twin tunnels leading straight to his soul. She could totally get lost in those eyes if she weren’t careful, agree to things that she’d normally never consider.

At this time of night, traffic over the floating bridge was light. Less than a half hour after leaving the diner, they were pulling up to her house. She started to reach for the door handle and winced as pain shot through her wrist.

I’ll get it.” In a flash, he was out of the car and opening her door.

She stared at the long, narrow walkway through the trees and cursed herself for not having replaced a few of the burned-out landscaping lights. The house was set back from the road and these patches of darkness would’ve really freaked her out if Trace hadn’t been with her. She couldn’t imagine walking here on her own after what she’d experienced tonight. “I can’t thank you enough.”