The Wrong Right Man(7)

“You don’t like my car?” He sits back, raising a brow.

“I’m not saying that.” I shake my head. “I just know it’s expensive, and everything on the menu here is more than I spend on groceries in a week.” I look around the empty space and wonder if this is where he always sits when he’s here, away from everyone else. This seems like somewhere a CEO would bring potential clients, not somewhere a guy just wanting a warm meal would sit.

He reaches for my hand, gaining my attention, and I notice his expression has softened. “How do you feel about cheap Chinese food?”

“Would you think less of me if I told you I love it?”

“No.”

“Then I love it.” I sigh, placing my menu down.

“Let’s go.” He stands, tossing the napkin from his lap onto the table, and my brows draw together.

“Where are we going?” I ask, wrapping my fingers around his as he pulls me up to stand.

“To eat Chinese.”

I blink at him in disbelief, but he just ignores me and leads me back down the stairs through the restaurant and out the door, where his car is still waiting to be parked. He opens the door for me to get in, and then a moment later, he gets in behind the wheel.

“I didn’t mean we had to leave,” I say, turning in my seat toward him.

“I know.” He starts the engine then grabs his phone, typing something in. Seconds later, the sound of a phone ringing fills the silence. “What do you want to eat?”

“You’re serious?”

“I’m always serious.”

I believe that. I really, really believe that.

“Gorgeous, are you going to stare at me or tell me what you want to eat?” he asks as a distinctively Asian voice comes through the car speakers.

“Chicken lo mien,” I say softly then listen to him place his order and mine before ending the call.

“Are they going to be mad you left without saying anything?” I ask as he puts the engine in drive and pulls away from valet.

“I don’t care if they are.” He stops at a red light, and I feel his eyes on me as I chew my lip, trying to process everything that’s happened. “What are you thinking about?”

“Maggie didn’t tell me how intimidating you can be.”

“I intimidate you?”

I want to laugh. I bet he intimidates everyone he meets. “You’re a little overwhelming.”

“Overwhelming?” he repeats, sounding like he doesn’t understand.

I try again. “You seem like you’re a lot to handle.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I don’t know.” I lick my lips. “I’m still trying to figure it out.”

“Let me know when you do.” He winks and my stomach flutters.

We drive the rest of the way to the Chinese restaurant in silence, and when we arrive, he double parks and gets out, holding the door open and locking eyes with me. “I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be here,” I say, and he slams the door. I watch him go into the restaurant and notice there’s a long line. I start to pull my phone out of my bag, but red-and-blue lights flash and I turn to look over my shoulder. “Shit.” I unhook my belt and fall across the middle console. Just as I’m seated behind the wheel, there’s a tap on the window. It takes me a moment to find the button to roll it down, and when I do, the officer standing on the other side of the door shakes his head.

“Ma’am, you can’t park here.”

“I’ll just be a minute. My… um… friend went in to pick up our food.” I glance quickly at the restaurant and see Braxton’s head a foot above everyone else’s, still waiting to reach the counter.

“Sorry, you gotta move.”

“But—”

“Move or I’ll give you a ticket.”

“Okay,” I give in, and he jerks up his chin then heads back to his car.

My heart starts to pound as I watch him get into his vehicle and know when he doesn’t pull off that he’s waiting for me to leave. With no other choice, I adjust the seat so I can actually touch the pedals then put the engine in Drive. I hold my breath as I flip on the turn signal and wait until it’s clear to pull into traffic. I turn right at the next stop sign then curse when I see that the next road is blocked off, sending me deeper into an area that doesn’t exactly look welcoming.

When I’m finally able to go right again, I do then drive like an old lady until I reach the road the restaurant is located on and turn once more. When I see the bright yellow awning for Number 1 Chinese, I notice the cop is still in his cruiser but pull in to park when I spot Braxton at the counter. I’m just about to hop back over to the passenger seat but stop when the cop flashes his lights at me, signaling for me to move along.

Damn.

With a few unladylike curses, I head down the block once more, knowing Braxton is going to assume I jacked his car and I have no way to let him know I didn’t and am actually just doing him a favor. When I make it back around once more, I see Braxton standing on the edge of the sidewalk with a bag of Chinese food in one hand, looking at his cell in the other.

I honk and he lifts his head as I roll down the passenger side window. “A cop told me I had to move it or he would give you a ticket.”