CHAPTER ONE

It happened in a split second.

A blink.

A gasp.

No time to brace for impact.

No time to wish that I’d paid more attention, waited until all the cars had dissipated.

Just like that, my world was screeching tires, broken glass, and the crush of metal.

It started off like it had a million times before. I eased my car forward, grateful there was at least two drivers who weren’t complete assholes, blocking off the left turn at the intersection. I inched my sedan towards my final destination, humming along to some pop song that I hated, but somehow knew practically every word. Any other day, I would have just blasted my way through without second guessing myself but today, I checked to make sure the coast was clear.

Or so I thought.

The air bags oozed out of my steering wheel, the smell of something burning flooding my nostrils. I looked down at my arm. A red, angry slash glared up at me, but adrenaline didn’t let me feel anything other than a dull ringing in my ears. A scratch that I couldn’t itch.

“You stupid bitch!”

The snarl came at me from behind the fog and I blinked. Finally let go of the steering wheel. The car was still shuddering, so I killed the engine. Realized that it wasn’t my car shaking at all.

It was me.

“Hey!” the deep voice thundered from outside the window. “Get the hell out of your car!”

I whipped my head to the left. Feeling the tears rise in my throat. My body rattling like it would only take the gentlest of breezes to shatter me in a million pieces.

When I came face to face with the red-faced fury on the other side of my window, I had a feeling I didn’t have to worry about a gust of wind because this man was a category 5 hurricane, and he looked ready to tear me apart with his bare hands.

Under normal circumstances, he was probably a nice guy. He wore a striped work shirt, ’Steve’ etched in cursive, right above ‘Have a nice day’. I guessed he probably was having a nice day before I t-boned him. His balding head looked ready to explode, his beady eyes narrowed slits as he hiked a thumb over his shoulder.

“Look at what you did to my car!”

I bit my lip as I craned my neck and took a look at what used to be his car. Now, it was just a mess of metal and glass, sticking out from our community sign like a salute.

“J-jesus,” I began hoarsely. “I’m so sorry-”

“I don’t give a fuck if you’re sorry!” he hollered. “Get out of the car so we can figure this shit out.” He tapped his bare wrist, like time was a’wasting. “I’ve gotta get to work. Do you even know what that is? Do you even have a job?”

Something told me to lock my door. Or hope I still had that capability and it wasn’t damaged in the wreck. He must have read my mind because his hand darted towards my door handle just as I tapped the button. I’d never been so happy to hear that sound in my life.

Unfortunately, the sound just made him angrier. “Get. Out. Of-”

“Get away from her car. NOW.”

The second voice was just as fearsome. Just as terrifying. The difference was, all that anger and testosterone was aimed at Steve, not me.

My eyes shot to my savior and a whole new sensation rushed over me. Shot right to the place between my thighs.

The man I’d hit was built solid. He probably played sports in high school—and had a long list of kids he bullied in his glory days.

The second guy towered above him by several inches. From the bulging muscles that were barely contained by his short sleeves and his wet, blond locks, he was fresh from the gym. High off of lifting weights and swallowing protein shakes.

Dying for Steve to give him a reason.

Steve faltered, then puffed out his chest. “This is none of your business!”

“You made it my business when I pulled over to see if everyone was okay and-” Captain America paused, cloudy gray eyes ignoring him and turning to me. “Are you okay, miss? Should I call 911?”

“911?” I repeated, my voice a breathy, silly thing. I cleared my throat as fire rushed to my cheeks and glanced down at my body. Searching for something awry and luckily, coming up empty. The only thing that hurt a little was the burn on my arm, but it was superficial.

Maybe he can kiss it better...

“I-I’m alright.”

“My car ain’t alright,” Steve griped from behind him, completely monsooned by the most athletic torso I’d ever seen in real life.

I didn’t even like super muscular guys. In my experience, it equaled super egos. Guys who walked around like they were God’s gift to women. But there was something about this man that was utterly irresistible. Maybe it was the fact that he swooped in, ready to pound the douchebag I hit into the cement if he followed through on the threat in his dark brown eyes. I had a feeling that Steve would have knocked me out with one of his hairy fists if there were no witnesses present.

Steve stepped around the blond in a single, jerky movement, probably emboldened by the fact that I said I was alright. Ready to give me something to complain about.

“She wasn’t paying attention! Fucking bi-”

He didn’t get the rest of the word out before the mystery guy lifted him right off his feet. Like he weighed nothing at all. Like he meant nothing at all. The front of Steve’s shirt was balled in his mighty fist. Steve’s limbs dangled pathetically like a rag doll, his face drained of all color. All the anger he’d been ready to unleash on me was replaced with white hot terror.