Page 94 of Lucky In Love

“Nah. Just lucky timing. Come on, get in my truck. My place is a hell of a lot safer than you being a sitting duck out here.”

I just told Sarah the same thing. “What about my car?”

“I promise I'll help you with your car after this storm passes. I'd do it now, but I won’t be able to see anything.” He reached across the front seat and popped open the door. “Please get in.”

I wasn’t crazy about getting in the truck of a stranger and heading to their house, but then, Aiden wasn’t really a stranger. He’d moved into the area a few years ago and had helped my parents out last spring when they were getting ready to downsize and sell their place. I studied him for a long moment, and I couldn’t help but chastise myself at how I had to remind myself how to breathe. The man was just as fucking good-looking as the last time I saw him. “Okay. Sure. Give me a sec."

I closed the window, took the keys out of the ignition, and shook my head. Never in a million years did I think I'd ever be rescued by Aiden Coghlan. We had playfully flirted back and forth so many times last spring, and while it had been almost a year since we’d actually spoken, seeing him brought all my old feelings rushing right back up to the surface. My heart raced in excitement at the thought of spending time with him, temporarily curbing my fear of being stranded, but the panic wasn’t far off.

It won’t be dark at his place. You’ll be fine.

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my purse, looped it over my neck, zipped up my raincoat, and opened the door to my car. When I hopped out, I splashed into a much deeper puddle than I had expected, and the water instantly soaked through my shoes and socks. “Well, shit.”

The wind and rain pummeled me and shoved me around. Another bolt of lightning splintered across the sky, almost immediately followed by more thunder, and I rushed to the open door of the pickup truck.

“Come on. I've got you.” Aiden grabbed my hand, my skin tingling where we touched, and pulled me into the truck cab in one motion, somehow shutting the door behind me as well. Once I buckled up, he put the vehicle into drive, carefully turned around, and slowly made his way down the road. “Where were you headed, anyway?”

“My best friend’s place. I was in a rage when I stormed out of the bar, and I…” I let out a tense breath, rubbing my arm to soothe myself, and leaned my head against the window. “At this point I'd just like to be warm, dry, and with food. I left before we could eat our appetizers.”

Aiden clenched his teeth and then nodded. “We can talk about the last part of that sentence later. Now, I know it’s been a while since we’ve hung out, but you’re welcome to stay with me until you figure out what you want to do. Honestly, I’d feel better knowing you were safe until this storm passes.”

“I don’t want to impose. You can drop me off…” again, I trailed off. I didn’t want to ask him to take me to Sarah’s house. It was nearly a half hour away in good weather.

Sarah!

I pulled my phone out and shot off a quick text.

Sarah:

Mindy:

Sarah:

I glanced over at the incredibly handsome man driving. Definitely a hottie.

Mindy:

Sarah:

Sarah:

I rolled my eyes.

Mindy:

Sarah:

Oh. My. God.

I love my best friend, but in this moment, I was about ready to kick her.

“Everything okay?”

I nodded and slipped my phone back into my pocket. “Yeah, just letting my friend know I wasn't going to be making it to her house for a bit.”

“Good plan. You want my address, so you can tell her?”

“I… yeah, actually. Thanks.”

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