Page 11 of Vas

He glanced at her before turning out onto the street. “About what?”

“That I’m going to fall madly in love with you just because you saved me. What’s it called, white-knight syndrome?”

He raised a brow but kept his eyes focused on the road. “I never thought you would.”

“Didn’t you? Because that’s certainly what I inferred from your subtle warning.”

That time he raised a brow and glanced at her. “Any warning I give you, would not be subtle.”

“Why do you keep doing that?”

“Doing what?”

“Trying to scare me. Listen,” she turned in her seat, as far as her seat belt would allow, to face him, “I appreciate everything you’ve done—more than you’ll ever know—but I’m not looking for a boyfriend or a hookup or anything like that, so you’re safe from any unwanted advances from me. You can drop the tough-guy act.” She held out her hand. “Friends?”

His eyes darted to her hand but he didn’t make a move to take it.

“Come on. You’re not gonna leave me hanging are you?”

Was that a little twitch she spied curling his lip?

He removed his right hand from the steering wheel and took her outstretched one, all the while keeping his eyes on the road.

“Now it’s a done deal. We’re officially friend zoned.” Anna saw the lip twitch again and went for his jugular. “Besides, you’re way too old for me.”

That got the reaction she was hoping for. Faster than she could count to one Mississippi, he blurted, “Just how old do you think I am?”

“Well, if I were to make a guess… forty-five?”

His jaw dropped. “Forty-five?”

“No? How far off am I?”

She finally got his eyes, and at the incredulouslook on his face, lost the ability to hold in her laughter.

The frown lines on Vas’s face relaxed and the lip twitch was back. “You were fucking with me,” he stated.

“Yeah, and well deserved.” He conceded that point by staying silent, but she sensed the lightened mood and took that advantage to pry a bit more. “So, just for the record, how oldareyou?”

“Twenty-nine.”

“Boy, I waswayoff.”

He didn’t miss her teasing tone and that time she received a small smile. She was counting that as a win.

They rode in silence for a few minutes until she took notice of their surroundings. They were almost to her neighborhood. “Hang on. How do you know where I live?”

“I saw the address on the car registration in your glovebox.”

Anna hadn’t even seen him go into the glovebox. She wasn’t sure if that was creepy or clever. “What were you looking for in the glovebox?”

Without missing a beat, he replied, “Owner’s manual. I figured it was a long shot it would still be with the car but thought I’d give it a shot anyway.”

If he were lying, he was a very smooth operator.

He made the turn onto her street, and she directed him to her complex. “My apartment’s coming up on the right. There’s underground parking.” He turned into the driveway she indicated to, and she gave him directions to her parking spot. “Thanks for the ride,” she said after he put the car in park. She snapped off her seatbelt, turning to him. “I know I’ll never be able to repay you for what you did tonight… but if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

She felt silly as soon as the words left her mouth and wished she could take them back. Not because she hadn’t been sincere, but because, honestly, what could she ever do for him? To hide her discomfort, she quickly reached for the door handle and got out. She noticed Vas did the same.

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