Page 13 of Finding Her Leading Man

“I’ll fix it tomorrow.” He held out his hand. “Let me get you back.”

She stared at his hand and then up at him. Her head tilted to the side. “Addie told me about you like you wanted her to. Before the margaritas started.”

“I knew margaritas were involved if my sister was drunk. It’s about the only thing that does her in. Since I’m an excellent guy, I can only imagine she provided you with positive attributes of my personality.”

“She said she hates to watch you eat chicken wings.”

He froze. “What?” Of all the damn things.

“Yup. And your car back home is messy. You chew on the inside of your cheek when you are lying or thinking hard. You listen to bad eighties music. You never put the toilet seat down.”

He continued to hold his hand out, not reacting to anything she said. He’ll be sure to thank Addie in the morning. Maybe areallyearly morning. See if she needed something for her hangover.

Samantha took his hand and rose, stepping off the bottom step. She was tall, but he still had a couple of inches on her. She didn’t drop his hand right away, so he took advantage of it and interlaced their fingers. He’d take every inch that she’d give.

“She also said that you took guitar lessons for fourteen years but have never performed in front of an audience.”

“I haven’t had a reason to perform.” He gave her hand a gentle tug and took a step toward his car. “Not much demand for a guitar-playing lawyer.”

Her lips quirked to the side. If he didn’t know her determination to stay distant, he would have sworn it was a little flirty. “You don’t strike me as a lawyer.”

“Funny, my dad says I don’t act like one.” Trevor opened the passenger-side door. He probably imagined it, but she dropped his hand slower than necessary, her fingertips grazing along his palm. Her touch, innocent or intentional, sent a bone-deep need through him.

A need to show her that her worth was far greater than a man like Jasper deserved.

But she wasn’t ready.

He closed her door and walked around, taking the three seconds to let out a long, slow breath. Forming attachments were off the table for him. Samantha would be no different. If anything, he was even more determined to make sure she didn’t end up hurt. And she would. If they started something serious, it would just turn into hell for both of him. He’d be gone, feeling guilty. She’d be back in New York, waiting on him.

But even that reminder didn’t ebb the want.

Trevor opened his door and sat down.

Samantha’s head leaned against the window. “Thank you for picking me up. It’s a little hard to call a taxi out here.”

“It’s not like New York, huh?” He pulled onto the dark highway, driving slower on the way back than out to get her. She didn’t need a man hitting on her. Not tonight. So, he’d be a friend. “Where did you grow up?”

She sighed. “You can look it up on the internet, you know.”

“There’s one version out there.” He rested his elbow on the console between them, wishing he could see her face. The streetlights were few and far between this far out.

He read people. Their expressions. Their tone of voice. It was difficult losing one of his senses in the dark. “You moved to New York from Sacramento.”

“And Boston before that. Atlanta before that. I’ve lived in six places, my dad moving with his job. When my youngest brother was born, I decided that I would leave as soon as possible. My parents were supportive, but all their focus was on my three younger brothers by that point, so I think it made it easier for me to leave.”

“You had talent. They had to recognize that.”

She lifted a shoulder and remained silent until he parked the car behind the bed and breakfast. He shut the engine off and immediately flipped off the overhead light when she squinted. The darkness brought a peacefulness around Samantha. It heightened her smell, something light and floral, that curled around him. She’d kept her hair down, long and dark down her back.

“They came to my first opening night,” she mumbled after the brief pause. “It just seemed like they were more interested in my brothers’ lives than in mine.”

Trevor laid his hand on her knee. She jumped but didn’t pull away.

Her gaze flicked up. His stomach tightened from the impact. He hated it that it was too soon to act on his instinct. He settled with honesty.

“You’re an amazing performer, Sam. Even without a family to support you. Even with the shitty ex. You deserve the best.” He released her leg and opened his car door before he went too far.

Before he acknowledged that he wasn’t the best thing for her.

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