Page 53 of Offside Attraction

Jordan’s eyes were fixed on her. Dark. Swallowing her whole. He drew a deep breath and exhaled. “Rhonda. Will you please exit the vehicle and get in my warm truck that has four-wheel drive andsnow tiresand can easily navigate these snowy roads?”

She opened her mouth, then closed it again.

Jordan continued, “I’m going to get your car off the highway at the next exit. We’re going to find a place to park it. And then I’m going to take you home so you can have more than potato chips for dinner.” He fingered the bag on her lap, and Rhonda flinched.

That did sound nice. As much as she wanted to dig her heels in, she set the bag on the console, then bundled up her blanket and threw it on the back seat. She left her purse with her keys, and went to push open her door.

“This side.” Jordan motioned to the passenger door. “I don’t want you to get hit.”

“I—”

Jordan reached down and pulled the bar that allowed him to move his seat back. He clicked it all the way, then took off his boots.

“What are you?—?”

Before she could finish the sentence, Jordan reached over and grabbed onto her waist. He pulled her over the console and onto his lap, her legs folding around his thighs. Her hands had somehow found their way inside his coat and lay flat on his chest. She sat there a moment, stunned, straddling him, his hands circling her waist.

He nudged her to turn, and she followed his lead, swivelling until she sat on top of him, her back to his chest.

He brushed her hair from her ear. “Put on the boots.”

Rhonda glanced down. “They’ll be huge on me.”

“Carry your shoes. You can change back once you’re through the snow.” His voice was low, his breath whispering against the shell of her ear. Jordan’s hands grazed her hips, and the underside of her thighs suddenly became seismic sensors. If anything moved or changed on the lower half of Jordan’s body, they would know about it.

She nodded, then leaned forward and pulled off her shoes as the first data points rolled in. Jordan was most definitely responding to her moving on his lap. Rhonda shifted more than she had to to get her foot in his boot, and Jordan grunted.

When she did it a second time, he slapped the side of her thigh. “You’re a brat.”

Rhonda picked up her shoes off the floor and leaned back against his chest, turning her head so her lips nearly grazed his jaw. “I think you like it.”

Jordan wrapped a hand over her stomach, gripping on to her as he twisted. It was dark enough, she couldn’t see what he was doing, but when he switched hands, his coat was gone and heat seeped into her through his cotton sweatshirt.

Jordan nudged her forward, then draped his coat over her shoulders. It smelled like him. Cool and crisp. She pulled it around her, soaking in the warmth still lingering there from his body.

Jordan grabbed the handle.Right. Get in the damn truck.Rhonda pushed open the door and worked to keep his boots on as she stepped out into the storm. The wind bit into her cheeks, and she shivered, gripping the coat like a cloak as she trudged back to his truck.

She got in the passenger side and switched shoes, then slid across the bench to sit in the driver’s seat. The truck was so big she felt like a fifteen-year-old agai, barely able to see through the windshield.

And then she glanced in the backseat. Poor life choice. The windows were fogged from the cold, and there, along the bottom corner of the back window, were fingerprints.Herfingerprints. Or someone else’s? He would’ve cleaned his window from last summer, wouldn’t he?

The thought of anyone else being in the backseat with Jordan made her queasy. Thankfully, she didn’t have much time to ruminate because her taillights blinked on. A few seconds later, her car started to move. Rhonda's hands shook as she put the truck in gear and followed the lights to the next exit. Jordan drove slowly, but he made it up the exit ramp. She followed him to the right and into an old gas station parking lot.

He stopped next to the building where the ground was still mostly clear. She pulled up next to him, and it took a few seconds to remember he didn’t have shoes. Or a coat. Rhonda grabbed his boots from the floor and hopped out of the driver’s seat. She took the boots to the side of her car, and Jordan opened the door.

He put them on, but when she tried to give him his coat, he shook his head and motioned for her to return to the truck.

“I need my?—”

“I’ll get it.” Jordan grabbed her purse and the partial bag of chips.

Rhonda retraced her steps and climbed into the passenger side of the toasty cab. Jordan jogged back to the truck and handed her things over before sliding behind the wheel. Rhonda fastened her seatbelt.

Without a word, Jordan started the engine and put the truck in gear. Rhonda knew she should thank him, but the words stuck in her throat.She would’ve been fine.The words felt thin, like watered-down soup, as they trickled through her head. Yes, she would’ve survived, but this was far better, and realizing that made her nauseous.

The truck rumbled as he drove over the frozen gravel. Rhonda felt an odd sense of guilt leaving her car there in an abandoned lot.

“It’ll be fine.” Jordan shifted his hands on the wheel as he turned onto the highway, and Rhonda’s breath caught in her throat as the truck slid a little before finding its grip.

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