“Well, then, it’s obvious, isn’t it?”
“What’s obvious?” Blinking at me innocently.
“You need a driver. Someone to keep you company.”What the fuck are you offering right now?“And if that person can give you lessons along the way? Then it’s a win all round.”
“Lessons?”
“Here’s my offer.”Tequila, do your job. Make her say yes.“I’ll drive you to California and, along the way, I teach you how to seduce a man. How to flirt like a pro. How to read signals.I’ll teach you how to get any man you want. I’ll even teach you what to do with him once you’ve got him—so well, he’ll fall completely, totally head over heels in love with you.”
Like this one. And only this one.
I don’t even try to interpret the shit going on in my brain right now. It must be the tequila having its evil way with me.
And I barely know what I’m offering. All I know is I’ve got this inexplicable need to be close to her. The thought of letting her walk away, possibly for good, and straight into the arms of some clueless asshat who doesn’t appreciate her is unbearable.
“Wow,” she breathes. “That’s a big promise, Mr. Maddox.”
I’m going to be her travel companion. Somehow, between now and L.A., I’m going to change her mind about Dipshit Troy.
The waiter returns with another tray of drinks. This time it’s flutes of champagne. I take two, handing one to Lila.
“Not for me,” she says.
“You have a driver now. You can be hungover in the passenger seat. Have one more with me. Then I’ll have my driver take you girls home if you want.”
She relents, taking the flute, but she doesn’t drink it. “You really are a devil, you know that?” She looks so damn lovely I basically feel like I’m in the process of being zapped by a slow-moving lightning bolt that’s infusing me with asuper-powered, full-blown obsession.
“So, we’re doing this?” I’m trying to act like my world won’t implode if she says no.
“You really think you’re that good of a driver—and teacher?” She clearly thinks I’m joking about the offer.
“I know I’m that good, sweetheart.”
Her bell-toned laughter kills me. “So what exactly are you going to teach me?”
“Everything you need to know.”
“How?” Coquettishly, without even meaning to be, with a sweep of those long lashes.
She might not think she knows how to flirt, but the way she touches her tongue to her plump bottom lip when she’s unsure…it’s pure torture. I’m fucking hooked.
I feel her eyes on me, studying me. “What do you get out of this, then?”
I lean in close. So close that I can smell the sweet smell of roses and ripe peaches on her skin. I take a sip of my champagne before answering, enjoying that I can see I’ve riled her with just one look. My mind might be scrambled, but she’s not immune to my charms.
“I get the opportunity to take some time away from work and see some of this great country of ours, of course.”
“Of course.” Clearly amused, Lila takes a sip of her drink, like she’s waiting for the part two of my answer. So I take my cue, leaning in even closer, catching the spark in her eyes as they lock with mine.
“And I get to spend time with the most beautiful womanI’ve ever seen.” I reach out to trace the outline of her delicate jaw with one finger, keeping my voice low. “If I get to kiss you just once along the way, I’ll consider it to be the best road trip of my life. And when I demand more—and I will—I’ll expect you to do anything I ask.”
“Oh yeah?” comes the sassy but breathless reply. She still thinks I’m teasing her.
The problem is, I’m dead serious about all of it. “Oh yeah. Because the demands I’ll make will give you the kind of pleasure you never even knew existed.”
Her silver eyes get wide. My urge to kiss her is so strong it physically hurts. But I don’t want to scare her away.
She laughs. “Wow. You’re good, I’ll give you that. Those lines are expert level. I’d say you’re definitely the right man for the job.”