Page 16 of Something Borrowed

“I’m going to meet my friend at the mall. We want to do some shopping, have lunch and then maybe a cocktail afterward at the Pink Flamingo on main street.” I glare at him, daring him to challenge me.

“Mm.” He huffs, his eyes tight on me. He’s cute. But he doesn’t come close to Rufino. No one does.

Fuck, that Viking is gorgeous.

I shouldn’t be so attracted tooneman. Getting hooked on one guy leads to a relationship and I don’t want a relationship. The commitment, the promises, the boring monotony. That isn’t for me.

Next thing I’ll be married, knocked-up, and locked in for life. Some trophy wife that her husband tries to control.

Fuck that.

But Rufino is making me question myself. My wants. My desires.

I’m not supposed to think about him all day and miss him when I’m not with him.

It’s not what I do. But he’s got me hooked.

I keep reassuring myself that it’s just a physical thing. Some crazy sexual attraction that’ll I’ll soon get bored with, but somehow I know I’m lying to myself.

I smile as the elevator carries us down to the parking garage.

“I’ll take my car, you can follow.” I say, pressing the button on my keys and hearing my car bleep in the underground cavern.

“No, that is not an option.” One man says, climbing into my passenger seat.

“I’m pretty sure I pay you, so you have to do what I say.” I snap in annoyance.

“Your father pays me. I do what he says.” He replies blandly.

The other guys climb into the second car to follow us.

“Whatever.” I sigh, starting the engine and revving.

My tires scream against the concrete flooring when I take off at a reckless speed, heading out into the street and towards the mall where I already have a plan to ditch these two assholes and make another escape.

“Worked just the way I wanted it too.” I laugh to myself as I climb into the cab and tell him to take me to the yacht club.

Those fucking idiots are going to be furious when they realize the changing room in that shop has two exits.

Red is sitting at a table in the far corner, his back to the wall and his eyes on the door when I walk through it.

I love how subtle his smile is. And it belongs to me. His lips curl up at the corners, pressing dimples into his cheeks while his eyes drink me in.

“You got away faster this time.” He laughs.

“Those two will not have a job by the end of the week.”

Before I sit down I pull my phone out of my back pocket and put it on the table.

“Isn’t that risky?” he knots his brows.

“No, I called the guys you suggested. He installed that program for me and now I can set my location for the tracker. So they are going to be following me around the mall for the next few hours, wondering why the hell I’m always two steps ahead of them.”

When he laughs, it’s like warm caramel running over my skin.

My heart flips and tightens in my chest.

These are not things I am used to.

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