Page 250 of Savage Bosses

She nodded, then stepped back. “I like you. A lot. I see that. I want to slow down. This is not what I normally do. It’s too fast. I messed it up with someone else—“

She frowned and then put her hand on her forehead. Then began to pace like a mad woman. She nearly bowled over a bystander when she turned toward me again. “I'm going to call for aRide. See you tomorrow morning.”

It was almost ten o'clock at night. “Wait. I can take you home without molesting you, and rejection doesn't mean our date is over.”

She gave me a hesitant look that wasn't wary. “I guess this will be a lesson in discipline for me.”

Her?

Both of us.

I took her by the hand. “Your chariot to safety from the big bad wolf awaits.”

“I told you I'm the wolf.”

“That was a different story.”

We walked down High St. towards the historic Trinity Church, where I parked. It was a half block down, so her feet shouldn't be too achy.

“You're spoiled.” She announced when we arrived at my car. I drove the Mercedes.

I opened the car door for her. “How so?”

She slid onto my heather gray leather seat. “You change the rules to suit you.”

I shut the door and walked to the other side, already formulating my answer when I got behind the wheel. “I learned early to do whatever it took to master the playing field.”

“Including murder?”

I rolled my eyes. “If I told you, I'd have to kill you.”

She laughed, and the tension that threatened to split us eased. I still wanted her with the desire of a starving man, but I didn't think she'd run from me like a startled fox any more. “You are a mess.”

“I've been called worse.” I pulled into traffic. “Where am I going?”

“Western Branch. Near Pughsville Rd. Are you familiar with that area?”

Naturally, I was. The area was the setting of several novels that we enjoyed. Iwasa Dani Bond fan. However, I couldn't admit that. “That's vague.”

“Head down High Street and then hang a left onto Taylor Rd. I will get you the rest of the way.”

I did as instructed, and we settled into the drive with non stop chatter about our favorite parts of the movie. Twice, I nearly slipped into saying too much, though I doubted she noticed. Between keeping up with the conversation and giving me directions, her mind was too keyed up to catch my mistakes. I would have to be careful in the future. I was growing too comfortable.

“This is me.”

I pulled into the driveway behind a red Corolla.

Her house was a brick ranch. The lights on the porch were on, but I couldn’t see much more of the yard beyond the halo they created.

She fumbled for her keys. “Thank you for the lovely evening. I will see you in the morning.”

She gave me a quick peck on the lips. I wanted to take more but knew she wouldn’t appreciate it. I would keep it tame. “Goodnight.”

Her eyes smoldered. “You too.”

Then she took off like a bolt—a sexy speedster in heels—before I could consider walking her to the door, leaving me a thirty-minute drive to Virginia Beach and the cold shower that awaited me. It was going to be a long night.

CHAPTER 15

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