Page 4 of Marked

The truck slowed to a stop, its engine purring like a well-fed panther. The driver’s window rolled down with a quiet whir, revealing a face that belonged on a magazine cover. Dark hair fell in casual waves, while electric blue eyes studied me with unexpected warmth. His features were a perfect blend of strong and boyish—the kind of handsome that makes you wonder if you’ve somehow stumbled into someone else’s story.

Oh no. He’s hot. Why is he hot? This is not the time for hot.

“Car trouble?” His voice was gentle but still deep enough to make my scar tingle, which was not the response I needed right now.

“No, I just really enjoy standing on dark roads waving at strangers,” I quipped before my brain could stop my mouth. “I mean, yes. Sorry. My car decided to audition for a smoke machine and then died.”

He laughed—a genuine, warm sound that crinkled the corners of his eyes. I caught him stealing glances at me through my reflection in the window, like he was trying not to spook a wild animal. It should have been creepy. It wasn’t creepy. Why wasn’t it creepy?

“Pop the hood. Let me take a look.”

As he stepped out of the truck, my jaw nearly hit the ground. The man was huge, though he carried himself with an easy grace that almost made you forget he was built like he could bench-press small cars. His casual trendy clothes did nothing to hide the fact that he was basically a wall of muscle with perfect hair.

Great. I’ve either been rescued by a fashion model or a very friendly serial killer. Though with my luck, probably both.

“I’m Caleb,” he said, rolling up his sleeves as he approached my car. Every casual movement seemed calculated to appear nonthreatening, which only made me more aware of how easily he could probably snap me in half.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was hyperaware of my every movement while pretending not to be. Like those nature documentaries where the predator acts completely disinterested in its prey while tracking its every breath. Not that I was prey. Definitely not thinking about that.

“Kai,” I managed, trying not to stare as he bent over my engine with the confidence of someone who knew what all those metal parts were supposed to do.

“Well,” he said, his voice warm and friendly, “looks like your radiator’s given up the ghost. I can tow you into town, or…” He straightened up, wiping his hands on a cloth. “Do you live nearby?”

“Actually, I’m heading to the old cottage on Cedar Grove Road,” I said, trying not to fidget under his careful attention. “Just inherited it. I don’t suppose you know where that is?”

Something flickered in his eyes—too quick to catch—before his smile widened. “The Chen place? That’s on my way. I’d be happy to tow you there instead of making the trip into town. Might even be able to fix it for you tomorrow, if you’d like. I’m pretty good with cars.”

Of course you are. Along with apparently modeling for fashion magazines and winning genetic lotteries.

I weighed my options while trying not to stare at the way his shirt stretched across those shoulders. Town meant expensive repairs and days—maybe even a week—without transportation. Being stuck in the maybe-haunted cottage with no escape route wasn’t exactly on my bucket list. I needed my car for exploring, job hunting, hitting up the library for Wi-Fi—because there was no way that cottage had internet—and apartment searching in nearby cities. Plus, my bank account was already crying from the grocery run.

“You’d do that?” I asked, suspicion wrestling with desperation in my voice. “I can pay you, of course.”Please be cheaper than a mechanic. I’ll sell a kidney if I have to—wait, no, bad plan.

Caleb leaned against my car, arms crossed over his chest—a gesture that somehow managed to be both disarming and alarmingly attractive. “No charge,” he said, his smile never faltering. “That’s just how we do things around here. Neighbors helping neighbors.”

Right. Because gorgeous men regularly appear on dark roads offering free car repairs. Totally normal. Not suspicious at all.

I watched him work, movements precise and efficient as he hooked up the tow cables. His rolled-up sleeves revealed forearms that belonged in some kind of calendar—Hot Handymen of Cedar Grove or something equally ridiculous. Every motion spoke of experience, like a dance he’d done a thousand times before.

“All set,” he called out, dusting off his hands. “Hop in.”

I hesitated for a split second, eyeing his truck—a behemoth of steel and power that made my Honda look like a toy car. But what choice did I have? Walk through murder woods?

The moment I climbed into the passenger seat, the cabin seemed to shrink. He was everywhere—all broad shoulders andcologne. The space felt intimate in a way that made my pulse quicken, though from fear or attraction, I couldn’t quite tell.Probably both. Definitely both.

As we drove, I couldn’t help but keep stealing glances at him—his profile, the way his forearm muscles shifted under his rolled-up sleeves every time he turned the wheel. It was like my eyes were magnetized to him.

“Like what you see?” His eyes caught mine during one of my not-so-subtle glances, amusement dancing in their depths.

Heat rushed to my face. “Just admiring your truck’s… suspension.”Smooth, Kai. Real smooth.“It’s very… suspended.”

He chuckled, a sound that filled the cab and did things to my insides I didn’t want to examine too closely. “That’s a new one. Usually, people just comment on the size.”

“Well,” I quipped, finding my footing in familiar territory—sarcasm, “everything about this situation is larger than life, isn’t it?”

The truck hit a rough patch in the road, making me lurch sideways. Before I could even grab the door handle, Caleb’s hand shot out to steady me, his palm warm against my shoulder. The touch sent an odd shiver through me, and I could have sworn my scar tingled in response. His hand lingered a moment longer than necessary, those long fingers gentle but firm against my shirt.

“Sorry about that,” he said, finally withdrawing his hand. “Roads out here aren’t exactly highway quality.”

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