Page 12 of Undercover Desires

“What about your date?” I ask, trying to buy some time. Surely, she will miss him if he’s gone for too long.

“That wasn’t a date. Get in the car,” he repeats, leaving me with little choice but to comply.

I study him for a moment, realizing that he’s deadly serious and won’t budge on this matter. I weigh my options: make a run for it or begrudgingly accept the ride home. He’s big and muscly, but that doesn’t mean he could run fast, and I run ten miles a day easily. I reckon I could escape him, but the consequences might not be worth the risk. Reluctantly, I choose the latter. My feet are too sore to run, anyway.

I open the passenger side door and settle into the comfortable leather seat, fastening my seatbelt. Kobe slides into the driver’s seat, a smug smirk of satisfaction playing on his lips. He thinks he’s won something.

Irritation gnaws at me. “I’m only getting in with you to save my feet the walk.” I glare at him. “Pretty sure the poor girl you were with thought it was a date,” I snipe, wanting him to feel a twinge of guilt for his selfish behavior.

He chuckles. “Jett’s girlfriend, Hazel, set it up. She works with her. Not my type. Hazel really should have known better. She knows I don’t date.”

I feel insulted for the poor girl, and I don’t even know why. It’s his carefree attitude toward her when, from what Shelby said, the date was a big deal to Summer. “Guess it wasn’t a match made in heaven, then. Good for her,” I reply dryly.

He grins, enjoying my jest. “So, what did the other bar staff tell you about me tonight?” he asks, changing the subject.

I raise an eyebrow. “You really want to know what your staff thinks of you?”

“Well, yeah, especially if they have you so twisted up,” he retorts. “You were all over me on the tour, now you don’t want a piece of me.”

I gape at him, disgusted. I wasn’t all over him. A little flirty, maybe. That’s it. “You going to start the car so you can drive me home?” I ask instead. Why are we still sitting in the parking lot?

His intense stare deepens. I squirm under it, feeling like I’m overheating suddenly. “Not until you answer me,” he demands, the edge to his voice telling me he’s not messing around anymore.

I glare back at him with just as much intensity. He doesn’t scare me. “You’re a womanizing manwhore who breaks girls’ hearts so badly they leave on the first train out of town, never to be seen again.” I shoot daggers in his direction with my eyes. He deserves my hate on this. I’m girl power all the way, and I want him to know he’s a dickhead.

“Nasty.” He smirks, totally unaffected by his reputation. He’s proud of it. Even more disgusting. “Bet that was Xavier. She loves me, really.”

“I hate to think what the ones who don’t love you say,” I reply.

“They all love me, sugarplum,” he asserts.

Yet another nickname for me; he seems to have a long list of them. Repulsive cutie nicknames that probably work on other girls like a charm, but on me, they are a reminder to stay away. “Yeah, well, I don’t,” I reply firmly. I don’t want him getting any ideas, especially since I’m trapped in a car with him right now.

“You will.” He stares at me, the heat in his eyes burning through me, like he knows me better than I know myself.

I feel his attention light me up, right through to my pussy. It throbs with a desperate need for him I don’t understand. I want so badly for him to touch me, to take me like his eyes tell me he can, all controlling man. My heart races at the thought. I need to get out of this car. Being so close to him has my hormones all out of whack. “Are you taking me home or what?” I snap, wondering why he’s still looking at me like he’s about to eat me instead of driving his car.

“Address?” he mutters, like the reason we’re still sitting here is obvious.

“Just drive, and I’ll tell you where to go,” I respond, trying to think up what to tell him my address is. There is no way in hell he’s dropping me at home. These guys are smart. If they work out where I live, they can probably work out who I really am.

He starts the engine and speeds up out of the parking lot like a madman. I guide him, saying, “Take a right and head for the main part of town.”

He follows my directions, and I continue, “Keep going straight through the main street, and then take the first left after the McDonald’s.

“Right to the end of the road, I’m in the apartment complex,” I instruct, not really caring that he’s not sticking to the speed limit. Normally I’m a stickler for the rules, all of them, but tonight, I just want to get home as fast as I can.

Kobe nods. “I know this place. It’s where Jett’s girlfriend lives. You know, the one you met tonight.” He pulls up out front and kills the engine.

I nod, biting the inside of my mouth. That’s not ideal, she’s so close to me, but I can think about that scenario later. Right now, I need out of this confined space with him. “Thanks for dropping me off,” I blurt out quickly as I reach for the door handle, but his hand comes to rest on my arm, stopping me. It sends warmth spreading through me like wildfire. I glance back at him, curious about his intentions.

“I’ll walk you in,” he states firmly, longing in his lingering gaze.

Oh my God. This dude is so infuriating. The way he says it, I know he wants more than to walk me in. And it’s not happening. Not only am I completely turned off after what I found out tonight, but I also don’t want him knowing exactly where I live. It’s why he’s dropping me here in front of these flashy new apartments when I really live in the back in the crappy old house. One I love, but still. “No, you got me home. Your job is done. Go back to your club, Kobe,” I demand, no hint of hesitation in my voice. There is no way in hell he’s walking me in.

He studies me for a second, then lets it go. “It’s Mr. Rivera, and I’ll see you tomorrow,” he says, looking a little lost. I guess most girls don’t give him a hard no, but I’m glad to see he responds when I do.

Quickly, I exit Kobe’s car and head straight for the entryway to the second floor of the apartment complex. I round the corner and wait, my heart hammering in my chest, my cheeks flushed. I haven’t felt like this for so long, I don’t even know what to do with it. There was a charged energy between us in that car. I take a deep breath, trying to get myself under control. He’ll drive off soon. Surely. I eat the rest of my apple while I wait, and after a few minutes, I cautiously check through the glass front door.There’s no sign of his car. Satisfied, I hurry back through the front entry and down the side alleyway to my place.

---