Page 7 of Flame
And sometimes that’s annoying.
“You’re the only person I know who can show up in a new town and have a beef with an elderly woman within ten minutes,” he says.
I hold up a finger. “I didn’t pick a fight. I simply placed a bid. She’s the one who got all bent out of shape and tried to take me out with her walker. I was just supporting a good cause.”
“A good cause which is benefiting … whom?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I say, laughing.
“Because you don’t know.”
“No, I don’t know. But that’s not the point. You’re just supposed to have a giving heart. I’m just giving, Jase. What they do with the money is on them. They’ll have to take that up with God.”
He rolls his eyes and digs his phone out of his pocket. He glances at the screen. “Hey, I need to take this. Can you manage not to upset the locals until I get back?”
I make a face. “I’ll try. But I promise nothing.”
He turns to the door. “Behave, Bianca.”
“You’re no fun.” I find my seat and sit again. “But that’s already been established.”
Adrenaline trickles through my veins as I scan the building for Foxx.
I didn’t know that Jason didn’t tell him we were flying down today, but the look on Foxx’s face made it clear our presence was a surprise. I’m unsure whether he found it to be a good surprise or a bad one.
“Wow, that was quite a bid.” A woman stops beside my chair. She’s pretty with brown hair and a Smokey’s T-shirt tucked into a pair of jeans. “I can’t blame you, though. I would’ve done the same thing if I had an extra ten grand.”
I smile back at her. “I mean, itisfor charity, right?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
Her laugh is gentle and kind. I instantly like her.
“I’m Bianca,” I say.
“I’m Becca. I haven’t seen you around here before.”
“Oh, I’m just visiting for the afternoon. My brother is a pilot and thought we should do a quick getaway. Lots of family stress at home. You know how it goes.”
A shadow filters across her face. “Yes, I know that feeling well.”
“Excuse me, Becca. May I borrow Bianca for a moment, please?”
There’s no need to look across my shoulder to see who’s interrupting us. If I didn’t recognize the deep, slightly aloof voice or the wood and citrus cologne, I’d know it was Foxx by the look on Becca’s face. Not many men in the world can garner that reaction.
Her eyes practically have hearts drawn onto the irises as she stares at him. “What? Oh. Yeah. Right. Sure, Foxx. Not a problem. I was leaving anyway.” She turns to me. “It was nice to meet you.”
“It was lovely to meet you, too, Becca,” I say.
She steals a final glance at him before disappearing into the line of bodies leaving the community center.
My insides quiver with a mix of anticipation and excitement. Slowly, I turn to face him.
Instantly, his blue eyes snatch mine up and hold them hostage. The intensity of them,of him, steals my breath.
I’ll never become immune to this man.
“You want to borrow me, huh?” I ask. “Sounds like fun.”
