Page 3 of Wilder Love
“What gave me away?”
“Your spaghetti arms.”
I snorted. “I don’t have spaghetti arms.”
“You don’t have swimmer’s shoulders either.”
I hazarded a glance at Shane. He had swimmer’s shoulders. They were wide and tapered down to a narrow waist. He was lean and lithe, all muscle without an ounce of fat. I quickly averted my gaze, focusing on the street in front of me. Too much goodness inside that Jeep.
Mom always said if something seems too good to be true it usually is. Which explained her track record for sabotaging anything that seemedtoo good. Sometimes I worried that I’d turn out to be just like her.
The Jeep rolled to a stop at an intersection. I kicked my heel against the tail and skidded to a halt, the board grating against the asphalt. Should I go left? Right? Or back the way I came?
“Come on. Get in,” he said, seeing my indecision. “My conscience won’t rest if I let you fend for yourself.”
I hesitated. Probably because I wanted to get into his Jeep. I was always hesitant about accepting the things I wanted. They usually came with strings attached. He leaned across the seat and pushed open the passenger door, a further invitation to hop in and let him take me wherever he was going. Tempting.
I gnawed on my lower lip, considering his offer. I should be scared. Freaked out about accepting a ride from a stranger. Just because he was gorgeous on the outside didn’t mean he wasn’t ugly on the inside. Beautiful people did bad things too. But my internal warning signals weren’t going off. Not that I would call him safe, exactly. My heart was doing dangerous things. Harmless? I knew better than to think that about anyone.
Call me crazy, I climbed into the passenger seat and stowed my skateboard in the footwell between my legs, my backpack in my lap. I wasn’t always known for making the best decisions. I’d done a lot of stupid things in my life. Maybe this would be one of them.
“Thanks,” I said as he started driving.
“No problem.”
Now that I was inside his Jeep, the space felt too small. Too intimate. It smelled like coconut and candle wax. I leaned my shoulder against the passenger’s side door and absently chipped away at the dark polish on my nails.
He reeled off a few letters and digits that jumbled in my brain. What was he saying?
“My license plate number. Text a friend. That way they’ll know where to look for the buried body.”
“You’re a rookie at this serial killer gig, aren’t you?”
“What gave me away?”
All I could do was laugh.
Minutes later, gravel crunched under the tires as he pulled into an empty lot. The scent of the sea was stronger here and I thought I could hear the sound of the surf, but I couldn’t see the beach.
“Do you surf?” He cut the engine and took his keys from the ignition.
I shook my head. “I’ve never been in the ocean. Actually, I’ve never seen it before,” I admitted.
I could feel him staring at me like that was something he couldn’t imagine.
“Well, thanks for the ride.” I backed away from the Jeep, ready to turn around and bolt.
“Hang on a sec and I’ll walk you down.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” But I wanted him to. I wanted to walk with him. So, I waited.
“It’s purely for selfish reasons.” He grinned and took his board out of the back. Then he stripped off his T-shirt and tossed it inside the Jeep, his movements casual like it was no big deal. Which it wasn’t. Shouldn’t be. But I couldn’t breathe. My gaze swept over golden tanned skin stretched over bone and muscle and drifted lower to that V and a fine dusting of golden hair. The happy trail that led to whatever he was hiding under those boardshorts. Jesus. What was wrong with me?
He gave me a mischievous grin like he’d read my mind. I quickly averted my gaze, pretending I hadn’t just been checking him out.
I fell into step with him and we made our way along a sandy path through scrubby bushes and tall grass that swayed in the warm breeze. My skin was sticky from the salty air and I could taste the ocean on my lips.
My arm brushed against his, sending a jolt through my body, delicious shivers running up and down my spine. I took a deep breath, trying to rein in my galloping heart.
