Page 22 of New Girl in the City
I lowered my eyes suddenly feeling tired. My phone buzzed again in my purse. I was sure it was just another message from the Diamond Dating League, but I didn’t have it in me to care at the moment. I’d made Walt worry. I felt like shit.
“He didn’t like to tell, either,” Liam replied, but this time his voice was softer, and I looked up at the change. He was facing forward now and driving, his attention no longer on me. “Not your fault.”
I worried my bottom lip and gave a quick nod but said nothing. I didn’t know if he saw the nod, but I figured he did since he didn’t say anything else about it and turned on the radio. I looked out the window not really seeing the streets as we drove by. It was only when my apartment building was in front of us that I realized we hadn’t stopped for dinner. I sat up with a jerk and shook my head. “I said I’d buy you dinner.”
“Don’t need to do that.”
“But you should get something for--”
“For what? Stopping a pervert? Anyone woulda done it.”
I paused and considered his words. Anyone. I could have been anyone and he would have done it. Not Mel. Just anyone.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right, but still.” I rummaged in my bag and fished out a twenty. “Take this. You can at least get something quick.”
He eyed the money and shook his head. “Don’t want your money.”
“Take it.” I shook it at him and leaned forward when he didn’t move. “Please, just, I—look just take it, okay?” I held it out again and after a long sigh, he nodded.
“Yeah, all right,” he said, letting me press the cash into his upturned palm. “But don’t make a habit of this shit.”
What he meant by this shit. I didn’t know. Could be attracting perverts, or it could be giving him cash, but neither was anything I wanted to make a habit of. I got out of the car with a quick goodbye, but his words followed me out into the night.
“Night, Mel.”
My stomach twisted and I glanced back at him even though I’d already shut the door. Liam’s eyes were on mine. I swallowed hard, seeing that even if hewasyounger than me, there was definitely nothing ‘kid’ about him. Liam was all man. And right now all of that man was trained on me. It made it hard to remember that I was supposed to be getting my ass inside my apartment building, not lingering in the dark. I suddenly remembered I’d made Walt worry and I snapped back to the present, away from the daydream of whatever Liam’s full mouth might promise a woman.
I gave him a quick nod and turned, stumbling when my heel caught on the pavement. I could practically hear Liam sigh loudly for me to be more careful from inside the car. I righted myself and set off quickly towards my apartment building while keeping a close eye on anyone and everything near me.
Thankfully, I got inside and passed the doorman with no incident. But when I looked back at the curb the black car was still there. Seeing that Liam had waited made me finally relax my anxious guard. It was a blessing since my body was now coming alive. The numbness that had hit me, the exhaustion that had overtaken me in the car, melted away under what felt like adrenaline.
I groaned, giving my limbs a shake as I waited for the elevator. I didn’t need this. This was the opposite of what a woman wanted before going on a date she hoped to be carefree and fun. But my body didn’t much care that I had a scheduled date with a sometimes artist. By the time I was stepping into the elevator I felt like a hive of bees had lodged itself under my ribs. One last look at Liam’s black car had me relaxing slightly, but it was enough to know that adrenaline or not, I’d be able to sleep soundly that night because Liam had been there.
Because he was there still, waiting to see that I got safely to my apartment. I took more comfort in that thought than a woman had a right to take from her driver.
