Page 22 of The Trouble With Attraction (Rock Canyon, Idaho 6)

Gracie cringed at the howling way Wayne Coulter called her name. Without turning around, she dug her keys out of her purse. “Not really in the mood, Wayne.”

His hand appeared on the top of her car and she could feel him pressing against her back, his hot, rancid breath on the back of her neck. “Come on, sugar, let’s have a party, just you and me.”

Throwing her elbow back into his stomach, she smiled with satisfaction as he cursed breathlessly. “Thanks, but I’d rather take a bath in my own vomit.”

She tried to open her door but he slammed it shut with one hand and whirled her around to face him roughly. “You snotty little bitch.” Gracie noticed the glassy look in his eyes and the spittle gathered at the corner of his mouth. Wow, Wayne had really tied one on tonight, and it looked like his brother Walt was nowhere to be found. The younger Coulter could usually keep his big brother in check. “You always act like you’re too good for me. Like I ain’t worth the shit on your boots.”

“I don’t step in shit, Wayne, which is why I stay away from you.”

He shoved her back against her car and the force of it stole her breath. Wayne was a mean-spirited idiot, but he’d never put his hands on her before. Her hand started searching in her purse for her pepper spray.

“Get out of my face. Seriously, if you don’t—”

“What, you think someone’s gonna come to your

rescue?” Wayne leaned closer and she almost gagged. Geez, did he ever brush his teeth? “Come on Gracie Lou, one sweet little kiss and I’ll let you go.”

“I’d sooner kiss a slobbery pig than you, you redneck, inbred asshole!”

Wayne lifted his hand as she got her mace out, as if he was going to slap her. Just as she pressed down, he was gone, swung around to face a shaking Eric.

Who ended up with a beam of pepper spray to his throat, since he had a half foot on Wayne.

Eric, with one fist wrapped up in Wayne’s shirt, covered his eyes with his other hand. “Shit, Gracie, did you just mace me?”

“I’m sorry, I was aiming for Wayne!”

“Well, now I can’t see!”

Wayne was struggling to break Eric’s hold and Gracie took the opportunity to kick him square in the jewels. When he went limp, crying and grabbing his junk, Gracie said, “You can let him go now.”

Eric did, wiping at his face. “Fuck, this hurts.”

Gracie went around to open her passenger door, stepping over a whimpering Wayne. “Here, get in and I’ll take you to my place.”

She grabbed his hand and led him carefully to the open door. After closing the door, she ran around the back to get to her driver’s side. Hovering over the open door, she flipped Wayne the bird before climbing inside.

* * *

“Ow! Ow!” Eric roared as Gracie splashed water in his face.

“Oh, stop being a baby. We have to rinse it all out.”

“Why can’t it be warm water? It feels like you’re flinging icicles at my face!”

Gracie adjusted the temperature and this time, the water was warmer. “Better?”

“Yeah.”

When his eyes finally stopped burning, Eric stood up and dried his face with the towel Gracie handed him.

“I would like to say that I appreciate your attempt to rescue me. Even if I did have things handled,” she said.

“It didn’t look that way from my angle. Next time, I’ll ask and save myself the blinding pain.”

Eric sat down at her kitchen table, surprised when she squeezed one of his hands with. “Seriously, thanks. It’s nice to know chivalry’s not dead.”

The warmth of her hand on his shouldn’t have affected him at all, especially not to send freaking tingles up the whole length of his arm, but then again, he hadn’t touched her in months. Why would he have thought his reaction to her had changed, just because he had a girlfriend?

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