Page 2 of Wrong Number

She seemed to relax when I smiled. “You texted a friend for help, but I got the message instead.”

Her pretty pink lips fell open. “You...you came running because a stranger sent a text to the wrong number?”

Holding out my hand, I shook hers gently. “Tyler Samuels. This is my neighborhood. I couldn’t just sit there knowing that someone nearby was freaked out.”

Tana shook her head. “Wow. Thank you.”

“Thank you,” I said gently. “The game was boring tonight. I’d much rather stare at the most gorgeous girl in the city.”

Her eyes closed immediately, flinching away.

“Note to self – do not give Tana compliments about how beautiful she is,” I chuckled.

The wind picked up, ruffling her hair as I saw her shiver. Whipping off my jacket, I helped her into it, then wrapped my arm around her, studying her reaction carefully.

“Is this okay?” I asked. “I just want to keep you warm, and people have always told me that I run a bit hot.”

“Like a werewolf?” she giggled. “Yeah, um. This is nice. Thank you.”

I shouldn’t have been so amused by how flustered she was. I didn’t want her to be uncomfortable, but it gave me that little spark of hope that she might like me.

And damn, I’d never needed a woman to like me this badly in my life. Her eyes...did things to me. This wasn’t mere attraction, even though she was easily the prettiest girl I’d

ever seen. I felt drawn to her in the strangest way. Just the pressure of her shoulders against my arm was actually thrilling.

Tana relaxed, tucking in against my shoulder. It wasn’t quite snuggling, but it was close enough to speed up my pulse.

“Do you live around here?” I asked.

“Yes. Just a few blocks north.”

“Would you like me to get you a cab, or shall I walk you home?” Staring into those gentle, adorable eyes, I couldn’t stand the thought of letting her go so soon.

“If you don’t mind me wearing your jacket, a walk would be nice.”

I gently rubbed her shoulder and arm for a second before standing us up. “I really would like to sit and talk to you for a while, but I don’t like the thought of you catching a chill,” I said. “Lead the way.”

We left the park and she turned east. Walking in comfortable silence for half a block, I finally had to pry a bit more information from her.

“So, when you’re not trying new things like blind dates, what do you do?” I asked.

Her little laugh was so airy. “Well, if you mean for a job, I’m a receptionist for an optometrist. But if you’re asking what I do for fun, I guess I like quiet things. Reading, cooking. Watching movies at home.”

“Do you also like movies in the theater?” I asked.

Tana’s nose crinkled as she shook her head. “Not really. I know the picture quality and the sound and everything is supposedly better, but I don’t like being surrounded by strangers.” She looked up at me with a quirky smile. “Plus, if I’m watching a movie with a friend, I like to pause it and talk about things as they come up.”

I clutched my heart dramatically, shaking my head. “Oh no. You’re a movie talker?”

“I try to do it reasonably,” she giggled. “I don’t like to talk over the movie, but sometimes you need to hit pause and tell your friend something before you forget. Like if you’ve been to the city where the movie is set, and you had lunch in that tiny restaurant, do you know what I mean?”

“Sure, I could see that.”

We paused at a stop light, and Tana asked, “So, what do you do for fun?”

I stared into space for a moment, stroking my slight scruff of beard, muttering, “What is it we’re supposed to say to impress women? Oh, right.” I cleared my throat and used my real voice. “I am a lumberjack who also saves kittens every weekend.”

Tana laughed so hard she nearly snorted. I took her arm as we crossed the street. “Come on, be serious,” she begged.

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