“I just hope she had on panties,” I say mockingly, checking the seat.
He smiles as he unlocks the door, and I’m not sure that I realized it, but it may be the first time that I’ve seen one on his face.
Holy crap.
It’s a panty-dropping smile for the ages.
Tats, scars, attitude and all–this bounty hunter is the most beautiful man I think I’ve ever seen.
“Okay, there may be a strong chance that she does have cooties, but don’t judge me. I was drunk, and it was dark in the bar when we met.”
“Do you always pick up strange women at bars?” I ask, wondering what the hell has gotten into me. I shouldn’t be asking this man anything about his dating habits, but I find myself suddenly curious about the kind of women he’s attracted to.
It’s not a big deal to ask, right?
It’s simply human nature to be inquisitive.
“No.”
The chances of his one word response being based on any sort of truth are very slim, but I accept it as his truth for the moment and change the subject quickly.
“What did you find about Lev?”
“What do you like to eat: American, Chinese, or Mexican?”
I smell one of my armpits and can’t fathom how I would eat in a public restaurant. It would be cruel and inhumane to the public.
“I can’t go to dinner. I feel disgusting. I need to shower.”
“My place is not too far in the King of Prussia area. You could freshen up there while I check my mail. It’s closer than going all the way to Ruby’s, and there are plenty of good restaurants nearby. Did you bring a change of clothes for dinner?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I didn’t think we’d go to dinner.”
“I texted you an hour ago about it.”
After Bronx’s text confirming our meet today, my phone has been turned off, but there’s no way I’m going to tell him that I did it because Ray has been threatening me all day. He already thinks I’m some hard luck loser who needs to find her brother to solve all of her problems.
“Where’s your phone?”
“It’s in my tote bag. I turn it off when I’m working,” I lie.
“What’s the point of having a phone that you can’t hear ringing? What if there’s an emergency?”
“I’m not permitted to take personal calls when I’m working, and I really don’t know why we’re having this conversation. I didn’t get your second text, so I didn’t know about dinner. End of story. You’re here now. Just tell me about Lev and we can be on our way.”
Bronx stares silently at me for a beat, as if I’m some sort of complex puzzle he’s trying to figure out. If only he knew, I’m not that complicated.
“Have you eaten today?”
“I did earlier,” I answer honestly. “And I’m not that hungry.”
“Earlier when?”
“Breakfast,” I confess.
