“Don’t be a pain in the ass. It’s not safe.”
I fix my buttons, which I fastened incorrectly, because I’m annoyed. My gloves are gone,traitors. My pride is doing most of the work.
“I’m fine,” I say, lifting my chin.
Aleks stares at me. Not angry. Just assessing. Like he’s lining up a hit.
“It’s cold,” he states.
“I noticed.”
“It’s late.” He repeats.
“I have eyes.”
“Where is your driver?” He seethes.
“It’s Thanksgiving. He has the day off.”
He nods once, sharp. Decision made.
I step off the curb, nose pointed skyward, boots crunching over salted concrete. I don’t make it half a block before I hear the engine.
This one doesn’t purr. It rumbles.
A black Chevy Tahoe Z71 pulls up beside me, tall, squared off, sitting on the street like it owns it. Mud-ready tires, no shine, no excess. The kind of vehicle you drive when you don’t care what others think. It’s about the roads and the weather. The fact that I find it sexy offends me in a way I cannot explain, nor do I care to.
The window drops.
“Get in,” Aleks says.
“No.”
He studies me for a beat, then his mouth curves slightly. Not a smile. A warning.
“Fine.”
The window goes up, the engine growls, and he guns it, swings ahead of me, and turns right onto 6th.
“Thank God,” I grumble as I dig in my pockets searching for my gloves again to no avail. “I have pockets.” I remind myself and keep walking.
When I get to the corner and head right, I cannot believe my eyes.
The damn fool has hopped the curb like it’s nothing. The SUV settles there, solid, blocking my path completely, and the passenger door opens.
“Get in,” he says calmly. “Now.”
“You cannot drive onto the sidewalk.”
“I can,” he replies. “And I will again if you don’t stop being so stubborn.”
I stop short, arms crossing, breath fogging. “You’re a complete asshole.”
“Yes,” he agrees easily. “And you’re cold.”
The interior light spills out, and I see black leather, thickly stitched. Everything in his vehicle is cold and built for winter, and Aleks Kilovac matches that vibe.
I push back that offensive feeling that I couldn’t explain, the one that has turned into a knot that is tightening real low in my belly, and I realize how this looks, and it’s not good.
