Killian quickly closed the distance between us in just a few strides. "Saw you trying to start it earlier. Battery?"
"I don't know," I admitted, biting my lip just a bit. "It just… won't turn over."
He nodded, like this was a problem he'd anticipated.
"Want me to take a look?"
"You know about cars?"
"Enough." I hesitated.
Every rational part of my brain was screaming at me to say no. To wait for the rideshare. To not get any more tangled up with this man who looked at me like he already knew all my secrets. But it was cold. And dark. And I was tired.
"Sure," I said. "Thank you."
Killian popped the hood of my car and leaned in, his movements efficient and confident. I stood to the side, arms crossed, while my gaze traced his very outline.
He was wearing a dark button up that clung to his shoulders, jeans that hung low on his hips. His forearms flexed as he checked connections, jiggled wires.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him.
"Try it now," he said, glancing back at me a small smile on his face.
I returned to the driver's seat and turned the key. Nothing again. He frowned, and wiped his hands on his jeans.
"Battery's dead. You need a jump, but I don't have cables."
"Of course you don't," I muttered.
"I can give you a ride," he offered, closing the hood. "I'm heading up the mountain anyway."
I looked at him. At his too-blue eyes and his too-calm demeanor and the way he stood there like this wasn't a big deal. Like he hadn't just appeared out of nowhere at the exact moment I needed help.Coincidence,I told myself.
It's just a coincidence.
"You sure?" I asked, shifting my weight, my feet were ready to shed the boots I was wearing. "I don't want to put you out."
"You're not." His mouth curved, just barely but I noticed a small dimple.
"Besides, we're practically neighbors."
Right. Neighbors. That's all this is.
"Okay," I said. "Thanks again."
Locking up my car, I followed Killian to his pickup truck that was just around the corner.
Once I was inside, my eyes ran over the interior that seemed to gleam under the streetlights. The truck was pristine and the leather seats barely seemed to have been sat on.
When Killian slid in, his elbow brushed against my arm as he started the ignition and I realized I was about to be confined with a virtual stranger for an entire car ride.
Fumbling with my seatbelt, I prayed he wasn’t crazy and I’d get home safely.
"So do you always play hero?" I asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.
"Only when the damsel's worth saving."
I rolled my eyes, but a smile landed on my lips. "That's a terrible line."
