I abandon my glass next to hers, moving swiftly through the crowd to catch her at the door. Wrapping my hand around her elbow, I tug her back under the awning just as she says thank you to the bouncer.
“Let me give you a ride home.”
She slowly pulls out of my grasp, side stepping to give me some space as we both huddle under the awning. “It’s only a few blocks to walk, I’ll be fine.”
I reach a hand out from underneath the canopy, letting the drops of icy water gather in my palm before bringing it back to her and shaking it out. “I think it’s a little cold.”
She rolls her eyes and wraps her arms around her core again. I tell myself it’s from the chill, desperate to believe that it isn’t my proximity making her uncomfortable.
I step closer, brushing up to her until she has to tilt her face up to meet my gaze. “Let me give you a ride home.”
She licks her lips, and my eyes immediately fall to the act.
“What about your friend?”
“There’s no friend. You know that.”
She nods slowly as her eyes search my face for any hint that I’m lying. “Fine,” she says eventually. “But only because it’s sleeting and this is my favorite jacket.”
I give her shoulder a squeeze, asking her to stay as I pull my keys from my pocket. I jog across the street to the parking lot and dip inside my car as the sleet begins to pour down.
Pulling up to the street, I spy Annie and the bouncer engaging in small talk. I know I have no right to be jealous. Hell, we both know the reason I was at the bar tonight. And we both know that if she hadn’t walked in, I might have tried to take the blonde Barbie home. I don’t know if I would have been able to follow through with it. I know I would have needed two or three more drinks to even build the courage, but the twisted part of me knows that even if I took her to bed, there would have only been one woman on my mind. And it wouldn’t have been the one lying under me.
I park along the curb, hopping out to walk back to Annie. She’s engaged in polite conversation with the bouncer, and he says something that makes her laugh. She throws her head back, that beautiful sleek neck on display, and jealousy churns in my gut.
I wrap an arm around her waist, possessively pulling her to my side as I nod to the bouncer. “Thanks again, goodnight.”
I turn us both toward my car, and reach to grasp the handle to open the door for Annaliese. Once she’s safely inside and reaching for the seat belt, I shut the door.
A wave of relief crashes through my chest knowing she’s safe in my car, and I grit my teeth as I run through the rain to the other side.
She doesn’t say anything as I pull onto the street; she just watches my side profile curiously as I cautiously weave through traffic. Her posture eventually relaxes into the seat, and she lifts her arm to rest an elbow on the door, her fist propping up her chin as she watches the frozen flakes dance across the glass.
She still hasn’t said anything as I pull up in front of her apartment building. She’s quiet as I put the car in park, my hand resting on the shifter between us.
It’s only then that she turns and shifts her position so her knees are turned toward me, the bare skin of her legs brushing against my fingers ever so slightly.
“Why were you at that bar tonight, Colter?”
Her question isn’t really a question. More of a statement. More of a demand as we both know the exact reason I was at the bar sitting next to that woman. But to come right out and tell her that I can’t fucking think about anyone but her, that she’s the one woman to ever capture me in the way she has, is a truth I’m not ready to give; so I opt for the second best half-truth.
“I was trying to distract myself.”
“Hmmm…” she responds, adjusting again so her hands fall to her lap. The movement causes the panels of her leather jacket to fall open, and my gaze falls to her chest, finally seeing the front of the tiny dress she is wearing.
I suck in a breath, noting the gentle slope of her collar bones, the way the moonlight shines off of her creamy skin, and the hint of cleavage ready to fall out of the loose V-neck of her dress.
She doesn’t miss my hiss or the way my eyes are fixated across her body. A small smile draws across her lips, and she tsks once before shaking her head.
“What’s that for?”
She turns to me, pinning her eyes to mine. “I’m going to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the truth.”
I nod. “Anything.”
“Did you almost kiss me today?”
Damn. I truly hadn’t expected her to ask me that. Not tonight. Not now.
