But, the second I pushed off the car, she whipped her eyes up and paused.
“Hey there, Lexi.”
I spoke for the first time that evening, but all I got were flashes of anger that dribbled across her face. Her gaze locked with mine and anger vibrated through her body so harshly that her hands shook. She even pulled out her keys and slipped one between each finger--a move I had shown her in case she ever needed to defend herself in a parking lot.
So, I held up my hands in mock surrender.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she snapped.
“I just want to talk,” I said.
She took a step closer to me. “Well, I don’t want to talk. I want you to stop stalking me at work and never come back. If you need a hospital, I want you to cross town. That’s what I want.”
“Lexi, please. We really need--.”
She charged me with the keys outstretched in front of her and I took a few steps back. She stood next to her door before jamming the key into it and unlocking it manually. I saw an automatic lock hanging from her keychain, so I wasn’t sure why the hell she was opening it manually, but the second she ripped her door open she slid behind the wheel of her car.
Then, it hit me.
She didn’t unlock her car that way because she didn’t want me climbing in back.
Ten
Lexi
The second I spotted him, I should have walked away. I lost my breath the second our eyes connected, but I refused to give into the sensation. He’d always had the most breathtaking blue eyes that brought out his dirty blonde hair, but I didn’t allow that to sway me.
Especially when I got back behind the wheel of my car.
“If you want to close the door and roll down the window, I’m fine with that. But we really need to talk,” he said.
His voice grated on my nerves. “The time for talking was years ago, Dean. I’m over it.”
He walked up to my side with his hands still partially in the air. “I’m here now. We could talk now, if you’d like. You can say all you need to say and call me whatever you want to call me. And when you’re done listening to me, if you still want to walk away, I’ll never contact you again.”
I peered over at him. “And you’ll use a different hospital if you need one?”
He put two fingers down on both hands. “Scout’s Honor.”
I rolled my eyes as I jammed my keys into the ignition. “Fine. We’ve got ten or so minutes before I need to peel out of here. I’ve got shit to do. Why don’t you start by telling me why you’re here and why you all-of-a-sudden keep popping up?”
He eased his hands back down to his sides. “I want to make sure you’re safe. That’s all.”
I nodded slowly. “So, does that account for why you followed me home the other night and parked outside of my apartment building?”
He blinked. “So, you did see me.”
“You were on a bike with that blonde hair wafting in the wind. Of course, I saw you on your bike. What do you think I am, a bumbling idiot?”
He shook his head. “On the contrary, I think you’re incredibly smart and resilient.”
I leaned back against my seat. “So, you want to tell me why you think I can’t take care of myself?”
As his eyes searched mine, I put up the best front I could. But, the truth of the matter was that all of this nonsense regarding the altercation I had with that man a few nights ago still had me tossing and turning. I was never one to stereotype people, but it was hard to not do with that man. I mean, he had face and neck tattoos for crying out loud. I knew he was into some hard shit, and I knew the second Dean intervened that I was on that man’s shit list.
And it seemed as if Dean had more information on who that was that had attacked me on my first night of work.
“You better start telling me what I need protecting from, or I’ll--.”
