“Damn, Getaway Girl. Chill out. Maybe you need some fun too.”
“Sure, just as soon as I drop you off.”
“Or you can chill now…with me.”
“Oh, right.” I laughed, glancing his way only to find him…not laughing.
“I’m being serious. Come with me.”
YES!I cut him off in my mind.Yes, of course I’ll come with you. We’ll laugh and talk and go wild, and then after a fancy dinner at Red Robin, I’ll let you absolutely rock my shit in the car. It’ll be the perfect afternoon of entertainment and the hottest sex EVER.My breath quickened at just the thought of all the carnal fun I could have with this young stallion in a few hours’ time. But then reality kicked in. What was I thinking? I couldn’t do that. Not now. Not ever. I wasn’t that girl anymore. Icouldn’tbe that girl anymore. Stability was what was required in my life now.
And although I wanted to beat the reasonable girl in my head to a bloody pulp, I deferred to her judgment. “It’s a generous offer, but I’m gonna have to pass.”
He sat up, clearly stunned by my refusal. “Why?”
“Why?” I replied, racking my brain for an acceptable lie.
“Because I know the guy on Hollywood Boulevard dressed up like Chewbacca better than I know you.”
“Right, but I’ve got a better head of hair than that dude,” he said, sliding his fingers through his highlighted strands.
“Debatable,” I countered. “Besides, you don’t even know my name.”
“Does Chewbacca?”
“No. But he’s asked…numerous times.”
“I’m sure he has. And I was actually getting to that myself,” Quinn said, tilting toward me and as his head dipped closer, I swallowed hard. Quinn was a pile of smoldering embers, and he was threatening to spread.
Responsible Jess, where are you? I’m dying here.
“What’s your name, Getaway Girl?”
That self-assured smile. Oh god.
Strong, Jess. Hold strong.
“Again, not spending the afternoon with you, so there’s really no need for my name.”
“Ah, got it. You have a boyfriend.”
I glanced his way. “Just because I said no to you doesn’t mean I have a boyfriend.”
“So you don’t.”
I met his eye, wanting to lie but knowing he already had me hopelessly cornered.
“No. I’m actually between boy toys at the moment. And you?”
A slow smile hitched up one corner of his mouth. That moment of vulnerability he’d displayed earlier was long gone, replaced with a magnetism that refused to be ignored. It was then that I could picture him up on a stage, girls crashing to the ground around him as they screamed his name. Holy shit. This was no down-and-out musician I had in my car. Quinn was a rising star, one that would someday see his name in lights and fill stadiums to capacity. And I, Jesse Olivia Bello, had a chance to grab a tiny piece of his shine, and I was…declining?
“No. I’m not currently attached,” he replied. “And thanks for asking.”
“You asked first,” I reminded him.
His amused eyes flickered over me. “You don’t like to lose, do you?”
“Does anyone?”
