“Trevor?” She frowned. “Is everything okay?”
Shit. Like an idiot, he’d just been standing there, staring.
“Yeah. I, uh...I ordered pizza.”
“I can see that.” She smiled, her dimples making their first appearance of the night.
“Right.” Trevor shook his head at himself and tried to recover. “I wasn’t sure what kind you’d liked, so I got one with just pepperoni and one with everything. I figured you could pick off what you don’t like.”
Smiling a little wider, she slid onto one of the barstools. “Supreme is my favorite, actually.”
Trevor grabbed two plates and some napkins and sat down next to her. Flipping the supreme box open, he gave her a slice before taking one for himself.
“Thanks again, Trevor. You didn’t need to do all this for me, but I really appreciate it.” She took a bite.
“There wasn’t much to it, Lex. I called, made the order, and the guy showed up with the food.”
Laughing, she quickly covered her mouth until she’d finished chewing and swallowing her food. She playfully slapped his bicep. “Smart ass. I wasn’t just talking about the pizza.”
Hearing her laugh made his chest swell and his already half-hard erection swell. “I know.” He watched her take another bite. “Trust me. This was as much for me as it was for you.”
Her brows turned inward, and her eyes narrowed. She swallowed and then, “Speaking of doing things for me—”
Trevor stopped her with a raised palm. “I know what you’re going to say, and you’d be right. I crossed a line with the tires.”
His confession seemed to surprise her. “Oh. Um, yeah. You kind of did.” She sighed. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate the gesture, because I do. But...four tires is a lot, Trevor.” Lexi pointed her tiny finger at him. “And I am going to pay you back every penny.”
Her independent streak made him smile. “I apologize for overstepping, but honestly, it really didn’t cost that much. There’s no need to pay me—”
“Yes,” she interrupted him. “There is. Look, I know I shared a lot about my financial situation last night, but I can andwillpay for those tires. I may not be rich by any stretch of the imagination, but I’m not some charity case, either.”
“Never thought you were.”
She stared back at him for a moment, as if she were trying to figure him out. Sounding a bit flustered, she said, “Okay, well...good. Because I’m not.”
A corner of Trevor’s mouth tilted up. “I got that.”
Lexi blushed, and damn if his cock didn’t swell even more. He didn’t know what it was, but seeing her cheeks become rosy and flush like that got him instantly hard.
Every. Single. Time.
“Look, Lex.” Trevor swiveled his bar stool to face her better. “I don’t mean this to come off as bragging or pretentious, so please don’t take it that way.” He licked his lips and dove in. “I have some money saved up. Quite a bit, actually. I’ve never been married and don’t have any kids, so my expenses over the years have been minimal. I put back as much as I could while I was still in the service, and I make a damn good living working for R.I.S.C. So, four tires for your car didn’t do any damage to my finances.”
Lexi’s eyes left his to focus on her half-eaten slice of pizza. Shifting uncomfortably in her seat, she mumbled, “I’d still feel a lot better if I paid you back.”
“If you feel the need to, that’s fine. I just wanted you to know there’s no rush.” Trevor smiled when she glanced back up at him. “The way I see it, it makes up for all the times you’ve gotten gypped on your tips at the diner.”
She let out a soft laugh but didn’t say anything. Though he hated to, Trevor knew he needed to tell her the rest.
“The garage called me tonight. Sweetheart, someone purposely let the air out of your tire.”
“What?”Her brows shot up with fear.
“It could have been a prank. Some kids messing around the diner.”
She studied him a minute. “Do you think that’s all it was? Just someone out looking for kicks?”
“No,” he answered honestly. “Which is another reason I wanted you here, where I knew you’d be safe. Just in case.”
