Page 5 of When the Storm Breaks
“I was told there would be a car picking me up,” she said without preamble. “I’m at the baggage claim. Are you my driver?” Her voice sounded like she smoked two packs a day.
Are you my driver? The fuck?
“Yes, ma’am. I’m on my way.”
“Are you saying you’re not at the airport yet?” she asked incredulously.
“I’m about fifteen minutes out. Got caught in a traffic—"
“Fifteen minutes? You mean I have to wait? Dammit. This is the last thing I need right now.”
I clenched my jaw. It was her tone. The air of entitlement that pissed me off. “You think I don’t have better things to do with my time? I’m doing eighty. But if you keep it up, I’ll slow the fuck down.” So much for charming Brody. Kate put way too much faith in me. Always had.
She sighed loudly. “Fine. Guess I’ll have to make the best of it. But call me as soon as you get here.”
There she went again, making demands. I already knew Vivienne Shaw was going to be a pain in my ass. I’d be willing to bet she was the type who complained about every little fucking thing. The bed’s too soft. There’s too much nature. My allergies are acting up.
How the hell was she going to get around without a car? Her problem, not mine. After I picked her up and dropped her off at the guesthouse, she was on her own.
“Will do.” I cut the call and eased off the accelerator, taking my own sweet time. No need to risk a speeding ticket for this woman. She could wait.
Thirty minutes later I pulled up in front of the arrivals area at the Austin airport and parked at the curb. Then I called my new best friend, Vivienne.
“I’m here.”
“Thank God. I’m on my way out. How will I find you?”
“Look for the black stretch limo parked by the pillar marked D.”
“A limo? You’re in a limo?” I chuckled under my breath. “I’m outside now and I don’t see... can you stop playing games,” she huffed. “Where are you?”
“I’m in a black pickup.” I climbed out of my truck and rounded the hood so she could see me. The sooner she got in the truck, the sooner I’d get this over with. I scanned the passengers exiting the glass doors and the ones milling around out front but didn’t see anyone who sounded like the name or the voice on the phone.
“Can you see me now?” I asked.
“Dirty blond hair, jeans and a T-shirt?”
“That’s me.”
She cut the call and I watched a girl in a black ball cap with the gold New Orleans Saints logo, her head ducked as she walked toward me.Thiswas Vivienne Shaw? She was wearing an oversized black hoodie and ripped black jeans, pulling a roller bag behind her, a guitar case strapped to her back.
Black leather Army boots stopped in front of me. She glanced over her shoulder before she pulled the guitar off her back and set the hard case at my feet. “Can we get out of here now?”
“In a hurry?”
She blew out an exasperated breath. “I need to get out of here. Can we go now?”
“All depends.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “What’s your name?”
She lifted her chin and gray eyes met mine. Stormy grays. Like the sky just before a thunderstorm. Ever feel like you’ve just got struck by lightning? A jolt of white heat shot through my body and I visibly shuddered.
The fuck?
I’d never had this kind of physical reaction to a girl before. I’d been attracted to plenty of women, had been with my fair share. But never once had I looked into someone’s eyes and felt like I was looking at someone who would have the power to wreck me.
It wasn’t just a physical attraction either. This was something altogether different. Like a deja vu moment. As if we’d been here before. In a dream or another lifetime.
Where have you been all my life?That was the question on the tip of my tongue as we stood on the sidewalk outside the airport and stared at each other in the fading light.
