Page 2 of No Rings Attached
“Drew!” my grandmother yelled again, the worry in her voice cutting through the buzz of anger ripping through me.
What in the actual fuck!
Who stops in the middle of the damn road? And without their fucking hazards on. I’d barely seen the older model Toyota as the road curved. There were no street lights out this way and the dark blue of the vehicle blended into the darkening sky.
“I’m okay.” I couldn’t say the same for the table. “There’s a car stopped in the middle of the road.”
“Should I send Adam?” My cousin owned the mechanic shop in town.
I ran a hand over my neck, my fingers hitting the back of the ball cap I’d thrown on this morning. My heart pounded an unsteady rhythm as the initial adrenaline calmed down.
That had been fucking close.
“I’m at the edge of town. I’ll send a text if I need him.”
“Be careful.” She drew in a breath. “Maybe you should stay on the phone with me just in case. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
I chuckled. My grandmother, who was over a foot shorter than me at five foot two, was a force to be reckoned with in person, but over the phone, I doubted she could help. “I’m going to see what’s going on. I’ll call when I’ve gotten everything straightened out.”
“Okay. Love you. Be careful.”
“I will. Love you too.” I hung up, opened the door to my cab, and slid my phone into the pocket of my jeans as I climbed out. Before I took another step, a person ran into the overgrown mess on the side of the road leading into the woods. A pale streak of blue that didn’t give me any clue as to who it was, except that it was a woman.
A faint rustle in the tall grass had me shaking my head. Had the idiot decided to get out and take a piss while leaving her damn car in the middle of the road? My headlights blazed against the parked car, leaving the edges of the road less visible in the growing darkness.
“Hello?” I called out. “Everything okay?” Even though the car didn’t look like it had been in an accident, maybe there was damage I couldn’t see in the fading light.
“Yup. All good.” The quick reply was definitely female.
The rustling grew more frantic as I neared.All good?
“Do you need help?” I asked. “You’re parked in the middle of the road,” I didn’t want to scare her, but I had to make sure she was safe.
“Everything’s fine. I just needed to stretch my legs.”
“Stretch your legs?” She had to be kidding me! What if I’d slammed into her car? Or a family had come along and didn’t notice her until it was too late? “What the hell are you trying to do? Get someone killed?” I snapped, narrowing my eyes to try to get a glimpse of the driver. I didn’t recognize the car, so it was likely someone from out of town. She needed to be more careful.
“Yes, that’sexactlywhat I wanted to do.” A bite of sarcasm laced her words. From within the overgrown foliage, her voice held a low seductive note that I didn’t fail to notice as she continued, “Ipurposelyleft my car in the middle of the road to cause an accident.”
I kind of liked the hint in her tone that suggested I was the one being an idiot. Why that was a fucking turn-on I had no idea. I tugged at the brim of my hat in frustration.
“Then things clearly aren’t all good if you didn’t just leave it there on purpose.” I crossed my arms over my chest and planted my feet firmly a safe distance from the voice.
A muttered,“Oh shit,”floated out from behind the tall fronds that waved wildly followed by a dull thud.
“Ma’am? You okay?”
“Don’t come any closer! I have a weapon!”
Something white shifted near the ground. Had she fallen?Damn it.Maybe shedidneed me. If I left a woman on her own, in the dark and didn’t do anything, half the town would have my ass. We took care of each other in Ruby River. Stranger or not.
I reached out and gently parted the long grass and stumbled when a sharp screech pierced my eardrums. “Itoldyou to stay away!”
There was no way to miss the woman in front of me. She was bent over at the waist, showcasing the soft, pale skin of the upper half of her body. It glowed in the moonlight and her denim-covered ass wiggled as she struggled with her shirt half on and half off. Part of the fabric clung to the brambles around her.
It took my brain a second to catch up to what I was seeing, and being the asshole that I was, my first thought went to how perfect her skin was—and how much I wanted to touch it.
Damn it. I’d been raised a gentleman, which also meant Ishouldshut my eyes, walk away, do something—anything—other than stare. But my eyes were glued to her backside and as much as I hated myself for looking, I couldn’t stop myself.
