Page 24 of Wrong Car, Wright Guy
“Don’t be silly.” She shakes her head. “You seem tired…quiet. You should take the car. I only live a few blocks that way. I can walk.”
“In those shoes?” We both glance at her heeled feet.
She shrugs. “I’ve walked in worse.”
“No.” My protectiveness flares inside me when she moves to walk away.
“Excuse me?”
“You aren’t walking home alone. Take the car.”
She laughs, but she does it in a way that tells me she’s annoyed and I’m not funny. “Don’t tell me what to do, Tanner. You don’t own me.” The rumble of a growl comes out of me before I can even stop it. “Did you just…did yougrowlat me?”
“You arenotwalking through the streets on your own looking likethat.”
Her brow shoots up. “Oh wow. So, now I look like a hooker or something? Nice one, Tanner. The only thing I’mnotdoing tonight, is standing here listening to your bullshit. Argue with yourself, I’m off the clock.” She turns and starts on her way, and for the life of me, I can’t let her go alone. If something happens to her, I’ll never forgive myself.
“Tanner,” she sighs when I fall in step beside her. “Please don’t turn this into one of your things where you keep at me until I hate you again. Can we just end this night with me feelingnicetoward you? Just once. We can fight again tomorrow.”
“I’m not trying to fight you, Ruby. I’m just going to walk with you to make sure you get home safely. You’re a valuable commodity right now.”
“I see. So, you’re protecting the station’s bottom line?”
I smile. “That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
“You know, you’re kind of all right when you aren’t purposely being an asshole,” she says after a while. “There were a few moments tonight where I actually found myself enjoying your company.”
“Careful, you might start thinking I’m funny too.”
She laughs.
“Oh, shit. Too late.”
“I’m sure you’ll do something to piss me off again. Don’t sweat it,” she says with a soft chuckle. “But what about you today? You literallylickedmy back. Maybe I should be worried you’re developing a crush onme.”
Oh, it’s more than a crush, Ruby. It’s bordering on obsession.
“I licked yourzipper,” I say, glancing her way with a smirk. “Your skin just got in the way.”
She laughs. I like it when she laughs. “Either way, you lingered way longer than you needed to.”
“You have a nice back.”
“And you have a great chest.”
“Ahh, yes,” I say, taking my jacket off and dropping it over her shoulders so she doesn’t get cold. “I do recall someone standing there with drool hanging off her chin while I changed my shirt.”
“Drool hanging off my chin,” she repeats with a scoff as she slides her arms into my jacket and sniffs the collar. I fucking love that she just did that. “At least I didn’tlickyou.”
“I could apologize for that, but I won’t,” I say, flashing a smile her way.
“Ah, yes. Because it proved your point.”
“It did. You like me.”
“You have your moments.”
I smile and slip my hands in my pockets as we walk for a moment in silence, both of us seemingly aware that a little admiration and banter is as far as this flirtation can go—you don’t shit where you eat; everyone knows that.
