Page 22 of All Wrong
Corinne chatted with the checker as the woman bagged her stash, her smile friendly, but not overly so. She didn’t look behind her once, and that pissed him off. She should always be aware of her surroundings, but especially when she was alone at night.
But maybe she wasn’t alone. His eyes moved past her and through the wall of plated glass, toward the parking lot. Maybe the same long-legged fucker who’d told her not to worry about her Check Engine light was waiting in the parking lot at that very moment, hoping he’d have a chance to lick some of that salty and sweet off her lush?—
“Fancy meeting you here,” Corinne said, forcing him to draw his eyes back to her.
Shit. Busted.
Corinne took her bags and moved forward. Instead of continuing on, she hovered at the end of the lane while the checker rang up his cards. “Are those for The Zone?”
He nodded and swiped his debit card.
She waited until he was done, then walked with him toward the exit. She reached into her bag and held out a similar stack of cards. “I was going to run these up tomorrow, but I might as well give them to you now.”
He blinked. She was one of the anonymous donors leaving cards at the center? “Thanks.”
She shrugged as if it was no big deal. And maybe to her, it wasn’t. But it was to him and to the kids she was helping.
“Not just for the cards, but for coming out and volunteering too,” he blurted out.
Her smile was at once soft and genuine, lighting up her face and expanding warmly in his chest. “You’re very welcome.” She hesitated, almost as if she wanted to say something else, but wasn’t sure she should. The moment lasted just long enough to become awkward. “Well, have a good night.”
“Yeah, you too.”
She turned and walked away. He did the same, veering off in the opposite direction. He glanced back out of curiosity as he strode to his bike, wondering what vehicle she’d snagged since hers was in the shop. Only a handful of cars were in the parking lot, and those most likely belonged to the workers, given the general emptiness of the store.
By the time he reached his bike, Corinne was halfway across the lot. When he looked up again, she’d reached the sidewalk. Then, she turned and kept going.
She wasn’t planning on walking back to her apartment, was she? Yes, apparently, she was.
He stuffed the cards into his inner pocket, grabbed his handle grips, and jogged with his bike in neutral until he caught up with her.
“You’re walking home?”
She was startled by his voice, but her face relaxed when she saw that it was him. “Well, yeah. My car’s in the shop, remember?”
She kept walking. He walked beside her.
“It’s at least three miles from here to your place.”
“I’m aware.” She shrugged. “It’s a nice night.”
“The operative word beingnight,” he muttered.
“I’ll be fine,” she said over her shoulder. Her lack of worry irritated him.
“You shouldn’t be out walking alone. It’s not safe.”
She paused and gave him a wry smile. “Really? What’s going to happen?”
He stared at her. The streetlight turned her blonde hair to spun gold and made her bright blue eyes look like sapphires. She looked at once innocent and tempting, which was an irresistible combination to those living on the darker side. He should know.
“Get on,” he said.
“Excuse me?”
He waved toward the bike. “I’ll give you a ride home.”
She considered him for a minute, a mixture of anticipation and delight in her eyes. Then, that look faded, and she shook her head. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’m good.”
