Page 61 of My Turkish Fling
Who said skinny jeans were out of fashion? Playing along, I glanced over my shoulder as if noticing my own ass for the first time. “Is it? Well, thank you, sir.” I slapped my own butt for good measure.
“You’re welcome!” The man laughed so hard his stomach shook.
He stepped closer and I caught the whiff of alcohol on his breath. I grabbed two egg sandwiches and slammed them on the counter. The young girl behind the register gave me a curious look.
Taking my sandwiches, I hurried to the door, past Emir’s furious face and rigid body. “Come on. Let’s drive somewhere.”
To my horror, the drunk guy followed us outside. He must have been too wasted to notice Emir, because one look at his face would have sent a lesser man running.
I reached my car door when the pair of muddy work boots entered my field of vision.
“So, you like being spanked?” He drawled.
“No, thank you.” I said brightly and I tried to open the car door, but he leaned his weight on it.
“Janie Andrews.” He breathed my name like a prayer.
“Can you please move?” My heart hammered in my chest as I saw Emir approaching him from behind. “I seriously recommend you do.”
Within seconds, Emir had him in a headlock, making choking sounds. “If you like spanking so much, that can be arranged.”
“No, Emir! Let him go,” I pleaded, until he released the man, shoving him away.
He clambered away, coughing, boots dragging against the pavement.
I drew a shuddering breath, feeling like a fool. This was my fault. I should have never responded to that creep. I owed Emir an apology. And a proper dinner, I thought, looking at the sorry sandwiches in my hand.
The sandwiches fell on the ground as Emir backed me against the car door, locking me between hard muscle and sunbaked steel. His voice was a low growl. “Never do that again, Janie. I mean it.”
“I was just… humoring him.” I tried to keep my tone light, but my whole body throbbed, inexplicably turned on. “He’s a drunk idiot.”
“A drunk idiot who’s twice your size. What if I wasn’t with you?”
I swallowed a lump, embarrassed. “Then… I wouldn’t. I’m sorry.” I finally looked up, catching his concerned, menacingeyes. Jaw tight, muscles on his arms ticking like they wanted to fight something. Hot coals danced inside me because that’s what I wanted. I’d teased him, on purpose, and this was my reward. I was sick.
“I feel safe with you, Emir. So safe that I’m acting recklessly.”
My breath felt hot and heavy against his neck as he bent down to kiss me by the ear. “I’m acting recklessly, too. And that’s why I need to talk to you.”
Okay. I officially couldn’t make him eat egg sandwiches in the car.
“Let’s go to a restaurant.”
“I can take you out? On a date?” The hope and tenderness in his eyes were my undoing.
“Yes. Take me out on a date, Emir.”
Chapter 27
Janie
I spent the entire drive explaining to myself why this wasn’t a big deal. Emir had that weird intensity about him. That’s how he talked. It didn’t mean anything.
It was only a dinner. Nothing flash, nothing particularly attention-grabbing. If someone saw us and rumors started spreading, so what? I’d deal with it later. Besides, nothing was going on, at least on the outside. He was helping me with a documentary. We had a reason to be seen together, not that it should have mattered.
I parked along the beach road. Napier was beautiful on an average day, but that evening, the scenery was dramatic. The darker clouds had rolled in, but the golden sun still streamed through, like arguing with the impending storm. I could havechosen a more secluded spot to avoid running into anyone I knew, but my heart won.
“This is my favorite place,” I told him, gesturing at the unremarkable brown building.
