Road to Desire (4 page)

“I’m not opening my door at ten o’clock at night, Austin. Despite my persona, I’m not an idiot.”

He chuckled. “Open it, babe.”

I frowned and rose to my feet, making my way to the door, and peeking through the peephole. I hung up with a sigh and opened the door. “What are you doing here?”

Austin’s eyes did a full sweep of my body, and then he smiled and slid his hand to my neck. Pushing me further into the room, he kicked the door shut and leaned down to cover my mouth with his. He stroked my pulse as his other arm wrapped tightly around my waist and pulled me tight against him. His tongue pressed against my lips and I opened for him, my heart racing, my knees weak, and all I could do was grip his jacket and hold on for the ride.

It took a minute for me to come back to reality, and to my utter horror I remembered what I was wearing. Dark blue camisole with a shelf bra that did nothing to support my overly large breasts, a pair of ratty plaid pajama pants, my hair pulled into a messy bun on top of my head and not a stitch of makeup. I hadn’t brushed my teeth, probably had nasty wine breath, and here I was kissing the hottest guy on the planet who I’d just met less than three hours ago.

I pushed at his chest. You know, the one that felt like granite under my fingertips? He didn’t budge, so I pushed again.

“Not done, baby,” he said, smiling against my lips.

“But you need to be,” I whispered, admittedly, somewhat half-heartedly.

His hand slipped to my cheek as he leaned back and frowned. “Didn’t feel like I needed to stop, darlin’.”

I licked my lips and nodded. “But you do all the same.”

Austin stepped back with a smile.

I crossed my arms over my chest in an effort to hide the affect he had on my body. “What are you doing here?”

He shrugged as his eyes swept my apartment. “Nice place.”

“Thank you.”

“You live here when the asshole stole your money?”

I shook my head. “No. I had to move out of my other place. This place is
way
cheaper.”

“And you don’t want to live at home?”

“No,” I said. “I’m not running to my parents because I made an error in judgment. They raised me to be independent and being an adult means life sucks sometimes. They do what they can, which I’m very grateful for, but I need to work this out on my own.”

“How did you manage to get this place?”

“I know the owner.”

His eyes came back to me. “Meaning?”

I sighed. “Meaning, he knows I’m good for the rent, so he waived the credit check.”

Austin scowled. “Tell me his name.”

“The manager?”

He stepped toward me. “No.”

I rolled my eyes and tried to put distance between us. My back hit the wall of my tiny foyer. “I’m not telling you his last name, Austin.”

He gently grabbed my arm and pulled me back toward him. “I’m not leaving here until you do.”

I smirked. “Hope you like sleeping on a couch, then.”

Austin gave me his panty-dropping grin again. “Your bed’ll do just fine.”

“You are
not
sleeping in my bed, Austin.”

He chuckled. “We’ll see.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked again, trying to ignore his thumb stroking the pulse on my wrist.

“No fuckin’ clue.”

“We’re back to rude, I see.”

He laughed. “Shit, you’re funny.”

“I wasn’t trying to be funny.”

“I know, baby.”

I couldn’t stop a shiver. “Don’t call me ‘baby.’”

“You like it.”

“Doesn’t mean you should do it,” I challenged. “You’re gorgeous, you know you’re gorgeous, but the fact remains, I don’t know you and I don’t really know why you’re here.”

His smile grew. “I’m gorgeous, huh?”

“Poor choice of words, apparently.”

“Let’s stop talkin’, then.” He leaned down and kissed me again, and I couldn’t do anything about it. Don’t get me wrong, I could if I’d wanted to, but let’s be honest, I had never been kissed like this, let alone looked at the way he looked at me. He wasn’t anyone I would have thought would find me attractive. I was far more school librarian than biker chick and typically only received interest from nerds.

“What’s his last name?” he asked when he broke the kiss.

“Mills,” I answered, my eyes still closed, my breath still labored. “Crap!” I snapped when I came to my senses, and looked up at him. He was once again grinning. “I mean, Millson,” I improvised.

“Nice try.” He stroked my cheek. “I’ll see you soon.”

“You will?”

He nodded. “’Night, baby.”

He kissed me one more time and then walked out the door, leaving me standing next to the door in shock. I closed the door, locked it, and grabbed my wine on my way to the kitchen. After dumping the glass, I dialed Kim.

“Hey, lady.”

“Ohmigod.”

“What?” she asked.

“You’re never going to guess what happened.” I filled her in my entire night, including details about Austin “Booker” Carver.

“He just showed up and then gave you a mind-blowing kiss?”

I nodded and realized she couldn’t see me. “Yes. Two,” I said… well, whispered with breathy desire is probably a better description. “Maybe three.”

“And he’s like a biker dude.”

“Yes.” God,
again
, breathy desire. I was losing it.

“Oh, honey, you’re screwed.”

“Crap? Am I?”

“Why did he want Steve’s name?”

“No clue, Kimmie. But he seemed pissed. Which is weird because he doesn’t know Steve… or me.”

Kim hummed, but didn’t say anything further.

“What?” I demanded.

“I think you’ve got a man who has decided to claim you.”

“What? What does that mean?”

“I think you should have Elliot check this guy out.”

“Kim! Stop speaking in riddles.” I shoved my wine glass in the dishwasher and slammed the door a little harder than I should have. “You know I’m not good at this kind of stuff.”

“Just have your brother do a background check on him, Dani. Then go from there.”

“Why do I need to get Elliot involved in this?”

“Will you just listen to your best friend and know that she is looking out for you?” Kim asked. “You’ve only ever been with one guy and he kind of ripped you off, so you’re both naïve and gun-shy in the face to hot guys.”

“I’m not a child, Kim,” I pointed out.

“Not saying you are, Dani. But you’re sweet and you see the good in everyone. You even give Steve somewhat of the benefit of the doubt most of the time.”

“I do not.”

“You do too. It’s your only vice.”

I snorted. “Suck it, Kimmie.”

“Oooh, if only I could.”

“You and your oral sex fixation.”

“Hey, I enjoy fellatio,” she said.

I giggled. “Thank you for using the correct terminology.”

“Well, you seem to object to me saying I love giving head—”

“Oh, gross. Kimmie, please!”

“Just talk to your brother.”

“No.” I made my way into my bedroom and set my alarm. “This man isn’t interested in me. He’s probably just trying to see if he can trick me into sleeping with him. But I’m too smart for him. I’ll talk to my dad about the repair costs, then go from there. I’ll probably never see him again.”

“Okay, Ms. Oblivious. We’ll see.”

“Yes, we will. I love you, but I have to go to bed. I have a million things to do tomorrow and it’s way past my bedtime.”

Kim laughed. “Okay dear, sweet, innocent friend. Love you too.”

“’Night.”

“’Night,” Kim said, and hung up.

I brushed my teeth, climbed into bed, and closed my eyes, but all I could see was Austin’s face in front of me, smiling and leaning forward for a kiss. I rolled over and tried again, but this time, Austin’s head was on the pillow next to me.

“Crap.” I flopped back onto my back and dragged my hands down my face. Glancing at the clock, it said eleven-thirty and I groaned. Six hours.
If I can fall asleep right now, I’ll get six hours of sleep.

I glanced back at the clock at midnight and this continued until I finally fell asleep around two. By the time the alarm sounded, I was sure I’d only managed a twenty minute power nap, so I snoozed. The problem was I snoozed until six a.m., which meant I was still rushing around my apartment when my brother arrived to pick me up. Lucky for me, he didn’t grill me about why I was so tired. After I told him what time to pick me up, he dropped me off at school and went on his merry way. Thank God for small favors.

F
RIDAY AFTERNOON, I
laid the last piece of paper in the last stack of grading I’d been putting off for a week and sat back in my chair. Checking my watch I groaned. I was probably the last person left in the school and with another early morning, I was exhausted. But at least now I was caught up and could enjoy my weekend.

Opening my desk drawer, I grabbed my purse just as my new phone jingled. I found it buried in the bottom of my bag and answered it without checking the ID. “Hello?”

“Hey, babe.”

I frowned. “Austin?”

He chuckled. “Your car’s fixed.”

“But I haven’t had a chance to talk to my dad yet.” I rubbed my forehead, my sleepless nights and money worries manifesting itself into a wicked headache. “I have to see if he’s okay with the amount. Don’t most places have to get authorization to do repairs before hand? What if I can’t pay for them? Crap, Austin, I don’t know if I can pay you. I thought you were going to call me yesterday. I need more time to figure this out.”

“Babe, take a breath,” he said.

I did, but found I needed to take a few more.

“The car’s fixed. No charge.”

“What? What do you mean, ‘no charge’?”

“Generally it means that currency in the form of money won’t be exchanging hands.”

“You’re funny.” I couldn’t stop a smile. “But the sad fact is that I don’t have five-thousand dollars and I don’t really feel comfortable asking my dad for it. He’s bailed me out too often over the past few years.”

Austin sighed. “Babe. It’s covered.”

“Explain to me exactly how it’s covered. What do you want in return?”

“We can talk about it when I drop your car off.”

“I knew it,” I snapped. “Forget it. You can keep it.”

I hung up and threw my phone in my purse, my sleepiness leaving my body faster than it had arrived. Seething, I grabbed my purse and jacket, and headed out of my classroom through the outside door. I locked up, passed by the office, and waved to the janitor who was grabbing the trash from the front of the school.

I needed to walk. My apartment was about three miles from the school and not having a car was a good excuse to walk off my anger and maybe a few calories as well. I’d been lazy of late and had gained close to thirty pounds after Steven’s betrayal. I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself and do something about my weight. I texted my brother and told him I didn’t need a ride again and then headed toward home.

The temperature had dropped since lunchtime, so I zipped up my coat, shoved my hands in my pockets and put my head down against the wind. I had gone about a block when I regretted my decision to walk home in the cold.

I no longer wanted to lose weight. I wanted to soak in a hot tub with a glass of wine. This thought brought to light the fact that I didn’t have a tub worthy of soaking anymore, which then reminded me I also didn’t own a car anymore, which led me down the rabbit hole of anger and irritation at the drop-dead gorgeous man who’d interrupted my plan. I was getting my life back… at least I was trying to, but now Austin wanted to mess with that plan. I had to figure out a way to come up with the money without asking my dad.

The large fir trees that lined the private drive leading to my apartment came into view and I sighed with relief. I was home. I would call my brother and work out a game plan. He’d know what to do.

I turned down the road and quickened my steps. I was now officially freezing and wanted to get inside and wrap myself in a blanket. The parking lot came into view… and so did my car. I stopped walking, confused. Movement out of the corner of my eye had me turning to see Austin climbing from his truck.

He frowned. “Did you walk home?”

“Huh?”

“Did you walk home? Alone?”

I looked up at him. “Um, yeah. I don’t have a car.”

“Fuck.” He shook his head. “Did you walk yesterday as well?”

“No, my brother has been driving me, but—”

“Here.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out my car key.

I shook my head. “I can’t pay for it, Austin.”

“Take the key, Dani.” I did and he swore again. “Babe, your hand is like ice.”

“Generally happens when it’s cold.”

“You don’t own gloves?”

“I didn’t expect to be walking home,” I admitted.

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“Why would I call you?”

He took both of my hands in his and rubbed them together. “I would have picked you up.”

“Why would you have picked me up?”

Austin frowned again. “Let’s get you inside.”

“Wait,” I said, trying to pull my hands from his. He just held them tighter. “What are you doing here?”

“Babe.” He looked at me like I was touched in the head. “I’m bringing you your car.”

“I feel like you and I are having a huge failure to communicate,” I grumbled.

“Let’s talk inside.”

“You’re coming inside?”

“Not talkin’ to you out here in the cold.” He gave me his sexy smile. “’Course, we don’t have to talk at all. Up to you.”

I let out a quiet huff. “I don’t know what you want from me.”

“Come on. Let’s get you warm,” he said.

I had a feeling he wasn’t going to leave, so I nodded and led him upstairs. Unlocking the door, I stepped inside and turned on the light. Austin closed and locked the door behind us and I shrugged out of my coat. He threw his jacket on the chair by the television, but kept his vest on.

“Why don’t you talk like a thug?” I blurted out.

He chuckled. “I’m sorry?”

“Nothing.” I dropped my purse on the chair by the door. “Do you want some wine?”

“Got beer?”

“Um, maybe. I’ll look.” I stepped into the kitchen to see if Elliot had left anything the last time he’d come for dinner. I pushed the milk to the side and found three bottles of my brother’s favorite Portland brew, hoping Austin would like it. I grabbed one, opened it and then poured the last of the red I’d been drinking over the past few days into a glass.

I walked back into the living to find Austin lounging on my sofa, his booted feet up on my coffee table, television remote in his hand, flipping through stations and looking like he owned the place. He smiled at me and reached out his hand to take the beer. “Thanks, babe.”

I handed him the beer and shook my head as I sat in the chair next to the sofa.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

He patted the cushion next to him. “Come here.”

“Um, no, I’m good right here. Thank you,” I said, and sipped my wine.

“Babe, come here.”

“No.”

He dropped his feet to the floor and he twisted to face me. “No?”

I nodded.

Austin grinned, setting his beer on the coffee table and rising to his feet. He took my wine and set it next to his beer.

“What are you doing?” I asked, leaning back as though I could achieve some space. Silly me.

He reached down, sliding one arm under my knees and one behind my back lifting me like I weighed no more than a small child, and sitting back on the sofa, me in his lap.

“Austin?” I squeaked.

“Yeah, babe.”

“
What
are you doing?”

“Well, I
was
drinkin’ a beer.” He stroked my hair, grinning like a loon.

I tried to scoot off his lap, but he held me tighter. “You are really confusing me.”

“I get that.”

“Then why are you doing it?”

He chuckled. “Because it’s fun.”

I sighed. “Will you take payments on my car?”

“No.”

“I can’t pay you without making payments, Austin.”

He ran a thumb over my lower lip. “I know.”

I pushed his hand away. “Are you expecting that I’ll sleep with you?”

“Not because I fixed your car, no.”

“What?”

“Babe,” he said with a sigh. “We’re working shit out here. I want to get to know you, so we’re gonna get to know each other.”

“Because
you
want to get to know
me
, we’re going to get to know each other?”

“Yeah.”

“What if
I
don’t want to get to know
you
?”

He sat up a little and kissed me. Captivated me with his mouth. It was awesome… and terrifying, and yet, I couldn’t do anything but feel, so I did. And it was overwhelming and beautiful and all-encompassing. He kissed me like he was drowning and I was his breath.

I came to my senses and broke the kiss, dropping my forehead to his. “What are you doing to me?”

He smiled, kissing me quickly again. “What do you
want
me to do to you?”

“I think it would be best if I didn’t answer that.”

Austin ran his thumb over my lower lip again. “Damn, you’re cute.”

“Are you really not going to let me pay for the car?”

“I’m really not going to let you pay for your car.” He gave me a gentle squeeze. “Mack thought it was worse than it was.”

“Five grand’s pretty bad, Austin.”

He grinned. “If you were someone off the street, it’s what we’d charge you. The parts were less than three hundred. The rest was labor.”

“I should at least talk to the person who fixed it about payments.”

“
I
fixed it, Dani.”

“You did?” I glanced at his hands. They were still void of oil.

He smiled. “I wore gloves, babe.”

“I thought you were using “I” in the general sense of you organized it.”