“So,” he says, drawing my gaze over to him as he climbs behind the wheel of the truck. “Do you know what you’re looking for?”
I shake my head. “No idea. I liked my Maxima but I think I’m kind of wanting something new.”
“Sounds good. I know a guy who brings a lot of work into the bike shop so I thought I’d take you over to his place. He’ll take good care of you.”
“Okay.”
As we pull out of the driveway, he glances over at me. “Where’s Brooklyn today?”
“With Alice. She took her to the park and I was going over work stuff for Monday when I realized that I’d need a new car.”
He nods, turning back to the road. “If I had thought of it, I would have brought one over that you could borrow.”
“Oh, no, it’s really okay. It’s something I need to take care of so I might as well do it today.”
My phone buzzes with a text.
Willa:
Staff meeting Monday morning.
Don’t forget.
“Oh, Lord,” I mutter, rolling my eyes with a smile on my face. Like I could ever forget Willa’s weekly staff meetings.
“Everything okay?”
I glance over at Lucas and nod. “Yeah. It’s just my assistant, Willa, reminding me of our staff meeting on Monday.”
“You have staff?” he asks, brows raised, and I laugh.
“Besides Willa and I… no. Hence, why it’s so ridiculous but it helps her feel more organized so I roll with it.”
He stares at me for a second before turning back to the road with a scowl. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-eight. Why?”
“I don’t know. You just seem to have everything together and I still feel like I’m tripping through life.”
Laughter bubbles out of me as I shake my head. “Oh, no. Trust me, I’m just as big of a mess as anyone else.”
“Yeah, but you’ve got your own business, a great house, and a gorgeous kid. Looks like you’re killing it from where I’m standing.”
“Well, thank you,” I reply, a blush rising to my cheeks. “But the business and the house were actually my grandmother’s and she left them to me when she died a couple years ago.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
I shake my head, fighting back a few tears. “No, it’s okay. She was an incredible woman and lived an amazing life, which is what I like to focus on, no matter how much I miss her.”
“I know you said Alice is all you have left but what happened to your parents?”
Sucking in a breath, I twist my fingers together in my lap. “Wow. Going straight for the heavy stuff, huh?”
“Sorry. I’m just curious about you. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” he assures me but the sincerity and kindness on his face urges me to continue. Reaching across the cab, I grab his hand.
“When I was eight, they dropped Alice and I off at Gram’s house to have their weekly date night. Mom always wanted this special candy they didn’t have at the theater so they stopped off at a gas station to pick some up and a man walked in with a gun. After he robbed the place, he shot the clerk and both of my parents.”
“Jesus Christ,” he breathes, giving my hand a squeeze as we pull into the dealership parking lot and he parks the car. “I’m so sorry, Quinn.”
I shake my head. “You have nothing to be sorry for. It was hard and still is sometimes but Gram was there for us. She took us in after they died and she raised us all by herself.”
“She sounds like an incredible woman.”
Our eyes meet and I smile. “She was.”
Time seems to stand still as the air around us grows heavy and he leans in, his gaze dropping to my lips. My body moves without any instruction from me, leaning into him as my skin prickles with anticipation and my heart pounds in my chest. Oh, god, what if I’m not ready for this? I want it so badly but there’s a very real chance that the moment his lips touch mine, I’ll lose it. My hand shakes and he gives it a squeeze, a soft smile stretching across his face and just when I think he’s going to close the distance between us, a bang echoes through the cab and we both jump back.
“Luke, my boy! What are you doing here?”
“Hey, Calvin,” he says, glancing out of the truck window as the round middle-aged man approaches the window. “I was hoping you’d help my girl find a new car.”
My cheeks heat as he turns back to me and flashes me a grin that could melt butter.
“Absolutely,” Calvin calls, excitement in his voice. “Nice to meet you, Darlin’. I’m Calvin.”
“Hi, I’m Quinn,” I call back with a wave. Calvin smacks Lucas’s arm and lets out a whistle.
“She’s fucking gorgeous.”
“Watch it,” Lucas growls. Calvin takes a step back with raised brows as I turn to look at Lucas. Maybe the edge to his voice should scare me but fear is the farthest thing from what I’m feeling. With him, from the very first moment we met, I’ve always felt safe and having him defend my honor, so to speak, stirs up feelings in me that I haven’t felt in a long time. Feelings that will have me agreeing to his date and anything else he asks of me if I’m not careful.
“Well, should we find you a car, then?” Calvin asks, pulling me out of my thoughts and I smile as Lucas glances over at me, searching for approval with his blue gaze. I nod.
“Yeah, let’s do this.”
Lucas instructs me to wait for him before jumping down from the truck and rounding the front. When he opens my door, he holds his hand out and I grab him as he guides me safely to the ground. We meet Calvin around the front of the truck and Lucas wraps his arm around my shoulders. I can’t help but feel like he’s sending a clear sign to Calvin for his earlier comment but I kind of like it.
“Do you have a car in mind, Ma’am?”
I bite my lips to keep from laughing at his formal tone as I shake my head. “No, I’m not really sure what I want.”
“Maybe you could just let us walk around for a bit,” Lucas suggests, his tone indicating that it’s really not a suggestion and Calvin nods.
“You got it. I’ll be in the office so holler if you need me.”
He practically scurries off and I turn to look at Lucas, barely holding back my grin.
“I think he’s scared of you now.”
He laughs and his whole face lights up, bringing back the carefree man I’ve been getting to know over the past few days. “Naw, I was just reminding him of his manners.”
“Mmhmm,” I murmur, glancing out across the lot as I cross my arms over my chest. “I’m pretty sure his shorts were wet.”
He laughs again and it warms my entire body. “He is right about one thing, though.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“You’re gorgeous,” he whispers, taking a step toward me. I back up until my shoulders touch the truck but he keeps advancing until he’s mere inches away from me.
Men have called me beautiful or gorgeous my entire life but somehow, when Lucas says it, it feels different - like he’s looking at me as a person instead of just long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a decent figure. With him, it feels like he sees the real me when every other man I’ve ever met was only interested in having me as a trophy on his arm but I’m still so scared to take this leap.