“You don’t need to do that. It’s been snowing all night, and I’d like to be the one to make sure you get home okay.”
I couldn’t help but smile at his concern. The way he asked was rather sexy. Kind of like I didn’t have a choice, but I did at the same time. It had been a long time since a man really cared for me that way, if ever.
“Okay,” I agreed. I loved his truck. It felt like a giant couch.
Blake held up his valet ticket and asked the kid to hurry.
He made his way back to me, hands tucked in his pockets, collar popped, and wearing one hell of a smile. His black wool coat and red scarf were incredibly handsome on him. I loved how he had style without even trying.
One hand slid around my hip, and he flinched at how cold I was.
“Jesus, Spence, you’re wearing lingerie in thirty-degree weather.”
“Beauty is pain,” I joked.
“Then you must be in pain all the time.” He nuzzled behind my ear, and I happily let him warm me with his delicious body.
“Oh, shit.” I heard a snicker behind me, and suddenly I was cold because Blake had stepped back. “Where the hell did Jackson go?” Zoe looked ridiculous in her very high heels.
“He left,” I chimed in.
“What?” She lit a smoke and rolled her eyes. “He told me he’d give me a lift.”
“Don’t feel bad. He left with some chick.” I couldn’t help myself. “You wouldn’t want to be a third wheel.”
“Wouldn’t I?” She winked at Blake. “What about you? You can drive me home.”
“Blake and I are heading to the station,” I blurted without thinking.
She squinted at me before she let out a long breath of smoke. “So, Spencer, I heard Justin is back in town looking for you.”
I hated Zoe sometimes. She was always in competition with me for no reason.
“I didn’t know that.”
“Yup.” She hiccupped, which led me to believe she probably had found the bottom of more than one champagne bottle. “G told Lisa last night. Something about how he shouldn’t have left and all that shit.”
“Good to know.”
“They were going to get married.” She directed her poison toward Blake again. “But Spencer got cold feet and called the whole thing off.”
“That’s not entirely what happened.” Oh, my God. I was finished with this chick.
“Soulmates.” She drove her point home.
“Well,” Blake opened the door to his truck that had just arrived, “you have a good night, Zoe.”
“Yeah.” She flicked the butt of her smoke into the snow, pivoted, and marched back toward the doors.
Once I was inside the truck, I let out the breath I was holding the entire time she was there. Zoe had always made me feel like she had an angle, some kind of a mission to take me down. Now that I was single, she was on full bitch mode.
“She’s charming.” Blake laughed as he started the engine and blew the hot air in my direction. “I just can’t understand why she’s still single.”
I chuckled. “I could ask you the same thing.”
His hand dropped to the center console as he twisted to face me. Dark, smoky eyes caught mine and held them in place. I could feel the crackle of heat pass between us, so much, in fact, the air vents fought to clear the foggy windows.
“Maybe I was waiting for you.”
I dipped my head, thoroughly enjoying his comment.
“I do believe I just made you blush,” he joked.
“I believe you did, Mr. Daniels.”
“You know,” he gave me a devilish smile, “I have a cure for that.”
“Oh?”
He leaned over and gently kissed my hot cheek. I turned into him, and the smell of his aftershave and shower gel clouded my thoughts.
“I want to kiss you, Spencer, but I won’t be able to stop myself, and right now,” he gazed out the window, “this isn’t the place for that to happen.”
I leaned back and saw G and Benny coming out of the event hall.
Blake switched the gear into drive and headed out to the main road. The snow was really starting to come down, so it was best we got moving.
We soon came to a slow crawl. Though his truck was a beast, Mother Nature was stronger and unforgiving. The roads were plowed a few hours ago, but there was a foot or more in our way. A few cars had pulled off, and there were police lights flashing up ahead.
“This doesn’t look good.” Blake pulled over the best he could and wrapped a scarf around his neck. “Stay here, okay?”
“Okay.” I flinched at the sudden rush of cold that found me, and I hunkered down in front of the vent. We were close to home, but not close enough we could walk. Damn, we should have left sooner.
Boom, Boom, Boom!
I nearly jumped out of my seat when I saw a figure standing outside my window. It was too dark to see who it was, but a hand came up and cleared a round spot. As soon as his creepy eyes broke through the snow, I wanted to crawl out of my skin.
Slowly, I rolled down the window halfway.
“I thought it was you. I recognized the truck.”
Seriously?
“Hi, Foster.” My damn neighbor always seemed to be where I was, including stranded on the side of the road during a whiteout.
“That’s a nice-looking dress.”
“Thanks.” I hated his attention. “Any idea how long we’ll be trapped here?”
He looked off toward the flashing police lights. “Well, I was hoping your officer friend could get some answers since I can’t seem to.”
“When he comes back, I’ll let you know.”
“I would feel better staying here with you. You never know what kind of people are out here.”
I tugged my jacket around me. Foster had a way of watching me that made every fiber inside want to run like hell in the opposite direction. He was the kind of man you’d question about a missing man in the basement. I would never forget my father telling me to stay away from Foster. When I asked why, he just said his gut told him there was something not quite right with him. My father saw the good in everyone, so for him to say that made me very uneasy.
“You’re looking more and more like your mother, Spencer, and she was a real beauty.”
“Thanks,” I muttered.
The driver’s door opened, and in jumped Blake, covered in snow. When he caught sight of Foster, his face fell.
“Evening, Foster.” He offered a polite nod before he looked at me as if to see if I was all right.
“You get any information on when we will be outta here?”
“Yeah,” Blake blew on his hands, “in the morning. Roads are closed all the way into town.”
“Really?” Foster scrunched his nose. “Maybe you’d be more comfortable in my SUV, Spencer.”
“I think she’s better off here, and she’d be a lot warmer if she could close that window,” Blake said before I could say a word.
“Thanks, Foster, but I’m fine here.” I assured him there would be no way I was leaving Blake’s side.
Foster glared at Blake before he sniffed loudly. “Well, I’m two cars back if you need anything. I’ll check in later on.”