Pushing up my sunglasses, I stepped from the bright sun into the dark, stinky, oil-logged garage.
“Hello.” A man covered in car grease and sweat turned around, leaning back on a car he was working on. His shaggy, dirty blond hair was tucked under a cap with the garage logo on it. “Can I help you, sweetheart?” His greedy eyes dragged down my body slowly, pausing at my breasts, which were on the average if not small side. Running kept my frame slim, but my love of cookies was high.
Heading into the desert, I was dressed in cutoff shorts and a tight black tank, my old chucks, with my long, straight, dark hair pulled up in a ponytail. It was casual, but under his scrutiny the outfit made me feel like I was in a stripper thong.
“I’m here for…” I looked around, my eyes struggling to adjust to the dim light inside.
“Looking for me, Baby K?” A deep gravelly voice glided to me, curling around my body, my skin flushing as my head jerked to the side. Coming from the waiting area, a beast strolled up to me, a smile inching up the side of his mouth.
Holy shit.
Air was sucked out of my lungs, along with any logic and understanding. All I could do was stare at the man in front of me, trying to see the boy I had known long ago. Before Smith and my siblings graduated from high school and he left town, Smith was constantly over at our house. I was between eleven and thirteen then. Pictures of him still hung up in our house, reminding me Smith had been tall, built, with dark hair and blue eyes, but the person walking up was no longer a boy in any sense of the word.
Though he still had the bad-boy thing down.
Wearing dark jeans, a T-shirt, and steel-toed boots, he stood at least six four, his body almost filling the hallway. Broad and muscular, his black shirt struggled not to hug every inch of his chest and arms. Tattoos covered one arm, making me wonder if he had more underneath and where. His chocolate-brown hair was mussed perfectly, and a thick scruff, which could be considered a beard, highlighted his full bottom lip. A scar I didn’t recall from school cut up his top lip, but instead of taking away from his looks, it only added to his mysterious, sexy bad-boy aura.
Kasey always said he could model, but I never really thought about it until now. He was better looking than any man I had ever seen in my life or on the cover of a magazine. Smith Blackburn was sexy as hell.
My sister will totally faint when she sees him now.
Kasey had never dated the rugged, dominant type. She liked being the one in control. Though I could see them together. They would be that disgustingly beautiful couple… and their offspring… Ugh.
For some reason the idea of bringing my sister’s future boyfriend across the country to her like I was a FedEx driver, interrupting my vacation, sizzled anger and resentment inside.
Smith’s gaze dipped down my frame, but quickly his piercing blue eyes popped back up. Not a single emotion or response, as if I were still the thirteen-year-old he last saw. An odd flare of irritation locked my spine at the idea he still saw me as the same little girl.
“Been a long time, Baby K.” His deep voice shifted my feet, my fingers tucking an imaginary strand of hair behind my ear.
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat, my nose wrinkling at the old, annoying nickname. Five years is a huge difference at that age, but no preteen liked being called a baby. Especially by a jerk. “It has.”
Maybe not long enough.
He smirked, as if he sensed my irritation and thrived off it. He folded his arms as his gaze rolled over me again. “Lucky me that you were so close when my bike broke down.”
“I wasn’t that close,” I muttered, the intensity of his gaze making me look around, not able to fully lock on him.
There were a lot of sexy, good-looking guys in San Diego, but his presence seemed to be on a different plane. He had that quality you find in celebrities: intense, sexual, encompassing, and invading. You couldn’t get away from his presence. It demanded all the attention without a word.
“Like it was meant to be.” He tilted his head. “Kismet.”
My head darted up, the word punching into my chest. It was exactly what Kasey said. Irrational rage flamed up my throat.
“If you want to call me being nice for driving back an hour out of my way to shuttle your ass to the airport kismet…” I lifted an eyebrow. “Then sure, this was all meant to be.”
A smile twitched the side of his mouth, his gaze relentless on me. “Just as spunky as I remember.”
“And just as condescending as I remember.” I folded my arms and countered. I hated that men still considered a girl having any kind of strong opinion being spunky, plucky, or spirited. Would we say the same about a guy? No. So by having a thought of my own, I was “feisty.” He always had the knack to make me want to lash out. While everyone worshiped him, I felt like the only one not caught in his web.
His smile grew, enjoying tormenting me again.
“So… are you two?” The mechanic’s attention darted between us.
“No!” We both said.
“Nah, man, she’s like my little sister.”
The mechanic’s eyes glinted, a hungry smile on his face.
“Well then, sweetheart, maybe you’d like—”
Humor dropped from Smith in a blink, a growl hummed in the back of his throat as he stepped up to the guy, towering at least six inches over him. He didn’t even have to say a word. The guy instantly stepped away, holding up his arms.
“Don’t you have a few parts to order?” Smith nodded back toward his bike waiting to be worked on. “A job to do?”
“Yeah, yeah.” The guy hustled back, not even looking at me as he headed for the office. “Sorry, man, she’s smokin’ hot, and I thought she was up for grabs,” he said before disappearing into an office.
“Up for grabs?” My mouth fell open, my feet moving without thought, fury bustling through me like a truck.
“Whoa, Baby K.” Smith moved in front of me, his hands circling my biceps, his tall frame looming over my five-six height, holding me in place.
“Don’t call me that.” His touch discharged electricity down my arms, and I jerked away, scowling at Smith.
“Five minutes and already causing trouble.” He rubbed his chin, shaking his head slightly, his attention centered on me, forcing me to look away.
“You ready?” I plucked my sunnies off my head, shoving them on my face as I turned for the van. “What airport do you want me to drive you to?”
He stepped outside with me, grabbing the saddlebags off his bike and throwing them over his shoulder. “No airport for me.” He brushed by me, putting on his sunglasses. Crap, he was intimidatingly sexy. “I was told we’re in this for the long haul together.”
Danger. Danger.
“I wasn’t planning on going straight there.” I watched him stroll to the passenger side.
“That’s okay. I wasn’t either.” His dark eyebrow hitched up.
“I had my trip planned already; everything’s all set out.”
“That sounds… organized.”
“Are you judging me?”
He held up his hands. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Just seems it takes out all the fun and point about driving cross country.”
“What does that mean?”
“Being flexible and open to what is out there is the adventure. Checking off sites and staying in planned spots doesn’t seem like you are experiencing anything out of your box.”