Quinn
Dammit. This morning, I jinxed myself by telling Liam the only reason I’d use his card to call him was if my car was messed up. It looks like the universe has jokes. Because as soon as I get in my car after work to drive to Charleston to meet an old friend for dinner, it won’t start. What the hell .
My parents are out for the night, so I can’t get my dad to help me. If I call Liam, this means he’ll have my number and can pester me anytime he wants. Fuck. I could just cancel on Lucas and wait for my parents to get home, but it’s been forever since I’ve seen him. We went to college together and he only comes to Charleston every so often.
Deep breaths, . I guess I have no choice. Hopefully, he can get to me quickly. I’ll just let Lucas know I’m running a little late.
I plug Liam’s number in and hover my thumb over the call button. Okay, you can do this. I press send and hold my breath.
A few rings later, he answers, “This is Liam.”
I mean, this man sounds sexy even over the phone. I realize I’m still holding my breath when he speaks up again.
“Hello? This is Liam.”
“Hey,” I say. Real smooth, .
“?” I swear I could hear him smirk through the phone.
“Yeah, it’s me.” I huff.
“I see I finally wore you down.” He chuckles.
“No, actually, my car won’t start. Are you free to come take a look at it? I’m running late to meet a friend for dinner.” I run my hand over my face.
He doesn’t even hesitate. “Yeah, of course. Where are you?”
“I just closed up at work.”
“Okay, I’ll be there in ten minutes. Stay in your car and lock the door until I get there,” he demands.
“Um, Liam. I’ve lived here my whole life. I know how to handle myself,” I say.
He blows out a breath. “, please just stay in your car. Don’t be stubborn.”
I roll my eyes, knowing he can’t see me. “Fine. See you soon.” I hang up and stand outside my car. He’s not going to tell me what to do. That’s for damn sure.
Ten minutes later, Liam rolls up in a 1979 Chevy Camaro. He hops out, scowling. “, I thought I told you to stay inside the car.”
I shrug. “Sorry, I don’t take orders from anyone.”
He bites his lower lip, irritated. “Pop the hood.”
My eyes go wide, and my eyebrows lift in question.
“Woman, why are you being a brat? Pop the hood. It’s probably your battery. The quicker you cooperate, the quicker you can get to your dinner.”
I nod and get in the car to open the hood. He has me try the ignition, and there’s a clicking noise.
“Yep, sounds like the battery. Okay, one sec.”
He connects the cables to both cars, then starts his. He comes over to me and says, “Okay, try it again.”
My car starts and I’m relieved.
“Okay, we have to wait a few minutes before we can remove the cables.” He walks to the passenger side of my car and climbs in. “I was really hoping that call would be you saying you finally give in and that you can’t resist me.” He looks at me with that sexy, cheesy grin he has.
I roll my eyes. “Nope, no giving in here.”
He continues to smile at me. “Oh, but you will and I can’t wait.”
I ignore him. “How much do I owe you?”
He scrunches his face up. “For what?”
“Uh, for coming to start my car? This is what you do for a living.” I flick my hand to the side, gesturing between the vehicles.
He laughs. “Kitty, anyone could do what I just did. I don’t charge people for jumping their vehicles and definitely not you.”
“Kitty? That’s a new one.”
“Yep, always keeping you on your toes.”
“Okayyyy, well thank you for not charging me. I would offer you free coffee, but you’re already getting that now.” I shrug my shoulder and click my teeth with my tongue.
“I would say payment enough would be you giving me your number, but lucky me, I already have it.” He grins, then pauses for a few seconds. “Now that you mention it, I take it back. You can pay me.”
I cut my eyes at him. “You just said you don’t take payment for that sort of thing.”
“Yeah, I did. But I changed my mind. Go out on a date with me.” His smile brightens.
“Absolutely not. I’m not a prostitute.” My eyes bug out.
He coughs. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. I did not say I wanted you to fuck me for payment. I just said I want to take you out on a date.” He places his hand over mine on the center console. The way he says fuck makes me want to fuck.
Fuck.
I look down at where our hands are touching and quickly pull away. “I’m sorry. I can’t do that.” I look at the clock. “Fuck, I’m going to be late.”
He nods. “Okay, let me detach everything and you can be on your way.”
A few minutes later, he has everything put up. He closes my hood and I roll down my window as he comes up to it. He puts a hand on the roof, patting it like they do in those old films. He ducks down so that he’s at eye level with me. “Good to go. Be careful and if you need anything else, don’t hesitate to call.”
I smile at him. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“No problem.” He stares at me for a beat and pats the top of my car. “I’m not giving up. I know you want to give in. You’re living in denial, and that’s okay. But eventually, you’ll say yes and I promise you won’t regret it.” He smirks at me.
My heart picks up a beat. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
He laughs. “Good night, my little coffee bean.”
“Night.” I playfully roll my eyes and laugh as I pull off.
I see him watching me when I glance in the rearview mirror and drive away.