Sneak Peek of Need
LULU
“Stupid car.” I kick the tire, hating the potholes that never seem to go away, but only grow bigger.
I didn’t even see the damn thing before my entire brain was jarred from the motion and my tire popped.
“Damn it.” I bend down, staring at the rim. It’s bent. This isn’t going to be a simple change-the-tire job that I could do myself.
I don’t really have time to deal with this today. I have a meeting with a client in two hours to go over the whole-house organization package she purchased from me yesterday. Business has really started to take off lately, especially since I began posting my work on social media. I need a car to get around the city to meet with clients and take my supplies.
I grab my phone from the passenger seat and dial the number for roadside assistance. The nice woman tells me someone will be to me within a half hour. Freaking great, but at least it won’t be longer.
Me: My tire’s blown.
Tate: Oh no. Want me to come get you?
The last thing I want is for Tate to come rescue me. She is a new mom and has bigger responsibilities than bailing me out for a stupid tire.
Me: No. Roadside is on the way.
Nino: What happened?
Me: Pothole.
Mason: Hate them. It’s why I won’t get a car.
He’s lying. The boy is cheap, and he hates parting with his money for just about everything.
Amelia: At least your heater still works.
I crank it up, thankful that the car is still running since it’s barely above freezing. Spring can’t come soon enough.
Zoey: Lemme know where you’re headed, and I’ll pick you up.
Me: Can I borrow your car for the day?
Zoey: Sure thing. I’m working at the bar later.
Brax: I’ll give you a ride home after work.
I love my family. Sure, they are a pain in the ass sometimes, but they are the best. Doesn’t matter what kind of shit I get myself into, someone is always there to pull me out.
Me: Thanks, cousin.
Tate: Let us know when the tow is there.
Me: Will do .
I close the group chat and open my favorite app, reading through the comments on my latest post about my last job. Each video reaches a bigger audience, and although I still have a small following, it’s no less exciting to see it grow.
I lose track of time on the side of the highway, trying to ignore the cars whizzing by me at such a fast speed that they could demolish my car with a mere swipe of the side.
Don’t think about it, Lulu. You’ll be fine. You’re not going to die today.
I glance up as the rumble of a diesel engine hits my ear. The tow truck pulls in front of me and slowly backs up, stopping a few feet away.
Put a smile on your face.
Men like smiles, for some weird reason. I’ve been told I have a solid resting bitch face, and I need to remind myself to smile when I’m hoping someone else doesn’t treat me like a douchebag. Not just any someone, but men. Women never care if I’m smiling or wearing a scowl, but any other facial expression seems to set most men on edge. Fragile egos.
I climb out of the car as the tow door opens, and a man steps out who looks big enough to block out the sun. “Ma’am,” he says in the deepest, gravelly voice.
I crane my neck upward, following his torso until I can get a good look at his face. “Sir,” I reply, always hating being called ma’am. I’m not old enough for that shit, but I’m more than willing to throw it back at them, hoping it rubs them the wrong way too.
The sunshine is almost blinding with the snow everywhere, and I have to shade my eyes with my hands to be able to focus on his face.
Damn. He’s a stunner. He looks like he hiked down the mountain this morning after chopping a pile of wood and starting a fire by rubbing two sticks together. He’s too manly to use a lighter or even flint. My mouth instantly waters at the fullness of his lips that are visible even though his beard is thick.
“Where’s the issue?”
I point toward the front passenger side, unable to move from behind my door. My eyes follow his movement, soaking in his hotness.
I hate winter. It hides everything. I can’t tell what his body looks like underneath his heavy coat, and I sure as hell can’t see his ass because the coat’s too long.
“That’s going to need a tow.”
I don’t mutter duh, but it’s on my lips. It’s why I called him. “Oh no,” I say, putting on the stupid-woman act, hoping it’ll get this entire ordeal over sooner rather than later.
“Why don’t you give me the keys and hop up in the truck to stay warm.”
“Keys are in the car,” I tell him. “Lemme grab my purse.” I bend over, reaching across the front seat to snag my purse and phone. I glance through the windshield, and we lock eyes.
The air rushes from my lungs as I soak in his sky-blue eyes. Is there anything about this man that isn’t good? Maybe he has nasty teeth, and it’ll instantly ruin any fantasy I’m building with him in my mind.
“Act normal,” I tell myself as I pull my upper body out of my car. “Don’t embarrass yourself, Lulu.”
I keep my eyes forward, not looking over at him as I start to head toward the passenger side of the tow truck. I’m doing my best to walk and not fall in the snow when I hear the man yell, “Watch out!”
Suddenly, I’m tumbling into the snow with a heavy weight on top of me, and the loudest crash I’ve ever heard in my life is ringing in my ears.
When I come to a stop, I’m on my back and looking up into the eyes of the hot, burly guy. “Are you okay?” he asks, his eyes searching mine.
“What happened?”
Our mouths are a few inches away, so close I can feel his warm, minty breath against my face. “A car hit yours.”
I glance to the side where my car is—or, I should say, was. “Fuck,” I groan, slamming my head back into the snow and squeezing my eyes shut.
If my day was bad before, it just got worse.
“Are you hurt?” the burly tow truck driver asks me again.
“I don’t think so.” But that doesn’t mean tomorrow I won’t feel the tumble deep down in my muscles.
“Fuck. That was close.”
Then it hits me. I was standing right where the car must’ve sideswiped mine, missing his tow truck but sending my car off into the woods on the side of the highway.
“You saved me,” I breathe, my fingers touching his jeans somewhere near his ass.
“I couldn’t let you die.”
“You could’ve,” I argue.
This handsome man stares down at me and, with a straight face, says, “Darlin’, what kind of man would I be if I let you die right in front of my eyes if I could save your life?”
“One who has an overwhelming sense of self-preservation,” I tell him.
Would I have done the same? I’m a good person, but I don’t know if I could literally jump toward a moving car to save a stranger, even a hot one.
He smirks at my statement as he pushes himself off me and then holds out a hand to me.
I don’t hesitate in taking his hand and being pulled up from the ground like I weigh nothing.
God, I love strong men. Smart is a bonus, but strong…that gets my motor running. Maybe that will change as I get older, but for right now, it is high up there on the list of important qualities I want in a man. Is it stupid? Probably, but I don’t give a crap .
When my eyes move to where my car used to be, I suck in a breath as the realization crashes over me. A minute earlier and I would’ve been bending over, half inside, half outside to grab my purse. A few minutes before that and I would’ve been completely inside, waiting for the lumberjack tow truck driver to get here.
“Don’t worry,” the guy says at my side. “I have a dashcam. We’ll find out who that asshole was.”
I hadn’t even realized the person never stopped after demolishing my car like he meant to do it. “Damn,” I mutter, shaking my head. “Why would they leave?”
“A bunch of reasons. Maybe they were drunk or had an outstanding warrant.”
“Asshole,” I whisper and turn my gaze toward Mr. Burly. “Not you. Them.” I fling my arm out toward the pieces of my car that stayed where the entire thing used to be.
He reaches into his pocket, fishing out his phone. “That they are, darlin’. I’ll call this in.”
“Call it in?” I ask, totally missing that he called me darlin’. In any other time, those words would’ve made my belly flutter, but right now, I was knee-deep in shock.
“The police.”
I nod as he lifts the phone to his ear. “Right,” I mutter, and I am happy at least one of us is thinking clearly .
I turn my body, staring out across the highway, and watch the cars move past in a blur. I’ve never been that close to dying before. If he hadn’t tackled me, I wouldn’t be breathing right now. It all happened in the blink of an eye, and that is the scariest part of it. One minute you’re here, and the next…you’re not.
“They’re on the way.”
“Thanks,” I say, my voice soft compared to the buzz of the traffic.
The man touches my back so gently, I almost don’t feel it. “Why don’t you wait in the truck. It’s not safe to stand here.”
I can’t argue with him. His point was proven a few minutes ago. “Okay,” I say, sounding more like a zombie than myself.
My feet move on their own, trusting this man with every fiber of my being. He guides me toward the passenger door of his giant tow truck, which looks more like a tank compared to my cute little sports car.
“Up you go,” he says after opening the door for me and moving his hand from my back to my arm. “You’ll be safer in here.”
“Yeah,” I whisper, grabbing the bar inside the truck to haul myself up. I’m not a short girl, but this truck makes me feel dainty and little.
As soon as I’m situated, staring straight ahead, he closes the door and walks around the truck, talking to himself.
As much as this is a pain for me, I’m sure he didn’t have this on his bingo card today. What was supposed to be a simple job has now made him into a witness to a crime.
“I called my partner to tow your car out of the woods,” he says as he settles into the seat next me. “His truck is built better for going off-road.”
His partner. I should’ve known he was too good looking to be straight. Damn it.
“Thanks,” I say again, but I don’t think I can say it enough. There’s so much to thank him for, specifically me still being alive.
“You wet?” he asks.
I snap my head to the side, and my eyes widen. “What?”
“Are you wet?” he asks again.
I blink a few times in even more shock than I was when I almost died. “Excuse me?” I finally say.
“From the snow,” he explains, looking at me like I have three eyes.
“Oh,” I whisper. Of course my mind went into the gutter. It’s hard for it not to with the mountain man next to me. I just need to get through this day without making a complete idiot of myself.