as I'd offered Mina a helping hand to climb off the car. And then, I'd picked up Mina's things.
As for the brunette, we'd left her standing on the sidewalk with her fallen nuts. For all I knew, she was still there.
Or not.
I didn't know, and I didn't care.
To Mina, I said, "So, you do that a lot?"
With a weak laugh, she replied, "What, 'hump' my car?"
At the word hump, something stirred in my pants. The word was pure vanilla with nearly no spice. It wasn't even X-rated. And yet, from Mina's lips, it was getting more attention than it deserved.
Mina had a nice voice, sweet and sexy, even more so because unlike Yoga Pants, she wasn't trying to be. And for my part, well, let's just say I hadn't been getting the action I was used to.
Sure, the change-up was my own decision – a long-overdue hiatus to clear my head.
It was a good call. But my other head – meaning the one in my pants – was having a hard time seeing it the same.
As far as the car-humping, it hadn't looked that way to me – which meant that Yoga Pants was either crazier than Mina, or had said it to make Mina's shitty situation just a little shittier.
Back in high school, my own car had been older than Mina's, and I was no stranger to being stranded.
And like Mina, I didn't stand around bitching about it either. I just did what needed doing – changing a tire, jump-starting the battery, or hell, even hitching a ride if it came that.
Mina might be crazy, but she was no slacker – and no complainer either. In my book, that earned her a lot of points, even if she was on the crazy side.
I said, "So, with the car, what happened?"
"Nothing, really. I just locked my keys inside. That's all."
"And you don't have a spare?"
"Sure, but not on me."
Obviously. "And no one to bring you one?"
If true, this was a surprise. The way Mina had talked during her presentation, I'd gotten the impression she had plenty of people she could call in a pinch. Friends, family, whoever.
Apparently not.
What was that about?
She replied, "Sure, there's people I could've called."
"But you didn't. Why?"
She hesitated. "I'd better not say."
Now that was unexpected. Normally, women jumped to answer whatever I asked – and do whatever I asked, too.
Hell, most of the time, I didn't have to ask.
I gave Mina another glance. Was she being coy? I didn't think so.
Now I was more curious. But I wasn't one to beg for secrets, and I didn't plan to start now.
I leaned back in the driver's seat. Earlier, I'd input her home address into my GPS. According to the screen, we had nineteen minutes until we arrived at her destination.
Something buzzed in her purse – her cell phone, obviously. She gave a little jump, but made no move to answer it.
I said, "Hey, don't let me stop you."
I wasn't being polite. I was curious to see how she interacted with other people.
Maybe she was only crazy with me.
Hey, it wouldn’t be the first time.
She shook her head. "Nah, that's okay. But thanks."
I gave the GPS another glance. Eighteen minutes. This should have been a good thing. And yet, my foot wasn't seeing it the same way. It eased off the gas, and the car slowed accordingly.
This wasn't like me. And it was her doing.
Ever since our first encounter, she'd been on my mind more than made sense.
Even what I was doing now – giving her a ride home – it wasn't something I'd normally do. And I sure as hell wouldn’t have insisted on it.
Normally, if I were feeling nice and wanted to get someone where they needed to go, I'd pay for a service.
But with Mina, I hadn't.
Instead, I was driving her personally.
And Mina? She was driving me nuts.
I couldn’t even say why.
Our first meeting had been a total shit-show. I'd been rude as fuck. And if I were the kind of guy to apologize, I might've told her by now that I was sorry for being such a dick.
But she hadn't asked for an apology, and I saw no reason to offer one now, after she'd let it slide.
When the phone buzzed again, I asked, "You want me to get it?"
"Sure," she laughed. "As long as you tell her what she wants to hear."
It was an obvious joke. And yet, I sensed a note of worry under the surface.
I didn't like it. "Her?"
She sighed. "My