Allegiance - Chiah Wilder Page 0,26
he’d take to his bed— no strings attached, and no betrayals. Then she came along, and he didn’t know what the fuck was happening to him.
Lena laughed softly. “You look like you’re a million miles away.”
“No. Something got into my head just now.”
“I know how that goes. I hope you understand about me having to leave.”
“Yeah, sure. No problem.” He breathed out slowly. “I’ll drive you back to the bar.” He continued to hold out his hand, and this time, her fingers slid easily into his with little hesitation.
He led them toward the parking lot without a word. The whole time he could tell she was fighting with herself on whether or not to say anything else. She didn’t need to say a damn thing on his account. He could more than handle it. He was a big boy.
“Keys?”
She tossed them to him as he led her to the passenger side of the SUV.
“You didn’t even ask permission, you know,” She teased as she slid into the car, “to drive me back to the bar and to your mystery ride.”
“You would stop me if it made you uncomfortable.”
“How do you know that?”
“You’ve made your position very clear from the get-go, darlin’. At the engagement party, you took no prisoners.” He counted off on his fingers as he listed their various encounters. “When you saw me at the print shop. Tonight. We’re keeping this at a casual level. You’re nothing if not a wholesome dose of honesty, which I can appreciate. But, if it’ll make you feel better, is it okay if I drive your SUV?”
As if there was another option, she made him wait for it. While he leaned over her in the vehicle, she acted like she was thinking, taking her time.
“Any day now. It’s getting late.” He faked a yawn to make his point, and split into a grin when she hit him playfully in the side. “I might get too tired to do a damn thing, and then we’d be stuck here.”
“I’m still able-bodied, and I can still drive my own car. So no, we wouldn’t be stuck.”
“See? Calling me on my bullshit. Now let’s get going.”
Through the entire ride back to the bar, she didn’t take her hand back. But when he pulled into the back parking lot and cut the engine, she squeezed once and pulled away. No big deal. She was clearly wrestling with shit. And to be honest, so was he. He looked back at her again. She had her head down, her warm, chestnut eyes looking up at him through thick lashes. A small, shy smile curved her lips.
Fuck. It was like his heart stopped beating for a second.
His fingers flexed on the steering wheel. He sure as hell needed to say something, but there wasn’t a damn thing in his head. Instead, he eased back in the seat, slipped the keys out of the ignition, and dangled them across the console.
She took them from his hand, and he heard the small hitch in her breathing as their hands touched.
Lena coughed, clearing her throat. “Whatever this is, I need you to know that I’m not ready for anything else. I can’t handle” —she waved her hand between them— “this right now. Just so we’re clear.”
Considering he wasn’t comfortable with the crazy mix of emotions tearing through him, he was totally down with keeping things between them casual and friendly. The last thing he was looking for was a chick to grab hold of his balls and his heart, only to spit them out after the excitement and intensity of it all faded to ordinary. From his experiences with chicks—Trish in particular—they weren’t interested in everyday living. They wanted romance and excitement around the clock. But when reality burst that bubble, they looked to someone else for that high. Trish was already on husband number four, and she’d just turned thirty-one. So Lena wanted only friendship? No fuckin’ problem.
“Sure, I get it. No worries. You’ve got my number, and you know where I work. Keep in touch.”
She blinked, as if she’d expected him to try and convince her otherwise. With a quick nod, she opened the passenger side door and hopped out, which gave him ample opportunity to watch her ass and hips sway as she walked around the back and to the driver’s side. What could he say? Friends or not, he was a man who appreciated a woman’s body.
A small tap on the window made him pull the keys out of