and a blazer, leaning against my car like all my wildest teenage fantasies had come true.
He flashed a teasing smile and stood to his full height, shoving his hands deep in his pockets.
“I’m your personal bodyguard until Ravager is found and all the bullshit passes.”
“Is that how it works? Bullshit actually passes?” Not that I was complaining about spending more time with Terry. It would be a particularly unique form of torture, but maybe it would cure me of these lustful images in my head I had of him.
“So, you’re my bodyguard…forever?”
He shrugged. “I guess you’re stuck with me.”
“There are worse people to be stuck with.” I snickered at his words. “Impressive lengths you’ll go to just to get close to me, Stalker.”
His deep laugh bounced off the hot concrete as he held his hand out, waiting impatiently for me to hand over the keys. “Don’t worry, Kitty Kat, you can ignore me the way you always do.”
That pulled an unladylike bark of laughter from deep in my gut. Ignore him, as if I could.
“If I could ignore you, Terry, I’d be a lot less bothered by you.”
Hot and bothered was more like it, but since he didn’t return my feelings there was no way in hell that I’d ever say that out loud.
“So, I bother you,” he asked and slipped behind the steering wheel with a teasing smile that sent a bolt of electricity through my entire body.
“You know you do,” I grumbled and slid into the passenger seat, focusing on my seatbelt rather than the problem of being so physically close to this man but no closer to making him mine.
“Sorry,” he said, not sounding sorry at all.
“Yeah, right,” I snorted and motioned for him to get the car moving. “Come on slow poke, we’re burning daylight.”
Terry barked out a laugh that startled me. “Damn, woman, you sound so much like your old man sometimes I have to look behind me to make sure he’s not looking over my shoulder.”
His words brought a smile to my face. My dad was a son of a bitch most of the time but he was smart as hell when it came to most things. Things, at least, that didn’t involve gambling.
“Thanks. I think.”
“Oh, it’s a definite compliment. Your old man had his flaws, but he was a character and he knew people.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “He really did. Except for that one fucking blind spot,” I growled, thinking of how often we’d hosted priests and other church elders for dinners, fundraisers and the like.
Terry’s grip tightened on the steering wheel and his jaw muscles clenched so hard I thought I’d be able to hear the grinding of his teeth. He knew what I meant.
“Yeah well, that’s some mighty effective brainwashing they do and it’s fucking difficult to overcome.”
It was. “We managed fine. Eventually.”
His scowl vanished and, in its place, a smile bloomed. “It took us misfits some time, but yeah, we managed to deprogram ourselves.”
Both of us fell silent for a few miles, lost in thought about how our fucked-up childhoods had led us here.
“Now Kat, let’s talk more about how much you’re hot and bothered by me.”
Laughter burst out of me so fast, I snorted. “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”
“It’s all part of my charm, Kitty Kat.”
“Charm. Is that what you’re calling it these days?”
He gave an exaggerated nod and pulled into the underground parking garage with a smile. “Damn straight. You’re charmed, aren’t you?”
Yeah, I was, dammit. “Maybe. Keep trying and I’ll let you know when I’m fully charmed, Terry.”
His deep chuckle vibrated in the confines of the car, and I felt each reverberation deep in my belly and shooting out through my nipples. It was so bad I clenched my thighs and slammed my eyes shut to stop the wave of desire that flowed through me.
“You know what, Kat? I just might do that.”
Oh please for the love of Irish whiskey, please don’t let this man try to charm me further. I didn’t think I could handle it.
“I’ll be sure to hold my breath.”
Terry laughed again as he slid into my reserved parking spot and stepped out of the car, the sound he left behind nearly as potent as his scent.
“I don’t mind if you hold your breath, princess.” He flashed a smile and held out a hand to help me from the car. “Blue is a great color on you from what I remember.”
Yeah, I shuddered at his compliment and the heat in his eyes, but I also