Hot and Bothered - Erika Wilde Page 0,5
of her neck and his thumbs grazed the soft skin beneath her jaw. Time seemed suspended as their gazes met, hers reflecting a flare of heat that burned through his veins. People walked past them, but he was oblivious to anything but her.
It was the first time he’d touched her in any way, and the connection was inherently intimate and wholly sensual. Her lips were parted, and he ached to pull her into his arms, lower his mouth to hers and claim the kiss he’d forfeited earlier in the bar.
As if sensing his intent, she stepped back, and he automatically dropped his hands away and cleared his throat. Before she could flat-out turn him down again, he lightly grasped her elbow and ushered her toward the parking lot, which was located across the street from Murphy’s. “Come on, I’m walking you to your car, and I’m not taking no for an answer so don’t waste your breath arguing.”
She relaxed and smiled, and they walked by the other storefronts along the street to the intersection.
“You know, we could consider this nice, casual stroll to your car a first date,” he suggested, only half joking. He’d take a date with her any way he could get one.
She thrust her hands deep into her jacket pockets and slanted him a sly look. “Ah, so you do have an ulterior motive other than seeing me safely to my car.”
“A very harmless motive, I swear.” He held up his hands and attempted to look innocent. “We could head over to Starbucks and get a coffee and just talk about the weather if you’d like.”
An incredulous burst of laughter escaped her. “The weather? Are you serious?”
He shrugged and winked at her. “I wouldn’t want our first date to be too personal.”
She chewed on her full bottom lip, looking torn, then said, “Noah, I can’t.”
The light at the intersection was red, and Noah pushed the button to give them the right of way, unwilling to give up on her so easily this time. “Not even one coffee? I promise no hand-holding or kissing.”
That made her smile again, but her next words shot down his hopes. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got a big test on Monday I need to study for.”
“We could have a study date,” he suggested. “There are a few things I’m really good at teaching.”
“I’m not going to touch that one,” she murmured huskily. Hearing someone approach from behind, she glanced over her shoulder briefly, then back at Noah. “You don’t give up, do you?”
Something in her expression had changed in those few seconds, and there was now a troubled glint in her eyes that caught his attention, but he didn’t understand its source. Wanting to soothe her sudden anxiety, he picked up her hand and drew a lazy pattern on her palm with his index finger. “I’d give up if you told me to get lost and meant it.”
She stared at him, then shook her head, sending her hair brushing across her shoulders. “You’re way too—”
“Irresistible?” He graced her with one of his enticing grins that never failed to score him extra points with the opposite sex.
The light changed to green, the cars on the street stopped, and they stepped off the curb to cross, severing the contact of their joined hands. “I was thinking more along the lines of persistent.”
He laughed. “Hey, I do have a few faults.”
She seemed distracted enough not to hear or appreciate his attempt at humor. The footsteps behind them sounded closer, and this time when she looked behind them, Noah saw her stiffen, then she hastened her steps.
He lengthened his stride to keep up. She’d piqued not only his concern but his PI instincts, and he glanced back, too, and saw a man about ten yards away, wearing a sweatshirt, jeans, and a baseball cap. The lighting in the area was adequate, but the bill of the cap cast a shadow over half his face. The hairs on the back of Noah’s neck prickled with awareness, and every investigative intuition he possessed came to full alert.
By the time they reached the other side of the street, she was nearly jogging, trying to escape a danger he didn’t understand. His only thought was to grab her to keep her close and make sure she felt safe with him. Whatever had set her off, there was no way he’d let anything or anyone harm her.
Latching onto her upper arm, he forced her to stop. The street lamp overhead illuminated the