Stormy Surrender - By Nicole Andrews Moore Page 0,56
getting as far away from her as possible, he gathered her in his arms. And then, though she had been tense and stiff and angry, having him wrapped around her, that warmth, his scent...some mixture of soap and deodorant and man…the way her head fit so nicely tucked under his chin, she could just feel it all just dissipate. She breathed a few more times, and then looked up at him, since he didn’t seem likely to release her any time soon.
“What was that for?” She was calm now. And that sense of impending doom seemed so much farther away than it had before.
“You looked like you needed it.” He spoke seriously and evenly.
Leaning her head against his chest once more, she murmured, “Good eye.”
The crew would be returning from lunch soon. Their alone time would be over. Worse, if anyone saw this, the women of the town would be up in arms. He smirked as he imagined Keely toilet papering his house or Laurel egging it. Reluctantly, he released her from his embrace. “So when do you leave for Vermont?” He asked.
“I took your advice. I won’t be heading out until next week. Why?” She leaned against her orange best of a vehicle and kicked at a stone with the toe of her black ballet flat. The sharp stone bit into her toe through the thin fabric, but at the moment it didn’t matter.
“Well, I thought of something else that we need to do before you go.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. He waited to see if she was going to say anything. When she didn’t, he just finished his thought. “Let’s go get you a different vehicle, something that is more you.”
A smile spread across her face. He knew she was interested. “I don’t know how it worked in Vermont, but we should be able to get you a new vehicle today. Then…I’ll buy you dinner in Charlotte. How about that?”
They arrived at the car dealership within the hour. And while she walked the lot at CarMax, she could see that he was studying her. It was all she could do to try to imagine her in any of them. She pressed her face to the glass. She studied the pricing and features on the sticker. She walked around and studied the color and the shape.
“Want to sit in any of them?” He asked her.
Marti looked up at him and smiled. “I don’t know what I want. I mean…I really have no idea.” She sighed. “Okay, I’ve never chosen a car before. Blaine always picked the vehicles. Cars were his area. I took care of the house, remodeling, decorating, all that.”
“I guessed that. When it came to picking what you wanted for the house, you knew exactly the products and colors. It was nice.” He smiled at her as he looked over her shoulder at a salesman walking their way. He waved the man away before he could even get close.
“Thanks for that. Oh, and thank you for whatever you did to get all the materials here so quickly.” She walked toward a blue Ford Escape. “I don’t know how you managed it. I thought that the windows would have to be special ordered. I asked for some pretty specialty stuff and yet you were able to fulfill my wishes so quickly.
He walked around to the other side of the vehicle. Somehow he knew that she was someone he’d never be able to lie to, someone, he’d never be able to keep a secret from, someone, he’d never want to. It was strange and new. Once again he found himself lost in thought, comparing Marti and Finn. At the car lot, Finn would have wanted the flashiest, sports car she could find. Everything about her was designed to draw attention. She fed off of that like no one he had ever known. And he never felt guilty in the least about lying to Finn. He knew…he absolutely knew that she lied to him. How many times had he caught her out when she was supposed to be in studying? How many times had he tried to surprise her only to be shocked to discover she was out at a party with friends…usually male friends?
“You were just lucky,” he said slowly. “Someone ordered those for a project that was never completed. And you are benefiting. It’s that simple.”
“Oh, that makes me sad,” she said seriously as she walked around.