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“Oh, look. A Good Samaritan.” Flippant was the name of the game to ruffle the unflappable Greyson Andrews.
“Don’t even think about it, Mari,” Grey warned.
Mari, not reina. I hadn’t been reina since Dominic had come home, and suddenly, that pissed me off.
“See you when you get here, Greyson.” I hung up and slipped a gun into my lap. The holsters on the sides of the seats had been a genius move. When he stopped annoying me, I planned to give Grey all the credit.
Officially armed, I rolled the window down a scant inch. Not even wide enough for someone to stick the barrel of a gun through. Caution, thy name is Marianna. “Can I help you?”
“I think that’s my line.”
My lips quirked. Funny. “Got a flat.”
“Saw that. Need a hand?” He nodded, shoving a hand through his hair. Straight, nearly sun-bleached, which was odd for someone in the Pacific Northwest. We saw more clouds than we did sun in any given year. A quick peek showed no visible tattoos, but that didn’t mean anything. What got me was the vibe he gave off. Wary and a little uncomfortable. Helpful, but also desperate to leave.
I didn’t, but I kind of wanted him to stay. A part of me was desperate to pick his brain apart. “My friends are nearly here.”
“Are they used to fixing up fancy cars like that, or are they going to have a problem?”
Ah, it was the money that made him uncomfortable. My eyes dipped down to the worn jeans that wrapped around his legs, lighter in the thighs where they obviously had more wear, all the way to the scuffed shoes. Name-brand, but basic model. He didn’t seem threatening, but I’d seen a woman who looked blissed out on heroin pop up and slaughter a man in cold blood. Her eyes went from clouded to clear in no time flat. To say I didn’t trust appearances was an understatement.
Still, suddenly the McLaren felt ostentatious. It was wealth with no meaning. It was a blatant flaunting of something I didn’t feel I’d earned. Of privilege. For the first time, I almost wished I were in a Honda. Something normal. Something this man wouldn’t look at like it was a viper waiting to strike.
Get your shit together, Mari.
“They’ll be fine. One of them is good with cars.”
It was true. Despite being a shithead, Dominic was incredible with a wrench. He’d built his first motorcycle at eleven with his father. He’d been about to start on mine when he and his mother had moved away.
The man nodded, taking another step away from me, and I didn’t like it. He called to me. “Do you want me to wait until they arrive?”
I did. I really did. Which was why I said, “No. I’ll be fine.”
“If you’re sure.” I didn’t respond, and he didn’t move. Finally, he sighed. “Look, I don’t feel good about leaving you out here by yourself. I’m going to head back to my car, but I can’t in good conscience leave until someone gets here for you. My mama would skin me for it.”
The man was nothing but nice. He hadn’t done or said anything to threaten me. In fact, just being around him made me the calmest I’d felt all week. But the idea of him moving out of my line of sight sent shivers down my back. I didn’t want to be wrong about him. “Actually, some help would be great.”
Then I hopped out of the car, tucking the gun back into the holster at my hip while the door blocked his view. At least if he came at me, I’d be armed.
“You know how to change a flat?” I asked, heading to the trunk.
“Sure do.”
I hummed as I got out the jack and the spare, stepping out of reach to watch. “Something else your mama taught you?”
He looked at me, eyes softer than they’d been before, and fuck, they were blue. Not the icy blue of a glacier or the soft blue of the sky. The blue of tropical waters. Warm water and sand between your toes. Something fruity in your glass. A vacation of comfort. I wanted to fall into them. “Something like that. I can teach you if you want.”
“I know how.”
His brows drew together. “Then why am I doing it?”
I laughed. “Two reasons. One, you asked. Two, I don’t trust men at my back.”
“Smart reasons.” He looked up at me again. “You have a beautiful laugh.”
I smiled. “Thank you. I occasionally let my brain cells rub together.”
Why was I talking to him? Why couldn’t I walk away? Why did I feel more normal than I ever had in my life? Like the weight of the world lifted right off my shoulders.
