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It did, but it was a small dent. Hardly noticeable. Janel brushed her cousin’s comment aside, stepped off the sidewalk, and walked with purpose toward her next adventure. Acquiring that sweet little car that she would name Liza. Rica grumbled, but followed.
* * *
“Slow down!” Rica squealed as Janel took a curve a bit too fast.
“Oopsie!” she conceded with a wide grin and eased up on the gas pedal. This driving wasn’t so hard after all and Liza was a dream to drive.
“Oh, my God, we are going to die!” Rica wailed, throwing her hands in the air before clutching the door handle and seatbelt in her hands as Janel passed a slow-moving car.
She whipped back in front of it in plenty of time for the oncoming vehicle to pass. Both cars blew their horns and Janel smiled and waved. This was the friendliest town. “You’re being a might dramatic.”
Rica squealed and caught one of the bags flying over from the back seat. “Are you kidding me? You just cut that car off while almost running headfirst into another car. Before that, you almost hit three cars, and that man crossing the road had to run for his life to get out of your way!”
So, there was a learning curve. “Fine. I may have miscalculated a smidge, but I have to learn.”
“Not at the expense of our lives and others!”
“We’re almost home. It will be fine.” Janel turned into their driveway and she may have made the turn a bit too fast.
“Slow down, Janel!” Rica screamed. Again.
Startled, Janel’s foot slid off the gas and she slammed it down on the pedal. However, the one she pushed happened to be the gas and not the brake. Liza shot forward and crashed into the side of the neighbor’s garage where they came to an abrupt stop with a loud boom. The car rocked violently back and forth before the engine died.
Shit, shit, shit!
“Are you okay?” she asked Rica.
“I’m fine, but I don’t think the neighbor’s house is.”
The sound of an engine had Janel looking in the rearview mirror. “Oh, no. It’s him, but that’s not all.”
Their security team was right behind the scowling neighbor.
“What are we going to do?” Rica asked, picking up on the calamity about to happen.
“You go stop Theo and Haris from interfering, and call my dad. I’m sure the incident has already been reported and he’ll be concerned. Tell him we are fine. I’ll handle Mr. Grumpy.”
“Great. I get to face the wrath of Uncle Ki all on my own. Just so you know, I am never riding with you again.”
Rica had just gotten out of the car when the driver’s side door was thrown open. A big muscley arm reached in, turned off the ignition, and took the keys.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Janel tried to jump from the car in protest, but her seatbelt jerked her back. Once she’d unbuckled, she sprang from the car and momentarily forgot why she was standing there.
Just one word. Wow.
Janel had grown up around handsome men. Every single SuMartra man could be considered strikingly handsome, but this man…was hot. She’d seen him last night, but she hadn’t seen him. His shoulders were broad and she doubted he could even get in Liza. He had on the same leather vest, a black leather coat on top, and worn blue denim jeans and thick black lace-up boots on his large feet. His green eyes flared with anger as he stared her down.
He had to be six-three, maybe even six-four. Most of the men in her family were tall, but this guy had an edge over them. His beard wasn’t neatly trimmed and maintained like she was used to seeing. Instead, it had a wild, carefree mind of its own, along with his long, windswept, dark brown hair.
Standing with his feet shoulder width apart and his hands on his hips, he reminded Janel of Aquaman, the superhero in a movie her nieces and nephews loved to watch. She smiled at the comparison.
“What the hell?” he demanded.
“I’m afraid I hit your house just a smidge,” she confessed with a charming smile.
“Just a smidge? What in God’s name is a smidge? I’ll tell you what it isn’t. My house!” He reached up and pulled a now oddly positioned brick out and several more followed.
Her gaze went to the now crumbling corner of his garage. She had made a mess of it. She caught herself staring at his hands and the edges of a tattoo peeking from beneath his cuff. She wondered what else his clothes hid. She’d like to find out.
