Page 17 of Burn With Me

Like a date.

Ugh.

Sighing, I glanced at myself one last time in the rearview mirror. I wasn’t sure about the fat curls that Beck insisted on putting in my hair. I felt like a fluffy pixie as a few of the curls bounced around my face while the rest of my hair was twisted up on top of my head. I mean, what was this, a casting for Tinkerbell?

I didn’t mind the way she’d done my makeup, though. It wasn’t overdone, but it did make my eyes pop. This dress, on the other hand…I was terrified to get out of my jeep. The thing was so short that I was pretty sure I was going to flash the world like I was after a tabloid picture for the paparazzi.

“Okay, you got this, Vi,” I said as I spotted West’s truck pull into the station parking lot.

Stepping out of my Jeep, I smoothed down the pink dress that Beck insisted I wear. I felt like all I needed was thigh-high boots, and I could’ve auditioned for the part of Pretty Woman. The little material clung way too tight, and my hand itched to pull at the bottom. Oh, how I wished it was at least six inches longer. I didn’t even need to look down to know that I was showing off way more cleavage than I normally would, and I desperately wished I had a hoodie to pull over the outfit and cover myself up.

All hail the grunge look.

“Wow, I was thinking of a burger and fries, but that dress screams surf and turf.”

I slowly turned to face West, well, Asher. After only a bit of digging, I’d learned that was his first name. Why did that name fit him so well? Maybe because it screamed that he was made for television.

“You didn’t bother sticking around long enough to give me a dress code. I assumed that when you con a girl into having dinner, it would at least have wine.” I reached for the handle of my vehicle. “I could go home instead. Trust me. This is not what I would prefer to be wearing.”

“I guess it would be a shame if all that went to waste,” he said, his eyes quickly scanning over my outfit and making me want to squirm.

“That?” I lifted a brow at him and grabbed the handle to yank open my door.

Screw this.

His hand stopped my door from opening.

“I’m sorry. You look beautiful, really. Like smokin’ hot beautiful. I just like bantering with you.” I turned and realized how close he suddenly was. I could feel the heat coming off him, and it froze me in place and made my pulse spike.

He reminded me of a lion or some other large predatory animal. It was the way his eyes searched mine while his powerful body loomed over me. Swallowing hard, my eyes locked with his.

“You give it as good as you take it. I like that. Very few are willing to put me in my place, but I have a feeling you’re more than willing to push back.” His eyes flicked to my lips, and I couldn’t stop myself from licking them.

I couldn’t tell if he was flirting or simply stating a fact, but it felt like every word was licking its way up my legs. My heart hammered like a drum as I continued to stare into his eyes. I needed to come up with a coherent sentence, and yet very few words were coming to mind other than, ‘holy fuck me, you’re hot.’ Thankfully, I didn’t blurt that out.

“Okay, Asher West, where did you want to go then?” I managed to get out and sound like an intelligent human.

Those electric blue eyes danced as a smile played on his lips. “So, you figured out my name.”

“Of course I did. I’m a good investigator.” I smirked and then laughed, unable to hold a straight face. “Wasn’t that tough. I typed your last name into the internal database. Thanks for being annoying, though, and making me do that.” My tone was sarcastic as hell, and it was a good thing.

He smiled wide and showed off that he had not just one sexy dimple but two. Of course, he had two sexy dimples that magically made him more delicious. Never mind the strange pull his personality had. It was like he was a magnet slowly sucking me toward him. I didn’t like it, and I didn’t like this out-of-control butterfly feeling or my sweaty palms. Geez-us, all I could think about was how to talk him into fucking me in his truck. This was insane and wasn’t me.

“All right, oh, brilliant investigator, I know this great place on the water where this dress will not go to waste.”

He glanced at my hand still on the handle of my Jeep door, and it felt like he was testing me. Would I let go or not? I so wanted to hang on to see what he would do, but it didn’t seem like the time or place to continue pushing his buttons. Yeah, I could admit that I was enjoying our little game of tug-o-war. Letting go of the handle, I hit the lock button and dropped my keys into the way too-tiny clutch that Beck lent me.

“Right this way, your chariot awaits.” Asher’s hand gently grazed my arm as he held his arm out dramatically toward the truck.

I didn’t know if it was intentional, but it sent a rocket of heat soaring through my body. I took a steadying breath and followed along beside him.

“I’ll be honest, I kind of pictured you as a flashy sports car kind of guy,” I said as I stared at the conservative pick-up truck. The only thing flashy on it was the fancy chrome rims and black-out windows.

“Disappointed?”

“Hardly. I was trying to figure out how I was going to fold myself into a low sports car without flashing the world.”

Asher laughed. The sound was smooth like butter, creating this thick warm feeling inside me, like sweet caramel that had been seasoned with sea salt. Great, now all I could picture was him drizzled with caramel sauce and licking it off.