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“Which one is yers?” He gestures at the vehicles. I wish I had a car, but that’s a little out of my price range. Plus, there’s terrible parking near my apartment.
“I got the bus.” I shrug, pointing a finger at the bus stop across the road. “Have a good night.”
Throwing a smile over my shoulder, I glance at the road, but no cars are coming – it’s late, I wouldn’t expect it to be busy –and step off the curb.
His hand shoots out, grasping my upper arm and jerking me back to him. Shit. My breath hitches at the contact, especially since he’s been driving me crazy all night with his eyes.
He notices my change in breathing, his emerald eyes darkening to jade as his eyes dip to my lips for the briefest moment.
“I’ll give ye a lift home, lass,” he rumbles. I shiver at the undercurrent of authority in his voice. “Ye’ll not be getting the bus at this time of night. Where d’ye live?”
“Southie.”
He doesn’t even blink, nodding and steering me into the staff parking lot to a dark SUV. He hits a key in his pocket, and the lights flash as it unlocks. I can’t believe he’s going to drive me to Southie. It’s so far.
Before I can ask him if he’s sure, he holds the passenger door open for me. Blushing, I grasp the door handle to climb in, swallowing a needy gasp as his fingers close around my elbow, helping me inside.
He waits until I clip the belt before he closes the door. It’s silent in the SUV as my eyes track his movement around the hood and watch him climb in.
“Where in Southie, lass?”
I’m sure I’m not supposed to give out my address to random men – Dad’s voice is quietly fluttering somewhere in the back of my mind – but it’s easy to ignore as I tell him what he wants to know.
Nodding, he pulls out of the parking lot, his eyes sweeping over the unmarked dark sedan. He totally knows they’re cops, but he ignores them, heading for Southie while I toy with the zipper of my pocketbook.
During the trip to my apartment, the car is silent, making the intense sexual tension ramp up to an eleven. Finally, we park at the curb in the loading zone in front of my building. He leans closer to me as he peers through my window at the front door, six yards away.
I open my mouth to thank him for the lift when he slides out of the SUV, rounding the hood and opening my door. My cheeks heat up. How gentlemanly. His fingers close around my elbow as he helps me climb down. Thankfully, I don’t make any wicked embarrassing noises this time, though my cheeks flame.
I miss the feeling of his hand on my elbow immediately as he releases it, walking me right to the door of my building. As we mount the small brick stoop, he hesitates.
“Have a good night, lass. I’ll see ye tomorrow.”
Wait? That’s all? Disappointment courses through me as he nods, turning back to his vehicle.
“Thanks for the lift. Hey!” I call after him, my hand resting on the door handle. He turns back to me with surprise in his eyes. “What’s your name?”
“Niall,” he replies, his eyes burning into mine. “Niall Byrne.”
It suits him. “Thanks, Niall.”
But he doesn’t hear my words, already moving back to his SUV. I watch him climb in, but he doesn’t drive off. The window where I had been sitting lowers.
“Inside, lass,” he calls through the window. Wow. Very much a gentleman. Grinning, I raise a hand to wave to him. He doesn’t respond, staring at me through the window until I wrench the door open, stepping inside.
The door closes behind me, and through the glass top half, I watch his window raise, and the SUV pulls away from the curb, the taillights visible as the dark vehicle melts into the night.
What a night. Dashing up the stairs, I let myself into my crappy apartment, dropping my bag on the small, square kitchen table. Opening the creaky fridge, I grab a soda, flipping off the lights as I move down the narrow hallway and drop onto the springless sofa, popping the top off the bottle.
I don’t bother to turn on the TV. I curl my feet below me, grabbing a throw pillow and hugging it to my chest as I sip the icy, fizzy drink.
My eyes flutter closed, my head tipping and resting on the back of the sofa. A small smile flutters across my lips. Niall Byrne. My savior.
