“I didn’t bring them, on account of the fact I didn’t expect to be walking home,” I admitted.
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“Why would I call you?”
He took both of my hands in his and rubbed them together. “I would have picked you up.”
“Why would you have picked me up?”
Austin frowned again. “Let’s get you inside.”
“Wait,” I said, trying to pull my hands from his. He just held them tighter. “What are you doing here?”
“Babe.” He looked at me like I was touched in the head. “I’m bringing you your car.”
“I feel like you and I are having a huge failure to communicate,” I grumbled.
He waved his hand toward my apartment. “Let’s talk inside.”
“You’re coming inside?”
“Not talkin’ to you out here in the cold.” He gave me his sexy smile. “‘Course, we don’t have to talk at all. Up to you.”
I let out a quiet huff. “I don’t know what you want from me.”
“Come on. Let’s get you warm,” he said.
I had a feeling he wasn’t going to leave, so I nodded and led him upstairs. Unlocking the door, I stepped inside and turned on the light. Austin closed and locked the door behind us and I shrugged out of my coat. He threw his jacket on the chair by the television, but kept his vest on.
“Why don’t you talk like a thug?” I blurted out.
He chuckled. “I’m sorry?”
“Nothing. Just ignore me.” I dropped my purse on the chair by the door. “Do you want some wine?”
“Got beer?”
“Um, maybe. I’ll look.” I stepped into the kitchen to see if Elliot had left anything the last time he’d come for dinner. I pushed the milk to the side and found three bottles of my brother’s favorite Portland brew, hoping Austin would like it. I grabbed one, opened it, and then poured the last of the red I’d been drinking over the past few days into a glass.
I walked back into the living room to find Austin lounging on my sofa, his booted feet up on my coffee table, television remote in his hand, flipping through stations and looking like he owned the place. He smiled at me and reached out his hand to take the beer. “Thanks, babe.”
I handed him the bottle and shook my head as I sat in the chair next to the sofa.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
He patted the cushion next to him. “Come here.”
“Um, no, I’m good right here. Thanks,” I said, and sipped my wine.
“Babe, come here.”
“No.”
Danielle
He dropped his feet to the floor and he twisted to face me. “No?”
I nodded and then shook my head.
Austin grinned, setting his beer on the coffee table and rising to his feet. He took my wine and set it next to his beer.
“What are you doing?” I asked, leaning back as though I could achieve some space. Silly me.
He reached down, sliding one arm under my knees and one behind my back, lifting me like I weighed no more than a small child, and sitting back on the sofa, me in his lap.
“Austin?” I squeaked.
“Yeah, babe.”
“What are you doing?”
“Well, I was drinkin’ a beer.” He stroked my hair, grinning like a loon.
I tried to scoot off his lap, but he held me tighter. “You are really confusing me.”
“I get that.”
“Then why are you doing it?”
He chuckled. “Because it’s fun.”
I sighed. “Will you take payments on my car?”
“No.”
“I can’t pay you without making payments, Austin.”
He ran a thumb over my lower lip. “I know.”
I pushed his hand away. “Are you expecting me to sleep with you?”
“Not because I fixed your car, no.”
“What?”
“Babe,” he said with a sigh. “We’re working shit out here. I want to get to know you, so we’re gonna get to know each other.”
“Because you want to get to know me, we’re going to get to know each other?”
“Yeah.”
“What if I don’t want to get to know you?”
He sat up a little and kissed me. Captivated me with his mouth. It was awesome… and terrifying, and yet, I couldn’t do anything but feel, so I did. And it was overwhelming and beautiful and all-encompassing. He kissed me like he was drowning and I was his breath.
I came to my senses and broke the kiss, dropping my forehead to his. “What are you doing to me?”
He smiled, kissing me quickly again. “What do you want me to do to you?”
“I think it would be best if I didn’t answer that.”
Austin ran his thumb over my lower lip again. “Damn, you’re cute.”
“Are you really not going to let me pay for the car?”
“I’m really not going to let you pay for your car.” He gave me a gentle squeeze. “Mack thought it was worse than it was. Hatch looked it over and said it would take less than three hours.”
“Five grand’s pretty bad, Austin.”
He grinned. “If you were someone off the street, it’s what we’d charge you. The parts were less than three hundred. The rest was labor.”
“I should at least talk to the person who fixed it about payments. Hatch, was it?”
“I fixed it, Dani.”
“You did?” I glanced at his hands. They were still void of oil.
He smiled. “I wore gloves, babe.”
“I thought you were using “I” in the general sense of you organized it,” I said.
“Pickin’ up on that.”
I took his face in my hands. “You fixed my car.”
“I fixed your car.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.