A white-hot wisp of anger stirred his blood. He wrapped his fingers around the steering wheel in a crushing, vise-like grip, squeezing until his knuckles turned white. One trip to the ladies’ room and Lacey had reappeared, apologized for having to leave and bid him a good night. When he attempted to offer her a ride home she had declined, refusing to meet his eyes as she paid her tab and slipped away.
It didn’t take a genius to know what Candice had told her—not that it was a secret. Several of the regulars at Haddie’s frequented the exclusive BDSM club Fantasia, in Nashville.
Including the snitch herself—not that Candice would own up to it. He’d gotten a firsthand glimpse of what the investigative reporter would do when she was down on her luck, even if it meant infiltrating a BDSM club to get the lowdown on a story.
At first he’d assumed Lacey was nervous about his dominant predisposition and had considered giving her a call to test the waters. It was natural for a woman who hadn’t been introduced to the scene to be frightened by the prospect of exploring her sexual boundaries. Then he’d learned she started dating Scott Barker. It wasn’t any wonder she wasn’t interested and had blown him off. What did a mechanic who drove a tow truck and had a taste for kink have over an attorney who owned a Jag and was as vanilla as an ice-cream cone?
Apparently not a damn thing.
This was no fucking good. He shouldn’t be traveling out of his way to save Lacey. It was going to be absolute hell and he had no one to blame but himself. Once he saw her, those longings would rise to the surface all over again. Like a dog who knew it would be kicked but just wanted to be petted, he’d smile, play nice and go home empty-handed.
Even in the heavy snow, it only took twenty minutes to arrive at the scene. No one was out and the roads were turning slushy. Her car was wedged into the railing, the tires buried in white midway to the hubcaps. As he pulled behind the older model Camry his headlights shone into the car and he saw a head dart up from the driver’s seat. Just knowing it was her stirred passions that were dangerous for them both.
“Shit,” he muttered, staring at the car covered in glistening ivory. It was late, they were on a dangerous and slippery stretch of road, and climbing into the snow to secure the winch to her car would be hell. This wouldn’t be a simple tow. He’d have to take her into town, come back for her car and face her not once, but twice.
He pressed the emergency brake button on the dash and left the motor running as he unlatched his seat belt. After he opened the door he jumped down, turned and closed it behind him. Several deep breaths in the frigid winter air cooled him down, taking the edge off his lust and extinguishing the fire in his blood. He’d always been polite to Lacey since that night at Haddie’s, and he wasn’t going to start being an asshole now. Five long strides took him to her door. Her eyes flared wide when she saw his face and her lips parted ever so slightly.
Could it be? Was she happy to see him?
Of course she’s happy, he berated himself. She called for a wrecker and now you’re here!
She cracked the door open. “Michael?”
“Hi, darlin’.” He couldn’t help but smile, warmed by her voice, the use of his entire given name and the curiosity in her gaze. “I see you’ve managed to get yourself in a spot of trouble. Don’t you know better than to drive on these roads when a storm is coming in?”
“I do now.” She grinned sheepishly, cheeks turning an alluring shade of pink.
He stood back and gave her room to climb out. She was dressed in jeans, fur-lined boots that came to mid-calf and an enormous tan-colored coat that swallowed her willowy form. Once she had her massive purse in place over her shoulder she closed the door and moved closer. The moment she neared he smelled the delectable perfume she wore, a mixture of jasmine and linen. Sexual need hit him like a punch to the gut, and he took a step back.
So much for keeping his mind on work and not the woman in front of him.
She stopped, frowning slightly. “Is everything okay?”
Shaking his head, he answered in a half-truth. “We’re not going to be able to tow your car out of here until the temperature rises and the sun melts off some of the snow. With the visibility getting worse, it’s a dangerous spot to turn the rig to pull you out.”
“Oh.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip and his cock returned to life, becoming engorged once again, altering the comfort of his jeans. Shit, things could definitely get worse. So much for the cold cooling him down.
She peered up at him. “So what do we do?”
We go to my place, I strap you to my spanking bench and I warm that pretty little ass of yours until you’re begging me to fuck you senseless.
“First we get you inside my truck,” he said quickly, attempting to steer his mind away from the vision of her bound, naked and ass up in the air. “Come on. It’s cold as hell out here.”
He walked her to the passenger side of the truck, opened her door and waited until she was safely inside before he closed it behind her. Then he went to her car, flipped on the hazard flashers, removed her keys and locked the doors. When he returned to his truck and climbed in, Lacey had her hands in front of the air vents, wriggling her fingers.
He took a moment to appreciate the scene. She was not only sexy but adorable. It didn’t seem fair to waste her on someone as conceited and uptight as Scott Barker. The hotshot lawyer wouldn’t know the first thing about exciting her, pleasing her or appreciating her as she deserved. He probably didn’t even have sex with the lights on to enjoy Lacey’s body, preferring quick and fast bunny rabbit sex so she couldn’t see how small his dick truly was.
Just let it go. Thinking about what you’ll never have will only make this harder.
Resigned, he settled in, buckled his seat belt and accepted the fact that it just wasn’t in the cards. “I’m not sure if I can get you into the city, but I can drive you into town if you’d like. The roads are salted and passable for the time being.”
“The city?” She glanced at him, fingers going still.
“Did Scott move?”
At first she seemed shocked to learn he knew who she was dating. Her mouth opened, closed, and she frowned at him oddly. Just as quickly her green eyes narrowed and her plush lips thinned.
“I’m not seeing Scott anymore.”
His heart faltered before it started to race and his dick hardened like a rock as blood rushed from one head to the other. She wasn’t seeing the asshole. That meant Scott had either fucked it up, or Lacey wasn’t into uptight businessmen who thought money made the man. Either way, it made his mood a hell of a lot lighter. He tried not to let his surprise and interest in the statement show.
“That’s too bad.”
“No,” she replied in a level tone that told him it wasn’t open to discussion, “it isn’t.”
The CB crackled and Jacob’s voice came through the speaker. “Mike, are you there?”
Grateful for the distraction, Michael snagged the receiver and glanced at Lacey before he responded. “I’m here.”
“There’s a bad pileup on back four-forty. Buxom’s and Twill’s are already en route. Even with Pat they’re going to need an extra set of hands. After you finish with Lacey can you head that way?”
As he turned to pose the question, Mike knew he didn’t have to ask Lacey if the trip was all right with her. Concern was etched all over her face, her green eyes darkening into a brown shade of hazel. Damn, her face was so expressive, just as it had been the first night he walked up and introduced himself to her. He would be able to decipher so much about her from that alone.