“No, no, no.”
I turned them again, but the car didn’t so much as try to turn over.
I smacked my hand on the wheel and the horn honked. “Shit!”
Jake’s flashy sports car came rumbling by and he stopped in front of me to roll his window down. “Everything okay?”
I rolled my window down, stuck my head out, and called over the rumble of his engine, “My car won’t start!”
He killed his ignition, got out of his car, and came over to me. He stuck his head in the car and asked me to try the ignition. Still, nothing happened.
He made a thoughtful, masculine sound in the back of his throat. “Well, it could be a handful of things. Dead battery. Alternator problem. Or the starter. Do you have jumper cables?”
I shook my head.
“Me neither.” He opened my car door for me and held out his hand. “Let me take you home. We can figure out your car in the morning.”
“I can just call a tow truck.”
“Nonsense. It’s almost one in the morning, and if it’s not your battery, they won’t be able to fix the problem anyway, and you won’t be home until three in the morning. Let me drive you.”
I placed my hand in his and let him pull me out of the car. I locked it and let him walk me around to the passenger side of his car. He opened the door for me, and I got in. It smelled like leather and new car—and like it was way out of my price range. He got in, started the engine, and double-checked that I’d put my seatbelt on before leaving the parking lot and following my directions to my condo.
I couldn’t help but check him out while he drove. Men were sexy when they drove, and they were even sexier when they drove fast sports cars. I didn’t know why. It was just a fact. And Jake Cassidy behind the wheel of his car—whatever it was—was no exception to the rule. He palmed the wheel and took easy turns. He rested his right hand on the shifter and worked the clutch. His watch flashed on his wrist every time we drove under a streetlight.
I bit my bottom lip and forced myself to look away.
Now is not the time to get all hot and bothered for your boss.
And yet.
I was hot and bothered.
I pinched my knees together and willed the rush of lust to pass. This was totally inappropriate.
When we reached my condo, he pulled over to the curb and I breathed a sigh of relief. I needed to escape the confines of this car, the smell of his musk, and the sight of him. Plain and simple. I got out before he had time to come open my door, and when he followed behind me several steps, I spun to face him.
“What are you doing?”
He cocked his head to the side. “Walking you to your door?”
“Oh, that’s okay. I can take it from here.”
He looked around, frowning at the abandoned street and the sounds of music blasting from a nearby townhouse. “I’d rather make sure you get inside safely.”
I turned and pointed up the path a few feet away that led to the front doors of my condo. “That’s me literally right there.”
“Good. Lead the way.”
There was no deterring him, so I let him accompany me to the door, where he lingered while I buzzed open the doors with my key fob. I shouldered the door open and gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you for everything tonight and getting me home. I appreciate it. I’ll figure out my car situation in the morning and it won’t stop me from getting to work on time.”
“Don’t worry about your car. I’ll have it towed when I get to the office tomorrow and I’ll send a driver to come pick you up at ten o’clock. Like I said, I don’t want you to come in early. Take a couple extra hours to yourself. I know how important it is for you to have time to recharge. Maybe you could…” He trailed off and smirked. “Do some laundry?”
I snickered. “Very funny. But seriously, you don’t have to do all that for me, Jake.”
He rewarded me with a genuine smile and slid his hands in his pockets. “I want to. You were a huge help to me today and went above and beyond. Let me repay the favor.”
There was nothing else for me to say, so I nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay.”
“Goodnight, Jake.”
He tipped his head. “Goodnight, Gabi.”