“I am.”
“I don’t think…” She mustered up all of her courage and looked him dead in the eye. “I realize I’m a lot smaller than you Jed, but if you try to get behind the wheel, I’m going to have to find a way to stop you.” Maybe she could lasso him with the fancy camera strap he’d given her or something. The thought was daunting, but what other choice would she have?
Years ago, Mina and Jess had both been injured in a car accident because their mother had driven under the influence of drugs. And now Jess couldn’t walk.
When Jed laughed, anger rose up inside Karen, sharp and hot. “Don’t laugh. I’m serious.”
“I know you are – I can see it in your eyes. I didn’t have any of those shots Abby and Tyler ordered, Karen. That fruity crap doesn’t sit well with me. I did drink a little, but that was hours ago, and I’m sober as a judge, I promise.”
Karen’s cheeks began to heat as she mentally tallied the alcohol he’d consumed during their long hours at Ruby’s. She’d seen him drink a beer with his meal, and then he’d had whatever drink he’d ordered at the bar a couple hours ago. Was that really it? Two drinks, with a big meal, over the course of several hours, for a man approximately the size of a bull… “Sorry. I didn’t realize…”
“It’s okay. I tried not to let Abby notice I wasn’t drinking those kamikaze things she loves so much, so if no one caught on, I’m in the clear. Well, no one except Tyler – he drank mine, but he won’t tell.”
Karen couldn’t resist a bubble of nervous laughter. “I feel like such an idiot. I guess I’m the one who had a little too much to drink – I just assumed you were joining in.” She hadn’t gone wild, but a light buzz blurred the edges of her thoughts and amplified her emotions.
“Don’t worry about it. Can I give you that ride? I hate to think of you riding alone in the backseat of a cab on your birthday.”
“Okay.” It wasn’t like she savored the idea of a cab ride either, especially compared to the allure of being chauffeured by a shirt-sleeves wearing, sexy-as-sin Jed. Technically, her apartment was within walking distance, but she wasn’t stupid enough to walk alone at night, especially after drinking. “Thanks a lot.”
Stepping out of Ruby’s and into the street-lit parking lot felt oddly surreal. Jed walked close beside her, leading the way toward a shining red car. A Dodge something – she didn’t know much about cars, but it looked nice, and it suited Jed.
The seats were leather. She slid onto one, enjoying the glide against the backs of her thighs as Jed held the passenger side door open for her like a perfect, tattoo-covered, sex-exuding gentleman. How the hell was she going to make it through the car ride without embarrassing herself?
“You’ll have to give me directions,” Jed said as he settled behind the wheel.
She did so, watching the way his hands dwarfed the wheel and the muscles in his forearms shifted as he drove. Light and shadow drifted over his skin from knuckles to elbow as they passed streetlights, taking a turn that had them disappointingly close to her apartment. “It’s just up the street here.”
Jed slowed the car to a smooth stop by the curb in front of her building.
The leather stuck to the back of her thighs a little, but unfortunately, the hold wasn’t strong enough to serve as an excuse not to leave the car. “Thanks for the ride,” she said, gathering up her purse and smoothing her skirt. “It was nice not to have to take a cab.”
“Anytime.” He lowered his hands from the wheel and met her gaze.
Karen’s heart did a cartwheel as the atmosphere inside the car changed. Was it just the lemonade coloring her perceptions, or did the air feel suddenly electric? Sitting there with her fingers tangled in her purse strap and her eyes locked with Jed’s, she couldn’t help but feel like she was balancing on the edge of something.
A sense of the inevitable tingled in her veins, and a voice in the back of her head screamed that she couldn’t let the opportunity pass.
Maybe it was just the lemonade, but hell, what were the odds she’d be able to gather enough courage to act any other time? She’d been admiring Jed quietly for months, and quiet was sort of against her nature. Still, she was silent as she leaned forward, lips already burning as she breathed in his scent and the console pressed into her hip…
He moved. In the opposite direction – away from her. Just the tiniest bit, but still. Some part of Karen shriveled up and died of sheer horror as her mind registered the fact that he’d leaned away from her attempted kiss.