He had the most insane urge to reach out and tangle his hands in that soft brown hair of hers. It was in a bun on the back of her head, but he’d seen it long, flowing down her back. When the sunlight hit her hair he could see strands of brown and red and yellow. Complex. Like the woman herself. Like a lemon tart. Sweet and sour and perfect. “Is that why you thought Sean was going to believe Timothy?”
She took a step back and started sweeping the lobby. “It wouldn’t be the first time someone believed a male employee over a female one.”
So it had happened to her before. “I wouldn’t have believed it. Even if he’d had his tongue halfway down your throat I would have thought he was assaulting you.”
She stopped and looked at him thoughtfully. “Because you think I’m too sweet to have an affair with a coworker?”
“You’re too sweet to want that asshat.” Damn, he probably shouldn’t have said that. He could feel himself blushing. “I’m sorry. That was inappropriate.”
She sighed. “It wasn’t. I said it first. And I’m sorry if I made you think I’m some fainting female. I’m not. I can take care of myself. Usually. I’m afraid that asshat brought back a whole ton of bad memories. When I was fifteen I worked at a movie theater and the manager there was a big fan of inappropriate touching. When I complained, I found myself out of a job. He was the owner’s son. It’s not the only crappy thing in my background. Most women have a file marked ‘skeevy dudes’ in their personal histories. I’m sorry. I had a bad reaction.”
“You should have a bad reaction. You weren’t yelling.”
She frowned. “It’s embarrassing.”
“Why? If some dude was trying to mack down on me and I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t be embarrassed. I’d be pissed.” He needed to figure out what was going on in her head. “No one thought less of you, Ally. Did you think they would?”
“Maybe.”
He crossed the distance between them. She was turned away. He didn’t try to hide his steps. He wanted her to know he was behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders. “What happened today was on him. Not you. Him. The next time some idiot so much as touches you, you scream and shout for help and one of us will come running.”
“Like you’re touching me now?”
He pulled his hands back. “Sorry.”
She turned and he was happy to see a smile on her face. “Now I know how to get to you, Miles. You’re a sucker for a down-on-her-luck girl.”
Was she flirting with him? “I’m a down-on-my-luck guy. I guess like attracts like.”
She studied him for a moment and he wished he’d shaved. He was a little scruffy. He really wasn’t kidding about being down on his luck. “Why did you show up today? You weren’t taking out the trash and you don’t smoke.”
He thought about lying and then decided not to go that way. “I was looking for you.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to talk to you. I heard a rumor.”
Her jaw went tight. “Really?”
He didn’t like the militant light in her eyes, but he plowed ahead anyway. “Yeah, are you living in your car?”
She waved that off with a laugh. “Oh, that. Yes. I can’t afford a place close to work yet. I’ll find something in a couple of weeks.”
He didn’t understand her. She was acting like homelessness was a nothing problem she would deal with later. “It’s dangerous.”
“No more so than anywhere else. I wasn’t exactly safe here at work earlier. At least I can lock the doors. And the horn makes a really good deterrent. Not to mention my LifeHammer. Sounds silly. It’s really supposed to be for breaking a window if your car goes underwater. Not surprisingly, it also works on car thieves and pushy drug dealers.”
She was going to give him a heart attack. “You took a hammer to a guy trying to jack your car?”
One shoulder shrugged and she went back to sweeping. “Yeah. After I brought that sucker down on his hand, he decided to try again elsewhere. And the drug dealer was actually kind of nice. I mean in the beginning. He was just getting started and his sales pitch needed work. Then he tried to rob me and he met my life hammer, too.”
He opened his mouth but nothing came out. What was he supposed to say to that?
She kept on. “I would have called the cops, but I don’t exactly have a cell. It’s sweet of you to tell me how to protect myself. Oddly, most guys who intend to harm me don’t give me lectures on protecting myself.”
The rain was starting to come down hard, beating against the rooftop. He finally managed to find some proper words. “You can’t stay in your car.”
“Sure I can.”
His first instinct was to tell her what she was going to do, but he had to wonder if she would come after him with that hammer. The woman in front of him was a far cry from the one who hadn’t screamed out when Timothy cornered her. He was smart enough to understand. She was comfortable with him. She could joke because she didn’t believe he would hurt her. If he applied some pressure, intimidated her, he would likely get her to do what he wanted. And that would make him one more asshole who used her. “It makes me nervous. Especially on a night like this. Maybe you could stay in Sean’s office tonight?”
He would sleep on the floor. He hadn’t been joking. He’d slept in much worse places. Hell, no one was shooting at him. He called it a win.
“You think you should drive home in this mess?” She peeked out through the blinds.
“I don’t have a car. I take the train. Station’s right down the street.” He would rather stay with her, but now that he thought about it, she might be uncomfortable with that. If he was leaving, he would have to be fast though. DART didn’t run all night. He could call Adam, but he felt like an idiot calling his big brother to pick him up from work. He was thirty years old. He’d been driving since he was sixteen.
He couldn’t work the gas pedal anymore and getting a vehicle fitted for him would cost more money than he had.
She perked up. “I have a car. I can totally give you a ride. And the good news is if we find ourselves in high water, I can also smash through the windshield.”
“You are entirely too invested in that hammer.”
She chuckled. “Maybe. I’m really okay, Miles. Despite the idiocy of this afternoon, I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. It’s not the first time I’ve been on my own. Hell, I have a car. It’s practically the Ritz compared to some of the places I’ve slept.”
“You’ve been homeless before?” He’d had a rough childhood. Not financially. He’d had all the money he needed, but he’d been raised in military academies, and they weren’t the best at giving a child affection. Talking to Kai for all these weeks had taught him that affection was something he needed. But he couldn’t imagine being a homeless kid.
“Sure. I was once given a blue ribbon by this cop in my hometown. He said I was the best runaway he’d ever seen. I might have said I couldn’t be too good since he kept catching me, but he told me he liked to reward persistence.”
“What were you running away from?” He asked the question, but had an idea. She could go up against drug dealers and car thieves, but she turned into a mouse around an authority figure trying to take advantage of her.
“My dad was kind of a jerk.” She finished sweeping up and turned to him. “Did I say thank you for saving me today? I don’t usually play the damsel in distress but you were a damn fine knight.”
“There’s no shining armor here, sweetheart.” He’d given that up long ago. Actually, when he really thought about it, he’d never been the type.
“Let’s see. You served your country honorably, you help out your boss, save waitresses from nasty assholes. You’re looking pretty shiny to me, Miles.”
She set the broom aside and something shifted in the room. He could see it in the way she relaxed as she moved toward him.
What was she doing? The air suddenly seemed more sultry than before. “I’m no hero. I went in the Army because it was expected of me.”
“That’s what a hero usually says. Why were you really looking for me, Miles?” She stepped up, leaving very little space between them.
“I told you.”
“Yes, you wanted to find out about my living situation. Do you treat all the waitresses like this?”
“No.” He tended to leave them alone. They were attractive women, but he didn’t have anything to offer a girlfriend. He could barely take care of himself. He knew he should stay away from her, too, but she moved him in a way he hadn’t felt before.
“So why me?”
“I like you.” Yep he sounded like a junior high kid.
“I like you, too. I didn’t think I would, but I can’t deny it.” She went up on her toes and her hands were suddenly flat against his chest. “This is a mistake. It’s a horrible mistake, and I hope you’re smart enough to stop me.”
She was straining, lifting herself up as tall as she could go.
“I’m not that smart, sweetheart.” He lowered his head and let his lips touch hers.