Finishing my on-foot patrol, I meandered through the abandoned courtyard, heading toward the building with the security office so I could ransack some vending machines. But as I approached the parking lot of the building, I frowned.
As a whole, there weren’t many vehicles on campus. Apart from the college-owned vehicles, I’d only seen one or two other cars. So, when I spotted a truck parked in the middle of the empty lot, it caught my attention. When I realized there was a man leaning against it, I halted mid-step.
My first instinct was to continue on my path to the building. It was the first rule in the “Woman Alone in a Parking Lot 101” handbook we had drilled into us since birth. My second instinct was to curse and remind myself that it was literally my job to go investigate.
Jesus, I was not cut out for this. Cutting across the yard of the building, I prayed to God the man was only using the campus’s convenient location to meet up with someone. Preferably not drug-related.
The stranger was wearing a ballcap-style hat, with a hoodie and jeans, and he was leaned back against the side of the truck, watching me. I felt insanely exposed walking toward him out in the middle of an empty lot.
When I was a few yards out, he pushed off the truck, pulling his hands from his pockets to remove his hat and run his fingers through his dark hair. The action had lightning spearing through me.
I knew that mannerism, and I knew that face. The head tilt, the cut of the jaw, and even the unruly hair that always seemed to look sexy no matter what. It was ingrained in my mind. As I closed more distance, I recognized the black hoodie I’d worn to bed for an inappropriate number of days.
Garrett.
Without taking his eyes off me, he tossed his hat through the open window of the truck. “I wondered if you were ever going to come back around this way.”
I blinked. “I’m working.”
“I can see that.” His eyes dipped to my uniform. There wasn’t much to see, the uniform did me zero favors.
I didn’t respond, but my thoughts must have been clear on my face because his expression flickered, concern flashing through for the briefest second. “Look…”
I held up a hand. “If you’re about to apologize, it’s not necessary. I’m not mad. I’ve come to realize you tend to err on the side of caveman more often than not.”
His lips twitched. “I may not be the best at communication,” he offered.
I slapped a hand to my chest, inhaling sharply. “Gasp. You?”
He closed his eyes, shaking his head, and my smile slipped free. “In all seriousness, I appreciate having a friend who cares enough about my safety to speak his thoughts and tell me.”
His eyes snapped to mine, and something sparked in their depths. “Does that mean I can keep the lunch I brought you?”
Perking up, I glanced around him for a bag of goodies. “Were you trying to earn my forgiveness through my stomach?”
“Depends, would it have worked?”
My stomach chose that moment to elicit a deep, unending growl, and I squinted one eye shut, grimacing. “I feel like any comment I make now would be rather pointless.”
A dark chuckle escaped his lips, drifting across the fall air and lifting my spirits. He twisted back, reaching his arm through the open window, and pulled out a white bag baring a red and yellow logo.
Swallowing the pool of saliva that’d appeared in my mouth, I tipped my head to the side, eyeing the bag like a fucking raptor. “What if I said I didn’t like their food?”
“You’d be lying. Now tell me, can you eat, or do you need to get back to work?”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket, checking the time. “I have time to eat. I was already heading to the office for my lunch break anyway. Although, this beats a vending machine buffet, ten to one.”
“Perfect.” He walked around to the front of his truck, giving the hood a rough smack. “You need help up or can your short, little legs make the jump?”
I narrowed my eyes, choosing to ignore his comment in the name of new friendship and delicious chicken sandwiches. “I didn’t even know you had a truck. I’ve only ever seen your Nova.”
He shrugged, hopping up on the hood with ease. “It’s my work truck. I don’t usually drive it around outside of work, but the Nova’s in the shop.”
“Oh. I feel kind of bad for not even knowing what you do for a living.”
“I’ll tell you once you stop being a pussy and get up here to eat.”
I went from raptor to dragon in two-point-five seconds, flaring my nostrils and setting my palms flat on the hood. Pushing off with as much grace as I could, I shoved up and twisted, with the full intention of landing on my ass and staring smugly into his stupid, perfectly proportioned face.
Halfway through my twist, the gaudy security buckle on my belt caught on the grill, disrupting my momentum, and making my fingers slip on the smooth surface. I fell forward, face planting right into his lap.
I flailed and reared back, my mind fully determined to make a run for the building and never speak to him again. But his hands were already grasping my waist, hauling me up and setting me beside him.
Adjusting myself into a more comfortable position, I clasped my hands in my lap, looking anywhere but at the man whose crotch I’d just face snuggled.
“You know, your ears turn red when you’re embarrassed.”
I fidgeted, still not looking at him. “They turn red when I feel anything other than apathy. I know. I’ve lived with them for twenty-five years.”
“It’s pretty fucking cute.”
My eyes whipped over to him, my face, neck, and ears now flushing for an entirely different reason. He held out a wrapped sandwich, giving it a playful shake. I accepted his peace offering; I was embarrassed, not insane.
“Okay, I’m up here. Now tell me what you do for a living.” Unwrapping my gift with a flourish, I took a bite, moaning over the gloriousness that was grease on a bun.
I looked over at Garrett, preparing to lather him in my heartfelt thanks as soon as I swallowed, but paused mid-chew at the dark look he was sending my way. Mouth stuffed, I muttered an unattractive, “What?”
He glared down at his lap, brushing off imaginary crumbs. “I do contract work with turbine engines.” His face softened at my blank expression, and he chuckled, “For helicopters and small aircraft. It’s, more or less, the same thing I did in the Marines, just on civilian aircrafts now.”
“That’s pretty cool. Did you ever want to do something else, or do you like it?”
“I like it. Growing up, I wanted to be a pilot, mostly because I wanted the ability to fly my mother somewhere nice.” He pushed his jaw out, as if he’d said something he hadn’t meant to. “Anyway, it’s steady work, and I’m good at it.”
With those hands, I bet he was good at a lot of things. “Well, I’m glad you enjoy what you do, that’s always a good thing.”
He nodded, still looking at me. I pulled my legs up, sitting criss-cross applesauce as I dove back into my food and tried to ignore the feeling of him watching me eat.
“Sarah and Harry are coming to visit tonight.”
It took my brain a second to catch up to the mildly familiar names and random turn of conversation. He was talking about his siblings?
“They’ll be staying over if you’d like to pop by and say hello. I’m pretty sure Sarah fell in love with you the moment she saw you at the restaurant.” He trailed off, taking an overly large bite of his sandwich.
Raising my brows at his weird behavior, I huffed out a laugh. “I’d love to meet them more officially. Actually, I prepared an ungodly amount of chili in the slow cooker this morning if you’d all like to come over for dinner.”
He looked uncomfortable at my offer, but I had a feeling it was over the idea of me feeding everyone rather than the invitation itself.
“We’re usually stuck eating it for a solid week straight, so it’s no big deal. It’s up to you, there will be plenty if you change your mind.”
He considered me for a moment before tipping his head, and we fell into companionable silence as we ate.