So that’s how I found myself in a SUV with Zane and my daughter on the way to the movies. Not a scenario I had ever imagined myself in. It was even worse when I tried to get into the back seat, farther away from getting incinerated from the death stare. Lexie had insisted I sit in the front seat. Zane’s jaw had hardened exponentially when I had jostled in, and his face kept straight ahead as he maneuvered out of the lot. I had waved at the men, who gave me chin lifts and head shakes. I didn’t get the head shakes, and didn’t exactly have time to ask.
Luckily, bless her heart, Lexie hadn’t clocked the downright hostile atmosphere that emanated from Zane and had chattered the entirety of the journey from the garage to the movie theatre. For his part, he answered all of Lexie’s questions, limited his profanities and was actually polite in his ultra badass, I kill puppies in my spare time kind of way. He didn’t spare a glance at me, and when Lexie tried to involve me in the conversation, I barely squeaked an answer. I’m not a squeaker. I had my time when a man battered me down to a shell of myself and I would shrink into a corner. But I recovered. Fought back. Found myself.
I’m loud. Opinionated. And quite funny, if I did say so myself. But for this car ride I retreated back into that little shell. It didn’t help that I was also immensely attracted to the person who was radiating hostility. I breathed a sigh of relief when we pulled up at the theatre. It must have been audible because Zane gave me a hard, sideways glance.
I ignored it and clutched the door handle, restraining the urge to throw myself out of the vehicle.
“Thanks for the--” I started to say, but Lexie jumped in.
“You have to come in now, Zane, we’re right outside. It would be a crime for you to miss cinematic gold when you’re so close,” she stated firmly.
Zane didn’t turn, but he caught her eyes in the rearview mirror. “Told you, I don’t do movies. Sorry, kid.” His rough and oh so sexy voice didn’t sound very sorry to me.
Lexie widened her eyes into a look I was all too familiar with. It was the wounded puppy look that had gotten her out of multiple situations and gotten her into specific ones. Like ones at movie theaters such as this, where after such a look I found myself sitting in documentaries about global warming.
“Okay, but if you leave us here, we’ll have to walk all the way home and the shoes Mom is wearing are not conducive with walking long distances.” She shrugged. “I’m sure she’ll be fine, though—what’s a few blisters?” She feigned nonchalance.
I gave my daughter a silent round of applause for tapping into what I guessed was the only chink in this guy’s muscled and impregnable armor. Helpless women. Not that I was helpless. In these shoes, after walking more than half a mile, maybe.
There was a pause. Zane’s jaw got very hard, then his body relaxed slightly. “Jesus fuckin’ Christ,” he muttered, unbuckling his seatbelt.
“Right on,” Lexie exclaimed. “I promise you’ll enjoy this.”
She jumped out of her seat and out the door so quickly she didn’t hear him mutter, “Not fuckin’ likely.”
I gathered this statement was not due to my enthusiastic and funny daughter, whom I was pretty sure it was impossible to dislike, but because of me. I was surprised to feel more than a little stab at this. I didn’t get time to ponder it, as I quickly realized it was just me and Zane in the truck and the air had turned charged. I took a deep breath and turned to face him, inwardly flinching at the red hot glare I encountered.
“You don’t have to come in, really. We can catch a cab home, it’s no problem. I really appreciate the ride. We’re good now. Thanks,” I finished lamely.
Zane stared at me, and the glare turned into something else. Something different. Something carnal. Something dangerous. “You want to make it into that movie theatre, babe, you’ll get out of the truck. Right. Fucking. Now!” he growled, his voice rough and gravelly.
I stared at him for a split second before ungracefully scrambling out of the truck, my wits and my hormones scattered.
I expected the SUV to skid off in a cloud of smoke, but to my utter and complete amazement Zane stalked out of it and rounded the hood. He didn’t even glance at me. I continued to stare as he strode towards a grinning Lexie, his mouth a hard line. I frantically tried to understand what the fucking hell—I think that moment needed an f word—just happened. My brain couldn’t catch up. But my ovaries were standing to attention.
“Mom! You actually have to go into the theater in order to see the movie and consume the delicious, delicious snacks,” Lexie called to me, jolting me out of my haze.
I turned to see her and Zane waiting at the entrance, her with a smile, him with a look that made me feel like I had just run over his dog. And insulted his mother. And was responsible for world hunger.
Despite this, I hurried to join him and Lexie, ignoring the pulse between my legs.
“Okay, we’ll have three large popcorns, one bag of M&Ms and some Reese’s Pieces, please,” I said to the guy at the snack counter.
By some miracle, we had time for not only the previews but for snacks also.
“You’re not getting Milk Duds?” Lexie asked from beside me.