Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
Finally, she lowered the tire iron slowly. “I suppose so. If you’re sure you don’t mind.” She was so small I had doubts she could hold the damned thing for much longer anyway.
“I don’t mind at all. It’s the least I can do for nearly running you over. Besides, I don’t leave women alone to fend for themselves. No matter how much they don’t trust me.” I’d meant the last to be a small joke. To lighten the mood. Because the fear on her face in the fading light hit me viscerally. I didn’t like her thinking I’d hurt her or meant her ill will. That was the last thing I wanted after what I’d been through the last few months.
“I appreciate the help.”
I knelt by the car, positioning the jack properly before inserting the jack handle and cranking to raise the car. “What are you doing on this road? It’s pretty out of the way. Not many folks live around here.” Because the club I was currently embedded in kept everyone out of their territory through terror and destruction.
“I got turned around,” she said as she squatted beside me, holding the lug wrench at the ready. “I realized I was in the wrong place when the road went from four lanes to two. I don’t remember passing another road, but I might have missed it.”
“Where you headed?”
“Indiana State University. I was supposed to teach a summer class this session, but I got lost on the way to Terre Haute, then got lost trying to find the university. I’m supposed to check in tomorrow morning.” I could hear her voice waver. One quick glance, and I saw her squeezing and kneading the handle of the lug wrench in a nervous gesture. “I’m sorry to be a bother. You’d still be on your way if I hadn’t messed up all the way around today.”
“Don’t you have a phone with a maps program?”
“Um, yeah, but my phone’s not really good. It died, and I haven’t gotten a new one yet.” She seemed to realize what she’d admitted to and tried to backtrack. “I mean, I think it’ll still call 911 and stuff, but --”
“Relax, girl. I ain’t gonna hurt you.” I gestured to the tire I was trying to get changed before it got too dark to see. “I’m helpin’ you. See?”
“Yeah.” She gave a nervous laugh. “I guess you are.”
I smiled. The girl really was lovely. Bit too innocent-looking for my tastes, but I could appreciate her beauty. “Come on. Let’s get this done, and you can be on your way.” While I worked, I gave her directions. She repeated them, asking questions about the area while I worked.
“What’s your name, girl?”
“Bellarose.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Bellarose. Got a last name?”
She bit her lip and let her gaze flicker away. “Um, Dane.”
She was lying about something, but I wasn’t sure what. Lying about her name didn’t make much sense. There’s no way in hell I could know her. Lord knew, if I’d met this woman before, I’d have remembered. She was small and slight but had curves in all the right places. Besides that, she was so lovely it made my teeth hurt.
I stuck out my hand to her before tightening the last nut. “Drake Pierce.”
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Pierce.”
“Fuck,” I chuckled, trying to put her at ease. “You make me sound like an old man. I know you’re a young college hottie, but I’m only forty-one.”
The smile she graced me with was nothing short of magical. Fuck, this girl was gorgeous! “Drake, then. Thanks for helping me. And for the directions.”
Standing, I snagged the jack and lug wrench, putting them in the trunk of her car. “You remember how to get where you’re going?” Bellarose rattled off the directions without hesitation. “Damn. That’s some memory you’ve got there.”
She grinned. “I’ve got something of a photographic memory. Not only can I remember everything I see or read, but when someone speaks, I kind of… I don’t know. See the words. In my head.” She tapped her temple. “It’s why I felt comfortable continuing on when my phone died. I knew where I was going. At least, I thought I did.” She frowned, glancing off. “I guess I’m not used to driving in bigger cities. Things look… different. You know. Different than just looking at a map. Shoulda read the directions instead of just looking at the map, I guess.”
“If you’d known you wouldn’t have access to the maps, I’m sure you would have. Anyway, this is a private road. You turned just a few hundred feet before you should have. This road used to be the main road into Terre Haute, but when they made the new one, the landowners extended the old road but blocked it off to make it private.”