One Lucky Hero (5 page)

V
IOLET
'
S HEART THREATENED
to pound right out of her chest. She'd been talking a big game, but could she really get involved with a guy she hardly knew . . . just for the sake of her hormones?

She definitely couldn't bring him back to her place. She had been fighting with Daisy for months about Daisy sneaking her loser boyfriend into the house when Violet was at work, and bringing someone home would just blow her reasoning all to hell. Despite the fact that Violet had raised Daisy, she'd never let Violet forget that she was just her sister, not her mom. Still, Violet had never let her boyfriends stay over, not that there had been many, and she definitely wasn't going to bend the rules for a friends-with-benefits situation.

“Did I cross the line?” Dean's breath warmed the shell of her ear, and her stomach clenched with lust. She really did love his voice, the deep tenor playing her like a guitar, pulling her strings taught in all the right places.

“No, I'm just considering,” she said.

The music slowed, and all around them, people wrapped their arms around each other, swaying in time to the melody.

Dean slid behind her and circled his arms around her waist, splaying his hands across her abdomen. She shivered, desire pooling between her legs. His lips pressed just below her ear, trailing kisses down her neck to her shoulder. Violet closed her eyes and chewed her bottom lip.

“How about now?” he asked.

Violet released a breathless laugh. “You're bordering on likable. You should stop that.”

“Absolutely.” Dean stopped kissing her neck.

Disappointed, she made a face he couldn't see. “I said stop being likable, not the kissing,” she said.

Dean's warm breath rushed against the back of her neck as he chuckled, but he didn't kiss her again. Instead, he swayed with her to the beat of the music, and Violet found herself relaxing into his body. Dancing with Dean was definitely a new experience, one she was enjoying way more than she should.

The song ended, but Dean didn't release her. As Meghan Trainor said good night to the crowd, Tracy was suddenly in her face, ignoring Dean behind her.

“Hey, so I love you, but I'm going to take Tyler back to my place. I'll call you in the morning.”

Violet had known this was going to happen, but she didn't imagine it would occur so early. “Um, excuse me, but how am I going to get home?”

Tracy looked behind her, presumably at Dean. “You got this, right?”

Dean's chuckle ruffled the back of Violet's hair. “Yeah, I'll make sure she gets home safe.”

“You better, because if she ends up in the Sacramento River, I will hunt you down like a dog and gut your ass.”

Violet pulled away from Dean, uncomfortable that they seemed to be planning all of this without even considering how she might feel about it. “Can you hold my wine for a second?” Before he could answer, she placed her cup in his hand and dragged Tracy off a ways before hissing, “Okay, the very fact that it crossed your mind you may be leaving me with a deranged psychopath and you're willing to roll the dice on my safety anyway is making me reconsider the whole best friends thing.”

“Oh, please, you'll be fine. Otherwise you wouldn't have let him suck on your neck like a vampire for the last four minutes,” Tracy said.

Violet's whole face burned. “He was not!”

“Please, don't even try. I saw you with your eyes closed and your mouth open like ‘Oh yeah. Oh, right there . . . ' ”

“I think I hate you.”

“Okay, for reals. If you are really uncomfortable and want nothing to do with him, I'll take you home with us and you never have to see him again. It's up to you.”

Violet pursed her lips, considering. It was now or never; did she want to take a chance on Dean or go home to her cold, lonely bed?

Just because he agreed to take you home does not mean you have to sleep with him. Unless you want to.

Finally, she rolled her eyes. “Go on. I'll stay here and enjoy the rest of the concert.”

“Good, 'cause my offer was bullshit and I was going to ditch your ass anyway.” Tracy threw her arms around Violet and squeezed her until her back cracked. “Love you!”

Violet bit the inside of her check to keep from smiling. “I don't believe you!”

Tracy didn't respond beyond blowing her a kiss. Tyler was talking to Dean, and Violet saw him hand Dean something before Tracy grabbed his arm and dragged him away.

Dean ambled toward her across the grass, avoiding dancing couples, and stopped in front of her with a grin.

“Guess you decided to trust me, huh?”

“Don't get cocky. I know self-defense, and if you try to put my head in a jar, I will not hesitate to make you a eunuch.”

“God, what is it with women always going for the junk?”

“It's either that or your eyes,” she said. Turning to face him, she crossed her arms over her chest. “So, what's the plan? Do you want to stay for the rest of the concert?”

“I'll leave that up to you. I wouldn't want to give the wrong answer and wind up blind and ball-less.”

Violet laughed at the imagery. The guy really was funny when he wasn't being a full-on douche nozzle. Her mirth faded as their eyes met, and she wondered if he was waiting for her answer to his earlier proposal.

Unfolding her arms, she reached out and laid her hand on his bicep, squeezing the hard muscle without looking away. His mouth kicked up in the corner, a show of amusement, and his eyes blazed with what she could only guess was anticipation. Her stomach floated and dropped as if she was on a roller coaster as she realized that she wanted to leave. Right now. She wanted to get him alone, and it emboldened her.

Violet made sure she was loud enough to be heard over the music. “I promise if we leave now, I'll be gentle with you.”

“All righty, then.” Without further ado, he reached down and picked her up in his arms, cradling her high against his chest.

Violet squealed with laughter. “What are you doing?”

“We are getting the hell out of here.”

“But my tote!” she cried.

With a heavy sigh, he turned back around and squatted down, juggling her as he grabbed the bag.

“You know, if you put me down, things would be a lot easier for you and less embarrassing for me.” People kept looking their way, and she could have sworn she'd seen a few camera flashes. Still, she kind of liked being carried, although she could tell that he was getting tired and had to be burning up, if the beads of sweat on his temple were any indication.

“Yes, but since I am trying to make up for my earlier behavior, I figured I'd carry you to the car so you don't step in any mud puddles.”

Fighting a smile, she said dryly, “My hero.” Squirming against him as she tried to get comfortable, she finally gave up and poked his chest. “Are you made of rocks or something?”

“What?”

“You're all hard. Like The Thing.” Not that there was anything wrong with being rock hard. She'd never admit it to Tracy, since all she ever did was mock her for being obsessed with men's bodies, but there was definitely something about a man with muscle.

In fact, Violet couldn't wait to see all of that definition for herself.

Dean released a rusty chuckle. “I'm not sure whether that was a compliment or not, but I'm going to take it as one.”

Violet enjoyed her vantage point for a moment as she studied the square line of his jaw that was already showing some scruff. Her gaze moved along to the vein of his neck popping out against his skin, and she licked her lips, tempted to place her mouth there and find out exactly how salty his skin was.

Violet shook her head. All the wine must have gone to her head. Never in her life had she wanted to taste any man.

Squirming in his arms, she patted his shoulder. “Okay, muscle man, you have proved that you are strong like bull, but I think I can walk the rest of the way.”

Without preamble, he dropped her to her feet and held out her tote bag. “Thank God, 'cause I have to admit, you are heavier than you look.”

Violet grabbed the tote bag from Dean, shooting him a playful scowl. “That is not something you
ever
say to a woman, and especially not after you proposition her for sexy time!”

One of Dean's eyebrows hitched up as he grinned. “Sexy time, huh? Are we doing sexy time?”

When had this become a game? A few hours ago she'd written him off completely, and then he'd gone and kissed her socks off. Now they were bantering across a parking lot like they'd been flirting for years. It didn't really matter, she supposed. This was the most fun she'd had in a long time, and she didn't want it to end.

“Here we are.” Dean stopped behind a black Ford truck.

Violet knew she wasn't sober enough to drive, and it suddenly occurred to her that he might not be either. “Are you okay to drive?”

Dean seemed surprised. “Yeah, I'm good.”

Rummaging through her tote bag, she pulled out her portable Breathalyzer. She had bought two several months ago, one for Tracy, and a backup for her. She'd actually never used it, but sometimes Tracy was stubborn and didn't realize how loaded she was.

“Can you blow into this?” she asked.

“Is that a Breathalyzer?”

“Yes.”

“You carry a personal Breathalyzer in your tote bag?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Is there something I should know about you?”

“I just like to be prepared.” He gave her a skeptical look, so she figured honesty was the best policy. “And sometimes Tracy isn't the best judge of how sober she is.”

Grimly, he shook his head. “My last beer was a couple hours ago, and I only had two.”

“Still, please.”

Dean took the Breathalyzer. “How long do I blow into it for?”

“Five seconds.” Violet counted as he blew into the device.

He held up the little blue machine, and she was relieved to see the two zeros. “Thank you.”

“Sure.” He handed back the Breathalyzer. “That's actually a really smart thing to have on you, especially if you've been drinking.'

“I figured you'd think I was crazy or paranoid.” She shoved it back into her tote and was taken off guard when he gently took her chin in his hand. As he tipped her face up to meet his, she sucked in her breath.

“Never feel bad about putting yourself first.”

His words hit a little close to home. She hardly ever thought about what she wanted, except in the far-off future; she was too busy caring about everyone else's needs. Even before her father had left three years ago, she had put her siblings first, but once she had petitioned the court for guardianship, that was it. Her life was theirs until they left for college.

Except for tonight. Tonight was hers.

His thumb slipped up over her chin and rested against her bottom lip, tempting her to open her mouth and nip at the tip.

“I usually don't. This is the first time in too long that I've done anything just because I wanted to.”

“Yeah?” He dipped his head, his lips brushing hers lightly, a teasing touch that hardly satisfied her yearning. “You wouldn't be interested in coming back to my place to hang out, would you?”

Violet looked up at him from beneath her lashes. “That depends.”

This time, his kiss was firmer, a burst of suction that left her knees wobbly. “On?”

She ran her fingertips along the back of his neck, nipping at his bottom lip. “If I come over, will you feed me?”

He chuckled, and their faces were so close she could count the tiny crinkles at the corner of his eyes. “We could pick up something on the way.”

Just so you understand, you are about to say yes to going home with a man you just met whose kiss has the power to render you weak and kitteny.

And that was exactly why she was going to do it. Tomorrow, things could return to normal, but for right now, she was going to grab dinner with a sexy man.

From there, they would just have to see where the night took them.

“Then I'm game.” She walked to the passenger side, but before she could reach for the handle, he was there, pulling it open for her. Violet climbed inside and grabbed the seat belt but realized he was still standing next to her open door.

“What? Are you double-checking to make sure I buckle myself right? Because I have done this before.”

“Smart-ass.” Dean slammed the door, and Violet watched him through the windshield as he jogged around to the driver's side. She flipped on the dome light and pulled down the visor, intending to reapply her lip gloss, but a photo covered the mirror. It was of Dean in camo with his arms around two smiling soldiers.

She slammed the visor back up as he hopped inside.

“It's funny, I didn't picture Tyler as a pick-up man.”

“He's not; the truck is mine,” Dean said. “I just hate driving in traffic, and he's used to it.”

“Where are you from originally?” she asked.

“Queens, New York.”

“Right, I heard New York is really quiet and tranquil, no traffic at all.”

Dean leaned over and gave her hair a gentle tug, setting tingles loose across her scalp. “I rode the subway everywhere, so I never had to deal with traffic.”

Violet thought he might kiss her again, but instead he released her, settling back into his seat.

If you continue to make out where anyone can see you, you will end up on YouTube. Cool your loins.

“So why does a city boy need a big ole truck?” she asked.

“Because I like to explore the world around me. Some of the best places are off the grid, and for that, you need four-wheel drive.” Dean started the truck, turning up the AC, and Violet sighed as the cool air hit her heated skin.

“You're not planning on doing that now, right? No dark and secluded areas in the woods where it would be safe to hide a body?” Violet was only joking, but then she caught Dean's worried expression.