Just Dare Me...

The man spat in the dirt. “No problem. Pull ’er in.”

Dell pulled the SUV into the place the man indicated, frowning when he saw the guy staring at Gabby through the window.

“Pretty girl,” Walt said when Dell climbed out to oversee the work. “Daughter?”

“No,” Dell said sharply. Christ, did she look that young, and he that old? “Girlfriend,” he felt compelled to add firmly, to divert the man’s attention.

Walt grunted and lifted the hood. “Hmm, nice repair job.”

“Thanks,” Dell said, further rankled.

“This’ll take me a few minutes.” Walt stopped and wrote something on a slip. “Take this to the cashier and she’ll ring you up.”

Dell opened the driver-side door to crack the windows in the SUV, his glance landing on Gabby’s heart-shaped face, flushed from the heat, long, golden lashes resting on high cheekbones, surrounded by curls that had sprung loose from her ponytail in the humidity. She did look more like a teenager than a woman he should be lusting after, but the swell of her breasts beneath her T-shirt and the memory of her breathless arousal when they had almost kissed under the hood proved that she was every ounce a woman.

A woman smart enough not to let him kiss her.

He frowned and locked the doors of the SUV, then walked into the area where sundries were sold to pay the cashier for the repair. While he was there, he bought a package of allergy medicine and a bottle of water for Gabby. By the time he returned, Walt was lowering the hood.

“Start her up,” he directed Dell.

Gabby stirred when he started the engine, but didn’t fully waken until he pulled from the uneven paved lot back onto the road.