James Bond car. He should have been long gone by now. She panicked. A woman, alone, stranded on an empty road. Crap. The car stopped, went silent . Settling back into her drive r’s seat, she tug ged at the door to close and lock it. It wouldn’t move. She glanced up.
The man stood above her on the edge of the road — broa d-shouldered, dressed in a white business shirt and dark trousers. She couldn’t make out his shadowed face, but he looked a bit… sw arthy. He had his hands fisted on his hips . H e looked imposing.
“ Miss ? Y ou al l right?”
H e sounded irritated. Well! Why’d he bot her to stop ?
“I’m fine,” Janice called up tensely. “You go on now.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“I am, really. ” She tugged frantically on her door. “ I’ve got everything under control.”
It sounded like he said “ the hell you do” and then he was climbing down the embank ment towards her. H er heart race d and she struggled to breathe. She wrestl ed with the stuck door in earnest.
The man reach ed her car in a few strides .
“Let me help you get that op en .”
“No, I’m fine.” She shooed at him with a wave of her hand. “Go away.”
Janice tried to sound calm, but she was sure he hear d the panic in her voice . She sounded like a victim instead of a confident woman with everything under control . She hated to be out of control.
Ignoring her request to go away , he caught hold of the open edge of the door , yanked it up and outward , rocking the car. The door moved another two inches.
“There,” he said. “That should be enough.”
Janice stared up at him . He didn’t seem like a serial rapist m urderer. But neither ha d Ted Bundy , had he? U p close, even in the encroaching shadows, the man was remarkably handsome. He held out his hand to her. S he studied it with suspicion .
***
She’s in shock, Adrian thought . She’s dazed . He saw the evidence of the blown tire. H e was impressed. She’d kept the vehicle uprigh t, o n a relatively stra ight path until she hit th at boulder . Unfortunately, t he car was totaled.
He looked down at her through the driver’s door . She was slender, elegant in a striped pale yellow summer dress and white sweater. Add a stri ng of pearls and she was a blonde version of a Jackie Kennedy-type. She wore her p ale , wavy hair up in a casual French twist . Fine s trands escaped to frame a finely-boned face with those blue eyes that had stunned him . Eyes that were looking at him like he was the big, bad wolf instead of her knight-in-shining armor.
“I won’t hurt you.” He stepped back to appear less threatening.
Sh e tugged at the door , realized it wasn’t moving and sighed.
“I ’ll get out by myself ,” she said , her voice laced with irritation and a little fear . “I said I’m fine.”
“You’re bleeding.” He gestured to blood smeared on her sweater.
S he corrected him. “ My nose was bleeding . ”
Feisty thing . He was tempted to just get back in his car and drive away to teach her a lesson . He shook his head silently. The h and she’d waved at him was bare . She was single. He might be a jerk sometimes, but he’d never le ave a woman—without protection— by a road at night. He reined in his temper and forced a smile.
“Good. I’m sure the EMTs will confirm you’re in perfect health.”
“ Y ou call ed 911?”
“Unfortunately, no. N o signal. We’ll have to drive out of the canyon to locate one .”
“We?”
Was she ever getting out of the damn car? Adrian stood knee deep in s h rub , with stinging nettles by the feel of it. His suit slacks would be snagged to ruins. Next thing, a rattlesnake would pop up to sink its teeth into him .
“ What’s your name?” he asked.
“Why ?”
“I’m Adrian Margolis. W hen I saw your car disappear off the road, I thought I’d be a good citizen and come back to help . You’re saying that you don’t want help?”
She chewed th e bottom of her lip
The man stood above her on the edge of the road — broa d-shouldered, dressed in a white business shirt and dark trousers. She couldn’t make out his shadowed face, but he looked a bit… sw arthy. He had his hands fisted on his hips . H e looked imposing.
“ Miss ? Y ou al l right?”
H e sounded irritated. Well! Why’d he bot her to stop ?
“I’m fine,” Janice called up tensely. “You go on now.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“I am, really. ” She tugged frantically on her door. “ I’ve got everything under control.”
It sounded like he said “ the hell you do” and then he was climbing down the embank ment towards her. H er heart race d and she struggled to breathe. She wrestl ed with the stuck door in earnest.
The man reach ed her car in a few strides .
“Let me help you get that op en .”
“No, I’m fine.” She shooed at him with a wave of her hand. “Go away.”
Janice tried to sound calm, but she was sure he hear d the panic in her voice . She sounded like a victim instead of a confident woman with everything under control . She hated to be out of control.
Ignoring her request to go away , he caught hold of the open edge of the door , yanked it up and outward , rocking the car. The door moved another two inches.
“There,” he said. “That should be enough.”
Janice stared up at him . He didn’t seem like a serial rapist m urderer. But neither ha d Ted Bundy , had he? U p close, even in the encroaching shadows, the man was remarkably handsome. He held out his hand to her. S he studied it with suspicion .
***
She’s in shock, Adrian thought . She’s dazed . He saw the evidence of the blown tire. H e was impressed. She’d kept the vehicle uprigh t, o n a relatively stra ight path until she hit th at boulder . Unfortunately, t he car was totaled.
He looked down at her through the driver’s door . She was slender, elegant in a striped pale yellow summer dress and white sweater. Add a stri ng of pearls and she was a blonde version of a Jackie Kennedy-type. She wore her p ale , wavy hair up in a casual French twist . Fine s trands escaped to frame a finely-boned face with those blue eyes that had stunned him . Eyes that were looking at him like he was the big, bad wolf instead of her knight-in-shining armor.
“I won’t hurt you.” He stepped back to appear less threatening.
Sh e tugged at the door , realized it wasn’t moving and sighed.
“I ’ll get out by myself ,” she said , her voice laced with irritation and a little fear . “I said I’m fine.”
“You’re bleeding.” He gestured to blood smeared on her sweater.
S he corrected him. “ My nose was bleeding . ”
Feisty thing . He was tempted to just get back in his car and drive away to teach her a lesson . He shook his head silently. The h and she’d waved at him was bare . She was single. He might be a jerk sometimes, but he’d never le ave a woman—without protection— by a road at night. He reined in his temper and forced a smile.
“Good. I’m sure the EMTs will confirm you’re in perfect health.”
“ Y ou call ed 911?”
“Unfortunately, no. N o signal. We’ll have to drive out of the canyon to locate one .”
“We?”
Was she ever getting out of the damn car? Adrian stood knee deep in s h rub , with stinging nettles by the feel of it. His suit slacks would be snagged to ruins. Next thing, a rattlesnake would pop up to sink its teeth into him .
“ What’s your name?” he asked.
“Why ?”
“I’m Adrian Margolis. W hen I saw your car disappear off the road, I thought I’d be a good citizen and come back to help . You’re saying that you don’t want help?”
She chewed th e bottom of her lip
Similar Books
