you?”
“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me? I’m angry, that’s what’s wrong with me!” It was either be angry or cry again, and she was far too close to the second option for comfort.
“Why?” He actually seemed puzzled. Ass.
“Why? Why?” For a moment the utter denseness of the question robbed her of speech. “Because…because you jump into my car…no, no, wait, you destroy my car—”
“It still runs, doesn’t it? That’s more than I can say about my car.”
“—I’m forced to cause hundreds of traffic accidents—”
“Only twelve.”
“—and now you’re kidnapping me and taking me God knows where and I can’t even get my own TOOTHBRUSH! Men. I’m so sick of men telling me what to do, I could spit. None of you listen when other people try to talk, you just sit around and bark orders and think you’re right.”
“Hey, lady.” Luc was losing his temper too. Good. She didn’t want him to be calm and reasonable when her life was out of control. “Don’t thank me or anything. After all, I’m just the man who’s trying to keep you alive.”
“Yeah, don’t do me any favors. If this is the way it’s going to be then I might as well let Frankie Silvano get me.”
“Well, the door’s right there. Feel free to jump out any time. This isn’t a goddamned picnic for me either. It’s not like I don’t have plenty of other things to do with my time.”
“Fine. Aren’t you even going to slow down?”
“No.”
“Fine.”
“Good.”
“Fine.”
Katie crossed her arms and looked out the window at the dark scenery.
“So? Aren’t you going to jump?” Luc asked in that snidely superior male voice she’d always loathed.
“No.” Of course she wasn’t going to jump and he knew it. She wasn’t that stupid. “I should have pushed you out of my car as soon as you got into it,” she muttered.
“Yeah, well I wish you had.”
“Yeah, well I didn’t, did I? So now here I am. Oh, I forgot. Thanks a lot.”
There were no streetlights on the little road, just the occasional porch light and the silvery glow of the moon. The warm summer night was filled with heady smells drifting in through the slightly open car window along with the noise of singing bugs from the brush and trees.
Katie wrapped her arms across her chest and blinked away sudden moisture. Oh, crap. She refused to cry in front of him again. There was no way she would let him see how vulnerable she felt. And stupid. And utterly terrified. What was going to happen to her now?
“Jerk,” she whispered and sniffed. She didn’t care if he had beautiful eyes and broad shoulders. He was a big, huge, hacking jerk and a control freak, and she’d better not let herself forget it.
She thought that maybe Luc heard her soft comment, but he didn’t say anything. Then, miraculously, there was a traffic light and a four-lane highway with cars endlessly speeding back and forth.
“Which way?” he growled without looking at her.
“Which way where?” How was she supposed to know where he was taking her?
“To your apartment. Which way?”
“What?” Katie started and tried to pull herself together. Her apartment? He was taking her to her apartment? He’d changed his mind? It was so unexpected that it almost didn’t register. She looked around, anxious not to miss the opportunity, but nothing seemed familiar. Her sense of direction really was pitiful. At that point she might as well have been trying to fly to the moon hanging so low overhead.
Luc waited, his impatience palpable. “Well?” he demanded.
“I don’t know where we are,” she admitted. Her voice broke a little bit in spite of her best intentions.
Luc rubbed the back of his neck, then sighed. But now it wasn’t an angry sigh, just a tired one. “Look, why don’t you tell me your address?” he asked in a kinder voice.
Taking a deep breath, Katie did.
Strange as it was to believe, that little bit of information seemed to be enough.
“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me? I’m angry, that’s what’s wrong with me!” It was either be angry or cry again, and she was far too close to the second option for comfort.
“Why?” He actually seemed puzzled. Ass.
“Why? Why?” For a moment the utter denseness of the question robbed her of speech. “Because…because you jump into my car…no, no, wait, you destroy my car—”
“It still runs, doesn’t it? That’s more than I can say about my car.”
“—I’m forced to cause hundreds of traffic accidents—”
“Only twelve.”
“—and now you’re kidnapping me and taking me God knows where and I can’t even get my own TOOTHBRUSH! Men. I’m so sick of men telling me what to do, I could spit. None of you listen when other people try to talk, you just sit around and bark orders and think you’re right.”
“Hey, lady.” Luc was losing his temper too. Good. She didn’t want him to be calm and reasonable when her life was out of control. “Don’t thank me or anything. After all, I’m just the man who’s trying to keep you alive.”
“Yeah, don’t do me any favors. If this is the way it’s going to be then I might as well let Frankie Silvano get me.”
“Well, the door’s right there. Feel free to jump out any time. This isn’t a goddamned picnic for me either. It’s not like I don’t have plenty of other things to do with my time.”
“Fine. Aren’t you even going to slow down?”
“No.”
“Fine.”
“Good.”
“Fine.”
Katie crossed her arms and looked out the window at the dark scenery.
“So? Aren’t you going to jump?” Luc asked in that snidely superior male voice she’d always loathed.
“No.” Of course she wasn’t going to jump and he knew it. She wasn’t that stupid. “I should have pushed you out of my car as soon as you got into it,” she muttered.
“Yeah, well I wish you had.”
“Yeah, well I didn’t, did I? So now here I am. Oh, I forgot. Thanks a lot.”
There were no streetlights on the little road, just the occasional porch light and the silvery glow of the moon. The warm summer night was filled with heady smells drifting in through the slightly open car window along with the noise of singing bugs from the brush and trees.
Katie wrapped her arms across her chest and blinked away sudden moisture. Oh, crap. She refused to cry in front of him again. There was no way she would let him see how vulnerable she felt. And stupid. And utterly terrified. What was going to happen to her now?
“Jerk,” she whispered and sniffed. She didn’t care if he had beautiful eyes and broad shoulders. He was a big, huge, hacking jerk and a control freak, and she’d better not let herself forget it.
She thought that maybe Luc heard her soft comment, but he didn’t say anything. Then, miraculously, there was a traffic light and a four-lane highway with cars endlessly speeding back and forth.
“Which way?” he growled without looking at her.
“Which way where?” How was she supposed to know where he was taking her?
“To your apartment. Which way?”
“What?” Katie started and tried to pull herself together. Her apartment? He was taking her to her apartment? He’d changed his mind? It was so unexpected that it almost didn’t register. She looked around, anxious not to miss the opportunity, but nothing seemed familiar. Her sense of direction really was pitiful. At that point she might as well have been trying to fly to the moon hanging so low overhead.
Luc waited, his impatience palpable. “Well?” he demanded.
“I don’t know where we are,” she admitted. Her voice broke a little bit in spite of her best intentions.
Luc rubbed the back of his neck, then sighed. But now it wasn’t an angry sigh, just a tired one. “Look, why don’t you tell me your address?” he asked in a kinder voice.
Taking a deep breath, Katie did.
Strange as it was to believe, that little bit of information seemed to be enough.
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