One Lucky Hero by Codi Gary Page B

her open door.
    â€œWhat? Are you double-checking to make sure I buckle myself right? Because I have done this before.”
    â€œSmart-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.
    â€œIt’s funny, I didn’t picture Tyler as a pick-up man.”
    â€œHe’s not; the truck is mine,” Dean said. “I just hate driving in traffic, and he’s used to it.”
    â€œWhere are you from originally?” she asked.
    â€œQueens, New York.”
    â€œRight, 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.
    â€œSo why does a city boy need a big ole truck?” she asked.
    â€œBecause 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.
    â€œYou’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.
    â€œI’m starting to think you’re concerned I might really murder you.”
    â€œNo, not really, I just have a sick sense of humor.” Pausing briefly, she cocked her head. “Unless . . . Should I be worried?”
    Before she realized what he was about to do, he gently brushed her hair off her forehead, the light touch sweetly searing her skin. “Don’t worry, Violet. You’re safe with me.”
    If he kept saying her name like that, Violet would believe anything.
    F IFTEEN MINUTES LATER , Dean pulled through the Jimboy’s Tacos drive-thru, handing Violet the bag of food. He normally avoided fried stuff, but the minute she’d suggested Mexican, his stomach had started growling.
    â€œMmmm, I love the smell of Jimboy’s. I don’t know if it’s the grease or what, but nothing else compares.” Violet held the bag under her nose and inhaled loudly, drawing a laugh from Dean.
    â€œI’m more of a meat and potatoes kind of guy,” Dean said.
    â€œI can see that.”
    He glanced her way before he made a left out of the parking lot. “What, do we have a certain look or something?”
    â€œNo, I just tend to think of uber-masculine men as devouring rare steaks and heaps of mashed potatoes. On game day in high school, if Tracy and I weren’t fast enough, the football players would clean out the cafeteria before we had a chance to get our food.”
    â€œWell, I don’t know about rare steak, but I could probably scarf down my mother’s entire brisket in one sitting,” Dean said.
    â€œBrisket?” she asked. “What’s that?”
    â€œJust a cut of beef. My mother was, is Jewish, so we had it most holidays.”
    â€œOh.” Dean waited for her to ask him something else about his family, but instead, she changed the subject entirely. “So, do you live alone or with Tyler?”
    Dean should have been relieved that she didn’t ask him more about his family, but instead, he found it odd. Most women asked a million questions, even personal ones, to pass the time until they hooked up.
    Guess she really doesn’t want to get involved.
    â€œI live alone, and I’ll