thing Molly St Claire had drummed into her three sons when they were growing up was that a gentleman always helped a lady in distress. And, whether Joey liked it or not, she was definitely in distress.
Besides which, he had no intention of driving away and leaving a woman alone in a deserted car park at almost six-thirty on a dark winter’s evening.
‘Give that to me,’ he instructed firmly as he moved to kneel beside her on the blanket and took the wrench out of her hand. Or at least attempted to take it, because her fingers instantly tightened about the metal tool, refusing to relinquish it.
‘Joey, stop being so damned childish and give me the spanner!’ Gideon glared down at her.
Jade green eyes glared right back at him. ‘I’m not being childish. I just resent being treated like the helpless little woman to your big strong man!’
Gideon growled in his throat. ‘Would it help you to know that I consider you as helpless as a Sherman tank?’
Joey’s lips twitched at the description coming so soon after his comment earlier about ‘the troops’. ‘We aren’t in a war zone, you know, Gideon.’
‘No?’ He arched blond brows.
‘No.’
‘Then stop being so stubbornly independent and give me the spanner.’ He met her gaze challengingly.
Joey slowly released the metal tool into his hand, and sat back on her heels to watch as he easily undid that last traitorous nut before sliding the wheel off completely. He stood up to place it in the boot of her car, and then briskly rolled over the spare.
‘Don’t you just hate it when that happens?’ she muttered irritably as she straightened up.
Gideon smiled at her patent annoyance. ‘It’s no reflection on your capabilities that the last nut was slightly rusted.’
Maybe it wasn’t, but Joey
hated
appearing less than capable of dealing with her own problems.
‘There didn’t seem to be a problem with the tyre this morning.’ She strolled over to the boot of her car to inspect it, but couldn’t see any visible reason for the puncture. ‘Never mind. I’ll go and get a replacement at lunchtime tomorrow.’ She turned to look over to where Gideon had finished putting on the spare and was now tidying the tools back into the box before folding the blanket.
His tailored suit and white silk shirt were as pristine as always, but there was a small smudge of oil just to the left of his mouth, which meant he probably had oil on his hands, too.
‘Here you go.’ He placed the toolkit and the folded blanket back in the boot, beside the punctured tyre.
Joey swallowed. ‘I—thanks for your help.’
‘No problem.’
‘Nevertheless, it was kind of you.’
His mouth twisted wryly. ‘Considering how ungracious you were when I first offered? ‘
Joey frowned slightly. ‘I don’t remember you offering. As usual, you just took over.’
‘The way I took over in the Newman case a couple of months ago?’
Joey looked up sharply at the gentleness—and the unexpectedness—of Gideon’s query.
‘Yes,’ she finally answered slowly. ‘Exactly the way you took over in the Newman case.’
‘I owe you an explanation and an apology for that.’
Joey’s uncertainty deepened. Her resentment towards Gideon’s arrogant intervention two months ago was the basis upon which she had placed all her future dealings with him. If he now explained and apologised she would have no defences against this rapidly growing attraction she felt towards him. Towards a man who so clearly showed that he only tolerated her at best…
‘Joey …?’
Her startled gaze moved up to meet shrewd brown eyes, and there was a hint of a blush in her cheeks. ‘I’m sure you had your reasons for doing it.’
He nodded. ‘Because I liked Stephanie from the first, and Jordan asked me to see what I could do to help her. But I realise now that I should have considered your feelings before I acted.’
Much as Joey appreciated knowing that Gideon liked her twin enough to want to help
Besides which, he had no intention of driving away and leaving a woman alone in a deserted car park at almost six-thirty on a dark winter’s evening.
‘Give that to me,’ he instructed firmly as he moved to kneel beside her on the blanket and took the wrench out of her hand. Or at least attempted to take it, because her fingers instantly tightened about the metal tool, refusing to relinquish it.
‘Joey, stop being so damned childish and give me the spanner!’ Gideon glared down at her.
Jade green eyes glared right back at him. ‘I’m not being childish. I just resent being treated like the helpless little woman to your big strong man!’
Gideon growled in his throat. ‘Would it help you to know that I consider you as helpless as a Sherman tank?’
Joey’s lips twitched at the description coming so soon after his comment earlier about ‘the troops’. ‘We aren’t in a war zone, you know, Gideon.’
‘No?’ He arched blond brows.
‘No.’
‘Then stop being so stubbornly independent and give me the spanner.’ He met her gaze challengingly.
Joey slowly released the metal tool into his hand, and sat back on her heels to watch as he easily undid that last traitorous nut before sliding the wheel off completely. He stood up to place it in the boot of her car, and then briskly rolled over the spare.
‘Don’t you just hate it when that happens?’ she muttered irritably as she straightened up.
Gideon smiled at her patent annoyance. ‘It’s no reflection on your capabilities that the last nut was slightly rusted.’
Maybe it wasn’t, but Joey
hated
appearing less than capable of dealing with her own problems.
‘There didn’t seem to be a problem with the tyre this morning.’ She strolled over to the boot of her car to inspect it, but couldn’t see any visible reason for the puncture. ‘Never mind. I’ll go and get a replacement at lunchtime tomorrow.’ She turned to look over to where Gideon had finished putting on the spare and was now tidying the tools back into the box before folding the blanket.
His tailored suit and white silk shirt were as pristine as always, but there was a small smudge of oil just to the left of his mouth, which meant he probably had oil on his hands, too.
‘Here you go.’ He placed the toolkit and the folded blanket back in the boot, beside the punctured tyre.
Joey swallowed. ‘I—thanks for your help.’
‘No problem.’
‘Nevertheless, it was kind of you.’
His mouth twisted wryly. ‘Considering how ungracious you were when I first offered? ‘
Joey frowned slightly. ‘I don’t remember you offering. As usual, you just took over.’
‘The way I took over in the Newman case a couple of months ago?’
Joey looked up sharply at the gentleness—and the unexpectedness—of Gideon’s query.
‘Yes,’ she finally answered slowly. ‘Exactly the way you took over in the Newman case.’
‘I owe you an explanation and an apology for that.’
Joey’s uncertainty deepened. Her resentment towards Gideon’s arrogant intervention two months ago was the basis upon which she had placed all her future dealings with him. If he now explained and apologised she would have no defences against this rapidly growing attraction she felt towards him. Towards a man who so clearly showed that he only tolerated her at best…
‘Joey …?’
Her startled gaze moved up to meet shrewd brown eyes, and there was a hint of a blush in her cheeks. ‘I’m sure you had your reasons for doing it.’
He nodded. ‘Because I liked Stephanie from the first, and Jordan asked me to see what I could do to help her. But I realise now that I should have considered your feelings before I acted.’
Much as Joey appreciated knowing that Gideon liked her twin enough to want to help
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