Page 17 of Truck Me
She hops out with me, and I shut the door, keeping it running so it doesn’t get cold. Then I make my way to the front of the Volvo, where the hood is up.
Before I reach the front, a woman steps out from the front and stares at me. She immediately relaxes when her eyes connect with mine.
“Oh, thank God it’s you.” Charlotte presses her hand to her chest. “I had no idea what to expect from someone stopping.”
I look her up and down and can’t stop the low growl that escapes me. She’s not dressed appropriately for country living.
She’s wearing a coat that looks like it’s more for show than warmth. It’s short, light pink, and I think it might be leather. There’s a scarf around her neck but it’s thin and see-through. There’s no way that’s providing her any warmth.
Her dark skirt is loose-fitting and looks like it barely covers her ass. Her legs are bare and she’s wearing another pair of those damn sexy heels that I’d love to see on her while she’s in my bed with nothing else on.
My dick thickens at the image. I shake my head and bite back my attraction. Dressed like a princess when she should be thinking about comfort and practicality.
I’m about to get onto her for being out here late, dressed like this, when my eyes land on her hand at her side. If I’m not mistaken, she’s gripping a can of pepper spray. Maybe she’s smarter than I thought.
Bullet runs past me and stops at Charlotte’s feet. She circles her, sniffing her feet then her ass. When Bullet’s nose nudges her, she yelps and hops forward, stumbling right into my arms.
I grab hold of her and keep her from falling to the ground. She looks up at me, but it’s too dark to read her expression. Hopefully, that means she can’t read mine because having her this close to me is doing crazy things to my body.
She rights herself and steps back. “Sorry about that. I wasn’t prepared for your dog to poke me in the ass.”
She lets out a soft chuckle while I growl. I’d like to poke her in the ass with something.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Bullet steps around her and rubs her nose on Charlotte’s hand. Charlotte’s smile grows, and she coos and pets my dog. Bullet eats it up.
“Traitor,” I mumble.
“What was that?” Charlotte turns her smile to me, and my chest constricts. She’s a beautiful woman, but when she smiles, her entire face lights up.
“Nothing.” I point to the front of her car. “What seems to be wrong?”
“I don’t know. I heard a grinding noise, and then my car jerked and came to a stop. I don’t know why I popped the hood. I know nothing about cars.”
I shine my flashlight under the hood, but it’s too dark to really see anything. Besides, what she described doesn’t sound good. “Well, I can’t say for sure until I get it in the garage, but it sounds like the transmission. Common problem with older Volvos.”
“Great. Just what I need.” She sighs and opens the driver’s side door. A few seconds later, she stands with her phone in her hand.
“What are you doing?”
“Calling Mom to come get me. Then a tow truck.”
I growl and narrow my gaze. “Why would you do that?”
She looks up at me with raised brows. “Um, because my car broke down.”
“I can take you home. You live right next door to me.”
She stares at me like she doesn’t understand what I said.
“Okay.” She drags out the word. “But what about my car? I can’t leave it here.”
I shake my head and a low rumble vibrates in my chest. “You do know my family owns a garage, right?”
“Yeah.”
“We have a tow truck. I’ll come back for it.”