“I do if you’re planning on driving.”
Her frown deepened. “No, I’m not driving. I don’t have a car here. Tori drove us, and apparently, she’s taken off and isn’t answering her phone. So…” She shrugged, turned her back on him, and continued down the driveway.
So?Where the hell was she going? Relief that she wasn’t going to drive sank in even as he jogged to catch up with her. “So, you’re walking?”
She didn’t even glance at him. “It seems like my best option.”
“Doubtful.” He kept pace with her. “It’s ten thirty at night—”
“On a Saturday. There’s plenty of people still out.”
“Some of these people you don’t want to run into in the daylight, let alone in the dark.”
“We’re on Capitol Hill. If you think I’ll be snatched up and dragged off to a gay bar, I promise I’ll like it.”
Despite his concern, a laugh welled in his chest. Cute and funny.
“It’s the more sinister things I worry about, Kristen. The Pacific Northwest is practically a breeding ground for serial killers.”
“Wow, you got really dark, really fast. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good serial killer documentary as much as the next girl, but it’s not something I actively worry about every time I step outside.”
“I’m cautious. You’re a woman out alone in a city that you don’t know that well.” When she started to protest, he added, “Look, I swear I have sisters I’m equally as protective of.”
She gave a flat laugh and shook her head. “Awesome. From rejecting me to comparing me to your sisters.”
Was this alcohol-induced logic?
“Why don’t you let me drive you back to wherever you’re staying?”
For a moment, she looked tempted. “I’m staying at Tori’s place, but if she’s not there, I don’t want to bug her roommates. I’m fine. The walk will kill some time and sober me up.”
At least she was admitting she’d had too much to drink, but there was no way he was letting her walk around alone this time of night.
When she turned to leave, he caught her arm. “Well, kill some time with me.”
One eyebrow lifted and she gave him a surprised look, and he could practically hear the thoughts in her head. She was wondering if he’d reconsidered the hot and heavy stuff.
“Are you hungry? We can grab food.”
“Food.” Her expression slid back to wry amusement. “I’m not really hungry—”
“Then let’s catch a movie.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Why are you so determined to babysit me?”
That wasn’t a question he could easily answer. “How is wanting to spend time with a pretty girl called babysitting?”
She gave a soft laugh. “Fine. Let’s go to a movie. But if I get in your car, you’d better not turn out to be one of those Ted Bundy types you just warned me about.”
He smiled and led her toward his truck parked down the hill. “You didn’t seem too concerned about that when we were making out back at the party.”
A quick glance her way showed her cheeks flushing. “There were people within earshot. I would’ve screamed until your eardrums burst.”
He’d wanted to hear her scream, but not for that reason.
“Besides, I’m prepared. Smile.”
When she clicked a pic of him with her phone, then of his license plate, he couldn’t deny she was smarter than he’d given her credit for.