Maybe she was having a mid-life crisis. She looked into the rearview mirror and watched the sexy stranger open the passenger side door of his truck.
Well, if this was a mid-life crisis, there were definitely worse people to be having it with.
* * *
Holy shit.
What was that?
Or more specifically, who was that?
Easton was doing his best to get his bearings as he walked back to his truck to grab his toolbox. But that was easier said than done because his brain felt more flurried than the weather outside.
He’d just come face to face with an angel. A goddess. A mythological creature. That was the only explanation for what he’d just seen.
Those eyes that were bluer than the Mediterranean Sea and he would know. He’d spent time in Greece and thought the sea should be named the eighth wonder of the world. As soon as the window had rolled down and she’d turned to look at him he’d felt like a tongue-tied teenager. Or at least what movies portrayed as tongue-tied teenagers. He’d never gone through that stage. And he didn’t appreciate it happening now at thirty-six.
Her eyes were so mesmerizing, so captivating, so beautiful he’d actually felt beads of sweat break out on the back of his neck. That wasn’t even physically possible considering the freezing temperatures he was in, even with his mutated gland.
She wasn’t human. She couldn’t be. She was just too…perfect. Every single feature on her sweetheart shape face looked like it had been drawn by a Disney artist. Her fair skin was so flawless, creamy and smooth it looked Facetuned. Her full cherry red lips caused his mouth to water and his mind to wonder what they would taste like. Her huge sapphire eyes were so deep he could have easily drowned in them. Then there were her high cheekbones, turned up nose, and tiny indention in her chin that all looked computer generated.
And that was just her appearance. He had a feeling that as incredible as she looked, it was just the tip of the iceberg of what made her appealing.
The fire in her eyes during their entire conversation had been cute as hell. And he didn’t mean that in a condescending way, but that’s exactly what it was. She wasn’t combative, but it seemed everything that he asked her registered as a challenge in her mind.
He wasn’t used to people responding to him like that. Most people he met liked him immediately. It had been that way his whole life.
This woman did not. It was very clear that she was not his biggest fan and for some reason that was endearing to him. He wasn’t sure what that said about him, but he prided himself on his honesty, and that meant being honest with himself. Her reaction to him only made him more attracted to her.
The way she’d struggled to simply agree to allow him to help her was so damn adorable it had been like cupid’s arrow hitting him right between the eyes. He’d had to step away from the vehicle before he did something stupid, like confess his undying love to her. That was only a slight exaggeration.
He reached behind the seat and grabbed his toolbox. When he straightened, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw that the SUV’s driver’s side door was opening.
What happened next was straight out of an ’80s movie montage.
In slow motion a high heeled boot that stopped at the ankle and a denim covered leg appeared. Next, there was a black leather glove and jacket covered arm pushing the door open further. Then he saw her stepping out and she looked in his direction. The motion fanned out the blonde hair beneath the red beanie which fell down to her mid-back.
His heart stopped beating when she straightened and stood beside her car. Her body defied nature. The form fitting jacket, and jeans did nothing to conceal her pinup curves. Her waist was sinched by a belt around her jacket and flared out over her generous hips.
Sir Mix-a-Lot’s ’90s hit “Baby Got Back” played in his mind. Specifically, the lyrics that referred to the measurements 36, 24, 36 and stipulated only if she’s five-foot-three.
Easton had always been attracted to curvy women. His first two crushes as a kid were Sophia Loren and Jane Mansfield. His mom had been a big fan of movies from that time period. That’s the era that this woman looked like she’d just stepped out of. And actually, she had traits of both of those iconic women. She looked like a perfect mix of those old Hollywood sirens.
She was his personal fantasy come to life.
As she walked toward him, he noticed that her chin was trembling from the cold. If the wind wasn’t so loud, he’d most likely be able to hear her teeth chattering.
Every protective instinct in his body roared to life. He pointed as he commanded, “You need to get back in the car.”
He hadn’t meant his instruction to come out sounding so harsh, but it had. That challenge that he’d seen in her eyes ignited once more as she lifted her hand and brushed off strands of hair that were blowing in her face. “I appreciate your help but I’m not getting back in the car.”
Easton wanted to argue. He wanted to tell her that he would only change her tire if she got back in the car. He wanted to insist that she get out of the cold and off the side of the road where it was dangerous.
He’d only just met this woman, but somehow, he knew that if he did any of those things, she would just dig her heels, her high heels, in even further. His best bet was to get this tire changed as quickly as possible. That was going to be the only way to get her safely back in her car.
Then he’d deal with what came next. Because if it was up to him, she wouldn’t get back on the road in these conditions. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to convince her to wait the storm out. His brain was already coming up with bullet points he could use to make his case. If she did insist on driving, he would just follow her to make sure she got to her destination safely. Even if that meant driving hours out of his way.
He doubted she would appreciate him doing that, but she wasn’t the only one who could be stubborn. He was his mother’s child after all and Connie Bishop could easily take the title of Most Stubborn Woman on the Planet. But something told him, the woman standing in front of him could give his mom a run for her money.
And just like every other detail about this woman, he found that very attractive.