* * * *
Certain the steam screaming from her ears was visible to everyone, Grayce stormed toward the exit doors. Distance is what she needed, and mere miles wouldn’t be enough. The familiar ache ignited by his presence consumed every inch of flesh. Intense attraction, need, lust. Emotions not welcome in her world forced their way through an obsessively guarded wall.
Her long lost libido had come back with vengeance and completely betrayed the memory of the hell she’d lived through at the hands of men. With temper rising to near nuclear proportions, she struggled against shaky fingers to unlock the door to her rundown VW Rabbit.
“Don’t turn around.” A sour stench filled her nostrils before the words registered. Tobacco and skunk. A heavy hand weighted her shoulder. “Get in the car and slide over.” The raspy voice and wheeze with each breath were a dead giveaway the man had held a thousand too many coffin nails between his lips over the course of his lifetime.
Oh hell no. Bravery, fueled by intense anger, filled Grayce with an unexpected sense of power. With a quick turn she swung her right arm at the man. Damn gym bag. Its weight slowed her momentum, and the strike barely fazed him. No way in hell was she going to allow the fat bastard to bully her into the car.
Before her bag hit the ground, her foot met his shin with force enough to evoke profanities. Freak may as well have been Superman and she a toddler for all the good it did. Putrid stench brought the sting of tears to her eyes as he grabbed both shoulders and shoved her into the front seat.
Scream damn you, scream. “You fucking bastard, get off me!” The strength in her voice came as a surprise, as did the new wave of adrenaline that pumped through her veins. Desperation guided her movements as she batted, kicked and successfully thwarted his efforts at getting a solid hold on anything other than her clothing. What had the self-defense class taught her? Crap, who could remember? Should’ve paid better attention.
Frenzied attempts at kneeing his groin had her awkwardly positioned, half in, half out of the car. Four kicks in, she found her target. The man wore a fearsome grimace as he doubled over, spit, and stumbled backwards in pain.
Pure evil flooded his bloodshot eyes.
Seizing the opportunity, Grayce lifted her legs at a feeble attempt to strike again. Her butt slid down the edge of the car seat and landed with a thud on unforgiving pavement, knocking the wind clean out of her lungs. Stunned and struggling to regain her bearings, she looked up in time to see a dirty, hairy-knuckled fist shoot straight for her nose. Except, it didn’t make contact.
Playing out like a slow motion scene from an action movie, the perp was violently jerked back by the nape of his neck. Arms and legs flailed in front of him as he was lifted off the ground, eyes wide with disbelief. Tossed like a rag doll across the parking lot, he bounced off the chain link fence, wrapped around a street lamp and landed with a thud. His body twitched, then lay ragged and motionless, slumped in a heap on the cement.
Grayce fought to draw breath as her gaze traced the length of the figure towering with protective intent. Hmm, muscles and more muscles. Horrified and dazzled simultaneously, she stared into the face of the man she’d tried so hard to avoid.
2
Well Z, helluva way to make a first impression. Nothing like bringing out the big guns on a first date.
Acting on instinct, he squatted to brush tangled hair from his woman’s face. Intense, powerful vibrations passed between their flesh. He didn’t flinch. Knew it was coming. She however, did not.
Holy hell, she felt it.
Wild eyed and bewildered, she cowered and backed away. Definitely an inappropriate time to smile, but shit. What else could he do? For years he’d waited for this moment. “Did he hurt you? Can you move?”
“Yeah. I mean, no. I mean, I think I’m okay.” Liar. Attempts at pushing herself up had her wincing in pain. “Fucking bastard.”
“I love a girl with a potty mouth.” God, did he ever. In fact, it hadn’t dawned on him until right then and there how much he loved it.
“I’m sorry, I’m pissed right now.”
Palpitations, rapid breaths, sweaty palms. Every cliché hit him at the same time. As he bent to help her up, vanilla scented hair ticked his nose.
Reminded him of home.
Lifting her wasn’t such a good idea. Blood rushed to his sex and he’d never been more thankful for an oversized hoodie. “Can you stand?”
She nodded. A hazel-eyed glare traveled the length of his torso and width of his chest.
Pleasured by her perusal, excited by the red glow dusting her cheeks, he bit hard on his lower lip. The urge to taste her, the need to claim her fleshy pink mouth nearly short-circuited his brain.
“Wow. Workout much?” Cringing, Grayce placed shaky hands on his forearms. With all the tenderness he could muster, Zander attempted to set her upright, straighten her clothing, offer some comfort.
Big mistake.
With a sharp intake of breath, her body tensed and terror filled her eyes.
Fear was not the reaction he’d expected. Sure, he was huge and most people stayed the hell out of his way, but she wasn’t most people. This woman was his missing half, created by the heavens for him alone. If anything, his presence should calm her. She should crave his touch, not recoil from it.
Something was terribly wrong.
He tilted his head to catch her gaze. Glassy-eyed, she stared past his shoulder. Then she started to shake.
* * * *
As the beautiful giant set her on her feet and straightened disheveled clothing, Grayce’s brain shifted into auto pilot. Shutdown process initiated. She hadn’t been touched like that in years. By anyone, man or woman. Not since her escape.
The tremble started in her chest, spread to her limbs, threatened to rattle her teeth.
To lose control and slip into her dark place was a luxury she couldn’t afford. Not now. Not in front of this man. Desperate for a distraction, anything to wrench her from panic mode, she scanned the parking lot. Her search came to a halt when her eyes rested on the lifeless heap on the ground. Holy fuck, was he dead?
“You’re shaking. Do you have a coat?” The undeniable concern in his voice made it harder to pull her shit together.
Throat dry and tight, Grayce couldn’t manage to choke a word out. She blinked up at him, reluctant to meet him eye to eye. Before the next blink, he’d wrapped a sweatshirt around her shoulders. That’s when the waterworks began. A floodgate opened, releasing a surge of wracking sobs and a heavy flow of tears. Two heartbeats and she found herself tucked gently against warm, hard muscle, face buried in his chest, while he tenderly stroked her hair.
He lowered her to the ground, rested his back against her car and held her snug and tight. Despite obvious differences in size, she fit against him perfectly, like the last piece of a puzzle. His caress soothed, his touch brought solace, not pain. She’d never felt so fucking safe and warm. So she let tears fall and allowed him to go through the comforting motions. When composed enough to form a coherent thought, she realized his lips were pressed firmly against her head.
What the? Defensively, with a sharp shiver, she pulled away.
“Um, thank you, I’m sorry. I just—” God. Just what? What the hell was happening?
“No, don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong. But damn, that fucker’s going to be sorry he messed with you. That was a mean knee to the balls.” A low chuckle vibrated his chest. “You’re a tough little cookie, brave too.” Awkwardly, he offered his hand. “I’m