Good freaking grief!
Lexi hadn’t exaggerated when she’d said the men in Colorado were hot.
Well over six feet with thick brown hair, Eric had a rugged outdoorsy vibe she liked. She could see the outline of his pecs through his T-shirt and was willing to bet they came with a six-pack. His biceps, forearms, and even his hands were muscular and so much bigger than her own.
If what they said about the size of a man’s hands was true…
Belly flutters.
“You said you came to pick someone up?” She willed herself to quit undressing him with her mind and focus on his face, but even his face was sexy. His brown hair hadn’t been cut recently and had a tousled look, as if he’d brushed it out of his eyes with his fingers. His eyebrows were dark slashes against tanned skin, his square jaw covered by a growth of stubble. Long lashes, a full mouth, and a dimple in his chin softened his masculine features. And he was a freaking firefighter.
Some men had it all.
She’d always had a thing for firefighters, but she’d never been this close to one, much less sat down to have a conversation with one.
“Yeah. I’ve never met him. I think he’s here to try to break up my best friend and his girlfriend. I offered to dump him in a ditch, but my friend wouldn’t go for it.” The grin on his face told her he’d been joking—mostly. “He would have come to pick the jerk up himself, but his girlfriend was almost killed last Sunday, and he’s taking her to a checkup with the surgeon.”
“What happened?”
“A fugitive took her hostage, dragged her into a mine shaft, and the shaft collapsed. The bastard who kidnapped her died and almost took her with him. We were able to get her out, but she has a fractured tibia.”
Vic stared at the man across from her, his story one she already knew. Anger made her face burn. “What’s the name of theguyyou’re supposed to pick up?”
He held up a cardboard sign that read, “Vic Woodley.”
She found herself on her feet. “That’smyname.”
He gaped at her, astonishment on his face. “You’re … ?”
“Lexi Jewell is my best friend.”
A look of understanding crossed his face, followed by an angry frown. He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, “Taylor, you bastard.”
“I’ll catch a cab.” She took hold of her suitcase handle, turned toward the door, and hurried toward the sign with the taxi on it.
He caught up with her in a single stride. “Victoria, hey, I’m sorry. It was a misunderstanding. My buddy let me believe you were a guy.”
“Yeah, I figured that part out for myself.” But that wasn’t the problem.
She stepped through the automatic doors, dry heat hitting her in the face.
Eric followed her to the curb. “It’s an hour and a half to Scarlet Springs. Do you have any idea how much a cab will cost?”
She hadn’t realized it was that far. Still, she wasn’t going anywhere with him, not if he was the kind of man who would try to manipulate Lexi. He didn’t really want her here. “That’s okay. I can afford it.”
She’d been born with more money than she could ever spend.
She stepped out to the curb to hail a cab—only to see that there were no cabs. She turned to look the other way and found herself looking at Eric’s chest.
“Come on, Victoria. You can’t be that angry with me. It was a simple misunderstanding.”
“You think I’m angry because you thought I was a guy?” She bent to the side to see, his broad shoulders blocking her view.
No taxis there either.
What did it take to get a cab in this state?
Eric’s eyes were hidden behind mirrored aviator-style sunglasses now, but there was a slight grin on his face, as if he found all of this amusing. “I wasn’t serious about dumping you in a ditch, you know. I’mnotgoing to hurt you.”