AintNoAngel Read Free Page B

man and he could be a serial killer or something.
    Marc took one look at the panicked expression on her face
and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Killers and rapists don’t make spectacles
of themselves in a bar full of people. Everyone here can identify him. You
still have that mace in your purse?”
    She nodded and Marc gave her a little push. “Go, live a
little. If he hurts you, I’ll kill him.” Jessie smiled at that. She supposed
she was overthinking it.
    “Okay,” she said, throwing her purse over her shoulder.
    The sexy man smiled at her and took her hand to lead her out
of the bar and to his truck.

Chapter Three
     
    Travis closed the truck door after he had helped her up in
the cab. It was a tall truck, four-wheel drive with aggressive mud tires. It
suited his purposes well. Criminals hid in the craziest places.
    Swinging up into the driver’s side in one smooth motion, he
started the grumbly engine and put it in gear. He knew just where to take her.
    There was an overlook on the outskirts of town that he had
busted more teens at than he could count. But it was late and he figured the
place would be deserted this time of night, he hoped. After all, the kids had a
curfew.
    He glanced her way and she smiled at him. The cab of his
truck smelled like her and he took a deep breath.
    “So, what’s your name?” she asked and he grinned at her.
    “Sorry, we didn’t get around to that. I’m Travis. What’s
yours?”
    “I’m Jessie.”
    Jessie suited her. She struck him as a no-frills kind of
chick. He knew that he should be making small talk with her but she didn’t seem
to mind the silence and his brain was too clouded with her scent to think
straight.
    He said the first thing that came to mind. “Do you want to
scoot over here closer to me?” he asked as he lifted his arm and made room for
her.
    She hesitated and he thought for a second she was going to
turn him down. But then she slid over on the bench seat and pressed her side
against his. They drove the last mile or two in silence and Travis could think
of nothing but how well she fit, tucked under his arm.
    He pulled into the overlook and cut the engine and the
headlights. They were alone, just like he had hoped. He left the radio on, a
country station, and the dash lights illuminated the inside of the truck
softly.
    “Where are we?” she asked quietly.
    “The overlook.”
    She looked up at him and said with a smile, “You brought me
to the make-out place?”
    “I did. I’m a gentleman when it comes to women but I ain’t
no angel. Taking a pretty girl to a make-out spot seemed like a good idea.”
What he really wanted was more than that but he would let her lead the way. He
wasn’t in the habit of taking things from women that they weren’t willing to
give.
    “I think it was a very good idea,” she told him.
    * * * * *
    Jessie liked having someone so close to her. Warming her
from the inside out, in ways that she thought had been long buried inside her.
    He had brought her to the local make-out spot, a place that
she had never been. Oh she knew where it was and had driven past it but no man
had ever brought her here.
    It was kind of romantic. The night sky had a blanket of
stars winking down at them and in the distance she could see a few of the
streetlights from town.
    She could feel Travis’ body getting tenser by the second and
she wondered why he didn’t make a move on her. That one small thought left room
for more doubts to creep in.
    But he must have thought she was somewhat pretty or he
wouldn’t have bought her a drink and asked her to dance. He had her in the cab
of his truck and the seconds started crawling by.
    It made her feel young and untainted. But that was far from
the truth. Maybe she should just lay it out. Ask what he intended and go from
there.
    They both started talking at the same time. He smiled and
said, “You go first.”
    Taking a deep breath, she sat up and away from him without
moving back across the