Page 64 of X's and O's

Her mouth dropped open, and she looked between me and John a few times, but when it was obvious he wasn’t going to save her from the big bad wolf in the back of the car, she focused on me.

“I’m sorry. When you said you were sending a car, I didn’t realize the car would have you in it. Either way, I think I’ve changed my mind.”

“You haven’t. Get in.”

She shook her head. “No, no. Actually, I really think I have—”

“Get in the car, Violet.”

Her name practically rolled off my tongue, the husky yet authoritative tone in my voice surprising even me.

I think we were both shocked when Violet did exactly what I’d told her to do and slid inside the car, murmuring a thank you at John when he closed the door behind her.

A shot of lust speared through me at seeing her upclose. She’d scraped her long blond hair back into a half-up, half-down combination, with soft tendrils framing her face. Her pretty blue eyes were huge, staring at me from across the center seat, her eyelashes coated with black mascara. She picked at her dress, and I could see why. It was a shapeless sack that pulled what looked to be uncomfortably tight in some places, while gaping in others.

Even still, she was one of the prettiest women I’d ever seen, and I breathed her in, catching sweet tones of vanilla and honey in her scent. I’d bury my face in her neck later. Inhale that perfume right off the pulse point just below her ear.

My dick kicked at the idea, taking me by surprise. It wasn’t completely uncommon for me to get hard while working. It was a biological response. But it had been a very long time since I’d had an instant bolt of lust like that from someone I’d only met a minute ago.

I tugged at my collar, feeling like I was choking.

With me suddenly not able to say anything, Violet stuck her hand out in my direction. “Violet Garrisen.”

I eyed her outstretched hand. It was the way she would have offered her hand at a job interview. Arm straight. As much distance between us as humanly possible.

I smirked, put my hand in hers, and slid across the seat, closing the gap between us.

She gasped as I crowded her against the side of the car, my thigh pressing on hers. I stroked the back of her hand with my thumb, and I didn’t let her go, even after the standard time for a handshake had passed.

She stared up at me, her lips pink and so fuckingkissable I found myself staring at them for so long I forgot what came next.

Fuck, she smelled like fucking heaven up close. She was soft in all the places I liked on a woman. She was all tits and hips and fuck-me thighs.

“Wyatt DeLeon.”

She stared down at my fingers still wrapped around hers. “Is that your porn name?” Her head snapped up; her eyes wide. She yanked her hand out of my grip and slapped it over her mouth. “I can’t believe that just came out of my mouth. I keep doing that! I’m so sorry,” she mumbled from behind her palm. “I’m just really nervous.”

I couldn’t help the laugh that shot up my chest. “You’re funny.”

She shook her head. “Oh no. I’m absolutely not. I’m just incredibly good at saying the wrong thing in social situations. Which is probably how I ended up in this one in the first place, huh? My roommate would probably say I had no ‘rizz’ right now.”

I frowned at her. “What does that mean?”

“No charisma.”

Her roommate was an idiot then. Because Violet Garrisen had completely and utterly stolen my attention within a few short minutes. She was cute as fuck. And her awkwardness was all the charisma I needed.

“It’s not a porn name. Just a regular old given name. If I was going to have a porn name, I would have gone with something way better.”

The tension in her shoulders eased slightly. “Like what?”

I shrugged. “Wyatt Widedick.”

She sniggered. “Okay, fair enough. That definitely screams porn star. DeLeon is much classier.”

“Glad you think so. Because I’m about to take you to a classy sort of place and I would hate to stick out like a sore thumb.”

She picked nervously at the hem on her dress. It sat very demurely just below her knees. “Where are we going?”