Free Stripped Down by Kelli Ireland Page A

reached the car together. He swung her off the street and over the worst of the gutter flow, depositing her on the sidewalk with a flourish. “Can’t have you getting those sexy feet wet.”
    Shoving hair out of her face, confusion marred her brow. “Sexy feet?”
    He planted his hands on his hips and let his chin fall to his chest. “The blue nail polish. It’s sexy as hell.” Her sharp exhale made him peer at her. “What?”
    “Just... You noticed my toes.”
    Embarrassment crawled up the back of his neck and prickled along his nape. He shifted his gaze to an obscure point over her shoulder. “It’s not a big deal, Cass.”
    “Let’s go back to my place.” Her husky tone made him glance at her sharply.
    “I should grab some dry clothes.”
    She licked her lips as she stepped in close and gazed up at him. “You won’t need them. Trust me.”
    And damn if he didn’t. Taking her car keys, he helped her into the passenger’s seat and jogged to the driver’s side.
    “A little chauvinistic, isn’t it, assuming the man is more capable behind the wheel?” She fished a few napkins out of the glove box and handed him some to dry his face.
    “Nope.”
    “Why’s that?” she asked, eyes narrowing.
    “It’s a matter of safety.”
    “Safety?” Crossing her arms under her breasts, she arched a brow. “Go on.”
    “If I don’t have my hands on the wheel, they’re going to be all over you. The probability of an accident increases exponentially because you would be distracted. By letting me drive, you’re actually performing your civic duty by forcing me to focus on the road.”
    Her laughter was soft and feminine and caressed every male cell in his body.
    “Heaven knows I wouldn’t want to be responsible for vehicular carnage.”
    “The city of Seattle and its residents thank you.”
    She shook her head and absently waved a hand. “Home, James.”
    He pulled into traffic on cue.
    The trip back to the Harbormaster apartments was comfortably quiet, his mind so full of the woman at his side he nearly forgot about everything else. When he was with Cass, it was easy to pretend he’d found the kind of success he’d dreamed of for so long. It was easy to imagine having a life where he could pursue a woman like her.
    He traced the heel of her hand with his thumb. So many opportunities right in front of him. If he could just make enough money to close the social gap between him and this woman, if he could write a check for his brother’s tuition without worrying about it clearing, if he could afford to pay himself a reasonable salary and be able to quit stripping, he’d be happy. And in this moment, with her, all of that seemed possible.
    Settling their joined hands on the console, he reveled in the fact that, for the first time in a very long time, he didn’t feel alone. She was here, now, chasing away the darkness that clawed at him and replacing it with the realization she was the first breath of hope he’d had in what seemed like forever. Even if she damned him later for it, he’d take whatever he could get.
    * * *
    C ASS FOUGHT THE increasing urge to squirm with every traffic light that delivered them closer to her apartment. She might have kissed Dalton in public minutes ago, but no one knew them. Knew him. They were just some innocuous couple kissing in the rain. But once they got to the apartment complex, though, she might run into someone she knew, someone she’d have to introduce Dalton to.
    Shame pushed her to slide lower in her seat. Dress it up a thousand ways, you know what your problem is. He’s a stripper. And that irked her. Not that it bothered her that he took his clothes off for a living, but that she reacted the way she did. She didn’t want to be that person. Behind closed doors, or in little dives where no one she socialized with hung out, she could pretend it was all okay, pretend she was urbane and chic and fine with everything. But in potentially social situations? Situations