Free Numbers Never Lie (Crimson Romance) by Shelley K. Wall

Sophie’s neck and pulled her to him, kissing her hard and quick, or at least he intended it to be quick but it wasn’t. His mouth pressed against hers, forcefully burning into her own. Surprise hit him hard as he felt the need to search every section of her mouth, exploring and enjoying the moistness of her lips. The scent of her skin up close intoxicated him. He trailed his other hand up her side, resting it briefly against her rib cage then grasped her tightly as the kiss ended. “That should do the trick,” he whispered against her mouth. Reluctantly he released her, turned, and started walking toward her car. She stood still and watched him move away.
    Then he did exactly what she had done to him inside. He turned with a smile and said, “Are you coming, Soph?” Her mouth opened and she stared at him, her breathing short. Behind her, Callie let out a loud wolf whistle. Sophie’s eyes burned into him. He was amazed at how much bigger they got when she was angry. He walked toward her car and stopped. His hands shook and his lips burned. He waited for her to follow.
    “I have a question for you, Mr. Trevor Adams.” Her voice was low and husky as she approached. She waved her car keys, and added, “Did you think that was funny? And … ” She hesitated as she noticed their location. “How did you know this was my car?”
    Trev surveyed the royal blue charger she pointed to, then glanced around the parking lot. He ignored the first question. He grabbed the keys she waved in his face and dangled the silver Dodge emblem on them in front of her. “I guessed. It’s the only Dodge in the parking lot except for that truck at the back.” He pointed at an old truck with the grill half-missing, and one fender a different color than the other. It looked like it wouldn’t move. “You don’t seem the type to drive something like that so this made sense.”
    “That’s pretty observant of you.” She reached for her keys.
    He lifted them out of her reach. “Nope. Sorry. You don’t need to be driving right now. There’s a gas station two blocks over that’s open all night. They have coffee and food, and a little room to sit. Let’s go there and you can show me those reports you talked about.” He glanced around, noticing that her friends were all gone. The streetlights splashed silver streaks across her hair and cheeks and she looked even more beautiful standing there challenging him.
    “I don’t really feel like it, Trevor. I just want to go home.” She sighed and let her shoulders drop.
    “Then I’ll drive you.”
    “No!” She flashed another angry look at him.
    “Why not?”
    “Because I don’t even know you. I’m not getting in a car with you.”
    “It’s your car,” he reminded her.
    “Yes, but. Oh, okay, let’s go get the coffee.” She started walking toward the street corner to cross.
    “What about the reports? Do you still want me to look at them? Or would you rather we just drop it now?”
    “You have the keys. They’re in the back on the floor.”

Chapter Five
    Gas stations in downtown Houston can attract all sorts of interesting people at late hours, basically the kind of people one should stay away from. For the general public, it’s not a safe place to be after dark. The gas station was lit up like a circus, making it easy to manage.
    In the far corner, two people argued … apparently a lovers’ spat. They tried to keep their voices down but not very successfully. After a minute, the girl stormed out and the guy followed. At one of the tables in the small dining area, a guy, the only other person left in the place, had his head down. He looked to be sleeping — or passed out. The gas pumps outside had no customers. The attendant, a very thin man with dark, receding hair watched them warily from behind a Plexiglas window over the counter.
    Trev purchased two large coffees and moved to a table as far away from the sleeping guy as possible so that he could keep an eye on him.