Well Built
Page 19

She was talking mostly to herself, but Kyle replied as if she’d posed the question to him.
“I have a friend who owns an auto shop fairly close by,” he said, scrolling through the contacts in his phone to find said friend’s number. “I’ll give him a call right now and see what he can do. Most likely, we’ll have to get the car towed to his place tonight and leave the keys in the drop box so he can diagnose the problem first thing in the morning.”
“Okay.” It wasn’t as though she had a choice. She couldn’t get home without her vehicle.
While Kyle made the phone call, she rolled the window back up and got out of the car, knowing she was going to have to make a call of her own—to her father, who didn’t even know she’d gone into the city to talk to Kyle. She would have liked to have kept it that way, but no such luck. She couldn’t not return home tonight, or not show up at the market first thing in the morning to open up for the day, and not explain her whereabouts.
Ella made another call home, her second one that evening. She breathed a sigh of relief when Betsy answered and not her father. The last thing she wanted to deal with right now was an interrogation over the phone.
Ella asked for an update on her dad first, and Betsy assured her that he was fine and had gone to bed about a half hour ago. Since Betsy was a widow and lived alone, Ella asked her if she’d stay the night, which the other woman had done plenty of times when Ella had been dating Tucker, or the times she stayed the night with Claire for some girl time. She’d sleep in the guest room and be there when Ella’s father woke up in the morning.
She disconnected her call just as Kyle got off the phone with his friend, his expression full of reassurance. “Rick gets into the shop at six in the morning. He said he’ll get to your car first thing, but we have to get it towed there. So, I’ll make another call and get that done for you, too, since I have roadside service and it won’t cost you anything.”
“Thank you,” she said, incredibly grateful that she didn’t have to do this on her own, because she’d probably end up with another full-blown anxiety attack. Before her time in the city came to an end, she was going to be indebted to Kyle for numerous reasons.
“Is there a hotel nearby that I can stay at for the night?” she asked him, figuring she’d see if she could get a reservation while he handled the tow service.
The corner of his mouth quirked up in a smile that was both endearing and devious. “There is no way in hell I’m letting you out of my sight while you’re in the city. Not after what happened earlier.”
“I’ll be fine,” she insisted, because she didn’t want to be totally dependent on him. She’d like to believe she could be a self-sufficient woman when the occasion called for it. “I can handle staying the night at a hotel.”
“I have a guest room. You’re staying with me at my place, Ella.”
His tone was firm, brooking no argument, and as soon as she opened her mouth to argue anyway, he held up a hand to cut her off.
“It’s not negotiable, Sunshine.”
Yeah, she melted just a little bit at the use of that sweet nickname.
“You don’t have a car, and you don’t know the city like I do,” he reasoned, and she couldn’t refute the truth of his statement. “You have no idea where the auto shop is, and I’m not going to spend tomorrow morning worrying that you’re wandering around the city, lost and trying to figure out where you are.”
“Okay,” she relented, realizing he had a valid point, even if she did hate inconveniencing him in any way. “Fine.”
He chuckled in amusement. “You don’t have to sound so happy about it. Is staying with me that much of a hardship?”
No, he was too much of a temptation. “Far from it,” she murmured, belatedly realizing what she’d just admitted. God, he was making her crazy.
He didn’t bother holding back the playful grin that appeared. “Don’t worry, I won’t take advantage of you,” he promised, his voice low and seductively deep. “Unless, of course, you want me to.”
Her face heated much too conspicuously. Feeling uncharacteristically flustered, she glanced away from his warm, inviting stare. “Call for a tow truck so we can get the car where it needs to be and then we can get to bed.” Jesus, did she really just say that?
A generous amount of humor danced in his gorgeous blue eyes. “Yeah, I’m all about us going to bed.”
Desire, strong and tantalizing, coursed through her. The naughty innuendo caused images of the two of them tangled up in his sheets, and with each other, to flash through her mind—and she quickly tried to amend her comment.
“I meant, it’s getting late and I’m getting tired and . . .” When he just smirked at her, she knew it didn’t matter what she’d meant to say. “Never mind. Just make the damn call already.”
He laughed unrepentantly. “Some things don’t ever change. You’re still a lot of fun to tease, and you’re still absolutely adorable when you get all ruffled,” he said, affection in his voice.
“So glad I can amuse you,” she grumbled, though she was enjoying their flirtatious banter.
As he contacted a towing service to give them directions to where the car was located, Ella took the opportunity to shoot Claire a text.
Just wanted to let you know that my car broke down and I’m stuck in the city for the night. I didn’t want you to worry when you didn’t see me at work in the morning. I’ll have William open up the market for me. As soon as she finished her conversation with Claire, she’d send the store’s manager a quick message, too.
No surprise, it didn’t take her friend long to reply. OMG. That sucks. Do you need me to come and get you?
No. Kyle has a friend who owns an auto shop. The guy is going to get it fixed first thing in the morning, so it doesn’t make sense for me to go home tonight just to come back tomorrow to pick up the car.
Ella knew what was coming even before her friend’s next question came through. That row of bubbles appeared as she waited for it . . .
Where are you staying?
At Kyle’s, she typed back, then quickly clarified, in his guest bedroom.
Hmm. It doesn’t have to be his guest bedroom.
Ella rolled her eyes, because she’d seen her friend’s comment coming a mile away. But before she could reply, Claire shot her another note.