Page 24 of The Billionaire's Special Relationship

“That engine was crushed. I’m sure your insurance company is going to total it out.”

He could see her processing the information. Not with panic. She seemed to Stuart to be the kind of girl who expected bumps in the road at every turn in her life. She processed the info with a kind of quiet oh well. With a dignified what the hell.

Then she mustered enough willpower to smile. “Thanks again for the lift,” she said, and was about to get out.

“Do you have full coverage on your vehicle?” he asked her.

She turned and looked at him as if he was insane. “Full coverage? The bluebook value on my car is something like 950. If anything happens, the insurance company is only obligated to pay out in total nothing higher than the bluebook value. But yet they wanted to charge me over a hundred dollars a month for full coverage on that car. Which meant, before the end of the year, I would be paying them more than they would pay me if something happened.”

Stuart stared at her. She was sharp as a whip. Which was rare in his experience. Most of the young twentysomethings he’d been aroundwere ambitious airheads looking for a quick come up. But not this girl.

“Anyway, thanks again,” she said, and got out of the car.

But before she could close his door, he was at it again: “Do you want me to drop you off after you get your stuff out of the car?”

She leaned down and looked at him. She definitely wanted him to drop her off. But by the look on his face, she could tellhedidn’t want to drop her off. He wanted to go on about his business. And rightfully so. “No, I’m good. I’ll get one of the tow truck drivers to give me a lift back into town. I’m sure they’re gonna have tows to pick up soon enough.”

“Okay,” said Stuart. “Take care of yourself.”

She smiled, although he could see a sadness in her eyes. “You too,” she said, closed his door, and began heading toward the entrance into the small, standalone office.

He looked at the few men that were hanging around in the tow yard, drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, and waiting for a call out. He saw how they were watching her smooth legs coming down from her tight shorts, and they were checking out the rest of her slender body as if she was a piece of fresh meat for them to chew on. They even elbowed each other when she came into their view.

Then he looked at Tabitha. She was clueless. She was a smart young lady, but in Stuart’s view she was a virgin to the ways of the world. She was easilysusceptible to the wiles of men, he thought as his phone began ringing. When he looked at his infotainment screen, he saw that it was the realtor phoning. She was undoubtedly already at the house and wondering where was he.

He pressed the button. “Hey.”

“Are you still coming?”

“I am, yes.” He continued to stare at Tabby.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but I have another showing in an hour. Are you on your way?”

He looked at those men again as they continued to gawk at Tabby. “I should be there shortly,” he responded to the realtor and ended the call as Tabby went into the office.

It was so not him to give a damn about hardly anyone, let alone some young one he’d just met. But he’d already gone out of his way for her twice in a row: He bribed the chief to get her out of jail. He drove her to thisjunkyardon the edge of town. He might as well make it a trifecta and take her home. Because there was no way in hell he was going to just drive away and let her get in a truck with one of those slick roughnecks who could do Lord-knows-what to that young lady. And she was too small to fight off any one of them. There was no way.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for her to get her items and head out. But when she stepped out of that office and began heading toward those guys, he blew his horn. When Tabby turned to the sound of that horn, and saw that white Porsche still parked there, her heart leaped with joy. Shepractically ran to his car. She couldn’t hide her smile.

He didn’t press down the front passenger window, so she opened the car door. “You’re still here?”

“Get in.”

This time she didn’t hesitate. He could have left. She gave him an out. But he stuck around. That said a lot to her. Like maybe he enjoyed her company just as much as she enjoyed his.

Or, maybe he had a hidden agenda she wasn’t savvy enough to realize. Although she doubted that was true. He really didn’t want to drive her to this tow yard. And he didn’t have to stick around. She’d err on the side of him being a decent guy who saw an injustice and helped a sister out rather than him being some master manipulating creep. She quickly got in.

And Stuart just as quickly took off.

But when he looked at her, he realized she only had a phone in her hand and her registration and insurance papers. “That’s it?”

“I had some money in the glove compartment,” she said, “but the guy in the office claimed they didn’t find any money.”

Stuart was surprised. “They stole your money?”

“They had to steal it because I know what I had in my car.”

“I’ll turn around,” Stuart said, ready to make a U-turn, but Tabby stopped him.