Page 2 of A Deal in Darkness
My eyebrow arches before I stare at the sand beneath our feet, watching it shift as the wind blows across us. His grip softens and I sigh, waiting for another dressing down.
“You’re Abby’s daughter, right?”
I nod and flick my eyes back up. He’s handsome. More than that, he’s stunningly attractive. He’s everything most girls fantasize about and he’s looking at me like I’m a goddamn idiot.
“I have a place a few miles down and sometimes I move in the same circles as her. She talks about you. We’d better get you home.” He draws back and starts undoing his coat. “Preferably before your mother loses her shit.”
I groan and shrug.
He slips his jacket off and wraps it around me before I have the chance to protest.
“Enzo,” he says, turning me around.
“Adriana.”
His arm slips behind my back as he directs me to move. I slip my hands inside the jacket’s sleeves and clutch my arms against my chest, warming a little.
“You going to tell me what you’re doing out here?”
“Avoiding my mother.” I clamp my mouth shut, aware the words have slipped out before I can stop them.
Enzo laughs, and it’s deep and wicked. “She is more than a bit overbearing. What did you do?”
I glance sideways and he’s smirking.
“I didn’t get a job offer like all the other graduates.”
His eyebrows rise as his head nods in silent understanding. He’s staring at me as if he’s trying to figure something out, and I’m not sure I like the scrutiny. It’s disconcerting. Almost alarming. It’s making my heart race and putting me on edge.
“She’s definitely demanding.” He nudges me and grins, trying to lift my spirits. “What kind of job are you looking for?”
The wind howls, and I lift my shoulders, bracing against it as we cross the beach. Long, fine grass covers the dunes, bowing to the force of the wind blowing across them, and they provide little shelter from the brutal weather.
“My car’s parked over here.”
Enzo signals to the left and I follow him, tucking my head down to protect it from the cold. He quickens his pace as we head through the dunes until we reach one of the narrow roads that lead to the seaside.
An expensive, black sedan clashes with the soft beige, gold and greens around it.
I stop, remembering all those lessons about getting in cars with strange men. Enzo’s at least a foot taller than me and he’s much stronger. I’d be stupid to do anything that could make me vulnerable around him—and getting in that car doesn’t seem like a good idea.
“It’s fucking freezing,” he says, opening the passenger door and staring at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“I don’t…”
He rolls his eyes and slams the door shut. “Adriana, I won’t hurt you. Now get in the goddamn car.”
I shake my head and step back.
“Fine,” he says, thrusting the keys into my hands. “You can drive, right?”
I nod.
“Then take the keys. Let’s go. I’m freezing my fucking balls off.”
Somehow, I feel safer with the keys and I hurry around to the driver’s side, getting in before my brain catches up withitself. I’m no safer than in the passenger’s seat and Enzo’s sitting next to me, grinning from ear to ear like he has me where he wants me.
“Shall we warm ourselves up a bit?” There’s more than a hint of mischief in his voice as he asks an apparently innocent question.
