Page 10 of Just What She Needed

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Rhett. Rhett Davis." Habit had her holding out her hand for him to shake, and when his warm fingers closed around hers, she swore a flash of lightning accompanied it.

"Hello, Rhett." He gave her hand a slow squeeze before he released it. "Do you have a sister called Scarlett? Oh, Christ." Rhys put a hand to his forehead and shook his head. "I can't believe I actually said that. I'd wager you've heard that more than once."

Rhett couldn't help but smile at his consternation. "All my life. Don't worry about it. I'm used to it. Oh, and her name's Melanie, not Scarlett."

"Is it really? How'd you end up with Rhett?"

A quick glance revealed he'd removed his sunglasses, and she got a brief look at his eyes. Almond-shaped and surrounded by thick black lashes, they were a dark, mesmerizing navy blue. Rhett almost forgot to breathe for minute.

"Um, I was supposed to be a boy." She found her voice again with relief and resolved to keep her eyes on the road. "But my mom liked the name so much that they kept it. It was pretty handy, really, because they considered naming me Ashley. But when I got to school there were two other girls in my class with that name, so I kind of lucked out with Rhett. The other girls ended up being Ashley One and Ashley Two until junior high school." After that they'd become Bitch One and Bitch Two, but she didn't think Rhys needed to know that. He probably didn't care about the history of her name, either, but she was so nervous she didn't seem to be able to shut up.

Adding to her general discombobulation was his scent, something that reminded her of the combination of dark chocolate and white rum. Nothing she'd seen so far indicated that he'd been drinking, so it must have just been him. When she found herself wondering if he tasted like dark chocolate and rum, heat washed into her face. And other places. She shifted a bit on the seat.

"I've never met a woman called Rhett before," he said. "But it suits you."

"Really? No one's ever told me that." Caught off guard, she forgot she wasn't going to look at him again, and this time was captivated by his mouth. That beautiful wide mouth, the bottom lip full and the upper lip carved with a perfect dip just under his nose.

Those lips curved into a smile. "It does, though. It's almost a whisper, isn't it? Rhett. Soft and delicate and captivating. But at the same time, you can't help but think of the movie, so there's that added hint of something wild and secret and a bit naughty."

A surprised laugh shook her shoulders. "No one's called me naughty in—" Mortified, she shut her mouth so fast she came close to biting her tongue in two.

"I knew there was something wild and secret there." Now he sounded intrigued. "When were you called naughty?"

"Have you checked your phone?" she asked, determined to change the subject.

"In a minute. I want to hear about this naughty business."

"Phone, Mufasa." Damn, she hoped she wouldn't die of embarrassment and send them hurtling off the road. "I can see the North Tollway ahead, so we're back in civilization."

"All right," he said. "But one day you're going to satisfy my curiosity."

"We'll see." She couldn't repress a grin at his huff of disappointment. "But since we're so near town, is there any place I can take you? Seems a bit counter-productive to drive all the way back out to your car."

"The BMW dealership, I suppose." Rhys bent his head toward his phone and tapped on the screen. "That's where I leased the car. Here, it says it's on Lemmon Avenue, near...What is that? Oh, Inwood Road."

"I know where that is." Now that she knew where she was headed, she chose the correct ramp to get onto the Tollway. "It's not too far from where I'm staying with my sister until I find a place to live."

"Really? And where's that?"

"She has a condo on McKinney Avenue in Uptown."

"Near the trolley stop?"

Startled, she glanced over at him again. "Yeah, how did

you—?"

His laugh was soft and almost pleased. "That's where I'm staying. A friend owns the penthouse on the twenty-third floor, and he's letting me use it whilst he's out of the country."

Rhett's heart acquired an excited little stutter at the thought of living in the same building as Rhys. "Well, that's a nice coincidence."

"Isn't it?"

Distracted by that low, smoky voice and that yummy British accent, Rhett almost missed the Lemmon Avenue exit. She managed to correct herself without looking too stupid, and in a few moments they pulled up in front of the dealership.

"Here you go," she said, turning toward him.

"Thank you, Rhett." Rhys smiled a slow, devastating smile and slipped his sunglasses on. "Now that I know we're neighbors, I'll be seeing you again soon, I hope."