“None taken….” I wait for her to give me her name.
“Oh, sorry.” she says flustered. “Hayley. My name’s Hayley.”
I smile, watching her cheeks flush. “It’s nice to meet you Hayley.”
Her eyebrows lift, and I suspect she’s waiting for me to tell her my name in return. “Well?” she urges. “Don’t you have a name?”
I chuckle. “What kind of serial killer would I be if I gave you my name?”
She rolls her eyes but I can see the smile playing on her lips. “Can you at least phone your friend so we can have my car taken to a garage? Please? I’ll worry about you killing me later.”
Oh, shit. I totally forgot about that.
I pull my phone out, laughing at her again, and dial Greg’s number. Within ten minutes I’ve arranged for Hayley’s Mini to be towed and taken back to Greg’s garage in town. I’ve also asked him to have it fixed and driven back to where she lives.
“Done,” I say, ending the call and looking back at Hayley. “Grab your stuff. We wouldn’t want you to be late for class on your first day of college, now, would we?”
Hayley opens her car door and retrieves her bag, while I close the hood of her car. She follows me to my truck, hesitating when I open the passenger door. I grin. “I’m not a serial killer, Hayley.”
She sucks her bottom lip into her mouth to hide her smile. “That’s what serial killers say.”
I shake my head, amused.
This girl is unbelievable.
Chapter 3
~ Hayley ~
I wait, hoping that the sexy stranger in front of me will tell me his name before I decide to get in his truck. I have forty minutes to get to class, and it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to turn down my ride, but I’d feel a little more at ease if I can put a name to the picturesque face staring at me with an amused expression. He takes a step closer to me and I have to resist the innate urge to step back. I don’t feel threatened, or in danger, but I’m still cautious. The old Hayley wouldn’t have given this a second thought. She might’ve even considered doing dirty things with this stranger in return for his help. But I’m not that girl anymore. And now, more than ever, I’m trying to prove that.
“I promise, Hayley,” he says gently. The way he says my name is distracting. “I’m not a serial killer, and I won’t try any funny business. At least not until I know you a little better.” He grins, a dimple forming on each cheek, and the tension evaporates from my shoulders. His easy-going demeanor is infectious and I can’t help but return his smile.
“How can I trust you if I don’t know your name?” I tease.
“What makes you think you can trust me?” he retorts.
I scan his face. “I’ll take my chances,” I say confidently. “Your tattoos don’t make you look as scary as you’d think.”
He smirks. “You’ve been checking out my ink. You like it?”
I look down, hiding my blush, and tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. I like his ink more than I’m willing to admit, but he doesn’t need to know that. I don’t even know him.
“Alright, that blush in your cheeks has convinced me,” he continues. “I’m Cameron.” He sticks his hand out and I shake it. “Now, will you get in the truck so we can get to class?” he adds. I nod and he helps me into the truck before making his way to the driver’s side. The truck roars to life and ‘Cruise’ by Florida Georgia Line blares through the radio. Cameron reaches over and turns it down. “Sorry,” he chuckles. “I like the music loud.”
“It’s fine,” I reply. “I like this song.”
“You like Country music?” he asks incredulously. I try my best not to look affronted.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
He shrugs sheepishly. “You look like more of a ‘Pop’ music kind of girl.”
I snort. “Sorry to disappoint you.”
“I’m not disappointed,” he mumbles. I’m sure he had no intention of me hearing that so I don’t respond. Instead, I sit in an awkward silence as we pull onto the road and hum along quietly to the song playing through the speakers. After a few minutes, Cameron breaks the silence, forcing me to look at him.
“Are you new in town?” he asks. “I’ve never really seen you around here.”
“I guess you could say that.” There’s no way I’m telling him that I’ve been in hiding for the last two years. That’s not something I plan on explaining to a stranger. Or anyone, for that matter. I’ve worked hard to leave my past behind me and I have no intention of digging it up. No one knows the old Hayley, and that’s the way I’d like to keep it.
“What about you?” I ask, genuinely interested. “What’s your story?”
Cameron looks at me briefly and then focuses his attention back on the road. “Aside from being a serial killer?” he snickers. Admittedly, the serial killer comment wasn’t my finest moment, but it slipped out before I could stop it. I try to hide my embarrassment but Cameron’s knowing grin lets me know that he sees it anyway. “I was born here,” he continues. “Haven’t found a good enough reason to leave yet.”
The cab of the truck falls silent again and I take the opportunity to look at him. Short, brown locks graze his forehead, the hair on the sides of his head shaved a little shorter. His white t-shirt molds to his torso and shows off a broad set of shoulders and well-defined pectoral muscles. The colors of his tattoo show through his shirt and continue until his elbow. I can’t make out what it is, but I’m very much intrigued. It looks like legs, extending to his elbow, and maybe angel wings of some kind. My eyes travel lower, to where his jeans fit snuggly around his waist and tighten around his thighs. His height gives him a leaner appearance and it’s obvious he works out, but he lacks the bulkiness associated with football players.
“You done staring holes into my body?” he asks, still staring at the road.
My head whips up. I start to say something but decide against it before I say anything else to humiliate myself. Great first impression, Hayley.
“Don’t worry, you’re not the first girl to undress me with her eyes or be rendered speechless by my charm.”
The arrogance that drips from his words does confusing things to my head. I can’t decide if I like it or not. My eyebrows lift. “Kinda cocky, aren’t you?”
“I’m that too,” he counters, waggling his eyebrows. The innuendo doesn’t go unnoticed. The sexual tension intensifies, just a smidge, and my body feels warmer.
Cameron bursts into laughter and I look at him bemused. “What’s so funny?”
“You,” he says emphatically. “I can almost hear what you’re thinking and I know it’s not virtuous. Your body betrays you too easily, especially that gorgeous face.”
“Oh, really? And pray tell, what is my traitorous body telling you?”
His eyes grow a little darker. “You’re thinking about what my ink looks like under my shirt. And you’re wondering just how ‘cocky’ I am.”
I stare at him, my mouth dropping open and then closing again like a fish. How the hell did he do that?