Geek Chic (9 page)

“So what does the N stand for, Ms. Drexler?” If he could just get past her fear, break the ice, he could talk to her, talk her into coming home with him.

Then they could spend the rest of their lives together.

She still hadn’t answered his question. As she checked the time, she answered a radio call, presumably about her status. Then she shut the doors, released the parking brake, shifted the bus out of park, and pulled away from the curb.

He resumed his previous perch, his back to the window, eyes on her. There he remained, completely aware every time she glanced his way, savoring it.

I
will
wear her down.

* * * *

He’s trying to wear me down.

Well, if he thought he was going to do that, he had another thing coming. She’d raised three headstrong siblings.

Mystery Hunk had
nothing
on her.

By the time they returned downtown to the Marion Transit Center, it was obvious he was neither going to leave the bus, nor let go of his question. When the departing passengers had disembarked, Mystery Hunk reached over and scanned his pass again, sitting back with a slightly smug look she wanted to kiss right off his—

No
, that wasn’t right. Slap,
not
kiss.

Focus, Nami.

“Ms. Drexler, I am a very patient man,” he said. “I plan on sitting here all day long, until the end of your shift. And then tomorrow, I’ll be back. And the day after that. All I want is your name.”

Bullshit.

But she didn’t say it, well aware of the camera filming everything.

And it’d be stupid if she filed a report about him, had him pulled off her bus.

Mostly because she didn’t
want
him hauled off her—

Argh!

He smiled. “Believe me,” he quietly said. “I don’t want to be hauled off your bus, either.”

Before she realized what she was doing, her head whipped around, meeting that piercing blue gaze of his. “How did you—”

He smiled. Wolfish. Sexy. Sinful and delicious.

Lord help her, she wanted him.

Badly.

“Perhaps I’ve been rude,” he said. “Let me introduce myself. Dawson Beckett. But everyone calls me Beck.”

“What do you expect me to say?” Her voice had never trembled this badly. Never.

She was used to cowering irate people, and terrifying one particularly headstrong teenaged brother, not to mention keeping two younger sisters in line while they struggled through their difficult teenaged years.

“I expect nothing,” Beck said. “I would, however, love to know your name.”

Her throat went dry. “Namiyah,” she said. “My friends call me Nami.”

“May I call you Nami?”

She nodded before she could help herself.

His eyes narrowed in a sexy way that would have had her climbing out of her seat and into his lap if it wasn’t for her seat belt and a bus full of passengers.

And the video camera.

“Thank you, Nami. I appreciate that.” Then, impossibly, he settled back in his seat, apparently content to do nothing more than watch her drive.

* * * *

Namiyah Drexler Beckett. Namiyah Beckett. Nami Beckett.

He didn’t care which combination he mentally ran through his mind, Beck thought they all sounded perfectly wonderful.

I wonder if she has a middle name?

Okay, that would be getting a little too personal in an inappropriate setting. He wanted to try to get her alone, after her shift, and then he’d find out all those things.

Preferably while he was making sweet love to her, kissing every inch of her sweet, rich, chocolate flesh, making her scream his name while he made her come…

Aaaaand there goes my chub.

He reached down and adjusted his jeans a little, trying to will his erection back under control.

That would be a losing battle. All he could think about was getting her home, getting her naked, and making love to her all night long and well into the wee hours of tomorrow.

She won’t need to work anymore.

Money wouldn’t be an issue. He didn’t want his mate working if she didn’t want to. From the deep crow’s feet bracketing her eyes, he could tell she’d shouldered a lot of worries. But the smile lines on her face told of love and laughter there, under the surface.

If he could coax it from her, coax her into trusting him enough to believe, to want this as badly as he knew he wanted it.

Wanted
her
.

Back to Citrus Park, he scanned his bus pass again, glad to see that the farther they got from rush hour that the number of riders dropped. He leaned forward. “When does your shift end today?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“You’re right. It’s not.” He didn’t want to push too hard. When he sat back she looked at him, as if unconvinced her answer would shut him up so readily.

He smiled.

She immediately faced forward again.

When she got off the bus at the Marion Transit Center and took what he supposed was a lunch break, he got off, too. He was waiting, watching, when she emerged from the driver lounge and walked back out to another bus, but for the same route, and switched places with that driver.

Fortunately, his usual seat was also vacant. After swiping his bus pass, he settled in. He’d been prepared to run if she’d reported him, but he suspected from her reactions to him that reporting him wasn’t what she wanted to do.

Maybe she didn’t even
know
what she wanted to do.

Her instincts drew her to him, though. He felt it, heard the way her heart raced when she realized he was still focused only on her.

Somehow, he would win her over. She had a far stronger will than he’d first suspected.

Only befitting the mate of an Alpha wolf.

A little after five o’clock that afternoon, they were back at the Citrus Park Walmart, and she was switching places with another driver. She ignored Beck as he followed her across the parking lot, until she turned on him.

“What the
hell
do you think you’re doing?”

He stopped, studying her. “I think I’m following you.”

“Why?”

He smiled. “You felt it, didn’t you? When we kissed. Don’t lie to me and tell me you didn’t.”

“Felt what? That a crazy white guy assaulted me?”

“That a man you are terrified of because of how badly you’re attracted to him kissed you.” He edged a little closer. “That you’ve had feelings ever since that one kiss that you can’t explain.”

He was only feet away from her and opted to try it again.
“That you heard me mentally call you
mine
.”

Her eyes widened as a high-pitched squeak escaped her. She turned and bolted for one of the cars, an old Toyota Camry he knew he’d be replacing for her ASAP.

After taking a picture of her license plate, he stepped out of the way as she backed out of the parking space. She still wore wide-eyed fear when she drove away, nearly rear-ending another car when he lifted his hand to her in a wave.

He walked back to the benches. He’d have to wait for the next bus to take him to the Marion Transit Center downtown, where he’d parked his car.

After sensing how scared she was, with desire and longing threaded through those emotions, he thought it best not to press her for more today. She could have, at any time, called over the radio for help, or called a deputy. Hell, she could have reported him when he waited for her at the transit center during her lunch break.

But she hadn’t.

That meant something inside her, despite her fear, wasn’t ready to turn away from him yet.

There was always tomorrow. And he planned to be here bright and early tomorrow morning, waiting on her to start her shift. Now that he knew her name, had her license plate, knew her route, he could afford to force his desire back down to a controllable level.

He wanted her to want him. He wouldn’t force her. He would seduce her and have her begging for it by the time he was done.

He didn’t call Dewi or anyone else to come get him. For now, he wanted to sit and stare at his phone, at the picture he’d surreptitiously snapped of her while she drove.

Wanted to sit and gaze at her all night long.

Mine.

* * * *

Nami nearly plowed into a car while trying to drive out of the Walmart parking lot. That startled her, shaking her up enough to force herself to calm the heck down.

Mystery Hunk or not, she wasn’t ruining her perfect driving record for anyone.

Beck
, she corrected herself before she realized what she was thinking.

Wait, I can’t think about him like that.

Why not?
another pesky mental voice asked.

Why didn’t I report this? Why didn’t I call the cops?

At a stoplight, she had to force her hands to let go of the steering wheel so she could flex her fingers. She realized how much they hurt from the steely grip she’d kept on the bus steering wheel today. She never drove like that. Driving usually relaxed her. Only during bad traffic, or bad weather, did she ever remotely stress out.

Today, she could barely focus on driving, too aware of Mystery Hunk—

Beck

—sitting right there and watching her.

And the way he smelled! Delicious, just like the other day. Not even a cologne, but as if it was his natural scent.

She’d almost reached home when she realized she still had to go pick up Da’von.

Oh. My. God.

This was so unlike her. She didn’t even recognize herself.

She got her car pointed in the right direction and focused on breathing. If she didn’t have herself settled before she got there, Lu’ana would notice and be all over her.

Nami didn’t know if she had the brain cells, much less the will, to hide this new development from her sister today. And if she told her what happened, she would be insisting Nami called the cops or report him—

Beck

—to her supervisor.

I don’t know where he lives. I don’t have his phone number. I don’t—

She took a deep breath to short-circuit those thoughts. She didn’t need any of that information about Beck, because whatever he thought, no matter why she was reacting to him the way she was, there was no way in hell’s happy acres anything would
ever
happen between them.

At the thought of that, she nearly burst into tears.

What the
hell
is
wrong
with me?

Somehow, she managed to get her emotions under control before she reached Lu’ana’s. Because they were eating at home tonight, Da’von was ready to go when Nami got there.

He wore an odd expression. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just tired. Long day. You ready?”

“I’m ready, but you look…weird.”

“Thanks a lot. Get in the car.”

Lu’ana stepped out of the kitchen, concern on her face. “Nami, you okay?”

She fought the urge to scream. “Just a really long-ass day. I’m tired, I want to go home, eat, and get a shower, so I can relax.”

And collapse in bed so I can think about Mystery Hu—

Beck.

Lu’ana crossed her arms over her chest, eyebrows arched in disbelief. “Mm-hmm. You look a lot worse than just having a long-ass day.”

“Every aggravating passenger on the face of the earth ended up on my route today. That’s all. Da’von, let’s go.”

Lu’ana looked like she didn’t want to drop it, but finally stepped over and gave Nami a hug. “Call me later if you want to talk about it, you stubborn woman.”

“Nothing to talk about, but thanks.”

On the way home, Da’von stared at her.

It uncomfortably reminded Nami of how Beck had stared at her all day while she drove.

“
What
?” she finally asked.

He slowly shook his head before facing front again. “Nothin’. I can tell you ain’t gonna talk about it.”

“Because there ain’t nothing to talk about. How are your classes?”

“Fine. Got an A on the programming test I turned in last week.”