What the Heart Desires Read online

  What the Heart

  Desires

  Victoria Rose

  Chapter One

  “Uumm…umm. Wh…err.” Becca’s eyes flickered open suddenly as she slowly regained consciousness, and the muscled stranger hovering over her quickly came into focus.

  She blinked and met his roving deep blue eyes with open curiosity.

  “Woo…who…wh…err.” She took a deep breath and tried to speak. ‘‘Woo…who are you?” she finally managed to ask him.

  She was certain she had never seen him before. She certainly would have remembered if she had. He was only inches away from her face; so close she could feel his warm breath caressing the side of her cheek.

  He had probably been checking to see if she was still breathing, she thought. “Where am I? And who are you?” she asked him again, in a more determined voice this time.

  She noticed he hadn’t bothered to answer her the first time.

  He lifted his head, and his thin lips parted in a barely-there smile.

  “How are you feeling?” He stared at her flushed face, and smiled at her again.

  “Okay, I guess,” Becca told her with some uncertainty, because she felt she had

  to say something. She moaned slightly and shifted her body in the seat. “My head

  hurts a little, but other than that, I think I’m okay.”

  “Well, at least you are awake and talking. That’s always a good sign after an accident.”

  He smiled at her again.

  “What happened? How did my ca…ca…” She took a deep breath and tried to

  speak again. “My car?” she said, slowly. “What happened?”

  “Shh…” he told her in a smoothing tone. “Try not to speak. Keep your head back.”

  Becca ignored him. She lifted her head and glared at him.

  “You are in my car for heavens sake!” she told him boldly. “That certainly gives me the right to know your name. I’m sure you have one, don’t you?”

  Her head was hurting and spinning around in circles, but she was alert enough to know that he was a complete stranger to her. She certainly would have remembered if he had been traveling with her before she went off the road.

  She glanced quickly at the side.

  Yep—the car was definitely off the road and in a ditch! The front was almost covered in snow, and she wondered how long it had been lying there before he found her.

  She took a deep breath and looked at him again. He didn’t look like a hitch hiker she had picked up at the side of the road and given a ride to. And she knew she would never have invited some random man into her car, especially when she was driving alone.

  “Is there a reason why you are avoiding telling me your name?”

  She was more determined than ever to find out who he was.

  “Shh,” he told her once more and leaned in closer. “Keep still. Don’t move an

  inch, or a muscle for that matter.”

  He flipped open the hunting knife in his left hand and took aim for a side of the airbag before she could respond. The sharp blade went quickly into a side of the deployed airbag and he ripped it apart.

  She was taken aback by the force he’d used to cut into it.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” she told him.

  “Yes, I did. It was in the way. And please stop talking! It’s a major distraction for me. I must say that you are putting up quite a fight for someone who needs my help.”

  “Please, don’t talk to me that way.”

  He was being unnecessarily rude, and she wasn’t about to make him get away with it. “Yes, I may need your help, but that doesn’t give you the right to be rude.”

  “Hey, sorry!” He held up his hands and grinned at her. “I didn’t know that I was! My apologies for trying to make sure you are okay.”

  His lips parted in another toothy grin.

  Becca stared at him. She couldn’t believe how perfect his smile was; none of his teeth was crooked or discolored!

  And he definitely wasn’t a hitchhiker! He didn’t look or smelled like he had been on the road for days bumming a ride from someone, or sleeping in the rough.

  She glanced at him again and sighed. He seemed anything but contrite—not with that big smirk on his handsome face.

  “Yes, you are being rude,” she told him. “I didn’t say anything when you shushed me the first time, but now! I have every right to ask any question I feel like, especially since it concerns my safety. I opened my eyes to find you bending

  over me, any one in their right mind would have been freaking out.”

  “Point taken!” The same sardonic grin appeared on his face again. “But I don’t see you freaking out—in fact,” his eyes met hers, “You don’t seem bothered at all. And incase you haven’t noticed; your car is in the ditch, and you need my help getting you out of it.”

  He met the fury in her eyes with open amusement.

  “That still doesn’t excuse your rudeness!”

  “I apologize again. I must have left my manners in the snow, right before I rush

  over to make sure that you are okay.” His eyes lit up again, and his thin lips

  parted in another huge smirk. “Next time I would be sure to be more forthcoming

  with my credentials.”

  “How about now? Who are you?” Becca searched his face, her large green eyes going curiously over his entire face.

  Nothing! He pretended not to hear her!

  God, he was insufferable, she thought.

  She wanted to tell him how she was feeling about him, but decided not to. She was getting tired and her head was beginning to hurt again. She put her head back on the soft leather seat, and gave him a defiant look.

  He was right—she needed his help to get out of the wrecked car.

  He could walk away if she continued to give him attitude, although he

  didn’t seem like the type of man who would just leave her there alone when she needed his help. She had seen how kind his eyes were.

  She turned her head again to say something to him, but he beat her to it.

  “Do you talk to everyone, especially someone who’s trying to help you with such insolence?” His lips parted in another quick grin.

  She liked his easy grin—he was even more handsome when he smiled, but that still didn’t excuse his high-handed behavior with her.

  “Only to the ones who chose to be rude, and refused to tell me who they are when I asked,” Becca made a point of telling him.

  “Good to know! Now try not to move around too much or to speak again for

  that matter.” He ignored the icy look she was giving him. “I want to make sure

  there aren’t any broken bones before I try to lift you out of the car.”

  He placed his hand on the top of her shoulder and pushed her back gently onto

  the plush leather seat of the Buick.

  Becca gave him another discerning look and took a deep breath.

  “Would it kill you to tell me your name?”

  “No, it won’t, but I chose not to tell you. And why does knowing my name means so much to you, anyway? It’s just a name. And we are losing sight of what’s important here.”

  “I…I just…” she struggled to find the right word to tell him, but came up

  short.

  She glared at him instead, and he met the fury in her eyes with another

  upturned smile. He was just as stubborn, if not more, than she was, Becca thought.

  “Let’s just focus on what’s important here,” he told her again. “We can always sit and have a long chat over a cup of coffee or dinner after,” he told her in a

  condescending voice.

  “No, thank you!”

/>   “Thought you would say that. But that doesn’t mean that I won’t ask you

  again.” He chuckled, loudly.

  “And my answer will still be a big, NO!”

  He paused and looked at her.

  “Well, nothing beats trying. You know what they say; try and try until you

  succeed at last.”

  “Are you for real!” Becca shot him a disapproving look.

  “I’m as real as they get, baby!”

  “Please don’t call me that!” She snapped at him. “And I do wish that this was all a bad dream for me, then it will be so easy for me to forget that I ever met you or that you are here!”

  He lifted his head and let off a hearty laugh. “Sorry to disappoint you, sweetheart! But it’s not going to happen that way!”

  His arrogance was irritating, to say the least!

  “I’m not your sweetheart, so please refrain from referring to me as such!”

  Another loud chuckle! “If there is one thing I’ve learned in life; is that nothing is impossible.” He winked at her. “And the thing about dreams—you can always conjure new and exciting ones if you don’t like the boring ones. And I bet you, honey, before this storm is over and done with, that’s exactly what you will be doing! You will be having sweet dreams about me.” He leaned in closer and winked at her, with the same massive annoying grin on his face.

  Becca met his laughing eyes with anger. “Ahh! You really are an insufferable

  man!”

  “Among other things, yes. Now, hold still.”

  He tried to push the car door back, but it wouldn’t budge.

  The car was stuck in a huge snow bank, and it would probably take a few more hard pushes to get the door open wide enough to get her out.

  Needless, to say—she was more than grateful that he was there helping her, but she wished that he wasn’t so entirely full of himself. He could certainly dial back on the condescending attitude. And a quick; “Hey, I’m Joe,” would have been nice. She would have felt better knowing who he was.

  But she wasn’t going to give up asking!

  “So, you aren’t going to give me a name?”

  “For the moment—I think it’s better that I don’t.”

  And her mind went into overdrive! Maybe he was some sort of celebrity who wanted to remain anonymous—maybe he was a wanted criminal on the run. Maybe he was following her and caused the accident! Maybe! Maybe! Maybe!

  She didn’t know what to think anymore. But she would be more than happy to go with the first one! Besides, he didn’t exactly look like a crook!

  “And why not—have we met before?” She decided to do this another way.

  Silence!

  “Are you afraid I would blame you for the accident and come after you for

  money?”

  “Yep, that’s it!”

  “Well, I won’t. You stopping to help me is enough. I can pay for my own damages.”

  “Good to know.”

  He gave her a tired, bored look, and continued pushing the door.

  So, he was ignoring her! She probably would have remembered if she had seen him before. He certainly wasn’t that unforgettable.

  He was definitely the type of man a girl wouldn’t forget. She searched his face to see if there was anything remotely familiar about him.

  His chiseled jaw line, dimpled cheeks, straight nose, and sensuous mouth were

  definitely not one of a kind. She would agree that not every man looked like him. He certainly wasn’t a, Tom, Dick or Harry kind of man!

  He was a hunk, and had the major attitude to go with it too.

  Her eyes dropped to his mouth and lingered there. His lips had a rosy hue

  to them. It was probably from the cold, but she could be wrong. They were thin,

  but not too thin. In fact, they were just the right size, and undeniably kissable!

  He was somewhere in his late twenties—no more than thirty, by her guess, and very handsome.

  He was undoubtedly one of the best looking men she had seen outside of

  Hollywood, so far. And she bet his flawless good looks didn’t come by way of a

  good plastic surgeon, either! Being this up close to him, she would have been able to tell. It was probably his good genes, or he took exceptionally good care of himself.

  She glanced down to what she could see of his arms and chest. He definitely hit the gym a lot! His body certainly looked like it. And having some good, old mountain air and living probably helped too.

  His movie star good looks reminded her of Chris Evans, except that he was

  taller and had way more muscles, and hair! Her eyes went up to his broad shoulders and muscled arms that were bulging through the tan sheep-skin jacket he was wearing.

  She took a deep breath, and stared at him some more, her eyes resting on the

  long, untidy blond hair that was hanging down the side of his face.

  His hair was way too long, she thought. He probably hadn’t had a haircut in months, and she wondered why.

  She knew this was farm country, but she was certain there were some very

  good salons around here which would be more than happy to do the job for him.

  Maybe he had chosen to wear it that way.

  And fortunately for him, the look didn’t scream homeless bum! And she must

  agree that not many men could carry off that look and still looked as good as him.

  The rest of him was perfectly groomed, including his clean shaven face and

  manicured nails. There wasn’t a speck of dirt under his short nails.

  She had checked; when he had brought his hands up to her face to position

  her head on the seat. He hadn’t been wearing gloves, and his hands were close

  enough for her to have a quick look.

  He didn’t seem like a farm hand, or a mountain man, either.

  His looks were far too refined; as if he spent a great deal of his time sitting behind a huge desk making important decisions. Maybe he was one of those sharks she heard about on Wall Street who occasionally escaped to the country for some R&R!

  She guessed she would never know who he really was, because as soon as help arrived, she would be on her merry way; back to living her life, never to see or hear from him again.

  She wasn’t completely convinced that she wanted that to happen, but that was the reality of the situation. He was a stranger to her, though a very handsome and desirable one! But that was that!

  His lips parted in a friendly smile again. He sure liked to smile!

  “You seem to be doing a lot better.”

  There was a wide sheepish grin on his face as if he’d been reading her

  thoughts and knew exactly what she’d been thinking about him.

  She withdrew her eyes quickly from his, and lowered her head so that he

  wouldn’t see the embarrass look on her flushed face.

  But to her defense—she couldn’t help thinking those things about him, because everything about him; his hard body, his long unkempt hair, the way he smelled, his lop-sided grin, his perfect teeth, were all so enticing that she found herself being drawn to him, even in her near state of panic.

  And the accident suddenly seemed to be the furthest thing on her mind. She was completely captured by this virility, and she refused to make apologies for it.

  He reached in, took her hand, and held it gently in his, his warm, long fingers encircling the palm of her left hand.

  “Are you hurt?” he inquired of her in a low voice.

  She couldn’t speak. Her eyes held his. She wetted her lips, and struggled to find the words to say to him.

  A frown huge suddenly appeared on his face when she didn’t answer.

  “Are you in any sort of pain?” He continued.

  Jeez! He thought she was hurt and unable to talk to him.

  His fingers searched for a pulse on her wrist. She felt his warm fingers probing gently into her skin, the very act sending
her pulse racing. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  “Nn…oo…no, I don’t think I am,” she finally managed to say to him in a

  small voice. Her eyes widened slightly as she searched his face.

  “Your car skidded off the road into the ditch,” he informed her calmly. “Don’t you remember anything about it?” His brows knitted as he peered at her.

  “How bad is it?” She frowned and eased her head back onto the cushioned seat.

  “Thankfully, not bad.”

  “I can see that I’m in a ditch, but I can barely remember how I got there.”

  “It’s okay. That’s not important now.”

  He stroked her hair back from her face, and reached over to lower her seat.

  And he was so close that Becca felt the soft whisper of his warm breath against her cheeks. He held her head between his warm palms and positioned her head into the center of the seat.

  “Now try not to move again. I want to make sure that you didn’t suffer a whip lash or any serious head injury.”

  “I take it you aren’t a doctor or a paramedic. You certainly don’t look like one. And I don’t see an ambulance around.”

  Her eyes took in his untidy, long hair and the expensive sheep-skin jacket he

  was wearing, again. She knew enough about designers’ labels to know that his jacket probably went for thousands of dollars.

  It hung snugly on his broad shoulders like a second skin, as if it had been

  specifically tailored for him.

  He chuckled. “I didn’t know a doctor was supposed to look a certain way.” He

  gave her a dismissive grin.

  “You know what I mean.” She tried to clarify, her eyes going up to his long, unkempt hair.

  “No, I don’t. You shouldn’t get up just yet.” He pressed his arm lightly on her upper body to keep her back as she tried to sit up again. “There will be plenty of time to answer all of your questions later, and I promise you that I will answer every last one of them, but right now I need to make sure that you are okay and out of harm’s way.”

  He seemed determined. She blinked and glanced at him again.

  She shifted her head slightly to the left to get a better look of him.

  His eyes were some of the most sensuous she had ever seen on a man.

  They were kind too, and for a brief moment she was glad that he was there with her, and not some other random stranger. He seemed to know what he was doing too.