What the hell had he done to cause this? The allure was making him dizzy.
“Give me the phone. I’ll talk to him.” Rose swept a lock of hair off her face.
Jack clenched his teeth. “Just tell me the number.”
Rose got right in his face and said in a low, shaking voice, “Have you by any chance noticed all these guys watching? And listening?” She shoved the stray hair behind her ear. “I may be an animal, but even I can’t handle this many men at once.”
Jack blew out a long breath. That made sense. Even manipulative, promiscuous, bloodthirsty Titania wouldn’t have given twenty-odd truckers her number. On the other hand—
With a grunt of fury, Rose ripped the rubber band out and shook the dazzling orange waves of hair behind her. Allure rolled off her like a tsunami. At a nearby table someone dropped his coffee cup with a clatter and a splash.
A hush blanketed the room, and one of the men moaned. “Hot damn,” said another.
“Hallelujah,” an old man quavered. “Thank you, Jesus.”
Jack clutched at the doorframe and fought the longing that swirled over and around him. “Bitch,” he groaned, agonized. I’ve resisted this before. I can resist it again.
Rose’s voice broke through the dizziness and the resistance as well, leaving him with nothing but naked, painful desire. “Jack.” She gripped his upper arms, propping him up, and her aroma engulfed him. She whispered, “I’m sorry. Sometimes I lose control of my allure.” Her lips brushed his ear, and he almost came then and there. He flung his arms out and stumbled away from her, landing against a table, sucking in deep breaths of secondhand smoke and rancid oil—anything but Rose.
“Jack!” The phone crackled from where it had landed beside the ketchup. “What’s going on?”
“Hey!” A belligerent voice came from behind. “What are you doing, shoving the lady?”
“Who do you think you are, calling the lady names?” The scrape of a chair, and heavy, menacing steps.
Perfect. He was about to be beaten to death by mesmerized truckers.
“Hold on there!” Cindy’s voice, followed by determined steps. “No brawling!
The old man’s chair clattered to the floor. “Defending this lovely lady, I will go happy to my grave.”
Fine for you, but I wasn’t planning on checking out so soon. Jack drew in another long breath and eyed the circle of threatening faces. Cindy looked imploringly at Rose.
“Butt out,” Rose said. “Leave him alone.” Allure flew from her, a challenge and a threat. “He’s a great guy to be a bitch for when he doesn’t have the flu.”
“You can be my bitch any day,” said the belligerent trucker, a burly dude, obviously a good guy unless he was about to kill you. He grinned at Rose.
“Why, thank you,” she replied, “but I’ve got all I can handle for now.” She grabbed Cindy’s phone, said into it, “Hold on a minute, please,” and took Jack by the arm. “I’ll take care of him from here. This bitch knows exactly what he needs.”
“Lucky guy,” said the big trucker.
So many fools, Jack thought, enraged at the triumph in Rose’s voice. I will not be one of them ever again.
“Sick,” he blurted, his head sloshing and clanging as he stumbled beside her, fighting to shake it clear. His stomach heaved.
“That’s your own stupid fault,” Rose accused. She dumped him at their table and stormed away.
At the front of the truck stop in the cool outdoor air, Rose said into the phone, “Excuse me while I control my temper.” An animal, am I? So are you, Jack. A pig.
“Take all the time you need, ma’am.” A deep, melodious male voice enveloped Rose like a comforter. Suddenly, she felt…safe. And not so much angry at what she’d overheard through the restroom window as sad.
Until the voice asked, “Is Jack all right?”
“Apart from being an intolerable jerk?” Several furious strides into the parking lot, that soothing voice dissipated her anger again.
“He has