Vote Then Read: Volume I

by Carly Phillips

  As he climbed out and got a look at the curvy woman with waves of blonde hair, full lips, and a startled expression on her pretty face, currently clutching the lug wrench in her hand like a weapon, he realized his night was about to get much more interesting.

  Faith Lancaster loaded the last of her marshmallow pops into the back of her company van, adjusting the baskets, taking care to space the items far enough apart that nothing would get ruined or crushed. She’d spent all day in her small apartment kitchen, making and wrapping her treats with the intention of dropping off baskets to nearby stores along with her business cards. She planned to request they leave them on the counter for their customers to sample, hoping to drive business to Sweet Treats, her candy store located off the beaten path.

  Kelsey Johnson, the culinary school intern Faith had hired to help, joined her after working in the shop all day. Before she and Faith could climb into the car, Faith noticed her flat back tire and groaned.

  The deflated tire mocked her and all the time she’d spent creating and preparing. Although she could have handed them out during the day, she’d ended up spending all afternoon cooking and creating, deciding to work from home instead of the shop, and now it was early evening. But she knew the area she wanted to hit up had open stores with people browsing for the evening. A used bookstore, a coffee shop, and a few other boutique-type stores that would hopefully help out a fellow business.

  She should have known better than to drop a big chunk of change on an old beat-up delivery van with no known history, but desperation made a woman do stupid things. And Faith, although she’d come a long way, had been desperate when she’d arrived in Manhattan with a new name, a limited amount of funds, and a dream of opening her own candy shop.

  She glared at the flat on the back tire, wondering why luck just wasn’t on her side. She’d had a rough go of it for a long time now, and she’d thought she was coming out on the other side at last. Now this.

  “Kelsey, can you grab the lug wrench in the back? Just be careful not to knock over the candy. I’ll deal with checking out the spare once I see if I can even get the lug nuts off.” Assuming this old van even had a spare.

  Kelsey, a pretty girl with brown hair and bangs, met Faith’s gaze, eyes wide. “You can change a tire?” the twenty-one-year-old asked.

  Faith managed a laugh or else she might cry in frustration. “I’m going to try.”

  When Faith was young, her dad, before abandoning Faith and her mother and older brother, had been a car fanatic. Always have a lug wrench in your car, baby girl. It’ll save you any time you have a flat. Not that a ten-year-old knew anything about changing tires, but Faith had hung on her daddy’s every word until one day he hadn’t come home. After that, Faith had given up on learning about cars, but she knew what she had to do from a class she’d taken in high school.

  Accepting the lug wrench from Kelsey, she knelt down by the tire once more. When all her strength wouldn’t turn the nut and she tried all four of them, she groaned, rose to her feet, and kicked at the tire in annoyance.

  “Pretty sure that won’t help,” Kelsey said, just as Faith muttered an obscene curse thanks to the pain shooting through her foot.

  She was in so much agony, she barely registered the car stopping, then pulling into the open spot in front of her van until a large man approached them, making her aware they were two women alone on an empty street in the dark.

  Using the wrench as her defense, she held it up in front of her. “Don’t come near us.”

  “Relax.” He stepped to the side until he was underneath a streetlamp, the glow illuminating his features. “Do I look like a killer to you?”

  She studied him, a handsome man with dark brown hair, in a wool coat with his tie visible. “Ted Bundy was handsome, too.”

  He grinned and her heart skipped a beat. My God, he was good-looking. A dimple beside that amazing smile winked at her, and body parts she’d thought long dead came to life.

  “Thank you … I think?” he said with a shake of his head. “Or not. Look, you obviously need help.” He strode past her, ignoring her weaponry, and knelt down by the tire. “What about roadside assistance? Did you call?”

  She glanced at his obviously expensive coat, had noted his suit beneath and brand name shoes. “Umm, does this old hunk of junk look like it comes with roadside assistance?” She shot him a look of disbelief. “Some of us can’t afford luxuries and AAA is definitely a luxury.”

  From somewhere behind her, Kelsey, who had been silent, laughed out loud.

  When he didn’t immediately reply, Faith braced her hands on her hips and studied him, wondering why he’d stopped in the first place. “Listen, I appreciate the fact that you tried to help, but I’ll figure something out.”

  He slowly rose to his feet. “Do you have a spare? You must if you were trying to take this one off.”

  “I assume I do, underneath all the baskets I just loaded into the back.” She heard the frustration in her voice and fought back an inkling of defeat. She wasn’t going to fall apart over a flat tire and ruined plans.

  “You assume?” He shook his head and strode around to the back end of the van, glancing inside and muttering a curse.

  “There’s no obvious spare in here, so we’ll have to unload all this to see what’s underneath. What is all that anyway?” he asked.

  “Candy. Homemade.”

  “Interesting.” He raised his eyebrows, his gaze going from the sweet treats in the back to her face before he spoke. “Jason Dare,” he said, extending his hand.

  “Faith Lancaster.” She placed her hand in his, and the heat of his skin sizzled against her palm.

  “Nice to meet you, Faith.” He curled his fingers around hers and lingered longer than was necessary for a handshake. Long enough for her body to tingle with awareness before he released her.

  “And this is my intern, Kelsey,” Faith said.

  The other woman smiled at him but didn’t shake his hand.

  “What do you do for a living?” Faith asked in a husky voice she barely recognized, her entire body still hyperaware of that one brush of his skin.

  “I own a nightclub. Club TEN29. Have you heard of it?” he asked.

  She shook her head. She never went out to party at night, so what would she know about the club scene? But this man looked like he fit into it, with his sexy tousled brown hair that he probably paid a fortune to get cut so it fell just that way.

  “Oh my God! My friends and I have been dying to go, but there’s always such a long line to get in,” Kelsey said, her excitement tangible.

  She’d been so quiet, Faith had almost forgotten she was there.

  “Well, here’s my business card,” Jason said, putting his hand in his coat pocket and coming out with a few cards. He handed one to Kelsey, who was bouncing on her feet in excitement. “Just show it to security and they’ll let you right in or, at the very least, call me.”

  “Oh my God, thank you!” she practically squealed.

  His gaze settled on Faith’s face. “Now, let’s see to that spare.”

  If Jason had to peg the type of woman he liked, tall and willowy would describe most of his hookups, yet he couldn’t stop staring at the full-figured, curvy blonde with the porcelain skin and full lips who created candy, of all things.

  “Let’s move the baskets back to the apartment,” Faith said, breaking the spell that had woven between them as they stared at one another, both clearly struck by something bigger than themselves.

  “I’ll take some.” Kelsey walked between them and started to work.

  Together they unloaded the candy, which Faith and her assistant brought back upstairs to what he assumed was her apartment while he did something he hadn’t done since college.

  It was a miracle he knew how to change a tire.

  For sure, his father, Robert Dare, hadn’t taught him, as he’d rarely been around. Maybe he’d taught Jason’s half brothers from a woman nobody knew about how to handle the thi
ngs a man should know. Shaking off that painful memory, Jason called his cousin Gabe and let him know he would be late before throwing his jacket into the back of his car, rolling up his sleeves, loosening his tie, and getting down to his task.

  While he worked, Kelsey called an Uber to take her home and one showed up quickly. Apparently Faith, having taken one of his business cards, had decided he was a legitimate businessman and safe to be alone with.

  It didn’t take long to get the tire off the van, and on examination, Jason realized it had been deliberately slashed, and that bothered him.

  “How’s it going?” Faith asked him.

  “No problems, unless you count the fact that someone deliberately cut your tire.” He glanced over his shoulder.

  Faith had frozen in place, her eyes wide, her concerned expression clearly telling him she was upset.

  “It’s probably some of the kids in the neighborhood,” she finally said, visibly forcing herself to relax. “They congregate around here late at night, and I haven’t looked at the van since the day before yesterday.”

  He wasn’t sure whether or not he believed her, and he tucked her reaction away to dissect another time.

  She wrapped her arms around herself, appearing uncertain for the first time since he’d met her. And a fierce feeling of protectiveness rushed over him, one he’d previously experienced only for people he cared about, yet he didn’t know this woman at all.

  “So what are you doing with all the candy?” he asked as he worked on the tire, eager to take that stricken look off her face, change the subject, shake off the weird emotions she provoked in him, and maybe get to know her at the same time.

  “I own a store called Sweet Treats,” she said. “I want to build my business, so I made baskets of my signature item, and I was going to go around to the local businesses and ask if they’d put the candy and my business card by the register.”

  “What makes your candy stand out?” he asked.

  “Other than how good it is?” she asked cheekily. “It’s handcrafted and made with love. If I grow enough, I’ll have to bring in outside-made candy to fill the cases, but that’s for another time. Meanwhile, I know I’m a small shop and it’ll be hard to get my name out there, but if I can dominate the area around my store based on the one thing I offer that’s different than anyone else, then maybe word of mouth will work in my favor.”

  He listened to her words and his hand stilled on the last lug nut. Everything she said made sense.

  Her words dominating the area and standing out jumped out at him. “That’s it!” he said, excitement filling him because her words had hit on the one thing missing from Club TEN29. Something unique to them, and suddenly he knew just what he needed to discuss with Gabe.

  “What’s it?” she asked.

  “You’ve come up with a brilliant idea, Faith Lancaster. And it just might help me with my business, so thank you.” He turned the wrench one last time and rose to his feet, his legs stiff from crouching in one position for so long.

  “Happy to help.” She shrugged, obviously confused, but that was okay because he wasn’t. He finally had direction.

  He looked down at his hands, now completely covered in dirt and grease.

  Faith glanced at his blackened skin. “Oh! Come upstairs and wash up. It’s the least I can do for you after you saved me.”

  He didn’t want to get into his car covered in filth, and she seemed okay with him now, so he nodded. “I’d appreciate that.”

  He followed her inside and up two flights of dark stairs. He immediately didn’t like where she lived. From the description of the guys hanging out front late at night to the lack of lighting in the walk-up, it screamed danger. But who was he to judge? Yet it bothered him. He wouldn’t let his sister live here.

  By the time they walked into the small apartment, he was frowning, but one look at the cheerful décor and his mood lightened. This was a woman who made the best of any situation, he realized, taking in the white curtains and the old furniture with bright pink throw pillows covering the cushions. A matching fun pink rug sat under a beat-up coffee table covered in well-read books.

  “You like pink,” he mused, coming up beside her. “And candy.” She even smelled sweet and delicious. “Are you fun, Faith?”

  Her cheeks turned an adorable shade of … pink. “I can be, in the right situation.”

  He wondered what that right situation might be, because he’d definitely like to have fun with her. The kind between the sheets. Before his dick could react to that thought, he asked, “Where’s the bathroom?”

  She led him to a small partly open door and gestured for him to go inside. “There’s a tiny linen closet behind the door. Take a towel and get yourself cleaned up.”

  She stepped away and headed back to the main area of the apartment.

  He glanced over to where the small kitchen was visible through a pass-through. The candies were neatly stacked on the Formica countertops.

  “So about those treats. Did I earn myself one?” he asked, joining her.

  She blinked in surprise. “Why didn’t I think of that?” She rushed to the kitchen, returning with a pop and handing it to him.

  He bit into it once, then twice, quickly swallowing the sweet, delicious candy. “Mmm. Damn, these are good. S’mores flavor?” he asked.

  She nodded, a grin on her face. “It’s like a taste of home,” she said softly.

  Sensing this meant something to her, he wanted to know more. “How so?”

  She sighed. “My mom and I used to make candy all the time when I was growing up. She always wanted to open a store in our small town, but she didn’t have the ability. Things were … out of her control. And she needed to work to take care of me and my brother. But this was her favorite recipe and it reminds me of her.”

  “What happened?” he asked. “If you want to talk about it.”

  “She died recently.” Faith blinked and looked away.

  Recognizing raw pain, he changed the subject. “Well, your candy is delicious and I hope you succeed,” he said, treating her to a warm smile, realizing their time together was coming to an end.

  “I have a meeting I need to get to,” he said. But he wasn’t ready to leave.

  “Oh, right.” She rushed over to the kitchen and returned with a basket in her hand. “Take this. As a thank you. You’re a Good Samaritan, Jason Dare.”

  He accepted her gift, their skin brushing as it exchanged hands. A shot of electricity jolted up his arm and went straight to his cock. Something about this woman got to him, from her gorgeous face and curvaceous body to her strength and the hint of occasional fragility beneath. He knew with everything in him he ought to stay away. From the fact that her tire might have been slashed to the fact that she didn’t radiate one-night-stand type of woman to him, he should say goodbye and walk out the door.

  “Have dinner with me.” He blurted out the words before he could think them through.

  She stared at him in surprise, those pretty lips pursing in thought, green eyes huge. “Umm … I really don’t think it’s a good idea. I have too much going on right now and I don’t date and … well, we shouldn’t.” She sounded sad, as if she didn’t want to say no.

  He rolled his shoulders, deciding it was for the best even if he didn’t like being turned down by her. “I understand.”

  She stared at him for a heartbeat. “Well, thanks again.”

  He inclined his head. “You can thank me by locking your door and being careful out there.” Her slashed tire stayed with him, bothered him, even.

  Sure, this was New York City and not the best neighborhood, so it really could have been done by someone who considered vandalism a good time. He’d probably have gone with that theory, too, if not for her slightly panicked reaction she’d tried to hide.

  “Don’t worry. I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself,” she said, striding toward the door. “But I’ll take your advice.”

  He stepped out the door she’
d opened for him. “Bye, sweetness,” he said. “It was nice meeting you, Faith Lancaster.”

  She wrinkled her nose at the nickname.

  “Would you prefer candy girl?” he asked, chuckling at the blush on her cheeks as he walked away.

  If Faith dated anyone, she would date Jason Dare. She leaned back against the door and sighed like a teenage girl crushing on her first date. My God, that man had an ass to die for.

  When she hadn’t been carrying candy baskets upstairs, she’d been ogling his rear end in his suit trousers. She could only imagine him naked, and that was the idea that had her shivering when her thoughts should be on whether her slashed tire was a freak incident as she’d told Jason or a warning sign from the brother she’d run away from.

  When they were younger, she’d loved her brother, but as he grew up, Colton developed … issues and that was putting it mildly. Drugs took over his life.

  She stepped away from the door, hating that she was going down this train of thought, but she couldn’t help it. The tire had brought up all sorts of fears. And memories.

  Colton showing up after her mom died unexpectedly, demanding his share of the estate, only to find out he’d been disinherited. His rage and anger. Though her mom hadn’t been wealthy, she wasn’t poor. She’d had money from her parents, which she’d saved, and she’d taken out a life insurance policy with Faith as the beneficiary.

  She double-checked the lock and dead bolt on her door, as the memories continued to flow. As much as Faith would have liked to share the money with her sibling, Faith agreed with her mom. Colton would throw the money away on drugs, so she honored her mother’s wishes and refused him.

  She should have known that wouldn’t be the end of it. Colton came by high one night, broke into her apartment, grabbed her around the neck, and threatened to kill her. That was the moment she understood the brother she’d known was lost to her, and fear like she’d never known encompassed her.

  Maybe she should have called the police, but she’d been afraid of angering him more. She knew from experience he never stayed behind bars for long, no matter what petty crime they picked him up for. So within three days of his threats, she’d quit her job, packed up the necessities, and left her small Midwestern town, heading to the biggest city she could think of, where she could get lost.