Need A Hero

A/N: This story is het :3

“What do you mean, you can’t pick me up?” Anna demanded. “Damn it, Trent, you promised!” She gripped her phone tightly, half tempted to throw it across the room.

“I know!” Trent replied, but she wasn’t at all mollified by his apologetic tone. “Shit happened at work, I’ve got this patient—”

She cut him off with a sigh, forcing patience she didn’t feel. “Fine, it’s cool. I know you can’t just leave them. I’ll figure something else out.” She just didn’t know what or how or who. Her options were walk the twenty miles to the airport—doable, except not really. Or ask her creepy coworker for a ride, and she knew exactly how unpleasantly that would end, the asshole. Possibly a cab, but the fare—and seriously, why did her car have to pick this week to be a pain in the ass?

“It’s okay, sis. I got my buddy—”

“Buddy?”

“Jamie, the pediatrician, we go out when we actually get days off—”

Anna sighed. “Your basketball, bar-hopping buddy that you’ve known since college. Trent, I don’t know—”

“He’s like a brother; he’s totally happy to help. I know you need to make your flight. He should be there any moment—”

The sound of footsteps made her whip around, and tense. “I’ll call you back,” she said, and closed the phone, tucking it away in the pocket of her jeans. “Did you need something, Jim?”

“You’re not supposed to be on the phone during work.”

“I’m off the clock,” Anna said shortly, glancing away from his slimy, creep countenance, but ready to go off in a moment if he tried to touch her one more time, in anyway. Where was a white knight on a noble steed when a girl needed one? She stifled a sigh. She was her own white knight, and she would be more than happy to clock Jim if he didn’t back off.

“Where’s your brother? Snow must be making travel difficult—”

“My ride is on the way,” Anna cut him off, pulling out her phone again as she felt it buzz, letting her know she had a text. She glanced at the text, which read black hair, jeans, brown jacket, glasses, white car. Shoving the phone back in her pocket, she looked up—and realized that Jim was between her and the door.

Damn it.

“Have a good weekend,” she said with the kind of smile she reserved for the spoiled brat sort of customers she wanted to punch in the face.

Jim smiled back; he clearly thought it was charming and smooth when really it just made her want to take a shower “Are you sure I can’t give you a ride, Annie?”

“It’s Anna,” she said coldly, “And no, you can’t.” She moved past him at a determined stride, hauling her one small duffle—and stopped when he held an arm out to block her. When he tried to speak, she gave him a shove and walked as quickly as she could to the door. That was going to be discussed with the manager when she got back, but right now she just had more important things to worry about.

Damn it, couldn’t one thing go right this wee—”Damn it!” she swore as she slammed into something.

Someone, she realized, as two hands landed on her arm, steadying her, and a voice like molasses poured over her. “Steady, now. You all right, we collided pretty good.”

“I’m sorry,” Anna replied, pulling away, feeling stupid on top of flustered and frustrated and wasn’t this the greatest day ever? She blinked as she finally looked at the poor bastard she’d tried to run over. Goddamn. Hello, tall, dark, and handsome. “I should have watched where I was going.”

The man grinned. “No worries. You’re Anna Wright, uh—right?” He laughed again, sheepishly. “Trent’s little sister?”

She bristled reflexively at the ‘little’, clamping down on the urge to argue it. Yeah, she was younger, but Trent didn’t need to go around describing her to hot men as his little sister. At least he hadn’t said ‘baby sister’. Still, he was gonna die. “Yeah, that’s me. You must be Jamie, then?”

“James Charm, at your service,” Jamie replied, and held out his hand. “Pleasure to finally meet you; Trent talks about you all the time.”

Anna smiled, silently vowing that Trent would die an unimaginably slow death. “I just bet. Thank you for—”

“Anna, you okay?”

She stiffened, instinctively moved away from the sound of Jim’s voice, realizing too late that put her completely up in Jamie’s personal space. Great job, self, she thought irritably. A klutz and a flake, and really, was this day over yet? Looking over her shoulder, she snapped, “I’m fine, Jim. I’ll see you Monday.” And hopefully I’ll get you fired.

“He looks like he’s bothering you, Anna. Where’s your brother? I—”

A hand settled lightly on her back, making her tense slightly in surprise. Then James sort of—moved, somehow, drawing her back, putting himself forward, the pleasant tone of his voice never changing as he said, “You have a good day now, hear? Come on, Anna, my car is this way.” His hand never left her lower back as he turned away from the store, down the sidewalk a few yards.

She absently remembered her brother’s description then. Black hair, jeans, brown jacket, glasses, white car. It really didn’t do the man justice—he was tall, broad, trim, in clothes of good quality that fit him well. The hair was a bit long, like he’d been too busy to trim it, and the glasses softened his otherwise rather sharp, almost severe features. Handsome as hell, and a hint of twang in his voice

The hand on her back should annoy her, cause god knew she’d had her feel of touchy, grabby men lately, but it felt nice, warm and solid and steadying. She didn’t need rescuing, but hell, she certainly wasn’t going to complain.

He stopped in front of a white car, alright—a new-looking white mustang with black racing stripes.

Anna smiled up at him. “Thank you—for the lift, and for him. I can’t thank you enough; you’ll have to let me repay you somehow, when I get home next weekend.”

Jamie grinned, boyish and sweet and full of mischief. He loaded her luggage in the trunk, then moved around the car to open the passenger door for her. As she slid into the car, he said, “Don’t tell your brother I spent the trip to the airport flirting shamelessly and we’ll all it square.”

She grinned back. “Deal.”