Page 79 of Raise Hell

Olivia’s credit cards were shut off over a week ago. I saw the fraud notice pop up in phone notifications. I have about twelve dollars to my name. “Can you take a check?”

“Maybe I don’t want your money.”

I shouldn’t ask. I know I shouldn’t ask.

“What do you want?”

The grip he has on my chin loosens, his thumb almost stroking along the skin before he pulls his hand away. “A bunch of us are going to catch a movie in town. I want you to come?”

I practically hear a record scratch. “You can’t be serious.”

His bottom lip juts forward in a pouty frown, drawing my attention to his mouth before I tear my gaze away. “You keep asking me that. Do I tell a lot of jokes when you’re around?”

“No, you’re not really the comedian type.”

“It’s not like you know me all that well.”

Which is more than true.

I’d expected him to come in here and start tearing my room apart in retaliation for messing with his motorcycle. Or file charges with the cops for theft.

Instead, Drake is asking me out on a date.

“I really don’t know what to say.”

He shrugs. “You cause me too many problems when you’re on your own. And I’m willing to acknowledge that you’re the sexiest chick on campus. Though I bet you already know that.”

“And that’s why you’re asking me out after I messed up your bike? I hope you realize how insane that sounds.”

His piercing gaze never leaves mine, but it isn’t anger I see in the depths of his eyes. “If you don’t want to come, that’s fine. You can just pay for the damage to my bike. I’m sure you won’t mind explaining to your daddy why he got a two-thousand-dollar bill in the mail.”

My jaw drops. “It cannot possibly cost that much to bang out some dents and fix the paint.”

Drake shrugs, but a satisfied smile twists his lips. “I have to take it to the dealer because the paint job is custom. That’s the price they quoted me. Feel free to write me that check if hanging out for one night is too much for you.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “You don’t scare me, Drake Van Koch. You know that, right?”

“I do.” His golden eyes narrow in speculation. “That might be the most interesting thing about you.”

“So, if I go on this one date with you, then you’ll forget any of this ever happened?”

“Sure, I will.”

I know there has to be a trick in this somewhere, but I can’t figure out what it is. Drake wouldn’t take me off campus to humiliate me — he’ll want an audience for it.

“Cool,” I say slowly. It would take an idiot not to realize he’s playing some sort of game. “Are you planning some sort of Carrie moment where you douse me in pig’s blood?”

“Not unless you’re into that.”

I trust Drake’s mood about as far as I can throw a grand piano, but I’m not going to fight him when I don’t have the money to pay him back. “Just to be clear, if I go out with you this one time, then you’re willing to let go of the whole grand theft auto and destruction of property thing?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“Fine,” I reply, trying to keep the obvious surprise out of my voice. “Deal.”

“I’ll come by around eight to pick you up. Vaughn has a Jeep, so we’ll ride with him.”

“Awesome.”

---