Page 74 of Offside Devil

I run a nervous hand over my collarbone and Zane follows the movement. He trails after my fingers, tracing me from shoulder to hip to the thigh-high slit in the skirt of my dress.

I’ve spent too many years lying low to be used to this kind of focused attention. I should hate it—but the thump of my heart proves that I like it a little too much.

I clear my throat. “We should probably?—”

“Yeah.” He blinks and offers his elbow. “We should go.”

I loop my hand around his arm and let him lead me out. When we walk through the front doors of the lobby and onto the street, Zane’s Ferrari is waiting at the curb.

“No limo?” I ask. “I thought I'd finally get to live my high school prom dreams.”

“Prom isn't worth dreaming about. Neither is a limo.” He takes my hand, helping me into the caramel leather passenger seat.

My fingers burn from that measly little bit of contact.

God help me if we have to dance.

The car purrs when he starts it. When he pulls away from the curb, I barely even feel the acceleration. He drives the car the way he does everything else in life: effortlessly.

“Are you trying to make up for almost getting in an accident the other day?” I ask after a few minutes of watching his fingers coax the car into smooth turns.

His jaw flexes. “I didn’t ‘almost get in an accident.’ The brakes were touchy.”

“Well, these brakes aren’t touchy. This is the smoothest car ride I’ve ever had.”

“That’s because I’m driving.”

“Someone is cocky.”

“You would be, too, if you won a car like this fair and square.”

I frown. “You won it? Like, in a raffle?”

He looks deeply offended. “No, it was a race.”

I blink at him. “You won a Ferrari in a race? Who would be stupid enough to put this car on the line?”

“Jace,” he laughs. “I won it from him my second year on the team. He’d been playing long enough that his five-car garage was overflowing. Also, I’ll be sure to tell him you called him ‘stupid’ when I introduce you tonight.”

It hits me all at once: I’m going to meet Zane’s friends. I’ve met Daniel and I saw everyone on the ice at the game, but this is different. Zane is taking me into his world. In a lot of ways, this is the first time I’ll need to actually pretend to be his girlfriend.

The thought makes my stomach swirl.

“Giving up a car this expensive is crazy. I could sell this thing and start a whole new life.”

Ten new lives. I could afford to run and never look back.

Zane pulls slowly into the valet line and puts the car in park. “Do I need to worry about you lifting my car, Mira?”

I run my fingers over the buttery leather. “Maybe. I think I just had an awakening. Engines rev my engine, as it turns out. Who knew?”

His eyes shine like I just said the magic words. “What else does the trick?” he murmurs, though it doesn’t seem like he’s actually looking for an answer.

Probably because he already knows it.

Then the valet appears outside of his driver’s side door, and I remember where we are. Who we are. The spell breaks.

Zane steps out, hands the man his keys, and then walks around the back of the car to open my door for me.

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