Page 28 of Drive To Survive

Adele frowned, then slid her eyes in the direction of Nico’s office. “Um, I’m not sure.”

Her attempt at an obtuse response gave me the information I needed. “Thanks,” I said, marching past her and down the hallway.

“Everly,” she called out. “Wait.”

Ignoring her, I shoved open his door without knocking. “I need a word with you.”

Nico raised his head, one eyebrow arched as he took in my red face and clenched fists. He set down his pen and pointed his chin at the chair opposite. “Have a seat.”

I kicked the door closed. I didn’t need to have access to a rearview mirror to know that if I left it open, Adele would reach for the popcorn and settle back to watch the show.

I stormed over to his desk and planted my hands on top. “What the hell do you think you’re playing at?”

He pushed his chair back and crossed his legs, then knitted his hands together and rested them in his lap. “Calm down, Everly.”

I ground my teeth, fury pulsing through my body. “Calm down? After what you’ve done.”

“What is it I’m supposed to have done? Why don’t you enlighten me, love?”

“Love?”

A growl came from deep in my chest, and one corner of his mouth twitched. My anger shot through the roof, and, if it were possible, the look in my eyes alone would have sent him up in flames.

“I picked up my son from school today and was accosted by a furious Mrs. Wilson. Thank Christ it wasn’t Mr. Wilson. How dare you interfere in my son’s life without talking to me about it first! All you’ve done is make things ten times worse.”

He dropped the relaxed pose he’d adopted, rose to his feet, and towered above me. He mirrored my stance, palms flattened on the desk. “That man needed telling. I told him. I didn’t throw a punch or even raise my voice. He did both of those things.”

My eyebrows shot north. “He hit you?”

“He tried,” Nico scoffed. “I might have busted-up ankles, but I’m still faster on my feet than he is. The man desperately needs a gym membership.”

He smirked, one of his rare crooked smiles that showed off his dimple. I blinked, momentarily distracted. I took a deep breath, an attempt to halt the hurricane swirling in my stomach. Straightening, I pressed my fingertips to either side of my nose and closed my eyes. “This isn’t your battle to fight.”

“Well, I don’t see you fighting it.”

My mouth parted as the shock of his blunt assessment of something he knew nothing about hit me squarely between the eyes. I ran my tongue over my dry lips and jabbed a finger in his direction, much like Mrs. Wilson had done to me.

“Just stay out of my business, or I’ll have no choice but to remove Rhett from the program.”

I whirled around and strode over to the door. I didn’t make it. Nico hadn’t been joking when he said he could still move fast. He dodged in front of me, barring the one exit out of his office.

“You wouldn’t do that. You’re all about what’s best for Rhett, Everly, and both you and I know that’s here.”

“Is it?” I hit back, blind fury blurring my vision and my logic. “You’ve overstepped the mark, Nico. You redrew the lines. You. Not me. So yeah, if you butt your nose into my business again, I might just stop Rhett from coming here.”

His hand snapped around the back of my neck so fast I hardly saw him move. His mouth slammed onto mine, hard, primitive, demanding. I pressed my palms to his chest and shoved at him. He captured my wrists and held my hands behind my back, spinning us until it was me backed up against the door and him in the power position. His hips pinned me in place, and his lips roamed over mine, his tongue demanding entry. Fear should have driven me to fight. Instead, my mouth opened beneath his, allowing him to take full advantage, to control the pace, the pressure. The moment.

He released my hands and grabbed my ass, pulling me against him. The thickness of his erection pressed against my stomach, forcing an unwilling groan to rumble through my throat. My fingers wound in the hair at the base of his neck, and I arched into him, my breasts flattening against his taut chest.

His mouth went to my neck, his lips softening as he began a journey filled with kisses and licks. He tugged down my top, revealing the swell of one breast.

“Jesus,” he muttered, slipping a fingertip inside the lace of my bra.

His nail grazed over my erect nipple, and I sucked in a sharp breath and uttered a moan of pleasure. He returned to my mouth, kissing me as if we were both about to take our last breath.

Hot. Desperate. Needy.

I came to my senses with a jolt. Sure, I wanted Nico, but not like this. Not when he was kissing me as a punishment for threatening to take Rhett away. I wasn’t stupid. I knew his interest began and ended with Rhett, especially as he’d shown such promise to excel at racing. I was just a bit of side action. He’d already told me on several occasions that he wasn’t interested. Nothing had changed.

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