Page 21 of Fighting Jacob

I arrive at Lola's house at the designated time we scheduled last week. My heart skips a beat when she darts toward my car with a broad smile stretched across her face. We've been "friends" the past four weeks, but this is the first time she's greeted me with so much jubilation. Don't get me wrong, she's still a cock tease, but her stance on us dating hasn't changed. She's adamant she isn't the girl for me. I'm not yet convinced.

Her scent whips up when she plops into the passenger seat before leaning over to plant her lips on mine. Always willing to test the waters, I swipe my tongue against her glossy mouth. I expect her to pull back like she generally does, so you can imagine my surprise when her lips part at the request of my lashing tongue. She doesn’t lead our kiss like she did at Bronte’s Peak. She lets go of the reins, trusting I’ve got this.

I do. I’ll take care of her real good.

When she opens her mouth, groaning into mine, I kiss her so hard, I’m certain it won’t be another four weeks before she begs me to kiss her again. We kiss and kiss and kiss until she either pulls back for air or suffocates. As she peers at me with needy, shocked eyes, she murmurs, “Em is coming with us. Is that okay?”

“Yeah.” I’d agree to anything if it gets her lips on mine again. “I’d do anything for you.”

My plan works to perfection. After smiling at my approval, she kisses me with so much passion, my dick aches. I'm not a player like Nick, but the past four weeks is cutting it close to setting a new record of abstinence for me. If I don’t get some cookie sampling soon, I’m going to burst.

Just as Lola's tongue wrangles mine into submission, a car door slamming shut booms into my ears. Eager to discover who has Noah's panties twisted up, I pull back and crank my neck to the side. I understand Noah’s interest when my eyes land on Emily. She's as beautiful as Lola; she just seems a little more down to earth.

I try to ease the panic flaring in her eyes with a friendly smile. “Hey, Em, you ready for this?”

I wonder if she is as timid as first thought when she screws up her nose and sticks out her tongue. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Pretending I can’t feel Lola watching with meddling eyes, I fire up my ignition and pull out of their driveway.

Phase one is set. I sure as hell hope Lola is ready for phase two.

Lola doesn’t need as much training as predicted. She’s so comfortable behind the wheel, I’m beginning to wonder if she was failed because her instructors didn’t like her ballsy attitude.

With our lesson going longer than anticipated, I completely forget Noah is waiting for us under the railway bridge until Nick’s truck pulls in behind us. He flicks on his high beams, scaring the shit out of Lola and Emily.

I flip up the rearview mirror to stop his lights from impeding Lola’s vision before my eyes drift to hers. “Keep your attention on the road. They’re no concern of yours."

When she nods, I glance over my shoulder. Curiosity crosses Emily's face when I wave my arms in the air like I'm landing a jumbo jet. With her hand shielding her eyes, she follows the direction of my gaze. The vein in my neck beeps out a tune when she notices two figures in Nick's truck. I don't know if she can see them. I’m fucking hope she can't, or I'm in deep shit.

Since no cars are surrounding us, Emily indicates to Nick that he's safe to pass. He thanks her by bringing his bull bar to within an inch of my bumper.

"Arrogant assholes,” she mutters before flipping them the bird.

Realizing Noah has no clue I’m not driving, I devise a way of getting us off the road before we’re forced off. “Pull in there.” I point to a closed gas station coming up on our right.

With Lola’s anxiety as high as mine, she yanks the steering wheel at a speed too fast to be safe. When my tires slip off the asphalt, they fishtail in the gravel. Panicked, Lola slams on the brakes.

That’s the final nail in our coffin.

With Lola and Emily’s squeals in my ear, my car spins out of control. In no time at all, we’re concealed by a massive dust cloud. My lungs kick up a stink about the filthy air as Lola shuts her eyes, surrendering to her fate.

As quickly as our nightmare began, it ends. My car jolts three times before coming to a complete stop. By some miracle, we're still upright. I have no fucking clue how. I was confident we were cartwheeling. Lola did incredibly well to maintain control of the car. That would have been difficult for an experienced driver, much less someone learning how to drive.

Although grateful she did well, I’m too dumbstruck not to react. “Oh my fucking god.” I whack the dashboard with my fists. “How could they not realize it wasn’t me in the driver’s seat?!”

Lola would be five-foot-five at the most, so it should have been pretty fucking obvious I wasn’t driving. When my outburst startles Lola, I leave my car so I can get ahold of my anger. I didn't mean to scare her, and if anyone is deserving of my wrath, it's Noah, not her.

After a few big breaths, I tap on the driver’s side window, startling Lola for the second time. “Holy shit, Jacob, you scared the crap out of me.”

“Sorry. I thought perhaps you’d like to swap places so I can drive?”

I try to suppress my smile when she asks if my house is close by because she needs a drink, but the faintest grin creeps across my lips. I hate scaring her, but I'm desperate for some alone time with her.

During our drive to my home, my mind wanders. I recall how badly Lola flinched when my fist indented the dashboard, and how she seems more rattled by my anger than our near-death spin in a dusty parking lot.

Certain I’m misreading things, I lean across to grasp Lola’s hand in mine. A second wave of frustration crashes into me when she pulls her hand out of my reach. The happy, carefree Lola I was making out with earlier tonight has vanished, leaving nothing but a woman who looks frightened.

By the time I arrive home, my anger is at an all-time high. Although Lola’s dismissal isn’t Noah’s fault, his earlier antics smack back into me when I spot him leaning on the front door of my home wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts and an arrogant smirk.

---