Page 57 of Racing Hearts

“Give him time and let him get used to it. I’m guessing it’s all new for him too, but he wouldn’t be fighting for this if he didn’t care.”

“Also true,” Lally adds.

“Oh, I know! There’s a party tonight. How about you invite him? We can meet him, and he can hang with all your friends—no pressure, no prying eyes, just fun. It might help loosen him up,” Tommy suggests.

“That’s a great idea!” Lally agrees. “It’s a good place for him to see that no one cares and to get to know you and this side of your life if you want him to be a part of it.”

“I don’t know . . . Do you think so?” I ask worriedly, biting my bottom lip.

“It’s your choice, Evan, but I think it would be good for both of you,” Lally replies.

I glance at my bag where my phone is and back at them. “Okay, let me ask him.” Grabbing it, I head outside and call him.

“Baby?” he answers. “How’s your meal?”

“It’s good. Lally and Tommy want me to invite you to a party tonight.”

He’s silent, and I panic as I lean back against the wall of the restaurant.

“No pressure, it will be busy and probably not your scene, but you can meet my friends. Only Lally and Tommy sort of know about us, but you really don’t have to?—”

His chuckle cuts me off. “You’re cute when you’re nervous.” I feel my cheeks heat as he carries on. “You want me to come?”

“You really don’t have to. It’s probably silly?—”

“Evan, do you want me to come?” he asks, cutting off my mumbling.

“Yes,” I answer.

“Then I’ll be there. I’ll drive. Want me to pick all three of you up?”

My heart melts as I smile widely. “I’d love that. I’ll text you the address.”

“Sounds good, rich boy, see you then.” It goes quiet, and I think he hung up, so I’m putting my phone away when his voice comes again. “I’m glad you called and asked me.” He hangs up, leaving me grinning.

When I head back inside, Lally and Tommy are watching me, their hands out and fingers crossed. “He’s coming.”

The cheer they let out has every head turning in our direction as I laugh.

TWENTY-EIGHT

Evan looks good tonight. I can’t take my eyes off him as I pull up to the address he gave me to pick him and his friends up. He has on a long-sleeved top, his thumbs through cutouts on the sleeves. It’s a deep gunmetal gray with white grooves down the arms. The neckline is slightly torn, and it ends mid-waist, so when he turns or moves, it exposes his abs. The sight shouldn’t make me hard or feel possessive, but it does. All his skin on display, his tight waist . . .

Shit.

The pants don’t help. They might be loose cargos, but they hang low, showing off his boxers, and the chains looping around them have some very bad ideas entering my head.

Nothing else matters, though, except his wide smile and his wave when he spots me.

I won’t admit that I was in the car, counting down the minutes until it was time to meet, or that I spent an hour picking out an outfit. I even asked Alice for help, wanting to look good for him and his friends. I know this is important, and I want to make a good impression, but one look at my sunshine and all that anxiety flees. A smile curves my lips as I pull up alongside them and hop out, ignoring the honking traffic since I shouldn’t stop here. Usually, I wouldn’t care about helping others into the car, but again, I know these are important people to my boy.

“Hey, princess,” he greets, winking at me as his eyes drop to my outfit. I feel severely underdressed in my black shirt and jeans. My boots have yellow laces, and I styled my hair, but I suddenly feel very . . . out of it. “Looking good.” Instantly, those feelings disappear too.

“Perv,” I mutter, glancing at his friends. “You must be rich b—Evan’s friends.”

“I’m Lally, and this is Tommy.” A pink-haired girl grins. Covered in piercings and tattoos, she looks more like someone I would hang out with, but the e-girl outfit she has on has my eyebrows rising. Nodding, I open the door, and she clambers into the back. Tommy salutes me as he follows her. He’s wearing loose overalls without a shirt underneath and a beanie. Shutting the door, I head around to the passenger side and open the door before Evan can.

His eyebrows rise, and I smile as I slide my hand across the base of his spine, feeling his soft skin as I lean in. He shivers as his eyes land on my lips. “You look good enough to eat, pretty boy.”

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