Page 33 of It's Always Us

Talking cars with her was the only way I could get her to talk to me at first. In the science lab, I made a kid move so I could sit next to her. She didn’t say a word for the first two weeks. When I found out she worked on cars, I had my in. Her face lights up just as it did back then.

“Those old beaters still your favorite?”

“Of course. Although, Mustangs are becoming a close second,” she says, biting her lip to hide a smirk—those lips I want to tackle with my own.

“Mustangs, huh? Why?”

“Just something Grandpa said.”

“Hmmm.” I study her face, the slight lines next to her bright eyes. “How is the old man?”

“Ornery as hell and still the absolute best.”

I love that man. Besides my brothers, he’s one of the best men I will ever know.

“Have you told him?” I know how close they are.

“No.” She twists her earring again. “I figured we’d just keep things between us for now. I won’t lie to him, though.”

“Good.” I stare at her, wanting to memorize every detail to carry me through the night. “When can you have dinner with me?”

She smiles. “Umm, my schedule is more open than yours.”

“How about Wednesday? I’ll call you. But I’m calling each night unless I’m on the road.”

She nods. “Ok.”

“If I charter a plane, will you come to have a real date with me sometime? It might only be for a night, but I want you here.”

She rests her chin on her hand, thinking about it. “One thing at a time. We’ll see how the first date goes.”

“You know, I’m pretty confident it’ll go really well.”

“Still humble, I see. Do you ever get told no, Mark?”

I grin. “Lucky for us, I’m good at getting what I want.” She rolls her eyes, but her mouth cracks, and I love that smile. “Text me something when you get home.”

“Ok.”

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Hey, Mark.”

“Yeah.” I wait.

“Just so we’re clear, all those things that happened the other night, I don’t do that with guys I’m only dating.” She works hard to hold back a grin. One that’s just for me, and dammit, if that doesn’t sound like a challenge.

Heat from the memories and the sass in her tone consume my entire body. This part of Lex is brand-new to me, and I am in deep shit. Deeper than I’ve ever been.

“Then, as of this moment, we are officially done dating. We are in the full honeymoon zone. I’m sending a plane.”

Her head tips back, and a laugh spills out, making every minute of torture worth it. All the time we’ve missed out on, the heartache, it’s over now. And I’m going to make her mineall over again.

Chapter 10

LEX

I climb in my truck and toss my backpack on the passenger seat as a strong wave of nausea hits me, along with the massive dose of failure. How many times have I been here? I worked so hard for it to be different this time, but pressure and anxiety don’t play games. They aim to win, and today they did. Again.

---