Page 57 of Pretty Heartache

“Have a good night, Mr. Harding.”

Adeline grunts again, her arms relaxing as she gives up her fight. “Ugh, you’re so frustrating.”

SIXTEEN

My bare ass lands against the cool leather of the passenger seat. I’m struggling to catch my breath as I watch Micah walk around the front of his car. Silence lingers in the air, and there’s a palpable heat sticking to my skin.

I wasn’t really trying to leave. I wanted to stay with Ember longer. I was only trying to get some air and put some distance between Micah and me. Him showing up to Exodus has me confused. Was it his plan to come here and make me leave? Although I didn’t have any intention of going further with the man on the dance floor, a part of me is delighted to know it made Micah jealous.

He swings his door open and quickly slips into the driver’s seat, slams the door shut, and presses the button to the ignition. The engine roars to life, but when his hand wraps around the shifter, he stops and swings his heated gaze to me.

“Put your seatbelt on, Addy.”

I refuse to move. I refuse to let him drive me anywhere without him explaining why he tore me away from Exodus, so I place my hands on either side of bare naked thighs and grip the edge of the seat, waiting.

Frustration boils over, and Micah’s nostrils flare as a deep growl vibrates out of him.

He’s being ridiculous and over the top. I’m still embarrassed by the way he acted in the club. Inside, I know there's a reason behind the way he’s behaving, but I won’t give in to his demands easily. Not until he tells me the secrets he’s hiding or why he struggles so badly to give in to whatever is going on between us.

He’s still grumbling when he leans over his seat and reaches behind me for my seatbelt. His scent immediately hits my nose. For a moment, I swear I smell a hint of my strawberry-scented body wash, but then again, Ember doused me in flower-scented body glitter before we left the house. I’m lightheaded and knocked off balance by his proximity. Micah jerks on the seatbelt, the sharp sound of him yanking on the strap filling the heated silence between us. His hands press against my body as he clicks the metal into the buckle.

But my attention falls to his mouth. I search his face while his eyes are pinned on mine. His hands are two red hot coals pressed against my body making the space between my thighs tingle again.

“There,” he says, yanking on the strap once more and tightening it.

After sitting back and revving the engine, he shifts it into drive and whips away from the curb. I keep my hands gripped to the edge of the seat as I watch Micah. His firm set jaw is clenched tightly, and his white-knuckled grip squeezes the pristine leather steering wheel.

“I don’t understand you,” I say, breaking the silence as he whips through the traffic riddled streets of downtown Boston, where fancy cars and bright lights surround us. Micah’s gaze constantly flickers up to his rearview mirror before falling back onto the road.

I avoid looking at myself in the side mirror. I still haven’t looked at one in months in fear of what I’ll see. It’s strange given how I used to make a living off caring what I looked like. Everything rode on putting on my best face… or mask, as Micah would call it.

I didn’t even bother looking into a mirror after Ember did my makeup for tonight.

My heart sinks into the pit of my stomach, and I feel myself frowning.

“I don’t understand you either,” Micah says, cutting me from my thoughts as his playful smirk forms.

“No.” I grind my teeth together, squeezing my seat tighter. “I don’t understand why you just get to show up at Exodus and suddenly demand I get in the car with you. Ember invited you to celebrate with us, but instead, you interrupt me on the dance floor, and for what? Because you were jealous I was dancing with someone?”

“You shouldn’t have been dancing with him.” His eyes narrow. He rings his hands on the steering wheel as he turns down another road, heading in the direction of the highway, but we’re too deep in the city, and traffic is heavy, making it take longer for us to get there.

“Unless you’ve claimed me as yours, I can dance with whoever I want,” I argue.

“What do you want me to do, Addy?”

“I want you to do something.”

“Do something?”

“Yes. I want you to make up your mind.” I only had one drink at Exodus, but my inhibitions have collapsed. I don’t give a fuck anymore about holding back. This cat and mouse game Micah and I are playing is tiring.

“Make up my mind about what?” he asks.

I don’t know how to be any clearer, but maybe this is what Micah needs. I see the resistance. He wants me, but he feels loyal to Archer. I need to be as honest about my feelings for him as possible.

“About me.” I raise my voice, frustrated with the entire night. With the past three days. “I want you to make up your mind about me.”

He remains focused on the road. His thick, muscled arms stretch under the sleeves of his suit.

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