Page 10 of Shadow and Skulls

I hope Tank is right behind me. If my dad finds out Mom is heading to the warehouse too, he’ll want her to give him a ride. And for some stupid reason, I want that job.

When I get to the car, I begin patting my pockets.Shit, where did I put my keys?

Suddenly, they are dangling in front of my face. I step back, bumping against Tank’s very solid chest.

He chuckles, his body vibrating against my backside. “You’re a skittish little thing, aren’t you?”

My fingers wrap around the keys, snatching them from his hand. I spin around and push against his stomach, needing some space between us.

“I am not.”

He raises his hands and backs away. I slide into the driver’s seat, watching him in the rearview mirror as he heads around the back of my car. Maybe this was a bad idea. I’m not quick enough to keep up with someone like him.

I swear to god, my car almost drags pavement when he gets in. Jesus, he’s big. Okay, so he isn’t any bigger than my dad or the twins. It’s … it’s his presence that’s large. It fills all of the empty space around me.

I’m just giving him a ride.It’s no big deal. I take a deep breath. Great, now even his scent has filled the space in my lungs.

My hands tremble as I start the car and back out.

We only get a few blocks down the road before he breaks the silence. “So, what happened at school today?”

My first thought isn’t how he knows something happened today. No, my first thought is how embarrassing it is that I’m stillinschool. “I’m almost twenty,” I blurt out, cringinginternally as the words leave my mouth. Why did I say that? That’s not what he asked.

“I know.”

He knows?

“I’m sorry you had a bad day,” he continues, motioning toward the little ice cream shop on the edge of town. “Pull in here.”

I don’t know why I listen to him, but I do. Like I said, he fills the air around me. Nothing exists outside of this car right now.

“I didn’t have a bad day, and there’s no drive-thru here,” I tell him.

“That’s okay. I’ll run in and grab it.” He points to a parking spot under some trees. “What do you want?”

My hand rests on the shifter after I park. “I don’t want anything. Thank you, though.”

He laughs. “Okay, I see you’re going to make me guess. If I’m wrong, you’ll be stuck eating whatever I get you.”

A giggle erupts out of my mouth before I can stop it. “I do like surprises.”

“A risk taker. I like it.” He grins at me before he gets out and jogs across the parking lot toward the building.

I smile nervously, tucking my hair behind my ear. I’m not really sure what’s happening. This is so out of character for me. Or is it? I really don’t know.

Minutes later, he returns, juggling two cups in one of his big hands as he opens the door. After he drops into the seat, he holds one out to me along with a spoon.

“It’s mint chip,” I whisper into the cup.

“Isn’t that your favorite?”

I don’t have time to ask how he knows that, because Jason and Lexi pull into the stall beside us, pulling my attention away from him.Great.

Tank turns in his seat to see what’s grabbed my attention. “Isn’t that your boyfriend?” He points out the window.

I reach over and grab his hand, pulling it down. My brows pull together. Wait a second. How does he know I have a boyfriend?

When I don’t answer him, he turns back to the window for another look. He chuckles darkly, shaking his head.

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