Page 22 of Destined To Fall

“It was kinda impressive.”

“You liked that, huh?”

“Little bit. Where did you learn how to drive like that?”

Ahh… “A rally driver.”

“You dated a rally driver?” His eyebrows shoot skyward.

I scoff at his leap to the wrong conclusion.

“Right, you don’t date. How could I forget?” He mutters the latter, making me grin.

“He taught me everything he knew.” I chuckle.“Well, on the road,at least. Let’s just say he was fast in all aspects of his life.”

Jeremy seems to choke on thin air before breaking into a fit of laughter.“Oh, man. Poor guy.” I roll my eyes, and he laughs again.“Okay, so maybe poor you.”

“Yeah, poor me. I had to work extra hard for that one.”

Silence.

“You wanna get on the ninety-five up ahead,” he blurts out abruptly. It comes out sharp, hard even. I’m taken aback for a moment, and I turn to argue once his words register, but he cuts me off.“It’s more direct and a little quicker than taking the one the whole way,”he adds, softer.

“Oh,” I say, registering that I’m going to be in an enclosed space with Jeremy for another half hour or so. His delicious cologne has already started to replace the new car smell.Argh. Yup, direct is good.“And then?” I ask after a few tense minutes of silence.

“Exit on thirty-three. The rest I’ll give you when we get closer.”

“Right, okay.”

The silence continues to fill the car, each second ticking painfully by, but I’m at a loss on how to break it. Awkward silences have never been my thing. I’m not usually around anyone other than clients these days, and there’s not a whole lot of silence happening. What’s he thinking?

“So…when’s your curfew?” When he doesn’t respond, I glance at him, catching the confusion written all over his face.“When do I need to drop you back at work?”

“Oh. Trying to get rid of me already?”

“Yes. I was debating kicking you to the curb at the next intersection, you know, now that I know whereI’m going.” I laugh when I see the contemplation on his face.“I’m kidding, Jeremy. Your company isn’t so unbearable.” Far from it, actually.“And you know I don’t know where I’m going. Was that on purpose?”

He chuckles.“You’ve caught me. But you’re stuck with me. I have nowhere to be. My boss thinks I’m in meetings all afternoon, wooing potential clients.”

“Are you trying to woo me, Jeremy?”

“Trying would imply I hadn’t already.” He looks over at me, his face beaming with cocky arrogance. And damn if that look doesn’t hit me south.

“If the auction was any reflection of your wooing skills, you might need to work on that. Wooed I was not.” A giggle slips out.

“Sure, sure. You’re here, aren’t you?”Touché.“Also, take the next left and then the second right.”

“Well, apparently, I have money burning a hole in my pocket, my newly acquired seven-grand painting proving as much. I’m all about the art, you know, and spending copious amounts of money. Does he know we’re coming?”

“Who? Oh, Luke. Kinda, yeah,” he says, sounding distracted.

“Kinda? What do you mean, kinda?”

“Oh, nothing. I may have told him I was bringing the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, and he needed to behave.”

“Right,” I deadpan.

Jeremy lets out a roar of laughter.“Your ego isn’t lacking.” He laughs again.“I told him you outbid me last Thursday and wanted to see the rest.”

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