Page 47 of The Broker

“Yeah?” There was so much hopefulness in her voice, I knew I was screwed. I couldn’t walk the offer back. She adjusted her hands on the steering wheel and looked pleased. “Awesome. I could use all the help I can get.”

Well, great.

With that settled, I turned my gaze out the window and watched the landscape whip by. She was driving fast, even for an interstate. I’d discovered most Nashville drivers seemed to have difficulty finding the accelerator—but not Charlotte.

She also drove like she was required to keep the front end of her Yaris only a foot behind the car in front of her. The proximity made my blood pressure climb, and when the BMW in front of us flashed its brake lights, I tried to push the invisible brake pedal on the passenger side.

Why hadn’t I offered to drive?

I liked being the driver, so this was hard for me, and I aimed for a joking tone. “Question for you. Have you thought about not driving up this guy’s ass? Could be fun. Maybe you should give it a try.”

She laughed, amused. “So sorry,Dad.”

Instantly, her father’s image flashed in my mind. “Don’t call me that.”

“Okay . . .Daddy.”

Fuck, there it was again, that strange, exciting thrill. The effect of it was so strong, it barely registered she’d done what I asked, and the BMW pulled ahead, giving us breathing room.

But there wasn’t much air left inside the cramped confines of her Yaris. Herdaddycomment had charged the space, filling it with a sexual tension that was as unwanted as it was hot.

The longer we sat in silence, the worse it became. I needed something to distract us both. “So does this ‘Zach’ know I’m tagging along?”

“Nope. He doesn’t even know we’re coming.”

I pulled my shoulders back. “What?”

“He hasn’t responded to any of my texts, and it’s been weeks.”

As she took the offramp, I strangled back my unease. “What if we get there and he’s not home?”

“Oh, trust me,” she said. “He’s home. Thursday nights he goes to the bars with some of his friends from Sigma Phi Alpha, so he’ll be at his place pregaming right now.”

I was about to make a remark about college kids, when I remembered that she was the same age as college kids. Plus, I didn’t know what kind of breakup they’d had. If he wasn’t responding to her texts, it probably hadn’t been good.

What if she still had feelings for him?

Charlotte came to the stop sign at the end of the ramp, didn’t bother with a turn signal, and then turned left. It forced my gaze to her dashboard so I wouldn’t see anything else. Fuck, I was such a control freak, and the worst part was...

If she’d let me, I’d love to have control over her.

Friends!

The warning fired through my brain, causing me to gnash my teeth.

We listened to Taylor Swift sing about the smallest man in the world while we drove, passing strip malls and gas stations. We were on the outskirts of Davidson University, where it’d be a hike to campus, but I understood that. Rent was surely a lot cheaper out here.

Abruptly, the car began to brake, and I glanced around with concern. What did she see that made her need to slow down?Cars were in the other lane, coming from the other direction without issue and—

She turned left into the parking lot of an apartment building, and a frustrated sound escaped from me.

“What?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t have used a turn signal there either,” I said dryly. “It’s nobody’s business where you’re going.”

“Oh, my God.” She laughed lightly. “Get in the back seat.”

“Excuse me?”

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