Page 32 of Knot Made to Break: Part Two

“That’s it,” I encouraged as we approached the ramp leading up to street level. “Now give it a little more gas.”

Kit pressed down slightly on the accelerator, and the car surged forward, responsive to her command. A small gasp escaped her lips, but it wasn’t fear—it was pleasure. The same rush I felt every time I drove.

“Where are we going?” she asked, her voice steadier now as sunlight washed over us at the top of the ramp.

I grinned, settling back into my seat. “Wherever you want, Angel. Today, the road is yours.”

As she pulled onto the street, I watched her face—the concentration in her eyes, the slight curl of her lips as the car responded to her touch, the wind from the cracked windows tousling her hair. This was a part of me I’d never shared with anyone before. Cars, driving—they’d always been my private escape, my personal therapy.

But watching Kit behind the wheel of my most prized possession, seeing the joy spread across her face as she gained confidence with each passing minute, I knew I’d made the right choice. This wasn’t just about sharing my love of cars with her. It was about giving her a piece of me no one else got to see—my vulnerability.

And I hoped, desperately, that it gave her back a piece of the control that had been stolen from her.

She glanced over at me; her smile was radiant, eyes sparkling with bright, sexy confidence. In that moment, with the sun streaming through the windows and the powerful engine purring beneath us, I realized something that should have scared the shit out of me, but somehow didn’t.

I was so fuckin’ gone for this girl. She was the blood in my veins, the very air in my lungs. Therewasnomewithouther.

I’d give her anything. Everything. The keys to my car, my home, my fucking heart. All of it was already hers.

“Ready to see what this baby can really do?” I nodded toward an empty stretch of road ahead as we left the city behind.

Kit’s smile turned mischievous, a flash of the woman she was becoming—brave, free, alive.

“Show me,” she replied, and pressed her foot down on the gas.

thirteen

KITANIA

The city fell away,buildings shrinking in the rearview as we took the winding roads beyond Silver City. My hands gripped the steering wheel of Marco’s luxury car, the leather smooth beneath my fingers. Each curve of the road beckoned me forward, promising something I’d almost forgotten existed—freedom. Marco sat beside me, his presence both reassuring and electrifying as he occasionally murmured directions in this sexy, low rumble that seemed to vibrate just like the engine of the car. The combined purr sank into my bones, and I bit my lip.

“You’re doing great, Angel,” Marco praised, eyes fixed on me rather than on the road. The feel of his gaze sent a pleasant shiver down my spine. “Feel how she responds to you?”

I nodded, unable to contain the small smile that crept across my lips. The car moved like an extension of myself, hugging the road as if it could read my thoughts before I even turned the wheel. The engine burred smoothly; controlled power waiting to be unleashed.

“She likes you.” Marco’s hand found my knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Cars have personalities, you know. This one seems like she was made for you.”

“Maybe she knows I need this,” I admitted, my voice soft but steadier than it had been in days. The tension that had coiled inside me since the attack had started to unravel with each mile marker we passed.

Marco’s scent—leather and musk with hints of motor oil—filled the car’s interior, wrapping around me like a protective shield. “That’s exactly why I brought you out here. Everyone needs an escape now and then. It’s difficult to avoid feeling confined in the city, but out here, it’s different. There are no boundaries. It’s a wide open space where you can just…” He inhaled, filling his lungs, then released the air slowly.

“—Breathe” I finished.

The road stretched before us, winding through foothills that rose on either side. Trees flashed by in a blur of autumn color, the afternoon sun dappling the asphalt with shifting patterns of light and shadow. I sat straighter in the driver’s seat, lifting my chin and feeling something unfamiliar bubble up inside me—confidence, maybe, or the ghost of the person I might have been in another life.

“You look different.” Marco’s blue eyes seemed to dance with appreciation. “Suits you, being behind the wheel.”

My cheeks warmed at his compliment, but I didn’t shy away from it. For once, I grabbed hold of the praise and owned it. The car responded to my slight touch, accelerating smoothly as we emerged from a curve onto a straightaway. My heart rate quickened with the speedometer.

“There’s a long stretch coming up,” Marco said, gesturing to the empty road ahead that carved through the landscape like a ribbon, a mixture of straightaways and curves unimpeded by other cars. “Open her up.”

I hesitated, glancing at him. “You’re sure?”

His lips curled into that dangerous half-smile that never failed to make my stomach flip. “I wouldn’t suggest it if I wasn’t. Trust me, Angel. Trust yourself.”

I took a deep breath and pressed my foot down on the accelerator. The car surged forward, eager and powerful, pushing me back against the leather seat. The engine’s purr deepened to a growl that I felt in my chest, matching the sudden acceleration of my pulse.

“Oh my god,” I gasped as the world outside began to blur, the trees becoming streaks against the landscape.

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