Page 14 of Touch Me Not

Lily smiled and nodded, causing Nikoli to frown.

“I do a lot of takeout from here,” she explained. “Mikey and I found the place last year, and I fell in love with the food. Mikey eats here too.”

“It is good to put a face to the name.” Joe smiled indulgently. “A beautiful face for a beautiful name.”

Lily blushed, and Nikoli shook his head. Leave it to Joe to try to schmooze his date. “Down, Casanova. She’s here with me.”

“You’ve never brought a girl in before. She must be very special.”

Lily smiled but refrained from saying anything, much to Nikoli’s astonishment. He’d assumed she’d make some wisecrack about their date, but she didn’t. Much to his chagrin, he was glad she hadn’t.

“We’re starving, Joe,” Nikoli said. “Where’s the table?”

Joe led them to the back of the small eatery where an empty booth sat. Lily slid in, and Nikoli debated about sitting beside her. Remembering her earlier reaction, he opted for the opposite seat. As much as he would have really liked to trap her, he wouldgive her some space for now. The small sigh of relief she let out told him he made the right decision.

“The usual for you both?” Joe asked and hurried off when they agreed.

“Pigtails?” Nikoli smirked. “Going for the cute schoolgirl look?”

“Nope,” she said. “I was going for comfortable. Your jeans and t-shirt make me glad I didn’t go all out for a dress and heels.”

“I figured you’d pull something like this,” Nikoli admitted. “I came prepared for war.”

“War? It’s just a fast dinner so we can go our own separate ways and not have to think about each other again.”

Nikoli frowned. Fast was not going to cut it. He needed to get her talking again. “So, your dad was Martin Holmes?”

She nodded, her expression sad. She must miss him a lot.

“What was that like, growing up on the racetrack?”

“Awesome. There’s nothing like being in the pit on race day. My dad had a special headset made for me so the noise wouldn’t hurt my ears. I lived for those days. We’d always get there early and talk to some of the other drivers. Dad liked to go over his car himself before the start of the race, and we’d run through the checklist together. Then I’d get to watch the race from the pit. Seeing them fly by lap after lap, it’s the most amazing rush.”

“You were allowed in the pit?” Nikoli asked, curious. He and Luther had tried to sneak into the pit at one of the smaller tracks once, and security had escorted them right back to the stands.

“My dad was Martin Holmes. What do you think? I lived in that pit, thanks to my dad’s crew. They always snuck me in. Being there, feeling the rumble of the ground beneath my feet as the cars sped by, the rush of the draft they left behind them…there is no other feeling in the world like it.”

She sounded like him, Nikoli realized. That was exactly how he felt every time he got behind the wheel for a race. The adrenaline rush was almost better than sex. Almost.

“You never thought about driving yourself?” he asked, curious.

“No. I was there the day my dad crashed. I saw them have to cut him out of the car. I haven’t been behind the wheel of an actual race car since that day.”

“I get that.” He nodded. “Do you still like racing, though?”

“Sure, I grew up on it. I’m still a huge NASCAR fan. My dad loved rally racing too. He used to build cars just for those races. He never took me to any of them, but it was his passion.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a girl who knew so much about cars.” Nikoli shook his head. “It’s new for me.”

“Well, that might not be true.” Lily smirked. “You admit yourself that you don’t talk to the girls you sleep with, so how do you know if they know cars or not?”

“Well, I’ve never had a girl completely ignore me to lust after my car, either. I’m guessing that’s a dead giveaway.”

Lily blushed. “I think lust is a strong word.”

“You were caressing my car like a lover, Lily Bells. I know lust when I see it.”

“Youaregoing to let me drive her, aren’t you?” Her eyes lit up with excitement.

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