Page 60 of Rear View
He up-ticked his chin. “Try and go around him.”
I frowned. “I’ll hit him.”
“Exactly. So, you’re stuck.”
“Couldn’t I just reverse?”
“If you’ve got room. But in a line of traffic, that won’t fly.” He chucked his thumb behind us. “Back up until you see the car’s tires touching.”
I flexed my hold over the shifter. “And, how…um. How do I do that?”
He set his calloused hand over mine and folded my fingers down with his. “Do you feel that lip?”
A shameless desire had my thighs clenching tight. “Yes.”
“That keeps you from puttin’ it in reverse by mistake.” He gripped it tight, and lifted, then maneuvered it into position. His arctic gaze held mine. “Make sense?”
My mouth ran dry and I nodded. Rolling us back a few feet, I stopped.
“Now, cut the wheel hard and go around it.”
My transition from stopped was a bit jerky, but I veered by it no problem, beaming wildly as I went. His,laugh, easy and entirely male, rumbled through me. It soothed my frayed nerves and made me want…more.
“Thank you for this, Xavier.”God, thank you for everything.
“We’re not done yet, darlin’. I still owe you dinner.”
My smile hurt. “You do.”
“What’re we in the mood for? Fancy? Or fast?”
I loved that he asked. That it wasn’t open-ended. That he gave options but narrowed it down. That he saidwe. I rubbed my palms together. “Fast!”
“That’s my girl.” He grinned. “You like pizza?”
Hisgirl. My stomach did this flipping thing, while a blush burned my cheeks. Pressure built in my core as I trailed my tongue along the back of my teeth. “I love it.” Pulling up the e-brake, I unclipped my seat belt. “But you’re driving.”
* * *
Xavier took the scenic route across the city, along the Soral Rapids. Jagged ice cut from the bank’s edge, but the water itself moved too fast to freeze.
I shimmied down as I settled farther into my seat and exhaled a contented breath. I was just so…comfortable. Everything else, all the noise in my head, my intrusive fear, faded to nothing when I was with him. It felt good. Like the sky had parted and the light peeked in.
He stuck to the speed limit, his up- and downshifts so smooth, I barely felt them. Not that I should’ve been surprised, but still, hewasa racer.
“You drive so normal.”
“You expect somethin’ else?”
I ran a hand over my thigh. “You do like going fast.”
His stare followed that movement. “I do, but the cops frown on that stuff, yeah.” His mouth tugged up at thecorner, but his smile was tight. “Gotta be careful. Can’t afford to lose my license.”
He veered through the city, into a small strip mall and up to a mom-and-pop shop called Yummies.
I laughed. “Well, now my expectations are high.”
“They should be.”
