Page 178 of Strange Seduction
He didn’t say much during dessert; he just kept looking at me.
And when we walked down to the street afterward, hand in hand, I expected him to call his driver so that he could take me home and ruin me.
But no.
He stopped beside a sleek black coupe parked out front, turned to me with that smile—yes, that one—and said, “Here.”
I blinked. “Here what?”
Theo gestured to the car like he was unveiling a prize on a game show. “For you.”
“…The car?”
He nodded once. “Yes.”
“Okay, I think you had too much to drink, Teddy.” I narrowed my eyes, looking between him and the car.
“I barely drank, Sweetness.” He laughed, “And I got this car for you.”
I stared at him. “Teddy…I wish you didn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because I can’t drive.”
He paused, that smug smile faltering for exactly one second. “What do you mean you can’t drive?”
I shrugged, folding my arms. “I never had to.”
Theo stared at me for what felt like forever.
“Hm.”
I tilted my head. “What does ‘hm’ mean?”
“It means you depend on me a lot more than you think.”
Doubt: See? Now he thinks you’re helpless without him.
I pouted.
“That’s not fair, Teddy. I’ve managed on my own so far. I didn’t have you driving me around in California, now did I? And I’ll be in New York now, so I can take the train. Uber. My feet. If I wanted to learn how to drive, I could. It just never felt like a survival skill.”
His mouth twitched. “Well, you ready for your first lesson?”
My face screwed up. “Oh hell no.”
“Come on, Carmen. Let me teach you something.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “You sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. I want you to drive and be able to get around.”
“Teddy,” I sighed. “I love that you did this, but I—”
“Let me teach you how to drive, Carmen,” he cut me off. “It’s a skill I need you to have.”
“I already have all the skills you need me to have,” I joked.
