Page 62 of Drive Me Wild
“Poetic.”
“Are you making fun of me?”
“Not at all. There’s something beautiful about all this.” She sweeps her arm in the air. “Man against himself. Man against the machines of his own creation.”
“So, is this what happens when you drink too many beers? You get philosophical?”
She shrugs and tosses the french fry container away.
“When Tommy crosses the finish line, I’ll be ready to leave. Thanks for bringing me here. But I don’t think this is my scene.”
I pull her close and press a kiss on her temple. “It doesn’t need to be your scene.”
Chapter Thirty: Zoe
Tommy came in third, with only a few scrapes on the car. We weave our way through the bleachers and the small crowd lingering near the side. I see the group of women who gave me dirty looks earlier, all flirting with guys. All except Laura. She’s watching us walk away, and I feel a lump form in my throat again.
I believe Caleb is telling me the truth about the note, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’m not cut out for this. I don’t want to doubt the person I’m with, and I don’t want to feel the need to drink alcohol when I get insecure. It feels like a recipe for some bad life decisions.
Even so, as he walks me to his truck with his arm around my shoulders, I feel warmed by his presence. He’s not hiding his affection as Laura glares at us. He’s not hedging his bets in front of her in case we don’t work out. I have to trust in this if I want us to work, and damn, I want us to work.
He unlocks the passenger door for me and guides me in, but before I can swing my legs around, he grabs hold of them and presses himself between my thighs.
“I’m going to have fun peeling off all these layers when we get home.”
Caleb kisses me tenderly, then pulls away so I can buckle in for the ride home. Once we’re on the road heading back to Owl Creek, I tell him I’m too tired to do anything because of working last night and drinking those beers.
And as soon as the words are out of my mouth, I regret saying them. He’s used to women throwing themselves at him. How can I hope to compete with them when I’m already telling him I’m too tired to fool around? My body flushes with shame as the words hang in between us.
“Okay. No problem. I’ll drive you home.”
“Caleb, wait. Maybe if I take a nap first.”
“No. That’s not— Zoe, you worked your ass off last night to build your dream. I understand that you’re tired.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“You’re not disappointed?”
“Anytime I can’t touch you, I’m disappointed, but not with you. I’m disappointed that we have to have jobs and lives outside of being together. Naked. In bed.”
I smile at him as he grabs my hand and squeezes it, but I don’t feel any better. I feel like I’m already failing at this relationship. I’m already failing at being who he needs.
“Want to have dinner with me tonight? I’ll cook my mom’s lasagna recipe. It’s delicious.”
He squeezes my hand again. “I’d love to.”
Some of the pressure in my chest releases. I pull out my phone to create a checklist of all the things I’ll need to grab at the store. I add a nap and a full body scrub to the list. I want to be fresh and smooth when he comes over tonight so I can remind him that I’m still the sex kitten he taught me to be.
I check my email on my phone, and my eyes bug out when I see my inbox.
“Holy crap, that was fast!”
“What happened?”
“I already got two letters back. My business plan is ready to submit to the bank for the application.”
