Page 48 of Ruin
She grins before turning to re-enter her room, reemerging with a black cardigan in her hand.
“Okay, I’m ready.”
“Fabulous. Now let’s go.” I wave my hand for her to go ahead of me, and follow her out the door.
When we get down to the main floor, she moves towards the front door, but I grab her hand and tug her back.
“No, I’m driving tonight.”
She raises an eyebrow. “I didn’t know you knew how to drive,” she replies with an innocent look on her face.
“Ha ha. Such a comedian.” Keeping her hand in mine, I lead the way down to the garage, using the stairs behind the kitchen.
The black company Audis are kept in a garage near the cottages where the rest of the employee residences are, so this one is just for our personal vehicles.
I press the button on my keys, and the lights on my Porsche Panemera flash.
“Wow… fancy,” Lily says, her eyes locked on the shiny black car. Then she turns to look at me with a grin. “Bet you’ve had a lot of sex in this car, huh?”
I raise an eyebrow. “Potentially.”
“Good to know.” She slides into the passenger seat while I’m shaking my head.
Yes, far too much time with Annika.
“So at this point, I have to ask… Is there anything you do that isn’t sexy as hell?” Lily asks as I drive the car along the winding mountain road.
I chuckle. “And what exactly am I doing that is sexy right now?”
“You’re all relaxed and casual, holding the steering wheel with one hand while you hold the gear stick… I don’t know, just all of it.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see her wave her hand in my direction, and I shake my head.
“I assure you, I wasn’t aware that simply driving my car would turn you on so much, Lily.”
She’s quiet for a few minutes, and I can feel her eyes on me the entire time.
“I like you like this.”
I chance a glance over at her before returning my eyes to the road. “Like what?”
“Relaxed. You’re always so… in control. You’ve always had charisma but I’ve seen how different you are now. You never seem to let yourself relax anymore.”
I consider her words for a moment, before nodding. “I’ve learned to keep a lot of my thoughts and feelings closer to my chest, these days. I guess I only really let my guard down around a select few people now.”
She reaches to cover my hand on the gearstick. “I’m glad I’m one of those people.”
Without thinking, I turn my hand and lace my fingers through hers, squeezing gently. I don’t know who is more surprised by the intimate act, but it’s certainly not something I expected to do. And yet I can’t seem to let go.
When we get to our destination, Lily turns to me with a dubious look.
“A bar?”
I chuckle and shake my head. “Just wait until we get inside.”
She meets me at the back of the car, and I lock it, noticing the appreciative look from a few men who walk by as they eye the Porsche with interest. I’ve never really understood the interest in cars. I’d been talked into the Porsche when I was looking for a new car, but I’m more interested in the woman standing behind it right now.
I surprise us both again when I take her hand once more. She looks down at our entwined fingers but doesn’t say anything, simply allowing me to lead her into the building.
The bar is attached to the upmarket hotel next to it, and doubles as an intimate concert space on the weekends. And tonight, the band that is playing is one of the most famous inthe country. They usually book out stadiums, but they try to do smaller venues every so often, to stay connected to their fans.
