Page 41 of Midnights
I turn the screen toward Kane, and when his eyes look over the address, something unreadable flashes across his face before he smooths it out. Without hesitation, he leans forward, says something to the driver, and just like that, the SUV starts moving.
A prickle of unease skates down my spine. I lean back into the seat, exhaling slowly, trying to shake the gnawing feeling creeping in like an unwelcome shadow.
Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Spiraling because of the kiss, the drinks, the entire night spinning faster than I can process. Or maybe I’ve been too trusting.
I don’t actually know this guy. I haven’t asked him anything real, haven’t even covered the basics. What does he do for work? Does he even have a job? Does he have someone waiting up for him? A wife? A girlfriend?
And why the hell didn’t I ask any of this before I let him steal that damn kiss?
The worst part isn’t just the kiss. It’sthis. The way he makes me feel safe even when I know I shouldn’t. It terrifies me more than anything. I’m always the one with backup plans, with an escape route mapped out before I even walk into a room.
But here I am, sitting in the back of a strangers SUV, fighting the undeniable pull between us, while my instincts scream at me towake the hell up.
A thousand little red flags I hadn’t noticed earlier now wave wildly in my mind, warning me that I’ve made a mistake. But I push it all aside. Right now, the only thing that matters is getting out of this car, making it inside, and sorting my own head out before I let this go any further.
The SUV rolls smoothly down the street, and finally, things start looking familiar. Relief floods through me as the tension in my shoulders unwind.
I glance at Rachel, half-expecting her to be looking out the window, worried about where we are going, but no. She’s perfectly at ease, whispering to Cam like none of this is messing with her the way it’s messing with me.
Which, honestly? Only makes it worse.
The nagging voice in the back of my mind refuses to shut up, quietly questioning every choice I’ve made tonight.
“Here we are.” Kane says as we slow to a stop, giving a quick nod to the driver.
I reach for the door handle, eager to put some space between us, but as I shift, my leg brushes against his. The contact is instant. A live wire of heat shoots through my entire body and I jerk away so fast, you’d think I’d been burned.
I make a break for it, gripping the handle and pushing the door open, only to nearly fall out.
Smooth, Raven. Real graceful.
Rachel’s laughter rings out behind me, Cam says something equally obnoxious, but I barely register them. I need to get inside. I need to get control over whateverthisis.
It’s probably just the vodka talking.
Well, the vodka can shut the hell up. And so can my body, for that matter. No men,remember?!Now I’m officially the crazy person, arguing with myself.
“Thank you guys so much…” I hop out, and Rachel follows close behind, echoing her own thanks.
“Thanks, guys! See ya later.Enjoy the blue balls!” She calls out, laughing like a maniac.
I freeze.
My jaw drops.Did she seriously just say that?
I whip around, eyes wide, but Rachel just winks at me and keeps walking toward the house.
“Rachel,” I hiss, my voice barely above a whisper as we make our way to the door. “I cannot believethat you said that!You can’t just say things like that.”
She bursts into another fit of laughter, practically doubling over. “Oh, come on, you know it’s true!”
I groan, shaking my head as I type in the code on the door, willing my face to cool. They’restillsitting there, waiting.
I don’t dare turn around again. Instead, I shove open the door, stepping inside as quickly as possible.
Rachel makes her way to the bedroom and immediately flops face-first onto the bed like a ragdoll. “Uggg, I'm sotired. Let's go to bed. We’ll talk aboutsmart choicestomorrow.”
“Yeah… smart choices,” I mutter, slipping off my shoes before collapsing onto the bed.
