Page 7 of My Grumpy Billionaire Protector

Damn cold.

“I’ve known you my whole life, and I’ve never seen this side of you before.” TJ pressed his back against his seat and laced his fingers together. “Wild Evie is an interesting look.”

“It’s not wild to want to have fun,” I pointed out with a smile. “It’s a rite of passage.”

“Not sure my mom would agree.”

“Senator Larson wouldn’t admit it even if she did. She’s got her constituents to think of.”

“Your grandfather would have a field day too.”

I kept one hand on the wheel, and the other patted his shoulder. “We’ll get through it together.”

Our families had known each other for a long time, going back generations, so the fact that TJ and I were good friends was no coincidence. Having known him since he was in diapers, he was as much a part of my identity as I was a part of his. We were connected, our lives interwoven since birth, but lately, everything felt different.

I didn’t know if it was our families and their stifling expectations or if it was TJ himself, but I didn’t like it either way. Before high school, things were simpler, easier. Although we often poked fun at our childhoods, we still had our entire future ahead of us, a world full of opportunities that were ours for the taking.

Since graduation, everything has changed.

TJ had grown more cautious and serious, whereas I’d rebelled, refusing to put on my big girl pants until absolutely necessary. Sure, I knew that I couldn’t outrun the path laid out before me forever, but I could take my sweet ass time getting there.

I knew there were going to be consequences to pay for sneaking my mom’s Mercedes out for a joyride but that was a problem for me to worry about later.

Right now, I just wanted to have fun with my best friends.

I pressed harder on the gas, chuckling at the panicked look on TJ’s face. He muttered under his breath and tried to persuade me to slow down, but I ignored him. After four years of endless tests, assignments, and keeping a tight lid on myself, it was time for me to be unleashed.

Trees whipped past on both sides, and the only other car on the road was Sienna’s trailing behind at a safe distance. I pressed on the car horn, slid the windows down, and stuck my hand out. Sienna flashed her headlights a few times, and I roared with laughter. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw TJ grip the steering wheel with both hands. The disapproval was written across his face.

“Okay, come on. Can you focus on the driving part? The fun part can come later.”

“This can be fun too!” I waved his comment away and placed both hands back on the wheel.

A gust of cold wind poured into the car, and we both shivered. TJ paused to slide the window back. Then, he turned up the heat and held both hands up to the vent, shooting me exasperated looks every now and again.

He was probably wondering if I’d gone insane.

I was beginning to wonder the same thing.

But I just couldn’t bring myself to care, not when it felt this good to be free. There was an empty road ahead of me, a full moon in the night sky, and an entire night of doing whatever the fuck we wanted.

There was no better way to close out senior year.

Slowly, I leaned forward in my seat and slowed the car down. It gave a violent lurch, and I pressed down on the brakes until I regained control. “What happened? Is something under the car?”

TJ stuck his head out the window and frowned. “It’s ice. You’d better drive a little slower.”

I sighed and straightened back against the seat. “Figures. It’s our families trying to ruin our fun.”

“I know they’ve got power, but they can’t create ice.”

“It’s not for lack of trying.”

“There’s a turn up ahead.”

“I see it.”

I gripped the steering wheel tighter, but at the last second, the car slipped and skidded forward. I was flung back against the seat. My seat belt dug into my chest while the car continued to spin out of control. TJ was in my field of vision, wrestling against his own seatbelt and trying to reach for the steering wheel. When I turned my head to look at him, he was bathed in the soft glow of the streetlamp. It was an eerie shade of yellow that made my heart skip a beat.

---