Page 54 of City of Salvation

Was I going to share the same shit about myself with him? Because that is where broaching this conversation would lead.

The problem with wanting to know more about someone was it required letting them get to know you in turn, and I found myself not wanting to share all my usual lies with Dex. Iwantedto tell him about me, Natasha. That was dangerous fucking territory, and yet, I found myself getting closer to it with every passing minute in this man’s company.

Dex flopped over to the side, propping his head up to look at me, oblivious to my internal turmoil. “Come on. Get dressed.”

“Why?”

“Because if you go in that sheer red set,” he said, plucking the strap of my bra, the sting of the snap going straight to my clit, “you’ll cause accidents. And since I’m letting you drive when you don’t even have a license, that would be a fuckin’ problem.”

Dex loved to just say shit to me without giving any further context, and then I was left lying there looking like an idiot as I tried to decipher what he was going on about.

“What the hell are you talking about, Dex? I don’t knowhowto drive.” The statement was bitter in my mouth. I hated not being able to do basic things. They were reminders of why it was that I couldn’t.

Like running from my home country and being here illegally.

“I’m fully aware you don’t know how to, Nikki. That’s the whole point of what we are doing this evening. Duh.Now, go cover your ass cheeks and meet me outside,” he said, kissing me on my forehead before launching out of the bed and disappearing into the hall.

He was going to teach me how to drive? All I could do was stare after him, thinking about how no one had ever bothered to take the time to notice things about me the way he did, and I didn’t know what to do with that realization. So I said, “Fuck it,” got up, and got ready.

My sleep schedulehad been fucked for years, andmorningwas more like six p.m. Hues of pink and orange painted the sky. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was the Arizona heat or the nerves of learning to drive that had beads of sweat popping up around my hairline. Our apartment was on the ground floor, steps away from the parking lot.

My heart nearly stopped when I rounded the corner to find Dex leaning against a blacked-out SUV. His arms were crossed, his muscles pushing the limits of his white T-shirt. Always the same outfit of black dickies, slightly oversized graphic T-shirt, and white Air Forces. The man knew what worked for him, that was for sure. His hair was up in a bun at the top of his head, and the sun highlighted the golden tones interwoven with the brown.

He was painfully attractive, and it wasn’t a wonder so many women fell over themselves to get into his pants.

“Why are you frowning like that? We haven’t even started yet. You can’t already decide you hate driving,” he called out, tucking away his phone.

I flipped him off, letting him think he was correct in hisassumption. Thank god he couldn’t read minds, or he’d know that the face was because I didn’t like the idea of him with other women. Which was preposterous sinceIwasn’t with him either…not really.

He moved over to the passenger side and opened the door, motioning for me to get in.

“I thought I was driving,” I said, climbing into the massive vehicle. “Shouldn’t I learn in something…smaller?” I asked as he shut the door, jogging around to the other side and sliding in.

The engine roared to life. “First of all, most of my time is spent on a bike, so I don’t exactly have a garage full of options for you,” he said, adjusting things.

He was right. Where had this one even come from?

I didn’t have to wonder for long.

“I took Robert’s ride. He’s not going to need it for a while since he’s over in Santa Ana.” He gripped the steering wheel with his left hand, throwing the other arm over the back of our seats and turning to look out the rear windshield.

“What’s he doing there?” I asked after clearing my throat. Why was watching a man’s hand glide over the wheel as he backed up so hot?

“Dunno.” He shrugged a shoulder, his attention back in front as he drove us out of the parking lot and off to who knew where. “Los Muertos shit is my guess. We don’t really talk particulars of our organizations. He knew about you and me because Ryan told him. Now, back to your other questions. Aside from this being the only vehicle available, it’s also bulletproofed, in case anything goes south,” he said, trailing off at the end.

Silence hung between us for a few moments, and I pulled my legs up onto the leather seats, hugging them to my chest.He rubbed at the back of his neck like he felt bad for mentioning that I was a target.

“Um. Anyway, you are going to drive. But I need to assess what the hell you actually know before I let you get on the road with other cars.” He shot me a grin, clearly excited about the whole adventure he was taking me on. With that view, there was no stopping one from forming on my lips. “Have you ever driven at all?” he asked, pulling us into an abandoned lot of some warehouses.

“No, never really got the chance,” I said vaguely, avoiding looking at him.

“Alright, so we will start with the basics,” he said, without even a hint of him mocking me, or thinking I was an idiot for being my age and not knowing how to drive. I felt my shoulders relax and my jaw loosen. “Climb on over, spitfire,” he said, turning off the car and stepping out.

I moved over the center console, placing both hands on the wheel just like he had.

“Okay, so these things here are your blinkers, your ignition.” He reached down and gripped my ankle, placing my foot on one of the pedals. “Gas, brake .”

Did I only interact with assholes, or what?

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