So why did I come here in the first place? Why did I agree to meet him tonight?
Because Michael and Rona told me to give him a chance. Because I thought Rona was right; he’s nice. Because when I heard his voice on the phone, when he promised to be real with me, I believed him.
“Are you mad at me?” he asks, sensing the shift in my mood.
“I’m mad at myself.”
“For what?”
“For coming here,” I tell him angrily. “Look, I don’t fault you for having fun and enjoying the fame, but I’m not some toy for you to play with, alright? If you want a girl to run your games with, there are plenty of them out there who will happily let you, but I’m not one of them. You said you’d be real. You lied. I’m gone.”
“Whoa, hold up.” He puts his hand on my arm, stopping me gently. He looks into my eyes with a seriousness I haven’t seen on him so far. It changes him entirely, darkening his beauty, intensifying it until I feel weightless in its wake. “I showed you what a play looks like so you’d know that’s not what I’m about right now. Remember, you pushed me about it. I was being real with you. I still am. All of this, this is me trying to get to know you because I like you.”
“Why?”
He laughs, dropping his hand from my arm. “That’s a good fucking question. You’re trying your hardest to make sure I don’t like you, aren’t you?”
“Is it because I’m a challenge?” I push, hoping to God I’m wrong but feeling sick in my gut that maybe I’m right.
Colt considers the question, his face serious. “You know, maybe a little. I hate to lose. I’m terrible at it. But that’s not the only reason I’m here. I called you because I wanted to talk to you. That’s all.”
“Not because you were looking to get laid?”
“Well, I mean, if you’re offering…”
I stare at him blankly, letting him know he’s not funny.
He smiles anyway. “Nah, I didn’t think so. No, I didn’t call you here to try to get laid. There are easier ways, trust me. I came here with you because you’re difficult and for some reason that really does it for me.”
I should go. I should turn and leave this place and this boy because he’s trouble. He likes me because I’m a challenge, because I’m telling him no, and I’d judge the shit out of him for that if it didn’t make me a hypocrite. If I hadn’t said yes to coming here tonight partly because I wanted to tell him no. Because it’s a challenge to do it and I want to succeed. I want to win.
Because he’s not the only one who hates to lose.
The night is getting long, the morning closer with each step we take, and I need to go home soon.
But not yet.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
COLT
I’ve never let anyone drive my car before. I love my car. I cherish my car. My car and I are family. How I let her talk me into letting her drag race it, let alone drive it, is still a mystery to me. I don’t know if I’ll ever figure it out. It has a lot to do with her eyes and her lips, I’m pretty sure. They’re distracting.
“This is pointless!” I yell at her over the rev of the engine. “You’ll never beat my time.”
“Sexist!” she shouts. Her hand flexes on the gearshift. “Tell me when.”
I tap the timer on my phone, setting it into motion. “Go!”
Lilly drops the car into gear, lurching us forward. She’s smoother at shifting than I hoped. I was seriously worried she would leave my transmission on the pavement, but she bangs through the gears in fluid motion, one after the other. The hard rev of the engine fills the cab as she looks fiercely forward, her face serious and determined. There’s something sickeningly sexy about the way she looks driving my car like that. Like she wants to win.
She doesn’t stay long enough on the low end, though. I know halfway to the cone that she’s going to lose. And I haven’t even raced yet.
When we blow past the orange cone on the ground she lets off the gas. We slow down quickly as she makes a wide arc, bringing us back toward the parking space we’re using as a starting line.
“What was my time?” she asks breathlessly, her face lit with excitement.
I check my phone and wince. “Thirteen point three. Not bad. Not great.”
“What’s your best?”
“Eleven seven.”
“Yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it,” she mutters, pulling the car up to the line.
We both get unbuckled and jump out of the car, swapping seats. I hand her my phone before I get strapped in again.
“Are you ready for the best eleven seconds of your life?” I ask her.
She smiles. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“You’re welcome to time me on that too, if you want.”
“Let’s stick to drag racing, slick. See how that goes.”
“Are you ready?”
“Are you?”
I rev the engine hard. “I was born ready.”