“Because I think you’re better than everyone else, especially him,” I slowly drag my eyes up and down her figure, then lower my voice to a whisper, “and I don’t like sharing you.”
Evie lowers her eyes and stares at my chest, just breathing.
I lift my hand and slide it around her back to the space between her shirt and backpack, “You know what the best part is about you and me?” I gently push the back of her shirt up with my fingertips, “I can be your brother when you want me to be…” then I flatten my hand and push it down the back of her jeans, making her suck in a sharp breath, “I can be your best friend when you want me to be…” her soft cotton thong disappears over her curves the lower I go, “and when you get bored of that…” I hook a finger beneath the thin strip at the top of her ass and give a slow tug, making her hand fly to my chest, “I can be everything else you’re afraid to ask for,” I finish as my mouth brushes against her ear.
Bowen’s still watching, but oblivious to what’s going on behind my car. Hildy and Hannah appear next to Jay, distracting them for a few moments. Evie looks up at me and opens her mouth like she wants to speak, but nothing comes out.
Keeping my eyes on Bowen, I give her ass a gentle squeeze, “If you do this one thing for me, just for tonight, I’ll do anything you want.”
Her smile is gone, replaced by something that falls somewhere between excitement and discomfort. I shift her slightly to the right, so we’re obscured by one of the pines, “You want me to spread your legs and ask you nicely?” I dip down and brush my lips across hers, making her hiss through her teeth.
She squeezes my shirt, “Col…” she says with a shaky breath.
Brushing my nose against hers, I can feel her try to pull me in, but I don’t let her. Staying hidden behind the trees, I slide my hand up her neck and cup the side of her face. My other hand still on her ass, I press her against my hips so she can feel the hard ridge growing in my jeans.
“If you want me to kiss you,” I sharpen my tone, “tell me what I want to hear.”
Evie gazes up at me, cheeks flushed, and finally nods, “OK, fine,” she murmurs, “I won’t ride with him.”
I grin as I pull her face to mine and slide my tongue over hers. As soon as I do, she clenches the front of my shirt and walks her hands up to my shoulders, wrapping her arms around my neck. Reaching down, I grab one of her thighs and hike it up to my waist, pinning her back against my car while I keep one eye on the trees.
“Do you want to leave?” I ask between breaths, grinding my dick against her while she pants into my mouth, “Say fuck it and go home with me?” I shoot a Hail Mary just to see what’ll happen—to see how much I can get away with.
Evie squeezes my neck, kissing me hard, and then pulls away, clasping her hands and covering her mouth. She pauses, her eyes darting across the ground, and when she looks back up at me, a grin spreads across her face and she starts laughing nervously.
“Mm-hmm…” I love how flustered she is, fidgeting and adjusting herself like she doesn’t know where the hell she is, “it’s just as well. You wouldn’t be able to walk, much less run bases, by the time I finished with you.”
Evie’s jaw drops, “Shut up!”
“See you out there?” I smirk.
“Yeah,” she straightens her backpack straps and looks up at me with a smile, back to her normal self, “promise you’ll be careful, don’t do anything stupid.”
“You got it.” She doesn’t promise to totally stay away from Bowen, but it’s enough for now. “Don’t get Jay’s seat wet…” I laugh as she turns away.
In a flash, Evie spins back around and slams her fist into my shoulder, knocking me back against my door, “Shit!” I laugh, grabbing my shoulder.
She’s trying not to laugh, and failing miserably. I shoot her a smug look and she responds with an eye roll before turning and continuing across the clearing to Bowen’s car.
I didn’t lie to Evie. I don’t know what I would’ve done if she agreed to leave with me. Scratch that—I know exactly what I would’ve done. I would’ve taken her back to Dire Ridge, done whatever she wanted me to do, and gladly accepted Bowen’s shit-talking. Nothing else matters; I’ll do a lot of things if it means Evie doesn’t end up wrapped around a tree with the twisted wreckage of Bowen’s car.
I turn and nearly have a heart attack. I startle and almost run straight into Mason, who appears out of the shadows like a creep. He’s standing motionless next to the hood, staring at me with his mouth ajar, and a smile playing on his lips.
Fuck…
The longer I look at him, the more I’m sure that he just witnessed the entire exchange, which is all but confirmed when he glances over his shoulder at the pole building and starts sniggering. Soon, he turns and collapses against the car, letting out a whoop of laughter.
“Laugh it up,” I say with a smirk, “I have my reasons. Just like you have yours for turning into Tyler Nixon’s shadow.”
Mason stills, my words slicing through him like a knife through butter. He shoots me a look, indicating we’re even, and leaves it at that. We head through the trees toward the rest of the cars and I do a doubletake as soon as I see Jay clearly for the first time.
He’s still standing next to Bowen’s car, but he’s wearing a large black brace on his knee. How could I have forgotten…I chuckle to myself. Good thing he’s not heading somewhere on sports scholarship next year since someone decided to go Tonya Harding on him a couple weeks ago and shatter his knee.
No witnesses, no arrests, but apparently, he survived and he’s recovering well. And Hildy doesn’t look deterred, she’s been following him around all night like a dog on a turkey bone.
I guess that’s what happens when you insult the wrong girl…
●●●
The route is a half-loop that begins at Leland’s driveway and ends at the ramshackle motorcycle shop. Technically, it crosses into Grayson County at the bridge over Hellbranch Creek and then back again as the road circles around Wyandot. I’ve never raced the southern route, only the north, and just once.
Bowen grins over at me from the left lane, revving his Lancer as he pushes his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. As soon as we peel away from Leland’s house and explode out of the pines lining the road, it starts veering east and the sun is low enough that it’s not blinding anymore.
Not surprisingly, my Civic is faster than Bowen’s Lancer—if only slightly. I’m also a fucking amazing driver. It’s enough that I can pull away after drifting around the curve at Becker Road, just missing Bowen as he nearly fishtails into me. We slingshot down the straightaway and gun our engines, heading for Hellbranch Creek.
It only takes a split-second, but I catch a glint of blue off to the right side of my windshield, further up the road.
“Fuck!” I roar into the dashboard as my eyes dart back and forth across the road.
Catching the reflective street sign for Arvin Road, I slam on my brakes just in time to skid around the corner and still stay on the pavement. Bowen doesn’t follow, shooting past me and flying toward the bridge. I glance in my mirrors in enough time to see the lights flash to life and a Canaan Police Explorer dart out from behind a catalpa tree and take off after Bowen’s car.
Then the realization hits.
“Mother—” I bring my fist down so hard on the wheel, I’m shocked it doesn’t snap the steering column, “fucker!”
They’ll chase Bowen to the bridge at Hellbranch, but they won’t pursue him further. And he knows it. And with that bit of knowledge, he’s already won and we’re not even at the halfway point.
I have to circle around even further west to make it back to the route and continue on to Grisham Road. By the time I get there and roll into the parking lot at Grumpy’s, it’s just as crowded as it was at Leland’s and Bowen’s car is parked next to the blown-out garage door. I come squealing to a halt, throw open my door, and storm across the asphalt without bothering to shut it.
