“Faster?”
“Yes.”
“How are you alive?”
“Harnesses, roll cages, well-built cars, various other safety things. You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Shocked, but fine.”
“I’m assuming you don’t want to come over now?”
“What, no? I mean, I’m nervous about actually meeting your friends, but I wanted to hang out tonight. I’m surprised you wanted me to.”
“I figured you would be over it after that.”
“Over it? No. Like I said, I’m just shocked. That was…fun.”
I almost hit the brakes. “Did you just say you had fun doing that? You liked something so dangerous and illegal?”
“Yeah, that was fun. With you driving, I don’t feel unsafe, so it was just…fun.”
“Shit, that was not what I was expecting. Can I go more? Not that fast, of course, but get back to the garage?”
“Yeah, I’m good. Go.”
I did, weaving around the crew’s cars and drifting corners until we were at the garage.
By the time I parked, she looked terrified again. I wasn’t surprised, but I thought she would have grown a little used to it by the second round. Maybe it was something that she would never get used to.
Which would make sense, since she may never be in my car to do it again.
I pulled off my harness, and she still hadn’t moved. The rest of the crew was already parked and heading around back.
“Daze?” I asked for what felt like the hundredth time. When she didn’t respond, I could only huff and lean over, unclipping her harness and trying to pull it off. When she stayed frozen, I leaned in more, pulling it over her.
She turned, her face only an inch from mine now.
I sucked in a breath, not knowing what to do. I could smell her body wash again, feel her breath on my face and the heat rolling off of her. All it was making me want to do was lean in.
I didn’t have to, though, because she did.
I froze as her lips pressed against mine. The soft kiss made every part of me burn, the heat moving through my veins and giving me that same high that it had before.
She hesitated for a second but didn’t stop. Her tongue moved along my lips, and I parted them more. It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to kiss, I had some experience, but every intimate interaction was tangled in the blinding hate for people touching me, so I wasn’t sure how to go about it when I liked it. I thought it would be that way with her again, but just like each time before, my body was in peaceful bliss.
I almost hated it more than the pain.
How could I suddenly like being touched? And was it just her or was I cured of this suddenly?
I pulled back, my eyes wide as the panic set in. “Do you want me to take you home?”
“What? No? You think I kiss you and that means I want to leave?” she asked, almost laughing.
“I don’t really know what it means. A bit ago you said you were scared of me, then you’re asking me to speed, then this.”
Her hand came up, and I winced, trying to hide it as her fingers settled on my jaw and ran along it.
“Do you want me to leave?” she asked quietly.
I didn’t say anything. My mind focused on her fingers moving down my face and then my neck until it finally fell away.
“No. No, I’m fine. Come on,” I said through gritted teeth, already kicking the door open and taking a deep breath of cool fall air. The sun was setting now, the chill that came in at night already here, and it cooled my body that was on fire.
I had grown used to a few people over the years, like the crew, but it took time. Even Carly had been here two years and it wasn’t until recently that I really settled into touching her here and there. I still avoided everyone whenever I could, but I knew it was inevitable with certain things.
This, though, it didn’t feel real. My body somehow calmed and burned anytime Daisy touched me, and I could already feel the nagging in the pit of my stomach that I wanted to try it again.
I wanted her to kiss me again, but there was no way I could ask.
She had got out and walked around to me, the smile on her face making me want to smile back, but I forced myself not to.
“Wow,” she said. “That was like a pure shot of adrenaline, but in a good way.”
“One of the best highs you can get,” I said, wishing my brain didn’t want to add kissing her on that list.
“Are your friends going to be dicks to me?”
“If you’re asking if they are going to throw you in front of a car or something, no, they are cool. They will be dicks to me, though.”
