“Keep telling yourself she will be back. I would kill you before that happened.”

We went to move away, and I tried to steady my shaking body.

“Are you serious, Daisy?” Dean yelled, trying to catch up to us. “This kind of behavior is fine with you?”

Kye turned, swinging again and hitting Dean in the stomach this time.

“That’s probably enough,” Kye said. “Let’s get out of here before his friends come out. I don’t want you in the middle of anything.”

“Aren’t I right in the middle of this?”

“I meant a physical fight. I’m not going to fight him and all his friends if I’m worried about them grabbing you, too.”

“Oh,” I said, as he opened my car door, shutting me inside and going around to slide into the driver’s seat. “I thought you were going to kill him with that thing.”

“Honestly?” he asked, already pulling out and grinning over at me.

“Yeah. I don’t know, you just looked…”

“Looked?”

“Like you could have killed him.”

“Not like I didn’t want to when he talks about you like that.”

He made it a few miles down the road before ripping the car to the side.

“He’s not wrong, Daze. You know I’ve been trash growing up. You know I’m not worth a damn compared to him and what his life will be. You can’t think I’m going to be good for your image long term, and if you want to head back to him right now, I wouldn’t blame you. I will only kill him if you go back to him unwillingly. If this fake thing needs to be done on your end, it’s okay. I’m hoping you would still come to the thing with Holt, though.”

I was quiet as I took in each word. Surprised that Dean had got to him. He never seemed fazed when people said anything, but then again, I’d never been with him after they said it.

He looked so torn, angry and broken in the same breath that I could barely figure out where to start to help.

I pulled off the harness and crawled over, settling myself in his lap. His hands found me, roaming over my sides and hips in a lazy, comforting way, and I realized how much more he was reaching out to touch me now.

“You weren’t trash growing up. You were handed a very bad start to life. I really don’t want to go back to him. The thought of him touching me again, and you never touching me, makes me want to cry. And there is no guarantee for any of us in life. You might end up on top of the world and his life goes to hell. I wouldn’t want to be with anyone for what their life could be. Do you know how good you have to be to end up like you after what crap you had to deal with? After what they did to you? Dean could never have done that. There’s no way to compare you both, but if someone honestly could, it’s me, and I think you win every single time.”

“Damn, Daze. I’ve never had anyone say something like that to me. I don’t know what I’m supposed to say back.”

“Nothing. You don’t have to say anything.” The car roared to life, and he shifted into gear to peel out. I yelled, trying to move back to my seat, but he had me caged in. “What are you doing?”

“Taking you home.”

“Let me back in my seat!”

He laughed, grabbing my hand and putting it back on his chest as he idled down the road. “We are literally around the corner. Kiss me until I get there.”

“That’s dangerous.”

“Then I’ll keep my eyes on the road,” he said, tilting his head and giving me full access to his neck. “And you kiss me.”

I pursed my lips, trying to keep my thoughts to myself on how cute it was that he wanted to be kissed. Instead, I leaned in, letting my lips linger as I kissed up his neck and back down once before running my teeth along the soft skin. He groaned and wrapped one strong arm around me to pull me harder against him. I ground down, feeling how hard he had grown under me, and moaned, my lips still against his neck.

“Daze,” he breathed, the car coming to a stop. I didn’t stop, not caring where we were now when he was enjoying this so much. “Daze,” he said again, pulling back as much as he could. “We are here.”

“I know.”

“I…I need to stop, Daisy.” He stumbled over his words and I sat up fast. 

“Too much?”

“Just for tonight, yeah.” I was already pushing the door open, nearly falling out as he tried to help me. “Don’t be mad.”

The words were a plea, and my chest tightened. I turned back, grabbing my bag and meeting his eye. “I told you I won’t like being rejected, but I understand why you need to take it slow.”

“I told you it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me.”

I shook my head, but I smiled. “Goodnight, Kye. I’ll talk to you later.”

The door to Kye’s car shut as I turned onto my dad’s road. I could already hear the idle of his car, and was surprised when he turned onto my dad’s road behind me.

My phone buzzed, and I read it as I walked inside.

Kye

Goodnight, Daze.

EIGHTEENKYE

My body buzzed as I pulled up, Daisy already waiting at the curb for me.

“You came,” she said, slipping into the passenger seat.

“I said I would be here.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t know after how you left things.”

“Left things? What does that mean?” I asked, pulling into the street and spinning the car back around to head to the races.

“It means you told me to kiss you and then begged me to stop. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to follow that up with.”

“Do you have to follow it up with anything? We’re not actually dating, right? And I’ve said a hundred times I’m not good at the touching stuff. You wanted to go out tonight, and I have an open seat. There’s nothing to follow it up with.”

“Oh,” she said. “Okay, then. I guess that’s an easy way to solve that problem, then.”

I shifted again, pushing the car faster as we got further from town. I glanced over, surprised to see her calm. She had her blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun at her shoulders, and it was just messy enough to make me wonder if she tried to make it look like that. I had told her not to wear one of her dresses tonight and was glad to see she listened. The hoodie and jeans were better for the races anyway, and better for me not having to wonder what every other guy would be thinking about her. 

I didn’t know what happened. One minute, I had my perfectly normal life, and the next, I was obsessing over other guys, thinking they had a chance at my fake girlfriend.