She presses the lock button twice as we reach the row I’m parked in, and my car beeps, her face lighting up. If I had known that her driving my car would give me that smile, I would’ve tossed her the keys the second she got into town.
“Let me help,” she offers but I stick my crutch out stopping her.
“It’s fine. I’m just going to toss them in the back and hop on my right leg.”
She hesitates, but I hold my ground and eventually, she obliges as she walks around the car, throwing the driver’s door open and sliding in as I make my way around to the passenger side, tossing my crutches in the back before easing myself down into the passenger seat. She hands me my phone, and I pull up directions to my place.
“Oh, it still smells like a new car! How old is it?”
Her eagerness is taking me by surprise. She’s never really had an interest in vehicles, so I have no idea where this enthusiasm is coming from.
Her body slouches in the seat. “I missed driving, honestly.”
The question leaves my lips before I can stop it. “Was it his idea to get rid of your car?”
Her body tenses up, and I instantly regret asking that, but curiosity got the better of me. She loved that dinky little car and drove it all through high school.
Surprisingly, she answers, “No. Yeah. Kind of. He thought it was a waste of space in the driveway when I wasn’t driving anywhere except for my field hours. I barely drove, so I agreedwith him …” She trails off before continuing, “He was very good at making his wants feel like my own, especiallyafter…” Her words fall off the face of the earth, and her eyes widen, as if she caught herself nearly saying something she shouldn’t, which obviously only makes me more curious.
After what? What the hell happened that made her more vulnerable to his manipulation? Does it have to do with the scar on her neck?
Part of me wants to ask Luca where she got it, but I don’t want to piss Lainey off if it gets back to her.
“I’m not going to pressure you into opening up about what you’re referencing, but you know I’m always here when you are ready. If you’re ready,” I offer, and she nods, her gaze locked on to the steering wheel.
“I know,” she murmurs before starting the engine.
We don’t say another word to each other as she follows the directions on the display to my building. Instead, she cranks up the radio, playing music from a playlist on her phone.
I direct her into the parking garage and to my spot, and she drives smoothly, although I had no reason to doubt her skills. She’s always been a good driver. I’m just a bit protective of my girl … car.
I’m thankful that my spot is close to the doors since I have to crutch inside to the elevator to get to my penthouse. I’m suddenly nervous, wondering if I cleaned before I left. This is the first time Lainey—or rather, any girl—will be in my place, and I want her to love it as much as I do.
I know one thing that she’ll love: the view—the whole reason I decided on this place when it was a little bit out of the budget I was comfortable with.
Pulling my phone out of my pocket when we get into the elevator, I check the time before opening my food delivery app. It’s 9:32 p.m.
“Do you have any requests for dinner?” I ask, offering her my phone.
She looks at it like it’s an alien, her gaze darting back up to mine.
“What? You can get whatever you want. I don’t care. It’s on me.”
“You’re just going to hand it to me?” she asks, shocked.
“My phone? Umm, yeah.” I push it closer to her, and she takes it hesitantly.
I’m surprised it takes me this long to understand her point of view, but I shouldn’t be surprised that once again, her doubt goes back to Cole.
“Just because he was a cheating asshole doesn’t mean that all guys are.” I realize that my statement implies that we’re dating. “Not that if I were talking to anyone, it would be cheating.” Oh my God, is that a worse sentence? “I just mean that, hypothetically, in a relationship, you shouldn’t be scared of your partner’s loyalty.” I turn to face her as we near my floor, high in the sky. She doesn’t turn, but goose bumps erupt on her arms. “Because if I were yours, my eyes would always andonlybe on you. That’s something you’d never have to question.”
Her chest rises as she inhales deeply, her pulse throbbing in her neck. Those pink cheeks of hers deepen to a dark rose, the blush spreading down her throat.
“Good to know.” She bites down on her bottom lip, seemingly stopping herself from saying anything more, the next words imprisoned behind her teeth.
The elevator dings, and the doors open into my penthouse. Her jaw drops.
“Jensen, this is asinine!” she scoffs, walking into the place like she owns it, her eyes greedily taking the impressive space in.
