“You look good in my car, Tesoro,” Knox says over the roar of the engine, causing me to smile.
“How do you feel?” He shouts.
The wind whips through my hair as I laugh with pure joy, like a crazy person.
“Free. I feel free.”
I haven’t been in a car for years, aside from when I was arrested and transported to the asylum. I’ve never been in a race. It’s sad to say, but this might be the most exciting thing I’ve ever done.
Knox glances over at me with a grin that shows off a dimple on his cheeks before he focuses back on the road in front of him.
“What?” I ask.
“Happy looks beautiful on you, Tesoro. Fucking beautiful.”
Every time he says something like that to me I feel my heart squeeze. I’m not used to someone saying sweet things to me. It’sdisarming. I could get used to it, and that’s dangerous. I can’t help but wonder if he’s just saying it to get something he wants from me.
Mafia,my overactive brain screams at me.
“Ready, Tesoro?” He beams as he turns the corner and floors the gas, throwing me back into my seat.
“What are you doing?” I giggle loudly.
“Winning the race, gorgeous girl.”
I glance in the rearview mirror and see the red Camaro behind us, struggling to not swerve off the road at this high speed.
The red Camaro comes up beside us, and Knox speeds up as he says, “Not today, motherfucker.”
He gases it past the blonde with the checkered flag and comes to a hard stop. “Oh my God! We won!” I gasp, adrenaline coursing through me. He leaps from the car and tries to make his way to my side but is stopped by what I would assume are his fans. Some men, and at least a dozen women, squeal about how amazing he is as Carter comes up to the car and opens my door.
“Come on, Little Heathen.”
Unlike his brother, he doesn’t give me his hand. In fact, he steps back, as if he is being careful to not unintentionally touch me.
“Carter, can I ask you something?”
He nods before darting his gaze away from me, as if he knows what I’m going to ask.
“Are you afraid of me?”
He chuckles as he returns his gaze to mine.
“No. I’m not afraid of you, I’m afraidforyou.”
He runs a hand through his hair, appearing rattled.
“I’ll explain things to you soon, but not here. It’s not something I’ve talked about. I’ll tell you everything, but I don’t want to talk about it here.”
I nod in agreement.
“I understand. I wouldn’t want to talk about what I’ve gone through in front of all these people either.”
He swallows hard as he lowers his gaze to the ground.
“I know you get it. No one ever has before. Only you.”
Placing my hands behind my back, I say, “Carter, please kiss me. I promise I won’t move my hands.”
