I wasn’t sure if I would combust or freak out, but I never got to find out, because he pulled back and said softly. “I knew the first time I caught sight of you, Butterfly, that you were going to be trouble.” He released me from his hold. Before turning and striding along the hall, a grinning Evan and Jasper trailing after him.
I remained slumped against the wall, my heart frantically pounding against my chest. Dylan was doing his scary silent thing nearby, but he never left me there, not moving until I pulled myself together and followed the others along the hall.
“I’ll give you a lift home,” he said, when we neared the empty front entrance.
Shaking my head, I shot him a wan smile. “No, it’s okay, I could use the walk.”
My head was racing. My heart pounding. If I didn’t get behind the wheel of a car soon, I would probably lose my mind. I needed some speed.
Before I made it outside, I swung back toward him. “Actually, what car do you have? Can I drive it?”
Beck’s dark mocking laughter reached me before he did. Then he stepped inside, having been out on the front step. “The last car you drove you totaled. Why the fuck would we lend you a car?”
Trying to forget how good his body felt pressed into mine in the hall, I narrowed my eyes on him. “I didn’t ask you, I asked Dylan. And … those were extenuating circumstances. I don’t normally drive that badly.”
“I’ll take her,” Beck said, his eyes on me even though he was talking to his friend.
Dylan just let out a low amused sound, which for him was almost as much as a full on belly laugh. “Whatever you say, Beck. You two try not to kill each other.”
He then strolled out the door and a moment later a powerful engine thrummed to life before taking off.
“Are you letting me drive the Bugatti?” I asked. The thought of that was turning me on almost as much as his little move earlier.
He laughed darkly. “Not a fucking chance, Butterfly. Now get your ass in the car.”
I grumbled at him but didn’t argue. Suddenly I was exhausted and the mile and a half back to my house felt like three hundred. When I was in, Beck didn’t wait, spinning us out of his driveway, and taking off down the long straight path of the entrance to his estate. The Bugatti engine really opened up as he pushed her harder, and some of that tension in my chest relaxed.
He side-eyed me. “You need the speed.”
I didn’t want to give him any more ammunition to use against me, and it felt like anything about my personality was a weapon he’d use, but it was no doubt clearly written on my face.
“I need it,” I confirmed before closing my eyes so I could feel the thrum of the powerful turbocharged engine. The silence between us should have been awkward, especially since he continued to threaten to break me, but it almost felt … comfortable. Like in this moment, we got each other, in a way that no one else would. We got the fucked up darkness riding us both.
That moment was over though, when his car slid to a stop and he reached over and flung my door open. “Get out of my car,” he said shortly, and I wondered what had put that new tension in his jaw, causing his knuckles to whiten as he gripped the wheel.
Not wanting to argue with him when he was in this sort of mood, I scrambled out and hurried to the cart I’d left at the front entrance. It was only as I neared the Deboise house, that I suddenly remembered everything that had happened during the “meeting.” How in the hell could I have forgotten that I was supposed to be on a plane tomorrow at fourteen hundred hours.What time was that anyway?
Assuming this was not going to be a fun vacation, I still really needed to know how long we were going for. And … did I need to pack clothes? Most importantly, would anyone miss me when I was brutally murdered by the four sadistic assholes that I was stuck with?
Dante!I really needed to tell Dante before he raised hell thinking I’d disappeared again. He was my only real friend in the world, Eddy was slowly making that list too, but knowing those guys owned her made it hard to completely trust her.
Her tears had been very real though when she took off today, and as I dumped the cart, I reached into my pocket for my phone. I had a few missed calls from Dante and ten messages from Eddy. Each with varying degrees of remorse and apology.
Hitting her number, I lifted the phone to my ear.
“Do you hate me?” she said.
I laughed, stepping inside when Stewart opened the door for me. “Of course not. I know how those assholes can be. We’re all cool.”
A relieved breath gushed from her. “And we’re still on for the party tonight, right?”
I hesitated. Was it a good idea to go to a party when I had to be on a plane tomorrow, going fuck knew where? Anger at my situation bubbled up inside of me and before I could think about it, I was saying: “Hell yes, we’re goin’ to this party. I need to release some tension.”
The sweet as fuck Bugatti ride had helped, but it wasn’t enough. I needed to be the one who snapped her up through the gears, who drove her to top speed. The world slowed when I was driving, like all I could feel was the engine, and all I could think about was freedom.
Nothing else mattered. It all faded away.
“I’ll be over in twenty to help you get ready,” Eddy squealed, and I realized I’d tuned some of what she’d said out. My mind stuck on that car and its driver.
