“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
I cock my head, not understanding his reaction.“What?”
“This?”He points to my car.“This is your car?A fucking Hellcat?”He shakes his head, chuckling again.“You are full of surprises, Kitten.”
“It was my dad’s.I always loved it.”I open the driver’s side door to slide in, as he does the same on the passenger side.“He passed away a few years ago and my mom gave it to me.She said having it in the driveway reminded her too much of him.”
“Shit.”He frowns.“I’m sorry about your dad.What happened?”
“Nope.”I insert the key to start the engine before I reply, the sweet hum of the engine making me smile.“Too personal.Breaks rule number one.”
“Fair enough.”He cocks his head.“Do I get to know where you’re bringing me?”
I put the car in reverse and back out of my parking space, then steer out of the complex towards the highway.“A place called Canyon Restaurant.It’s up on Mt.Charleston, a little bit outside of town.It’s gorgeous up there.You won’t even believe you’re in Vegas anymore.”
“That sounds perfect.”He grins broadly, sliding his sunglasses on.“By the way, that dress is gorgeous on you.”
I start to chew on my bottom lip in an attempt to hide my smile, but stop short, letting the corners of my mouth lift instead, my insides warming at his compliment.“Thank you.”
“So, let’s see what I can teach you about music in the next half-hour.”He presses a few buttons on the screen centered in the dash until he finds the Bluetooth settings.
A second later his phone is out and he’s pairing it to the car.He turns his head, a wide grin lifting his cheeks.“You ready?”
“Hit me with your best shot.”I gun the engine as we turn onto the 11, traffic finally breaking up.
He hits the play button and a moment later chords of a guitar strum gently, a gravelly voice sounding over the speakers a second later.The melody is slow, the lyrics actually clear.
I listen, absorbing the message of the song.My pulse quickening when I translate it’s about a guy who seems to have fallen for a girl who was supposed to be anything but a permanent stain on his heart.
I sneak a peek at Luc, only to find him staring intently in my direction, I’m sure to gauge my reaction.He remains silent until the song finishes.
“It’s called Bloody Valentine.”He volunteers as he glances down at his phone.“There’s a faster version, but I like the acoustic one better.”
“I like it.”I confess, but of course have to throw in some resistance.“It’s not exactly what I would classify as arocksong.”
“Yeah, but it’s one of my favorites, so I wanted to play it for you.”He clears his throat, staring out the windshield a minute.“It’s pretty out here.”
“Wait until we get to the top of the mountain.”I nod at the stereo.“What else you got for me?”
“Here’s one that’s definitely rock.”He scrolls on his phone a second, a guitar riff, accompanied by some heavy drums exploding over the speakers.He turns it up – loud - and begins to sing along to the words when they start.
I realize immediately it’s one of his, and witnessing the pride and passion he exudes as he bellows out the song is breathtaking.
My fingers start tapping of their own accord on the steering wheel, his energy infectious as his head bobs along to the rhythm.
As the last note fades, he shoots me a look, the corners of his mouth curving up like he already knows he’s won me over.That grin?It was all confidence, the kind that has my stomach doing flip-flops.
“All right, all right.”I concede, unable to contain the smile blooming on my own face.“That wasn’t half bad.”
And I mean, come on, any guy that has a voice like that is going to make any girl’s panties combust.
He throws his arms up, calling out a whoop, declaring himself a winner.My cheeks lift even higher.He can totally have this victory.He earned it.
“When did you know you wanted to be a singer?”I ask, curious about how he got his start.
“I don’t know.”His brow scrunches up in thought.“Maybe when I was five or six.My mom jokes that I sang before I could talk.”
“Do you play any instruments?”
