I’m out of my fucking mind.
We pull up to the bar, the Lush sign vibrant in the dark with a line of people wrapped around the corner.
Tessa’s warm breath fills the backseat with her loud, exasperated sigh as she reaches for the door handle. I quickly lean across her, the scent of her flowery perfume tugging on my attention.
“Nuh-uh.” I shake my head.
She pauses with parted lips.
I can’t stop staring at them.
“Are you going to make me wear your jacket into Lush? Because if so, I’m not going.”
Maybe I should.
“It’d make me look bad if I let you open your own door,” I say.
She narrows her brown eyes, rimmed in some kind of shimmer.
“Fine.”
I chuckle.
She acts like she had a say either way.
I slide out of my seat, open my door, and wait with my hand outstretched. On instinct, I glance at the space in between her legs. “Careful when you step out of the car.” I curl my lip into a smirk. “Wouldn’t want to flash everyone your panties.”
She peers up at me to flutter her long eyelashes. “You think I’m wearing panties?” Then she giggles while bypassing my hand. “How silly of you.”
The door of the car remains open as I stand there, frozen.
What?
I watch her walk confidently past the patrons with her chin held high. She finds Gia waiting by the bouncer, leaving me standing near the curb with all sorts of dirty thoughts swarming my head.
Before I shut the door, I bend down toward the driver. He’s staring after her with a sick grin on his face.
“Forget you heard that,” I snap, slamming the door shut.
I’m waved in by some of the other engineers on our team, the ones that work closely with Tessa, leaving her to deal with me.
Dylan holds out a long-neck beer. “To celebrate your first race with Vanstone.”
I take it, and we all clank the bottles together before slugging them backward. The malty foam relaxes me enough to chat with Dylan and the rest of the guys about the race, until I snag a glimpse of Tessa and Gia as they walk over to the bar.
Even though half of the establishment was reserved for us, the place is still packed. Tessa slips through the crowd, and I down the rest of my beer so I have an excuse to head that way too.
“I’m going to get another one,” I say.
Beck and I catch eyes as I move past the dance floor. He’s dancing with some dark-haired woman he hardly knows, with the rest of the Halston siblings off to the side, talking with Alejandro Suarez and his team. So far, no sign of Beau or Vinny, but I know they’ll show up eventually.
My phone vibrates.
It’s a new group text called,Earn Your Keep.
Beck
You’re up, Pierce.
