Finally, I nod. If he tattles, I’ll deal with it. I’ll have no choice. It would be nice to have a few days to get settled before the storm hits, but it’s not like my brothers—or my parents—can stop me.
They will try, though.
Thunder cracks overhead, and we both rise as the traffic picks up. People run to their cars, headlights beaming as the crowd trails out of the stands.
Carrying my notebook, I pick up the compass and slip it into my pocket. When I look up, Lucas is watching me put it away. He slides his hands into his pockets, and for some reason, it feels like I’m taking something that belongs to him. He had it for years, and he didn’t seem to want to give it back. He lied about leaving it in Dubai. Why?
I stare at the balled fist in his pocket. Did he carry it often?
No. It’s possible it never even went to Dubai. Maybe he found it in his bedroom closet before he put the house up for sale.
I follow him to his car, but he doesn’t go left, to the parking lots. Instead, he moves toward the track and pulls open the door of a ’67 Camaro convertible. I climb in and put my seatbelt on as he slides in the driver’s side.
Wind whips through my hair, lightning flashing across the sky.
“This is one of Jax’s cars,” I point out.
I thought he was driving Jared’s old Boss.
Reaching over, he unsnaps my seatbelt and takes it off me just before starting the engine.
I slip my arm out of the belt. “What are you doing?”
“Swing your legs up to my lap and lie back, flat on your seat.”
With the top of my head touching my door? It’s a bench seat, so there’s no console to get in the way.
“It’s okay.” He breaks into a smile. “Trust me.”
I’m not putting my legs on him. I didn’t shave today. Or yesterday.
I heave a sigh, dropping my head into his lap, instead, and setting my ankles on the door. My shoes hang out of the car.
His brow arches, and I do a shitty job of holding back my smile. “Trust me,” I say.
The sky opens up over his head, clouds covering the stars, and I feel a couple of sprinkles of rain. But when I look up, all I see is him as the warmth of his body cradles my neck.
“Now, close your eyes.” He swallows. “And keep them closed.”
“Why?”
“You’ll see.”
Fine.Closing my eyes, I feel the world tilt a little, and I don’t know if it’s the cool air or the engine rumblingunderneath me. Or being this close to him. All I know is he better get the top up before Jax has a fit over rain getting on his black leather seats. My brother is probably still in the tower, watching as cars exit the track.
Lucas shifts, the muscles in his leg flexing underneath me as he hits the gas. The car vaults, and my heart leaps into my throat. I gasp.
He races, kicking it up a gear, then another, and I grip the seats at my sides, a drop of rain hitting me. Barreling around the first corner, he makes the tires skid, and I press one foot into the door to keep myself stable. My hair flies across my face, my stomach swims, and I breathe hard as the wind gets faster and faster when he speeds up. My chest rises and falls, water touching my lips, and I don’t open my eyes, but I feel his watching me.
His leg muscles pump again, hitting the gas, then flex once more, slowing just slightly for a turn. Speeding up again, it’s like I’m floating, and I smile just as he wraps an arm over my stomach to hold me as he rounds another fast turn.
Oh, God.
I want to turn my face into his stomach, curl up into him, and feel his arm get tighter.
The car slows, and I wait for him to finally stop before I open my eyes.
He stares down at me, so much satisfaction written across his face. “You like going fast.”
