I stick my arm out the window and wave. She spots me, and the brightest smile crosses her face, causing me to warm inside. My blood pumps faster as she skips over to the car. She’s not wearing a bra, which only makes me want to get her in the backseat and lift the hem of that dress up all the way…
No. Calm down.
I’m losing it. My edge. The thing that keeps me free.
I should honestly stay away from this girl. Just put the car in drive right now and speed away. Never see her again.
But I can’t. Not with her. She’s got a hold on me, and it’s only getting stronger.
“Chris,” she says, coming up to my window. “I wasn’t sure you’d actually come.”
“Get in,” I tell her before I change my mind. “I’m taking you to lunch. Wherever you want to go.”
“Really?” she asks, beaming like the sun.
“Yup. Just one thing. You’re eighteen, aren’t you?”
She blushes instantly, does this cute little thing with her arms, crossing them over her stomach as she looks down. She twists her hips, causing her dress to lift ever so slightly, giving me a glimpse of the soft skin just above her knees.
“I know I look young,” she says softly. “But I’m eighteen. You want to see my ID?”
“No. I trust you. Now get in the car.”
She nearly hops out of her shoes as she skips around the front of the car and climbs in beside me. What have I done in my life to be worthy of such a woman? Simply sharing her company is a gift I don’t deserve.
She shouldn’t even be here with a guy like me. Her friend spotted who I am instantly and rightfully tried to pull her away. But Avery saw something in me—something I’ve never even seen in myself. Something that makes her feel safe to go out with me.
And when she looks at me, there’s a thrill in her eyes that I recognize because I’m feeling it too.
“So you’re buying?” she teases.
I nod. “I’m buying.”
Without thinking, I place my hand on her knee as I pull out of the parking lot. The contact sends a pulse of impossible desire through me that almost hurts, causing more of my blood to rush south.
She doesn’t move my hand. In fact, she blushes harder and lets her hair fall over her face in an attempt to hide it. Such an innocent spirit. The opposite of who I am.
No strings. No attachments. Nothing that could potentially land you behind bars.
The mantra runs through my head one more time as I hit the gas. And for the first time, I let it go.
3
AVERY
Chris driveslike he does everything else. With control, precision. He barely looks but is aware of everything around him.
I watch his hands on the wheel. Strong, clean, with tiny scars on his knuckles that I wouldn’t imagine a consultant to have. Maybe he likes to practice boxing?
Every time we stop at a light, he glances at his mirrors. Side, rearview, then side again, almost like a ritual. Or maybe a compulsive habit.
I should be fearful, but I find him devastatingly attractive.
“You’re staring at me,” he says without turning his head, a tiny hint of a smirk on his tight lips.
“I’m…studying. Not staring.”
“Studying, huh? And what have you concluded?”
