I cock an eyebrow and quirk my lip. He grins. “I saidthegear shift notmygear shift.”
I lift my hand from my lap and drop it on the gearshift.
He drops his hand on top of mine. It’s warm and solid, and comforting. “It’s as close as I can get to holding your hand in a manual car.”
A Pearl Jam song comes on the radio so we both spend the next few minutes harmonizing with Eddie Vedder. Then we go back to talking — about everything. Unimportant stuff like his favorite food, Italian, to my favorite TV show, anything on Discovery Plus but especially the scary shows about paranormal activity which for some reason floors Chase. And then we talk about not-so-unimportant stuff like his family and how he feels so unattached to every single one of them, and my family and how my siblings are as vital as limbs to me. When I see the sign saying we’ve entered Maine, I’m shocked.
“I’m not a huge fan of car trips. Never have been, even when we were kids and the trip would end at Disney World or a beach or whatever, I still hated them,” I tell Chase, studying his rugged profile as he drives. He’s got shades on now because the sun is shining brightly, so I can’t admire his baby blues, but I drink in the sexy stubble on his strong jaw and the way his perfect mouth is curled ever so slightly upward in a content smile. Because he’s as happy to be with me as I am with him. “But this road trip is going to end sooner that I want it to.”
“I could pretend to get lost,” Chase suggests and his eyebrows wiggle. “Find a secluded back road somewhere and…”
He doesn’t have to finish the sentence. I know what he’s insinuating. My dick is growing in my pants at the thought. I readjust it with the hand not still on the gearshift. “In this tiny car it might cause one of us permanent injuries. I think getting to the motel as fast as possible, so we can make sure we get rooms as close to each other as possible, is a better idea. Because I’m totally sneaking into your room tonight Ashton and I don’t want a long walk.”
He grins and moves his hand off mine, reaching for his phone which is wedged under the parking brake between us. “Then you better map the exact location of the motel so we can get there already. Password is 1,2,3,4.”
“Original.” I chuckle and unlock his phone. I’m about to pull up Google Maps when it starts ringing and his brother’s name appears on the screen. “Umm…”
I turn it for him to see. He curses under his breath. “Hit ignore. No. Wait. If I do that, he’ll just keep calling. Colin is a bit of a bitch that way. Hit answer and speaker.”
I do both and his brother’s voice fills the car. “Why haven’t you called Lacey?”
“Afternoon, bro. How are you?” Chase snarks.
“Hey. Hi. Yeah, I’d be peachy if you would call Lacey and confirm.”
“I can’t do that right now. I’m driving.” Chase’s voice right now is nothing like I’ve heard before. It’s clipped and hard and as cold as a Nor’easter. “And I can’t talk to you either. I’m in the Ferrari. No hands-free. I’ll call you back when I stop.”
“Don’t,” Colin says, his voice very similar in tone to Chase’s voice. “Just call Lacey and tell her your stupid band will do her event. I told Dad you were doing this for her and he was actually pleased with you for once.”
Chase doesn’t respond. He also doesn’t look at me. I’m biting my bottom lip to keep from blurting out “oh hell no!” His brother knowing I’m in the car with Chase won’t make this conversation go any smoother. Finally, Chase sighs. “I haven’t asked the band if they’re available. You know Grant and Joe have lives and jobs too. And also, obviously, there’s no way I would ask Bowen to do this. You should have thought of that.”
“I did,” Chase replies. “I just didn’t care. Get Bennie to do it instead. He’s voting for her. He won’t mind.”
“Colin, I am not just going to —”
“He hung up,” I finally speak when I see his screen go dark. Chase shoves his sunglasses up into his hair and glances over at me. His expression is a mask of guilt. “I was going to tell you. I just was trying to figure out when. And I haven’t told the other guys yet. I wouldn’t do that without asking you first.”
“Asking me what?”
“Do you mind if we do it? I know Colin made it sound like I can’t say no, but I can,” Chase says and pulls his sunglasses from his hair and hooks them into the neck of his shirt, and then he glances at me again still looking contrite. “My dad isn’t going to deny me three and a half million dollars over this. Hell, he hates that I’m in a band and would probably be happier if none of his political friends find out.”
“I’m sure she’ll pay you well,” I reply after a couple seconds of looking out the window trying to figure out how I feel about this. I don’t like how I found out but he’s genuinely upset about that. And I definitely can’t play with them, but as the newbie in the group I also don’t feel comfortable telling them they can’t.
“I don’t need the money.”
“But Joe might,” I remind him. “And I doubt Grant would turn down extra cash.”
“But I don’t want to play with Bennie again,” Chase confesses. “I don’t even want to see him again. He’s not exactly being mature about this.”
“I noticed,” I reply. “At my brother’s event he was more than a little unpleasant. When my brother thanked him for coming, he said he wouldn’t have if his father didn’t make him and stormed off. He also glared at me so much during the dinner part that Autumn asked me if I dropped something on him at V and V.”
Chase tries not to smile at that but fails. It’s fleeting though as he starts frowning a couple seconds later. “Sorry about that.”
“You didn’t make me kiss you and grope you in that hallway,” I reply and put my hand over his on the gearshift, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I wanted to do it and I don’t regret it. And I’ll do it again.”
“I hope so,” Chase says quickly. “But still, I won’t do this gig if you don’t want me to.”
“I don’t care if you take it. Honestly,” I tell him and push my hair back. “Seriously she can have your band and be your date to shit. I just don’t want her to get your vote.”
