“Six,” Clay replies.
“Fuck, I need to go,” I say. “Would you mind driving me home? I’m already late.”
“Sure, don’t worry,” Clay assures me, starting the truck and getting back on the road. “We can wait and drive you to college if you want?”
“Dio,no. You’ve already sat out here for hours while I drooled all over you,” I say, eager to escape the situation as quickly as possible.
“To be fair, you only drooled on Xander.” Clay snickers. “But I’m hurt that you fell asleep while I was showing you my not-boring hobby.”
I glance up at Xander, mumbling a quick “Sorry.”
He just huffs in response.
When Clay stops in front of my apartment complex, Xander gets out first. I turn to Clay, who says, “Promise me you’ll call if something like this ever happens again.”
“You mean my sweet little sister getting railed will be a more frequent occurrence now?” I ask, tone laced with sarcasm.
“Most definitely.” He smirks back before his face turns serious. “Promise me, if you feel unsafe, you’ll call.”
I nod, looking into his warm chocolate eyes. “Promise. Thank you,” I whisper before turning and sliding over the bench seat to exit.
I contemplate how to gracefully hop out when Xander takes a step closer, places his hands under my arms, and effortlessly lifts me out of the car as if I weigh nothing.
Holy hotness.
A tingling sensation spreads between my thighs, causing me to squeeze them together. Xander’s gaze drifts down my body, and a slight smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth.
“See you around, Carolina,” he says, getting back into the car.
They both wait until I’m safely inside before driving off, and the gesture does something I’m not ready to acknowledge.
TWENTY-TWO
Fuck,I desperately need a nap or something. I stretch my neck, rotating my head from side to side. I’m so exhausted that I can’t even think straight anymore.
Would it be unprofessional to ask Sophia for a break?
Of course, it would. Enduring classes was pure torture. And now, Sophia is rambling about her party on Sunday. I can barely keep my eyes open.
Leaning back in my desk chair, I let out a big yawn. The door opens, and Clay chuckles as he walks over to me, placing a to-go mug in front of me.
“Drink up. Looks like you need it,” he says while Josh does the same for Sophia.
“Oh, I love you, Joshy. Thanks,” she says before taking a sip.
I eye the mug skeptically but bring it to my lips. As I take a sip, I realize it’s actually good coffee with just the right amount of sugar.
Josh talks to Sophia about the food for her birthday party while Clay leans in to speak softly to me. “How are you, Karen? Did you tear into your little sister when you got home?” he asks.
I huff. “Not yet, way too tired for that, so thank you for this,” I say, gently shaking the to-go mug. “And thank you again for last night. I still feel bad, but I truly appreciate it.”
He chuckles. “Oh, wow. Who would’ve thought that driving you around the city for a night would make the little kitty cat retract her claws.”
“That’s it. I don’t have the energy to pretend to like you today any longer,” I say, but I need to hide my smile behind my cup.
“Ouch,” he responds, his eyes filled with amusement. “Good, let’s get back to your charming self. It got a bit creepy there for a moment. However, youdoowe me a favor for calling me out of bed last night.”
And there it is. I knew he would never just do something like that for me out of the goodness of his heart.
