Page 87 of Handle Me

“You’re busy.” I swallowed, but the lump of wounded pride in my throat didn’t budge. Reaching down, I swiped the fob from his hands. “Never mind. See you later, Stone.”

“Lola, wait!”

I was already out of the room. So much for my brilliant plan. When I’d gotten the call that Anders was a hot mess, I’d been foolish enough to believe I could help him. But he didn’t want me or my help.

I stopped in the hallway outside of Anders’ room and tried to steady my racing heart. It didn’t matter. At least, it shouldn’t matter. Anders was nothing more than a mistake. He’d left London without so much as a backward glance. Whatever I’d thought was happening between us until then had been in my own head. We had our own lives to lead. I just wished I could be as blasé about all of this as he seemed to be.

And that was the problem.

I hadn’t really come here to help him. I’d come here to fix me. Part of me had wanted to see that he was a wreck—to see that he missed me as much as I missed him. But this wasn’t about me. It was about his career.

I sighed and forced myself to straighten up. Anders was standing there, looking hesitant. His jeans were buttoned, but he hadn’t bothered to put on a shirt or shoes. “Ready for that driving lesson now?”

“Forget I asked.” Wilkes could find another way to handle Anders. I was done with this, done running to help whenever anyone called.

He followed me down the hallway, and by the time I reached the stairs, I felt the warmth of his body behind me.

“Wait,” he said, spinning me around by the shoulders. “I don’t want you to leave like this.”

I waited, my eyes locked on his. It was up to him to make the next move. I’d shown up for him twice by my count; now it was his turn.

“Let me teach you. I said I would.” He squeezed my shoulders, and I tossed a frosty look at his hands. Anders pulled away, holding them up in surrender.

“I don’t want to inconvenience you.” I let a chill seep into my voice, even though his touch had lit a fire inside me.

“You could never inconvenience me.” He groaned and trailed a hand down his abs. I tried not to stare. “I wasn’t expecting you. That’s all. I’ll teach you. We can start now.”

“Maybe you should put some clothes on.”

He glanced down to his bare feet, and a grin hooked across his face. “I don’t need clothes to drive, boss.”

Oh holy...

I blinked and pinned an unimpressed frown on my face. “You need them if you’re going anywhere with me.”

“I thought you liked—”

“Let’s get one thing straight. I came here to learn how to drive this car. I want to be able to take it to the country on the weekends.”

“The country?” he repeated.

Was my lie that flimsy? Probably.

“My boyfriend lives out there,” I said, doubling down on the lie. Not only was it a good excuse, it was one he wouldn’t question, and maybe he’d keep me at a distance. The last thing I needed was to fall into his arms again.

Boyfriend. His lips formed the word, but he didn’t seem to process it. His throat slid, but he shrugged and kept that cocky grin on his face. “Okay, no problem. But if I’m going to teach you, it’s my rules. Not yours.”

I was afraid he would say that, so why did a thrill leap through me at the idea of letting him be in charge?

You know why, a little voice inside me chided.

“I can agree to that behind the wheel,” I added.

“Not going to make me follow your old rules?” He lifted an eyebrow.

“Why would I do that?” I said blandly and hoped he bought it. “We’re friends now, right? Just friends?”

Our eyes met, and we stared at each other for so long that I lost track of the seconds. I didn’t want to be friends with Anderson Stone. I didn’t want to be in the same room as him. My heart hammered in my chest, calling me out on yet another lie.