Page 175 of Vicious Temptation

I crawl into his lap and straddle him.

“Let’s get out of here,” I tease, pressing a trail of kisses along his throat. “I’m more of a show-than-tell kind of girl.”

Thiago tips his head back and exhales slowly before looking at me again. “Your place or mine?”

The sprint to our cars is a blur. I barely have time to start the engine when Thiago’s name flashes on my console.

“Miss me already?” I say with a laugh.

“I missed you the moment I left your garage that night we met.”

My cheeks hurt from all the smiling.

“Liar. I almost shot you in the face twice.”

“Thank God, you didn’t. That would’ve sucked.”

“That’s one way to put it,” I say as I peel out of the garage.

My eyes find the rearview mirror and Thiago’s truck behind me. I tell myself I’m only checking because we’re driving together, but the lie holds for only two seconds. I keep looking anyway, watching him and making sure he’s still there, as if he’ll somehow disappear.

Remi, I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.

The truth is, I don’t. I don’t know what tomorrow will look like or where any of this ends, but maybe I don’t need to know yet. I’m tired of doubting everything I want and of sabotaging myself the moment something starts to matter.

I deserve this.

“Will your boss be upset when she notices you’re gone?”

“Nah. Maybe.” He laughs. “I’m not worried about her.”

The woman looks at me like I pissed in her Cheerios. There’s something about me she can’t stand, even though we’ve only met twice. It’s strange, but easy enough to shrug off. At least for now.

I’ve never exactly been a girl’s girl. Aside from Valentina, I didn’t have many female friends growing up. Maybe one or two from childhood, but that was about it. I always felt like the odd one out. While other girls talked about makeup, crushes, and whatever trend was making the rounds at school, I wanted to be in a garage, helping my dad take apart engines, getting my hands dirty or at a racetrack.

I never seemed to fit, and I spent years pretending their rejection didn’t bother me, even though it did more than I cared to admit. It probably explains some of the fights, the revolving door of detentions, and more than one suspension.

My poor mom had her hands full.

As much as I drove her crazy during the worst of it, she never stopped trying to understand me. She showed up to every meeting, answered every call, and sat through every lecture from a teacher who was convinced I was a lost cause, without ever treating me like one herself. Even when she was frustrated or didn’t understand why I did the things I did, she tried, and I’ll always love her for that.

I make another mental note to stop by to see her tomorrow, even though I’ve been telling myself the same thing for over a week and somehow keep finding reasons to put it off.

My thoughts drift back to Elena. It’s been a long time since I let anyone get under my skin, and she won’t be the exception. She just pisses me off, mostly because I’m convinced she’s got a thing for what’s mine.

The thought makes me smile.

“Thiago, catch me.”

“What?” he asks, confusion in his voice.

“Catch up to me. If you want me, race me.”

The line goes silent for a beat, and my heart sinks. He’s a cop. What exactly was I expecting? Then his laugh comes through the speakers.

“Fuck, Remi. You’re really making me do this, huh?”

A grin spreads across my face. “There he is.”