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“Thanks, guys. So much.” I clear my throat. “Now, please tell me you’re coming to my mother’s party.”
“’Course we are,” Jonas says, patting my shoulder.
“I have one question though, Petal,” Tyler says, his expression full of worry, “are we supposed to bring wedding gifts?”
I try not to laugh at him but when I start, I can’t stop.
55
PETAL
“I knowyou’re not telling me where we’re going, but from the look of it, considering we’re on Highway 80 and there are mountains in the distance, I’d say we’re headed for Lake Tahoe.”
Rake looks across the car seat at me, waiting for an answer. I shift my jaw as my ears pop again from the gain in elevation.
“Just keep driving. I’ll tell you when it’s time to exit,” I say, looking straight ahead. I’ve been buzzing since we left San Francisco, and right now I’m sitting on my hands to keep them to myself. All I can think about is Rake tearing my clothes off and running his lips… everywhere.
If I don’t focus, we’re going to miss our exit.
“All right, baby. If we don’t exit at Tahoe, the next destination is Reno. And after that is the Nevada outback. So I’m betting on Tahoe.”
“All good guesses considering those are really the only choices, unless we were to drive straight through to Utah, which would be eight or nine hours and too far for a weekend getaway.”
I pat his hand and glance at him, his weekend scruff already coming in nicely. I could swear I see a couple grays in it too. Damn, I want to touch them. But I force myself to wait.
He looks at the towering pines whipping by. “I can’t believe in all the time I’ve lived in San Francisco, I’ve only been to the mountains a couple times. It’s gorgeous here.”
It is. Lake Tahoe is one of my happy places, like the book store. The drama of the jagged peaks and exposed granite rock faces is breathtaking. Every time the blue-green lake comes into view before me, it’s always a thrill.
“Want some more Doritos?” I ask, extending him the bag, my fingertips completely orange. Normally, I relish licking the Dorito dust off them, but I don’t want him to think I’m completely feral. I try to clean up my mess with a ratty old tissue I found in my pocket.
“Oh yeah, give me some of those babies,” he says. “I gotta hand it to you, I’ve never seen someone bring so much food for a three-hour drive.”
“Car snacks are a very important part of any road trip. Don’t you know that? Any ride over an hour requires food. The saltier and grosser, the better.”
I glance over at him again, trying not to stare. I swear, he hasn’t stopped smiling since we left the city. Actually, neither have I.
“You are the undisputed queen of car snacks, darlin’.”
I turn my phone to make sure he can’t see it. Of course, we’re going to Lake Tahoe, that was easy to figure out once we passed Sacramento and headed for the mountains. But he doesn’t know I’ve rented one of the swankiest houses on the lake. It’s going to be epic.
As will the sex.
“Yup. That’s what I want to be known for. Please make sure it’s on my gravestone after I kick it.”
“Your wish is my command.”
“Okay, take this exit here for Highway 267.”
“I knew it. We’re going to Lake Tahoe,” he sing-songs.
We enter the two-lane mountain road and he navigates the twists and turns like a champ. Not fifteen minutes later we’re pulling up to an insane house in Crystal Bay.
“Holy fucking shit,” he says, stopping the car in the middle of the circular drive.
He drapes his arms over the steering wheel, staring at the house, and I join him. It’s even more majestic than the photos online.
“How in God’s name did you find this place?”
