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He made a little huffing sound, and I loosened my grip so he could use those lips. “I don’t like to drive.”
“You don’t have your license?”
“I do, but I don’t like to drive. I don’t even have a car.”
“Why not?”
He shrugged.
“Matthew,” I warned dangerously. He was tapping into that dark part of me that wanted all the information about him and wanted it now.
“It makes me nervous,” he rushed out. “There’s so much going on at once. The other cars, all the buttons. The signs. Sometimes it’s hard to focus on one thing.”
“It overstimulates you,” I surmised, not surprised because it aligned with everything else I’d learned about him.
He nodded.
“I knew you were a princess,” I mused.
His eyes narrowed, and he scowled. “I am not.”
“A passenger princess.”
Groaning, he turned away.
Laughing, I hoisted myself into the cab of the wagon and leaned over his lap. Surprised, he plastered himself against the seat, but there was nowhere else for him to go. After pecking a quick kiss on his mouth, I leaped out and jogged around to the driver’s side.
“You can’t just kiss me whenever you want,” he informed me, and I started up the engine.
“You like it,” I refuted.
“Ben is my best friend. My family. That’s not going to change. Ever.”
“Okay,” I said, driving out of the Elite parking lot.
“He’s always been there for me.” He pressed.
“Yeah, princess. I see that,” I said gently even while I seethed with jealousy. I knew it was wrong and likely just me feeling threatened because someone else knew more about Matthew than I did. One thing was for sure, though. Me not accepting Kruger as part of his life would be an instant deal breaker.
Guess I was going to have to figure out how to get along with him.
“You know,” I said, proceeding with gentle caution. “Maybe you have some more room in your life, though? For more than just Kruger and Jess? I’d like to be there for you too. Anytime you need.”
Matthew said nothing, but I felt his eyes on my profile as I kept my attention directed ahead. Finally, he relented, turning his face to look out his window. “I’m high-maintenance.”
Frustration welled up inside me because it was clear he was repeating something he’d been told. “Whoever put that idea in your head was a shit mechanic.”
Startled, he turned to blink at me.
Oh, I loved catching him off balance and feeling the full weight of his surprise.
“There is no such thing as high-maintenance if the mechanic knows what he’s doing.”
“And you think you do?”
“I’m willing to learn.”
He turned his face out the window again, and I didn’t say anything else, instead pulling into a nearby drive-thru.
