She glowered back at him.
“Okay,” he said. “If you’ll just listen to me now, you can do it to me. I give you permission. At some point in the future, if you want you can come up from behind, grab me, and stop me.”
“Why would I want to do that?”
“Maybe you have something you want to say. Something you want me to hear.”
Her head tilted and her eyes slivered. “No matter how bad you want to leave or do whatever it is you want to do, I can do that to you and you’ll stop? And listen?”
This was probably a mistake, but he nodded. “Yes.”
“Okay. Go ahead.”
“Look, I didn’t want Tilney here. Hell, I didn’t even want to race him.”
“Oh really? When he suggested it, you couldn’t jump fast enough. You and Tilney—two roosters strutting into the hen house and pissing all over it.”
“I think you’re mixing metaphors. The rooster struts into the henhouse. The dog pisses to mark his territory.”
Her glare was so intense, he flinched. It felt like she’d shot daggers at him.
“I want to smack you so hard right now,” she hissed.
Trying to lighten the mood, he offered a weak grin and shrugged. “You’ve done it before.”
“Yeah, but this time, I mean to do it. I want to do it. So. Bad.”
She’s right about your behavior with Tilney. Shit. If it makes her feel better …
He sighed. “Go ahead.”
She blinked, clearly surprised. Another moment and she regained her composure. “Well now you’ve gone and ruined it.”
“How?”
“I can’t get any satisfaction from doing it now that you’ve invited me to do it.”
That actually made sense. He’d been around this woman way too much; he was actually starting to get her convoluted logic.
Okay. So provoke her rather than invite her. But how?
And then it hit him. Of course.
“Maybe what’s really bothering you is the fact that Tilney and I racing like we did just confirmed that you made the right decision.”
She frowned. “What decision?”
“To leave driving. Because I hate to break it to you, but when you made that slick move on the third turn, I purposely moved over and slowed down.”
It was a lie, but a lie that might do the trick. He waited. She looked enraged and ready to pounce and yet she just stood there.
Okay, he thought,if this doesn’t do it, nothing will. “So I guess it’s time you face the truth, Miss Rivers. You drive like a girl.”
Slap!
She struck him so hard, he actually staggered back and almost lost his footing.
“Maybe if you’d start driving like a girl, Sir Stick Up His Ass, you’d find your way back up to the podium. Because this girl might not be behind the wheel of the car that’s been beating you, but she’s behind every move that car makes. You were beaten by a girl last season! And you’re well on your way to being beaten by one again this season!”
