She does as I say and stands in front of the driver’s door. I take her by the shoulders, the contact electrifying, and guide her to the right side of the SUV.
“That was enough of an adrenaline rush for the day,” I tease, closing the door.
She frowns, and I wave as I cross in front of the car. Her lips quiver, and that show-stopping smile cracks through.
God, she’s beautiful.
Discomfort radiates in my chest, but I rub it away and readjust the mirrors and seat. When I’m comfortable and start the engine, she clears her throat—loud and lacking subtlety.
Her arms are crossed over her chest, pushing up her breasts in a way that makes it incredibly difficult to focus, and I avert my gaze to the GPS.
“Where are we going?”
“I’m not telling you.”
She’s pouting. I’ve foiled part of her plan. Well, I’d like to make it there alive, and I wasn’t sure that would happen with her behind the wheel on the other side of the road.
“Sofía,” I sing, leaning over the console to invade her personal space. “Pretty, smart Sofía, will youpleasetell me where we’re going?”
“No.”
Shit. I thought the compliments would work.
I try a different approach. “What if I promise not to look at the destination?”
“You promise?” She nibbles on her lower lip, and my gaze snaps to the action. “I want it to be a surprise for you.”
Hand on my chest, I say, “On my honor.”
Turning away, she types in the address and sets the phone in the cup holder. The voice of the GPS immediately says, “Directions to Etty Bay.”
For five long seconds, silence fills the car. I pull my lips between my teeth to fight the laughter bubbling up in my chest. Sofía’s face pales as her right eye twitches.
“I didn’t hear a thing,” I say, shifting into drive and pulling out of the gas station.
Silence, and then, “You’re not a good liar, but thanks for trying.”
I steal a glance at her, and something right below my diaphragm cracks at the disappointment written on her face. I can only imagine how much work went into keeping this a secret, and all to surprise me.
There’s only one reason we’d head to Etty Bay at four in the morning to beat the sunrise, and it takes every ounce of control I have to remain calm. We drive for twenty minutes on the highway before I can no longer contain the excitement.
“You told me we didn’t have time,” I blurt out, startling her so thoroughly she yelps.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She settles deeper into her seat, kicking her legs onto the dash. Nausea rolls in my stomach. “Put your feet down.”
“What?”
“It’s not safe. You shouldn’t keep your feet on the dash.” The discomfort settles when she removes her legs, though her gaze remains heavy on my skin. “You could get hurt if we were in an accident,” I murmur.
Her hand settles on my forearm. “I’ll keep them down.”
After Mateo told me about Charlie’s accident—the one that left her with scars and chronic arthritis—I went down a rabbit hole on car accidents. I’ll never get some of those images out of my mind. The mere idea of Sofía getting hurt makes me sick.
Darkness shrouds the landscape we witnessed yesterday, and Sofía plays with the speakers, turning on the audiobook I’ve been listening to with Mateo and his abuela. The fantasy romance is fast paced, and I’ve already started the second book of the series. If his abuela knew, she would be pissed, but I couldn’t wait for her to finish at one-time speed. It gives me something to focus on when I have to complete boring tasks, and it’s easier to process than reading the book itself.
The hours pass by in a flash as we listen, Sofía gasping and adding small commentary when something exciting happens. It’s beginning to heat up between the main characters when we arrive at Etty Bay, and I turn off the car before I need to sit here for fifteen minutes to cool down.
