Music picks up around us, two cars finally tuning into the same radio station for surround sound when I realize Nadia’s heading my way. My nerves immediately went out the window, subconsciously forcing me to shove my trembling hands into my jacket pockets. Curiosity is holding her attention hostage when she glosses over the car, lingering on the finer details I’ve spent precious time on. Then, like the calming heat of a cup of hot cocoa, she graces me with a voice that’s corrupted every nook and cranny of my thoughts.
“Hey Rey.”
Play it cool, stupid.
“Nadi, how’ve you been?” Damnit she’s beautiful.
“Not too bad, I guess.”
Not very convincing, Diabolica.
Her eyes are a bit darker under her bottom lashes. I can’t help but assess her a bit longer, putting together a mental bullet list ofwhat now haunts her before acting like some Danny Zuko knock off. Shrugging my shoulders solely to shift my jacket around. Too cool to care much—dumb as a box of rocks.
“That’s good. Happy graduation day, by the way.” Let’s mask this with a smirk, maybe that will make it better—blue steel style. Kidding, fuck I’m kidding. Ignore me, I don’t know how to be casual.
“Thanks, this your new car?”
Fucking-A, safe territory.
Standing up from the hood, we both stare down at the other woman in my life—Delinquent. I like how Nadia notices her, notices things about me that tells people she pays attention to what matters to others. Not sure if she knows it, but her awareness means so much. She has a good eye for the little things too. So, every time I fuck up as her husband, she’s going to clock it from ten miles away. Lord I hope so, that’s a leash I’ll gladly let her yank.
“Yeah, want to take a look at her? I’ve had her for about six months.” I start, stepping back to let her have more space to explore my baby.
“Trying to work enough to save up for body modifications, maybe a new intake.” I say as I pop the hood for her this time. When in doubt, which I’m swimming in, distract your prey. Pointing to a few things underneath the shell, I explain more of the changes I want to make all while she follows along curiously.
Yep, I bought a new intake not too long ago but she doesn’t know that, this is just a shit ton of small talk. Anything to keep her speaking and move the attention off of me onto something else. The car I named after her? Perfect specimen. Teasing my hand over the driver side fender, I can’t help the way I look at it. She’s buttery in my hands, easy to control. There’s no way about it, if I move her to the left she eases that way as if there’s no such thing as gravity, same with the right. She starts up quietly witha few button presses, then if I treat her just right she wins. I’m only a driver, this car? She’s the athlete.
“You’re speaking a different language. I don’t know a damn thing about cars, Rey. Dumb it down for me.”
Heh, anytime Diabolica. I’ll teach you whatever you want to know.
Chuckling, a few steps and I’m at her side. Feeling the weight of her very existence next to me, then I guide her back a few inches to protect her delicate fingers from getting caught by the hood when I shut it with a chest punching thud. Leaning again, my ankles and arms crossing, I take Nadia in. All of her. Every. Fucking. Inch.
Her height, the bounce of her hair, the way she keeps her lips slightly parted between speaking. I’m not worthy of it but I could stare at her forever. She’s waiting expectantly for me and that fills me with a hunger I’ve forced myself to avoid for years.
“You wound me, Nadi. I thought you would have learned a bit more in my years away, so you’d actually have something to impress me with.”
The second a flash of pain shoots across her face, my stomach drops. Okay, okay, it was a little harsh but we’ve never coddled one another. Since day one she’s dished me a verbal beating I would crawl through hot coals for—some sort of masochist I am. Right as I’m about to word vomit and apologize for being a cocksucker, she hits me with her deliciously-smart mouth.
“And impressing you is important, why?”
Tou-fucking-che.
Alright, smart ass, let’s have at it.
Shrugging, I stand tall. Letting her sass roll off me like water and duck feathers—however that saying goes. I’d have her no other way. Grass shifts under my boots as I move around the front of the car and ease my way to the passenger door. Squeezing the handle, it pops open with a noise that’s almostdeafening to me but no one else seems to notice. This is what she does to me, makes me hyper-vigilant. I zero in on the smallest details and over exaggerate the ones that mean the least.
Opening the door for her without saying a damn thing, I stand back like the gentleman my mom raised me to be, and wait for her to slide inside. As much as she loves silence, the quiet between us isn’t comfortable in the least, mostly her though. It makes her fidget and uneasy. Truth be told, I like it when she’s a little uncomfortable. She does the craziest shit—one of the entertaining highlights of our nights together.
Jerking my head slightly, motioning her to get in, I make a final pass over the field to see who’s not aware of their surroundings and those who should mind their damn business. This is my night, ours if you want to get technical, and the rumors of a new graduate class will not bode any of them well. Best they keep their mouths shut and their heads down.
Nadia sweeps past me and her body spray hits my nostrils with the force of the Juggernauts sledgehammer; ache shooting from my heart all the way to the fucker in my pants. Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I fight to stifle the groan she drags out of me.
Jesus H. Christ, save me now.
Chapter five
Ialmost pull aDukes of Hazardby taking a running slide across the car’s hood; solely to get in the driver seat quicker but I’m maintaining what fraction of composure I have. I can’t help it. There’s a new sort of energy rolling through me like a tsunami, crashing with waves so immense they’re obliterating that vast majority of my common sense. Giddy over the girl of my dreams sitting in my car, fastening her seat belt like we’ve done this a million times.
