Page 70 of Lennox Lane

She shook her head, but the smile she tried to hide showed up anyway.

Lennox grabbed his keys from the entry table. “Ready?”

“That depends.”

“On?”

“Whether you’re going to tell me where we’re going.”

“No.”

“Robot.”

“Lavender.”

She pointed at him. “You remember robots follow instructions.”

“Advanced robots also protect surprises.”

“I don’t like surprises.”

“You’ll like this one.”

“You said that earlier.”

“And I was right then too.”

“That remains to be seen.”

He opened the front door and gestured for her to walk ahead. “After you.”

Lane passed him, and the scent of her trailed behind like temptation with a loyalty program.

Outside, the evening had settled into that sweet spot between daylight and night. The sky was deepening blue, streetlights blinking awake along the quiet road. Lennox opened the passenger door of his car, and this time Lane paused only long enough to side-eye him before sliding in.

“Don’t get used to this,” she said.

He smiled. “You said that last time.”

“And I meant it both times.”

“I know.”

He closed the door, rounded the car, and got behind the wheel. The engine purred to life, and soft R&B filled the cabin, lower tonight, background instead of seduction. He pulled out of the driveway, one hand on the wheel, the other resting near the console instead of on her thigh, though the temptation sat there loud and disrespectful.

Lane noticed that too.

Of course she did.

She looked at his hand, then at him. “Look at you. Keeping your limbs to yourself.”

“Robot is learning.”

“Slowly, but yes.”

He laughed.

They drove for a few minutes in comfortable quiet, the city stretching around them in warm lights and weekend traffic. Lane watched the streets pass, but he could feel her curiosity building like pressure in the car.