Page 36 of Driven to Love

“Addison.” His stern voice snagged her attention. “Get in the car.”

Damn. Her panties were wet, and not from the humidity. She blew out an exaggerated breath. “Fine.”

Nash backed the car out of the building. He was quick when he got out and closed the overhead door. The way he scanned his surroundings had her doing a quick survey of the street as well.

“What are you looking for?” she asked when he got back into the car.

“Not sure. But something about your vandalism has me on edge.”

She tripped her car locks as they pulled out of the lot.

Nash turned left at the corner.

“Hey, I live on the other side of town.”

“I know. But I have to make a stop first.”

She needed space from Nash and scooched over, leaving as much room between them as possible on the bench seat. She should have called her mom.

She crossed her arms and watched out the window. The sun was low on the horizon now, and all she could see were shadows and oncoming lights. They must have been in the shop longer than she realized. Her cheeks heated.

Get over yourself. You kissed Nash. It means nothing. So what if this non-date with him was the best date she’d had in weeks?

She looked anywhere but at him. The dash. The carpet. All of it was pristine. “Did you do the restoration?”

“Yeah, with my dad.” He focused on the road. No elaborating. No smirk of pride. Nothing. Very un-Nash of him.

And…? She wanted to pry, but thought maybe his father had died. Or took off like hers. She bit her tongue. An awkward silence grew between them. After months of praying that he would shut up and just leave her alone, he finally had—and she hated it. She didn’t know how many more minutes of this strained silence she could take.

“Did he pass away?” The words burst from her mouth.

“No. Nothing like that. My parents live in the Cities. Last year, Dad had some medical issues that affected his ability to drive. That’s when he gave me the car. He always said it would be mine someday. I just didn’t think it would be this soon.” He paused, deep in thought. They drove in silence for another block before he shrugged off the melancholy mood.

On reflex, Addison reached across the seat and rested a hand on his knee. “I’m sorry.”

He laid his hand over hers, and she froze.

Her gaze bounced from their hands to the road, then back to Nash’s face.

If this were any other man, she would snuggle in and enjoy the ride, no worrying. But this was Nash, and the evening was so messed up. Her car, the kiss… before she could overthink it more, she flipped over her hand and threaded her fingers with his.

He threw her a questioning look, but didn’t pull his hand away.

“It’s an olive branch. That’s it. Friends. Remember?”

Nash nodded once, then pulled his attention back to the road. “Yes, ma’am.”

That damn sexy smile tugged at his lips.

Pull your hand away. She should… and she would… in a minute.

He turned another corner and stopped in front of a two-story home. The teenagers from the other night were hanging out in the front yard. Nash dropped her hand and got out. “Hey, guys.”

The boy with the ball cap and a puppy under his arm waved to the others. This must be Leon and Trish’s house. But, who was…?

“Hey, Dad.”

Dad? She looked closer at the boy. How had she missed it the first time? The eyes. The jaw. Even the hair.