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He must’ve said it with enough authority to convince her. She eased off the clutch and turned right. It was a nice fall day in Beaumont Bay, no rain or wind. Far off the beaten path, with little danger of oncoming cars, this was basically an abandoned road. The house sitting off to the side near the end had long ago fallen to the ground.
“On these country roads, the speed limit is fifty. Common knowledge states you’re safe from getting a ticket if you drive five over the speed limit, but as the saying goes, nine you’re mine.”
“So you would like me to go fifty-eight?”
“No. I would like you to go eighty-eight.”
She smiled a pretty smile. For a second, he thought she might argue, but then she rolled her shoulders and palmed the gearshift. “Hold on to your butt.”
She gunned the engine, accelerating until the passing landscape became a blur. The speedometer hovered at around fifty-five miles per hour. But by the gleeful look on Hallie’s face, she might as well have been driving at warp speed. She let out a “woo-hoo!” followed by an effervescent laugh. Gavin couldn’t help a low chuckle of his own.
She took the next curve well, pressing the gas pedal instead of the brake and sending dust into a cloud behind them. He checked the speedometer again. Fifty-seven. Not bad for her first attempt at rule breaking.
At the end of the lane, where brush was overgrown at a dead end, she eased to a stop. Her eyes were wild, her energy contagious. “That was fun.”
“Told you.” Racing along a dirt road behind the wheel of a $100,000 car he didn’t own was fun, but not half as fun as watching Hallie enjoy herself.
He opened his mouth to ask if she’d like to drive back to the dealership or test her speeding skills on another road when she palmed his cheeks and kissed him.
He was so startled by the move, he barely had time to register the soft press of her lips, the gentle hum at the back of her throat. A second before his eyes would have sank closed, her pillowy mouth left his. Way, way too soon.
She pulled back and blinked big hazel eyes at him, her slender fingers still touching his face. He was struck stupid by her boldness. Days ago, she couldn’t look at him and here she was kissing him. He only wished he’d have been more present during those few sluggish seconds where her lips had clung to his. He’d felt her kiss all the way down to the soles of his feet.
If a tepid challenge earned him a kiss, how much more would she do to him if she did something truly dangerous?
“Um. I guess that was my way of saying thank you.” She pulled her hands from his cheeks and gave him a shaky smile.
“Any time you want to thank me like that, Hals, don’t hesitate.” He leaned in for another taste, but she’d already unbuckled her seat belt and was scrambling from the car.
Damn.He knew it was best to let her go at her own pace, but her pace was notably slower than his own. He was willing, though, especially if she continued to push her own boundaries. He shoved his hand into his hair and followed her, reasoning he could use some fresh air, too.
“Who owns this land?” she asked, shielding her eyes from the bright autumn sunshine.
“Mags Dumond, who else?”
“I wonder why she hasn’t done anything with it. It seems like a good area to build a rambling ranch house with stables behind it.”
“Maybe the land belonged to an ex-lover or a woman she didn’t get along with in high school. It’d be like Mags not to rebuild out of spite.”
The breeze kicked Hallie’s hair around her head and Gav crammed his hands in his pockets. He wanted to touch her, but he had a feeling if he did, he’d grab her up and kiss her, this time not coming up for air for several minutes. And if he did that, he wasn’t entirely sure she wouldn’t drive off and leave him here.
She faced him, her expression contemplative. “Do you think Mags is all bad?”
“Well, she did frame Cash for a DUI because he refused to sign with Cheating Hearts.” He supposed it was possible Mags hid a good heart beneath her scaly hide. Unlikely, but possible. “She seems to delight in the downfall of others.”
“Those are usually the saddest people.” Hallie pinned him with a soft golden gaze and again, he could think of nothing but kissing her, wrapping his palms around her hips and pulling her flush to his body. Then he’d slide his tongue past her lips and drink his fill.
“Hals—”
“We should take the car back.” She took a deliberate step away from him, and left him standing there while she shut herself into the passenger side.
He shook his head, the wind ruffling his hair.
“You win this round, Hallie Banks,” he mumbled to himself as he opened the driver’s-side door.
Next time, all bets were off.
