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Farah’s face pinched like she’d just sucked on a lemon. “Ew, gross! That’s my brother.” Then she turned to Holton. “Cannon’s on his way too.”
“Laeth too,” Deva said, swaying side to side a little as she squinted down at the screen of her phone. Once she finished, she tucked it into her back pocket and looked at me. “You can ride with us if you want. We’ll drop you off.”
I stuffed down the pang of envy shooting through me that I didn’t have someone to pick me up after a night with my friends where I had a little too much to drink. I returned my best friend’s smile and opened my mouth to thank her for the offer when Holton spoke up.
“I’ll take her.”
My head whipped in his direction, my eyes nearly bugging out.What the hell?
“Oh, great,” Deva chirped happily. “That’s a sweet offer, Holt.”
I ignored the burn caused by the way Deva called him Holt so casually. That jolt of jealousy was completely uncalled for. She was happily in love with Laeth, and I knew it was only a matter of time before he put a ring on her finger to make things official. She was crazy about him, and he treated her like she was the most precious thing to walk the earth. I adored that for her. She’d had a hard life, yet she still managed not to let it jade her. She had the kindest heart of anyone I’d ever known.
But still, that stupid sting persisted.
“No, really, that’s not necessary,” I tried to argue.
“It’s fine. My shift’s about to end, and your place is on my way.”
“How do you know where she lives?” Poppy slurred.
My eyes flared wide with panic, catching Holton’s for just a brief moment, and I could have sworn I saw curiosity, not the same anxiety that was currently clawing at my throat.
“Uh... it’s a small town,” I answered quickly. “Everybody knows where everybody lives, right?”
Poppy’s scrunched expression smoothed out. “Oh. Right.” Then, for no reason, she started to laugh hysterically again.
I looked back to Holton, schooling my expression. “It’s no big deal for Laeth and Deva to drop me off.”
I expected him to relent, but to my surprise, determination sparked behind his eyes. “It’s even less of a deal for me to do it.”
I didn’t understand why the hell he was pushing for this. He couldn’t get out of my house fast enough the morning after he’d fucked me senseless, but all of a sudden, he wanted to be stuck in a car with me? It made no sense. But I didn’t want to keep arguing and cause a scene that might make my friends start asking more questions.
I traded hugs with my girls as one by one they headed home with their loved ones before climbing into Holton’s department-issued SUV.
The interior smelled distinctly of him, and a single whiff was enough to reignite that coal of desire deep inside me that had burned for him for so long. It was impossible to tamp down that need, so I pretended it wasn’t there.
The cab of the SUV shrank as soon as Holton climbed into the driver’s seat and closed the door. It was like he filled every inch of every space he entered, overtaking everything. The silence that surrounded us crackled with tension as he twisted around, stretching his arm across the back of my seat to reverse out of the driveway.
His bicep wasright there, straining, his scent almost overwhelming. This was a huge mistake. I should have fought harder to take the ride Deva offered, or I could have ordered an Uber while no one was looking.Somethingother than this. But as he shifted into drive and started forward, I knew my escape had been thwarted.
I kept myself turned toward the window, staring out at nothing as the houses and streetlights and landscape whizzed by. I hadn’t realized I’d been holding myself so stiff until Holton pulled into the driveway of the tiny house I’d been renting since moving to Redemption.
He’d barely shifted his car into park before I was throwing off my seatbelt and reaching for the handle.
“Thanks,” I muttered, but before I could shove the door open, he reached out and gently grabbed hold of my elbow.
“Lyric, wait.”
Damn it.
My shoulders slumped as I shifted in the seat to look at him, something I’d been avoiding doing this entire time. I curled my lips between my teeth and remained silent, refusing to speak.
He heaved out a sigh before reaching up and running a hand through his hair. It was then that I noticed just how tired he looked. The scruff coating his jaw was thicker than normal, and there were purplish shadows beneath his eyes.
Not your problem, Lyric, I silently chided.Whatever is causing him to lose sleep is his issue to deal with. Not yours.
“Look, I’m really sorry for how we left things the last time we spoke.” He shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. “I hate the thought of hurting you.”
