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“No. I do not remember inviting you over.” He went to his dresser and pulled out a pair of boxer briefs and slipped them on. Next, he pulled on his jeans. Looking over his shoulder, Charlotte wasn’t moving. “Get a move on. You gotta get out of here.”
“Can you drop me off at my car?”
Race pulled on his socks and shoved his feet into his boots. “No.”
“Seriously?” Charlotte threw the covers off and got out of bed, reaching for her discarded clothes. “My friend dropped me off.”
Fuck. Race pulled a long-sleeved Harley Davidson shirt over his head and went into his bathroom. He ran his hands through his hair and looked at Charlotte over his shoulder, thanking the Lord above that she was already getting dressed. “Get a move on. You have five minutes, then I’m out the door. If you’re not ready you’re going to have to wait outside for a cab.”
Charlotte slipped her feet into her snow boots, pulled a rubberband from her purse and pulled her hair up into a messy bun.
Damn. If Race wasn’t so aggravated at her, he’d be impressed at how quickly she got ready. As it was, he couldn’t remember even seeing Charlotte last night other than when she was dancing on stage, let alone inviting her over last night. He’d been feeling her getting a little clingy lately and he supposed it was time to cut her loose. She was getting entirely too comfortable being around him and coming to his house.
She followed him out the kitchen door into the garage. She climbed into the front passenger seat and hit the seat warmer button. “You didn’t wear a coat?”
“No. I forgot it in my car.”
He grunted in response, then backed out of his garage. He hit the remote and watched the door lower. He pulled out of his driveway and up to Bellamy’s curb. Right on time, she stepped out of her house, pulling it closed behind her. It wasn’t until now that he realized his mistake. Shit. He shouldn’t have had Charlotte with him while picking up Bellamy.
He watched helplessly as Charlotte lowered her window and shouted, “Shotgun!”
His breath caught in his chest at the sight of Bellamy jerking to a stop on her front walk. He’d been soaking her in from head to toe. The way her hair fell in waves around her shoulders and the natural sway of her hips. Although it was cloudy, she was wearing dark sunglasses that, Race had to admit, were sexy as hell on her.
Bellamy opened the backdoor and hopped inside. In a flat, monotone voice, she said, “Thanks for the ride.”
“Not a problem, Bellamy.” Race put it in gear and took off. The ride was a quiet, uncomfortable one. He glanced down at his gas gauge and noticed he was low on gas. He should have filled it up last night ahead of the storm coming in tonight. Shit. There was no helping it. He was going to have to stop for gas, extending the time these two women would be in each other’s company. “I need to stop for gas. We got time?” He glanced in the back to Bellamy.
“Sure.” She was looking out the side window when she answered.
He gave his signal and pulled into the gas station, coming to a stop next to the pumps. Before he could shut off his truck and hop out, Charlotte announced, “I have to use the restroom.”
“Make it quick,” Race told her. Seeing Bellamy getting out, too, he asked, “Where are you going?”
“Going to grab a cup of coffee.”
“Aren’t you going to be late?” He would have thought she would be upset with him stopping for gas because it was going to make her late opening her store.
“I’m the boss. It opens when I open it.” She jumped down and hurried into the gas station.
“Will you grab me a cup, too?” he yelled after her. She responded with a wave above her head as she hurried inside.
He scratched his head and frowned in confusion before swiping his card. He pulled the nozzle from the pump and selected the grade of gas he wanted. “Fucking ridiculous how much gas costs.” He inserted the nozzle and filled it up. He glanced toward the gas station’s front door wondering what was taking the women so long. He finished up and replaced the nozzle, then took his receipt when the pump spit it out.
Bellamy was on her way back to the truck, a small smile on her face, carrying two cups of coffee. As soon as she saw him watching her, the smile disappeared. He frowned, wondering what she was up with her.
Once they were both inside the truck again, she reached between the front seats and handed him his coffee, then closed her door. It was a full five minutes before Charlotte came out and when she did, she was holding toilet paper under her nose. She got in and closed the door, not looking his way.
“What happened to you?”
“Nosebleed.” Her voice was muffled and her nose looked like it was swelling.
Race looked back at Bellamy. She was staring out the window, so nothing there. Weird. He started his truck and took off toward Bling. He pulled up in front and turned in his seat. “I’ll be back around five to pick you up. I’ll see if one of the guys has time to look at your car sometime today.”
“Thanks for the ride, but you don’t need to put yourself out. I know you’re going to be busy today.” She started to open the door, but he stopped her by reaching back and placing his hand on her knee. “I’ll be here at five to pick you up.”
Her lips pressed together, she nodded once and jumped out. He waited until he saw that she made it inside before he pulled out and headed toward Bottom’s Up to drop off Charlotte. The ride there was completely silent which was unusual for Charlotte. The woman liked to chatter on about anything. When he dropped her off, he was going to have to end things with her.
He seriously didn’t remember inviting her over and he certainly didn’t remember letting her in his house last night. Did she take his hide-a-key? Had she let herself into his house, his bed, while he was sleeping? Yeah, he was done.
