“Yeah.” The pride in Weston’s voice made me smile. Starting up the engine, he casually rested one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the back of my seat as he reversed. When he removed his hand, his fingers caught in my hair.
“Sorry.” His voice was soft. His fingertips slid over the strands that rested against my cheek, sending shivers racing through me. “I like your hair this pink colour,” he murmured.
Suddenly, it felt like all the air had been sucked from the car. And now I was fucking blushing. What the fuck?
He pulled away his hand so fast that it was practically a blur, gripping the steering wheel tightly. I was sure this car hadn’t been this small when I got in. Why was I finding it hard to breathe?
As he drove us in the direction of my house, it became apparent that the stifling atmosphere in the car wasn’t only caused by whatever weird moment had happened between us. Glancing over at him, I noticed the tight set of his jaw and tension radiating from his body.
“Are you okay?” I ventured, then immediately clamped my mouth shut, instantly regretting speaking up. Surprisingly, though, he answered me.
“Yeah. I…” There was the world’s longest pause before he finally continued. “I’m fine. Just got some shit going on. Picking up this baby—” He patted the steering wheel. “—made me forget for a bit, but now…” His shoulders slumped.
What was I supposed to say to that? “Well, that’s cryptic.” I licked my dry lips. “Um.”
Thankfully, he didn’t wait for me to attempt to formulate more of a reply, because he gave a loud sigh and turned to me briefly. “Fuck it. It’s not important. Just got a lot on my plate. I’ll work it out. Are you in a rush to get home?”
“No…”
His hand smoothed over the steering wheel. “Wanna see what this baby is capable of?”
A grin spread across my face. “Yeah. Although I’m kind of concerned by the way you keep referring to it as your baby.”
“It is my baby.” A smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and the whole atmosphere lightened.
“If you say so.”
We hit the open clifftop road, and he let the car fly. Now I got it. I got why Winter was so obsessed with Caiden and his car. Seeing Weston handle this powerful machine with ease, his muscles flexing as his hands curved around the steering wheel…there was something so masculine and sexy about it.
I couldn’t afford to think that way. I yanked my head around so fast that I was surprised I hadn’t given myself whiplash, fixing my gaze on the sea instead.
He directed me to put some music on, so I hooked my phone up to his car system and hit one of my playlists.
“You’re an NF fan, hey?” A grin tugged at his lips.
“What gave it away?”
His grin widened, and my stomach flipped again.
I was so fucked.
Although the music was relatively slow and we were in a fast car, it somehow fit perfectly. Closing my eyes, I rested my head against the seat.
“Lena?” Blinking my eyes open, I realised that we’d stopped outside my house. Turning to meet Weston’s amused gaze, I opened my mouth.
“I think I fell asleep.”
“Yeah. I think you did.”
He raised his hand and brushed a strand of hair off the side of my face.
My breath caught in my throat.
Confusion filled his eyes, and he dropped his hand immediately, like he’d touched me unthinkingly and was now second-guessing himself. To save things from becoming even more awkward, I quickly unclipped my seat belt and slid out of the car.
“Bye,” I said breathlessly, turning and heading for my front door without a backwards glance.
My cheek still burned where he’d touched me.
SEVEN
Friday night was my new-car party.
Who the fuck would decide to throw a party for a new car? Cassius Drummond, that was who.
The music was thumping through the house, and I was in the mood to get wasted and find a hot girl to bury myself inside. I still hadn’t made any headway on the Martin Smith issue, I’d had a full-on week of studying, and my part-time job in the Alstone College IT department had just brought added pressure that I didn’t need. At least I was only doing four hours a week on that, but it was still four hours that I couldn’t really spare at the moment. My headaches had been flaring up too. In short, I wasn’t the most fun person to be around at this point in time.
“Mate, you okay?” Cassius studied me with a look of concern as I stood leaning against the kitchen counter. This wasn’t good. I wasn’t about to bring down the mood of the party.
“I need a drink.”
“Beer?”
“Something stronger. Much stronger.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “Leave it with me.”
“Want to go upstairs?”
I blinked as Cindy? Candy? trailed her lips across my ear, pressing her body into mine suggestively.
“Not now, Cindy,” I slurred. What I needed was for the room to stop spinning.
“It’s Amy, you wanker.” She shoved at my chest, pushing away from me, and I groaned as the room spun again. Placing my hand on the wall for balance, I staggered in the direction of the hallway. No destination in mind, but my body seemed to think it was a good idea. Somehow, I ended up in a corner of the lounge area, which was weirdly quiet. Dimly, I remembered people heading outside since it was a warm evening.
I sank into one of the chairs and rested my heavy head in the palms of my hands, willing my head to stop spinning.
“What’s wrong?” The soft voice had me dropping my hands, and my gaze trailed up long legs covered in black thigh-high socks and over a pair of black leather shorts topped with a studded silver belt. I didn’t get any further before my hands shot out and gripped the girl around the backs of her thighs, pulling her into my lap. I vaguely registered her surprised squeal as my fingers touched her smooth skin, and then I raised my blurry gaze to meet her face.
Oh. Fuck.
I buried my face in her soft pink hair as my arms went around her body, hugging her to me. Maybe if I didn’t look at her, I could pretend this wasn’t real.
“Your hair smells like candy floss,” I mumbled, inhaling deeply.
“What the fuck? Are you sniffing my hair?”
“Are you really here?”
This time a laugh escaped her, and she reached between us to grip my chin, forcibly tugging my head upwards.
I leaned back against the armchair headrest with a sigh and closed my eyes but kept my arms around her. The next moment, I felt a sharp pinch on my arm. “Ow! What was that for?”
“You asked if I was really here.”
I opened my eyes and groaned at the amusement in Lena’s gaze. Had I ever noticed how blue her eyes were before?
“Why are we sitting like this?” She waved a hand between us.
“You’re the one sitting on me.”
“Like I had any choice.” I didn’t see her making any effort to move, though. “Just how much did you drink?”
“Dunno. Ask Cass.”
She muttered something about her “irresponsible brother” and something about a shiv, but I was lost, my eyes falling closed again as the room continued to spin.