When I glanced up, his gaze was on my mouth, hovering there for a moment before he backed up.
“It’s nothing,” he assured me, rounding the front of the truck to get to the driver’s side.
I hopped in and buckled my seatbelt. As he put the truck in reverse and pulled out of the parking lot, I leaned forward to turn on the radio, trying to find something to drown out the silence.
“It’s broken,” he said, catching my hand before I could turn the dial. “And I’ve been too lazy to fix it.”
I smiled and settled back into my seat. “Or maybe you just like the silence.”
He didn’t argue and when I glanced over, I could see him gripping the steering wheel with both hands.
“I need to text the girls to let them know I don’t need a ride home.”
He shook his head. “They’re the ones who told me where you were.”
My brows arched; I hadn’t even questioned how he’d found me.
“Did you ask them where I was?”
His gaze was on the road and his knuckles were turning white on the steering wheel.
I smirked. “You were worried about me, weren’t you?”
I liked the idea of him thinking about me, wanting to check in and make sure I was okay. The fact that he didn’t answer only confirmed my suspicions.
“You were.”
He still didn’t reply, but a slow Cheshire grin overtook my features. I leaned closer, focusing on his sharp profile. That jaw. Those cheekbones. I wanted to brush my lips across them, listening for his quick intake of breath. He was completely tensed, ready to fight, but there was no need.
“I thought you didn’t play with girls, Erik,” I said, throwing his words back at him.
The game was over; I’d won.
With one quick jerk of the steering wheel, he whipped the truck to the right. The tires thumped against the lane dividers and I lurched to the left, holding my hands out to steady myself between the car door and the center console.
He kept driving along the shoulder until we reached a line of oaks with branches hanging low over the road. He slammed on the brakes and I jerked forward. He killed the engine and the headlights faded. The sounds of the forest invaded the cabin, owls hooting and frogs croaking.
I turned to face him, praying he’d gather his senses, restart the truck, and pull back out on the road.
Suddenly, I was scared.
Suddenly, I wanted out of the game.
“What are you doing?” I asked with a shaky voice. “Take me home.”
He turned to me and the moonlight cut across his face, casting him half in shadow.
“Unbuckle your seatbelt.”
Chapter Seventeen
Erik
“What are we doing here?” Brie asked, her voice wavering. “It’s late.”
Now she was scared. Now she was the meek girl she had tried hard to convince me she wasn’t.
“Unbuckle your seatbelt,” I repeated.
She crossed her arms over her chest and stared out at the road, resisting me. I pushed off my seat and reached over to unbuckle her myself.
“Hey—”
I cut her off. “Prove it.”
“Prove what?” She turned to glare at me, fire brewing behind her narrowed eyes. “God, just take me back to the house or we’re going to start fighting again.”
Even as she tried to argue, her body contradicted her words. Her heart was racing beneath that thin cotton dress. Her pupils were dilated. Her hands shook as she crossed her arms, steeling herself against me. The air between us was charged—electric—and when she took her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down, I knew she could feel it too.
“Prove you’re not the weak girl. Prove you can get out of your head for once in your life.”
I saw the fire spark in her eyes after that. They were smoldering.
She was fierce; she wanted to be seen, and not just for her gymnastics skills. No, she wanted to be desired. Coveted. Craved. Had anyone ever touched her the way she wanted to be touched? Had anyone ever ripped that bun out and tugged her long hair, tilting her head back to expose the creamy skin of her neck?
I wanted to devour her. I wanted to reach across the front seat, tilt her neck to the side, and drag my mouth down her chest, listening for soft moans and cues for where to take my lips next. But sitting in the moonlight with her trim body and her delicate features, she looked scared. I wouldn’t touch her until she proved to me she wasn’t. If I pushed this past the point