where he’s seated to his hands firmly clenching the wheel.
“You going to put on your seat belt so we can leave?”
I peer up at him as he stares blankly back at me. His mood is annoying already. The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. “Are you going to act like this the entire drive?”
“Like what?”
What do I even say now when he’s giving me a ride? Like an asshole? Like the last time we saw each other you hadn’t kissed me?
I shake my head, dropping the subject. Huffing out a sigh, I reach up and pull the seat belt over my shoulder, ready to get this trip over with.
Despite how sexy he looks with his sharp jaw and his dark, broody eyes, I will do whatever it takes to make the next four hours go by without issue. I don’t have the patience for him and his mood.
“Never mind,” I mutter, facing forward. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Chapter Two
“Maybe we should just pull over,” I suggest, gripping the door handle after we fishtail for the third time.
As if the tension isn’t already high enough, his temper has only made things worse. Merric has had an attitude from the moment he showed up and the fact it’s taken us twenty minutes to make it three miles isn’t helping the situation.
He shoots me a glare from the corner of his eye. His nostrils are flaring.
“For what?” he grits out. “The longer we wait, the worse it’s going to be. The snow is coming down heavy. We’re about an hour out.”
“Yeah, an hour on a normal day. At this rate, it’s going to be damn near midnight by the time we make it to Richmond.”
He pumps the brake again, but the roads have hardly been cleared and considering how low his car is to the ground, it’s only a matter of time before he gets us stuck.
“Where are we anyway?”
He exhales harshly. “Aren’t you the one watching the GPS? What do you mean, where are we?”
We’re both growing more and more agitated as the minutes tick by. The sun has long since gone down. The snow is coming down fast and heavy, making it difficult to see more than twenty feet in front of us. For all we know, we missed a sign somewhere along the way and are headed in the completely wrong direction.
I swipe my fingers over the screen of my phone, trying to pinpoint on MapQuest where we are exactly.
“We’re just outside of Stony Creek.”
I used to visit Stony Creek when I was younger, back before my parents got divorced. My mom loved taking a weekend trip down here to check out their shops lining the small town. All the winding roads through the rolling hills are beautiful when the leaves start to change in the fall. I bet the view is stunning after the first snowfall.
“Maybe we should pull over for the night, find a place to stay. I don’t know what they have for hotels around here, but I’m sure we could find an Airbnb for the night. It’s after nine, and like I said, at this rate, it’s going to be after midnight before we get there.”
“You could’ve driven yourself, ya know.”
“What, and miss the opportunity to spend all this wonderful quality time with you?” I snort.
He shakes his head, ignoring the question.
“Do you treat everyone this way, or am I just lucky?”
“Like what, Oaklyn? I treat you no differently than I would anyone else.”
That’s a lie. Aside from the night of his dad’s funeral, he’s always been rude to me although I’ve never been able to figure out why.
“Like shit!”
I twist my hands in my lap. The silence that falls over us is painful, and I want to take it all back. He’s right. I could’ve driven myself, and I feel impolite given he’s the one who’s doing me the favor.
After a few agonizing minutes pass by, I wish I could take back this entire night.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I was up late last night studying for a test this morning. It was my last final before break, and I didn’t…”
“Oaklyn!” he interrupts. “It’s fine. I’ll pull over as soon as we can find somewhere safe, and we’ll figure it out.”
I nod. A few minutes later, I notice what looks to be a gas station through the flurries of snow, the lights shining like a beacon in the darkness.
“I see it,” he mutters when I point ahead.
He