Gone with the Wolf - By Kristin Miller Page 0,57
really. Everything’s being handled properly. I’m just looking forward to spending tonight with you to get my mind off things.”
Palming the small of her back, Drake led Emelia to his car, opened the door and waited for her to settle into the leather seat. He really was a gentleman, wasn’t he? Probably one of the only few left in the world. He slid into the driver’s seat and brought the car roaring to life. She took Drake’s hand as he gripped the stick shift. His skin was wet but warm, and her hand molded into his perfectly. Just the way she knew it would.
“So where are we going on this first date of ours?” she asked.
“You ask a lot of questions, you know that? I told you earlier, it’s a surprise.” The car lurched forward as he slammed it into gear and peeled out, leaving the worries of the night far behind them. “Hold on.”
She gripped the “oh-shit” handle on the doorframe as Drake drove the BMW hard, handling it masterfully around curves, flooring it when they had room on the road, and stopping at lights without a single jar. Emelia couldn’t help but throw her head back, laughing from her belly when Drake slowed for passing cops and then sped around the next corner without looking back. Once they hit the freeway and followed signs to Auburn, Drake really let loose, revving the engine to its max, speeding down the slick roadway like he owned it.
When they exited fifteen minutes later, Emelia was smiling so hard that her cheeks hurt.
“How is it possible that you’re so uptight in the boardroom,” Emelia said, as he gunned the car around a tight corner, “and so reckless on the road?”
“I’ve always loved cars. I should show you the muscle cars in my garage back home.”
Muscle cars? So it wasn’t about speed or recklessness at all. It was about power. The Drake Wilder Puzzle fit together before her eyes. Suddenly, it wasn’t so surprising that he owned a ton of cars and drove like a bat out of hell. He owned a bunch of companies and ruled over a pack, too. It shocked Emelia how easily she was starting to be able to figure him out.
“At least now I know why you take the limo everywhere,” Emelia teased.
“Why’s that?”
“You’re hell on wheels! Do you know how many tickets I’d have if I drove like this all the time?”
“Two,” he said, giving her a knockout smile. “One for going sixty-five in a forty-five zone and the other for not wearing a seat belt.”
She smacked him in the shoulder playfully. “Your background checks sure are thorough, aren’t they?”
“Not thorough enough for my taste.” His hand slid up her thigh, leaving a trail of goose bumps behind. Her legs parted on their own accord, willing his hand to continue its trek.
When they pulled into a drive-in a few turns later, Emelia swore she’d died and gone to heaven. She’d never been to a drive-in and had always wanted to go. The place looked like it had been awesome in its heyday, with overgrown lawn lining the edges of the parking pad, a swing set near the screen, and picnic tables beneath a spattering of leafless trees.
“Seriously?” she said, mouth dropping open in disbelief. “There’s a show playing now? This late at night?”
“For us, there is.” Drake rounded the corner of a deteriorating snack shack and parked in a stall near the enormous blank screen. “One of my packmates had a vision for the lot and wanted to buy it. The numbers were right, so Wilder Financial invested in the property, and he was kind enough to let me rent it for the night.”
“Wow.” There were no other words. The lot was barren, leaving sound-posts sticking out of the ground like flower stems robbed of their petals. “I thought they did away with these things. Don’t they have the sound from the movie play through the radio?”
“I don’t think he’s had a chance to renovate the place yet.” Drake turned off the engine and smiled as the quiet patter of raindrops ceased to fall on the softly padded roof. “Perfect timing.”
Drake peeled back the convertible top and let it drop behind them. He rolled down the windows, unhooked the speaker from its stand, and hung it on the door. They wouldn’t get a reprieve from the rain for long, but maybe it would hold out long enough to watch the movie.
“Okay, now this is fucking cool.” Emelia