know her. I thought about her in that lacy teddy. “She usually calls me on my shit.”
Ryan laughed. “Undeserved?”
I shook my head. “Nope. She calls it like she sees it. And she’s usually right.”
Ryan’s look of amusement was evident. “That sounds like someone you’ve never dated.”
“Married,” I corrected. “We’re getting married.”
He tossed some money on the table. “I need to get home. Early practice tomorrow morning. Want me to give you a lift home?”
I shook my head. “I’m going to call Charlie.”
His eyebrows shot up. “I can drive you.”
For some reason, I wanted to see her. “She won’t mind.”
She would mind. It’d probably annoy the hell out of her, but that would not stop me.
Ryan grinned as he patted me on the shoulder. “This is going to be so interesting.”
“What is?”
He shook his head. “Never mind. Say hi to Charlie for me.”
I waited until he left before I ordered her a cab and then dialed her number.
“Hello?” Her voice sounded sleepy.
“Charlie, I need your help.”
Her voice sounded more alert. “What?”
“I need you to take a cab to where I am and drive my car home for me.”
She didn’t even question that skewed logic. Wouldn’t it be simpler for me to take a cab home?
Instead, she answered, “I’ll call a cab.”
“There’s one on the way.”
I waited outside for her cab to arrive. When she got out, I paid for her ride and then we walked without speaking to my Porsche. I watched as she got in the driver’s seat and then froze when she looked between us.
“I forgot this is a standard. I only know how to drive an automatic.”
“I’ll teach you.”
She took forever to figure out how to adjust the seat before she turned back to me. “We could take an Uber.”
“Foot on the clutch and the other foot on the brake.” I leaned forward and pushed the ignition button. The car reverberated with power beneath us.
She clutched the steering wheel with both hands, showing white knuckles. “This is a mistake.”
“You can do it.”
“Your week will get way worse if I crash your car.”
I reached over and shifted the car into first gear. “You’re not going to crash. Now take your foot off the brake. Slowly give the car gas and at the same time, slowly take your foot off the clutch.”
She did what I instructed, and the car jerked forward in a bunny hop motion before it stalled.
Her voice was a wail. “I can’t do this.”
To be honest, I didn’t give a shit about my car. I wanted her to believe in herself. She would learn to drive a stick shift even if it cost me my transmission.
“Yes, you can.” I shook the gear shift loose. “Start over.”
Ten minutes later, we were crawling over the Burrard Street bridge with a convoy of pissed-off drivers behind us.
She hadn’t given up, and she was doing it. I enjoyed needling her. “You can go more than 30 kilometers an hour.”
Stress made her tone caustic. “Shut up, Petrov.”
I laughed, not caring that cars were honking as they blew past us. They could all piss off.
“Why did you make me drive?” She was clutching the steering wheel like her life depended on it. “Why couldn’t we take an Uber home?”
“Variety.”
“You’re nuts.”
“Okay, we’re going to gear up here a bit. Same thing. Clutch.” I shifted the gears for her. “Now more gas.”
She made a cute little noise in her throat as the car leaped forward. “I hate you, and I hate your car.”
I lazily studied her. She was still wearing my hoodie. I had a vision of her wearing that lace thing with just my hoodie over top, and my brain almost melted.
“You buy any more outfits like that?” The words came out of me with no filter. I had no business asking her this, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.
Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “I… yes. I will pay you back.”
I didn’t give a shit about the money, but the question crossed my mind why she was buying lingerie that screamed sex. We had no plans on becoming intimate, which made me wonder if she had someone else in mind when she had purchased those things. The thought pissed me off.
My voice hardened. “Who are you planning on wearing those for?”
“They’re just for me.”
I could live with that. “Good.”
She glanced at me, but she didn’t speak.
“What else did you buy?” The words blurted out of me again.
What the hell, Petrov?
Her voice sounded slightly breathless. “Some different colors. Some are more racy.