Saved by the Crush's Brother - Maggie Dallen Page 0,16

gaze met mine and he arched a brow just a bit—almost like he was mocking me.

Rightfully so. I was acting like a moron. “What do you mean, you’ll drive me?”

Again with the idiocy! But really...what did that even mean?

“It means I don’t think you should be driving at this time of night when you’re in…” He waggled his hand back and forth. “This condition.”

“This condition?” I repeated.

He tilted his head with a sigh and the tiniest of smiles that felt way too familiar. Not knowing and smug like Alex’s, but like we went way back and he could see right through me.

I wasn’t sure which I liked less.

Or which I liked more.

I ran a hand over my eyes. Yeah. I totally needed sleep.

As if he could hear my thoughts, he moved toward me and reached for the keys that dangled out of my hands. “Let me drive you home.”

If he’d said it in any other tone I would have argued. But somehow he made it sound like I’d be doing him a favor and...yeah, sure. Why not? It wasn’t like I wouldn’t love to just sink down in the passenger seat and relax.

We both moved to get in but I stopped. “The car seat.”

He arched his brows. “Excuse me?”

I groaned as I fell against the car’s hood. “Alex is going to need my car seat if he has to go anywhere.” I glanced up at Cristian. I knew exactly how nuts I sounded, but I still muttered, “It came with the baby.”

He nodded like that made total sense and tilted his head toward Alex’s car. “We’ll take my car then. One of us will get your car to you tomorrow.”

I thought about it for a second before nodding. “Yeah, okay.”

Whatever.

At this point I didn’t really care much about anything.

We got in and buckled up in silence, but it wasn’t awkward. “You can close your eyes if you want.”

I peeked over at him, trying to read his expression. It gave nothing away. Not how he felt about the fact that he’d spent the night with me, or that I’d fallen asleep on top of him or that...we might have been close to kissing.

Maybe.

Unless I’d misread it?

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

I blinked and turned to stare at the road, my mind scrambling to come up with something—anything—other than truth. I’m thinking about kissing you.

“This is your car?” I asked.

Dumb thing to say but it was better than the alternative.

“What?” he said as he glanced over.

I cleared my throat and shifted in the dark. “You said ‘my car’,” I reminded him. “I thought this was Alex’s car.”

He let out a little huff of air and I couldn’t tell if it was a sound of amusement or exasperation. “Technically, it belongs to both of us.”

I nodded and looked out the window, thinking he was done with that particular conversation. After a long pause, he continued. “My dad is big on buying our affection.”

I looked over at him, trying to make out his profile in the shadows as we drove. “I’m sorry,” I murmured.

He shot me a grin and it blinded me in the darkness. Like a flash of lightning in the night sky, it was brilliant and...beautiful. It was also there and gone so quickly I wondered if I’d imagined it.

“Not your fault,” he said.

I huffed in exasperation. “I hate when people say that,” I said, my voice uncharacteristically peevish. “Of course it’s not my fault. It’s just something people say to sympathise.”

He laughed, a low chuckle that made the air seem thicker and the shadows darker. “You’re right.” He glanced over at me, the hint of a smile on his lips. “I’m sorry.”

I grinned. I couldn’t help it. This guy just didn’t seem like the type to tease, and it was surprisingly adorable.

Adorable not being a word anyone would ever attach to this guy beside me.

“Anyway, I’ve never liked taking things from my dad, especially not flashy obnoxious gifts that were barely concealed bribes to take his side.”

“His side?” I asked. I was almost afraid to talk or ask questions, afraid to ruin whatever magic had this quiet, gruff guy opening up to me.

“In the divorce,” he said, his tone abrupt.

I swallowed. Ah.

“The divorce stuff seemed to last forever and it was…” He shifted. “Nasty.”

I grimaced. “I’m sorry.”

I waited for him to tease me again for apologizing, and when he didn’t, I reached out and touched his arm. “I’m really sorry.”

He shrugged. “It’s old news.”

But it still hurt, that much was