dinner, and Sunday, I’d like to take you out on a sunrise ride along the coast. We’ll head up north and stop for lunch somewhere you’d like,” he informs me.
“And what makes you think I don’t have plans?” I challenge him but keep the smile on my face. My stomach flutters when he glances over at me, offering me a side smirk that makes the butterflies in my belly dance wildly.
“Because you can’t say no to your boyfriend.” The word coming from his mouth makes me want to giggle. “Also, I don’t often tell anyone about my past. Colton knows because he and my father had business dealings before, but other than that, only my two best friends and my ex-manager know me. Or, at least, really know me.”
“Then, I must be special.”
“Oh, speedy, you most certainly are.” As we weave our way back home, I ponder his words. Him calling me special, saying he’s my boyfriend, has my heart doing silly somersaults, and even though I don’t want to get too excited, the newness of our relationship is fun. I get along with him, even after our initial meeting, and now that I’ve felt his lips and hands on me, I want to feel them again and again.
By the time we pull up to my house, the silence has been welcome but becomes worrying. Kayden kills the engine, but he doesn’t look at me. The tension in the car has skyrocketed within seconds.
“I want nothing more than to come inside, kiss you on your couch, make out with you until the sun comes up,” he tells me while keeping his gaze on the windshield. “I want to hold your hand and take you to beautiful places, to show you just how scenic it is in some of my favorite spots.”
“I’d like that,” I tell him honestly because I would. “But my mother is inside, so making out will probably not go down too well.” I can’t stop the smile from gracing my lips, but I quickly bite down on my lower lip to keep from laughing when he chuckles. “But I want to go places. It’s one of the reasons my dad wanted me to race. To be able to go anywhere in the world and sit beside the best of the best and show them a girl can do what they do as well.”
“Tomorrow,” Kayden tells me after turning his gaze to me. “I’ll pick you up at nine. I have somewhere I’d like to take you, but before we leave, I’ll come inside and meet your mother.”
“Thank you.” I’m sincere in my words because I know Mom would like him if she met him. And I just hope she’ll give him a chance. Men like Kayden could have anything they want, and he most certainly could’ve taken any of the girls tonight, and they would’ve most probably ended up at his place, doing things that I haven’t yet done. But he chose me.
That’s got to mean something.
Right?
I lean in, kissing him on the cheek before I open the car door and slip out. I bend down before I shut the door and offer him a smile. “Goodnight, slick,” I tell him while grinning playfully.
“Goodnight, speedy,” he responds with a wink that sends tingles through me. I make my way up to the house, unlock it, and step inside. Warmth hits me while the cool air from outside causes me to shiver.
Kayden pulls away once I’m inside, and I slide the door closed. I’m still smiling when I reach the living room to find my mom on the sofa with a book. She’s always loved reading, and when she finishes her latest novel, I’m next in line to devour it.
“Hi, Mom,” I greet, bending down to kiss her cheek.
“You smell like a boy,” she comments without looking up. She’s always been kind. A woman who was always there for me, no matter what. And I don’t know what I would do without her. “Who is he?”
I didn’t realize Kayden’s cologne is all over my clothes. “He’s my coach, Mom,” I tell her, but the grin on my face has her arching a brow as she finally looks at me from over the black rim of her glasses. “His name is Kayden, and he’s a bit older than me.”
“Oh? And I thought you were out with the girls,” she says, but I can see the hint of a grin on her face. When I was in senior year, she