“Do I seem fucking irritable?”
She stared at him, and so did Lucas.Then Dylan broke up laughing.
“The looks on your faces.Priceless,” Dylan teased.“But seriously.No irritability.I’m fine.I feel totally normal.”
“Without examining you, I can only make assumptions.”This man was such a pain in her ass.So how did he manage to be more endearing than obnoxious?“But since the initial concussion was mild, there’s a high chance you’re fine.”
Dylan grinned and pumped his fist.“Yes!”
“But I’m not officially signing off on you yet.So you still won’t be able to race for your club.”
That deflated him some.A dose of caution would do this man a lot of good.And yet she couldn’t help but admire his zest for life.He was so…so…likable.And good-looking in a very raw, unpolished, very male way.Too much testosterone.Too much courage.But still…
Brooklyn shook her head.She didn’t want to think about how attracted she was to either of these men.It would be wise to forget about men in general and just go on about her daily life.
Although…she hadn’t felt awkward once since Dylan had burst in here, making a scene.That didn’t make sense, because Dylan had disrupted the entire event and had these glitterati and stuffy old snobs whispering to each other behind their hands.
How amazing was that?
Lucas couldn’t recall the last time he’d enjoyed a conversation so thoroughly.And it wasn’t only Dylan Pierce either.Or maybe it was.Dylan had somehow managed to annoy Brooklyn without driving her off.He’d somehow made her open up a little.Or connect a little.He wasn’t sure how to describe it exactly.She was still formal, but she’d warmed to them.Perhaps she felt more comfortable now.
Her attitude toward Dylan—at least what he picked up from her—was interesting.It was as if she admired him in spite of her determination to disapprove of everything he did.
As for him, he liked the other guy.True, they’d had a bit of a rocky start, doing a little posturing and the back and forth about sports cars and off-road vehicles.But the guy was his type of male.Lucas never fooled around with men from his “social class,” whatever the hell that was supposed to mean these days.He wasn’t drawn to artists or creative types either.He didn’t like melodrama with men.But Dylan was the type of guy that drew his eye.
Full of life.Fearless.Direct.Simple.Had a sense of humor and a bit of cockiness to him.Someone who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.Someone who knew how to live life on a gut level, all nerve-endings and excitement.
Lucas wanted to see how this played out.And to think, he’d expected tonight to be boring beyond belief.
It had turned out to be anything but boring.
Suddenly, Dylan’s handsome face lit up.“I’ve got the perfect idea.”
“What is it?”Brooklyn asked.
Was that dread on her face?How amusing.That only made Lucas more eager to hear this perfect idea.
“You’ll love it,” Dylan continued.“Let’s ditch this boring scene.I’ll take you out to the club, Dr.Brooklyn.You can get behind the wheel and take something out for a spin.That way, you’ll know exactly what it is that I do when I’m out on a regular run.After that, you can sign my form.”
“Are you completely out of your mind?”Dr.Brooklyn looked so horrified by the idea that Lucas had to fight back laughter.“You want me to drive one of your off-road trucks over a dirt track with a patient beside me?A patient who was injured rolling one of those trucks over?”
Dylan’s grin was nearly ear to ear.“It sounds even more awesome when you say it.”
“Absolutely not.”
“It’s better than this stuffy shindig.Did you see the food?Nothing has cheese.”
Lucas chuckled.“He has you there.On both counts.”
Brooklyn shot him a look of annoyance.Dylan’s raw enthusiasm touched something inside Lucas.Dylan Pierce seemed like one of those rare individuals who had a simple and powerful love of life, excitement, and challenge.That love permeated every facet of his personality until there was no room for the petty and frustrating everyday issues that most people drowned in.
Dylan nodded.“That settles it.I win.So let’s go.”
Dr.Foster reached out and snagged Dylan’s arm before he could march off.“No way, Dylan.I’m not going to let you get behind the wheel just because I’m in the vehicle.That’s unethical.And I’ve never driven a truck before.It’s an accident waiting to happen.”
Dylan seemed nonplussed.“Okay.No jumps.We’ll head into the desert.”He glanced at Lucas, and his eyes lit up again.“Another perfect idea just hit me.We’ll let Lucas pop his off-road cherry.That way, you both get a chance to see what I’m talking about.You can’t knock it until you try it, right?”
“Now you want Mr.Fox to drive in the desert?”This seemed to throw her for a loop.“But…it’s dark out!”
