“Nice.” He sounds genuine, but hints of jealousy cling to the simple word, and I wonder what triggers it. “You don’t spend Thanksgiving with any other family?”
“No.” I shake my head. “Not this year. My mom is away, and my dad is…” I glance out the window, watching the rain form perforated streams along the glass. “He passed away a few months ago.” The words just kind of tumble out. I didn’t ever plan on talking about my dad’s death with Edge, unless it was to confront him.
He glances at me. “I’m sorry.”
Most people who heard that would ask what happened to my dad. Edge doesn’t. I’m thankful for this, but it also spikes the needle on my skepticism meter. Maybe he doesn’t ask because he knows exactly what happened to him. Since I’m still figuring all this out, I simply reply, “Thanks.”
It’s quiet again for the next few miles. If I don’t say something to derail my instant sadness, my mind will ride on the carousel of grief for the rest of the day. “I might drive my motorcycle up the coast.”
His gaze slides to mine, then slowly returns to the road. “What… or who is there?”
Is that jealousy I detect?For some fucked-up reason, that gives me a sliver of joy. “Shark teeth.”
His hand loosens around the steering wheel, a pink hue returning to his white knuckles. “Shark teeth?”
“Yeah. I like to sift for them.”
Edge’s stiff posture relaxes against his seat. He angles himself to look at me. “Shark teeth?”
“Yeah. They’re not great white or Megalodon size. They’re tiny black fossil teeth.” For whatever reason, I feel brave and comfortable telling him more. So I do. “The beach is my happy place. It’s one of the only places, besides the mat, where my mind doesn’t wander off into dark and deserted corners.”
He doesn’t respond, and I think I may have given too much away. I fold my hands in my lap and look out the passenger window again.
“I know how that feels,” he finally says. “It’s exhausting.”
He places his hand over mine in my lap. Even though the heat settles in my core with his touch, it’s a gesture meant for comfort, not sexual. He stops at a red light and then glances over to me. He seems so lost in thought, as if something is consuming him from the inside. I know I shouldn’t, but I lace our fingers together. His mouth softens, but his eyes remain hard and focused on me.
The light changes, but he doesn’t take his foot off the brake.
“The light is green.”
He slowly shakes his head. “I don’t care.”
He glides his hand from mine, up my arm to my shoulder, under my hair, then gently rests it on the back of my neck. He guides me closer to him as he once again closes the distance between us. Pressing his lips against mine, he lightly draws his tongue over the seam of my lips. I open them a fraction.
A car blares its horn behind us. Edge doesn’t flinch or rush to move away from me. He pulls back a few inches to look at me, then gently kisses me again before returning to his side of the car. He presses down on the gas, propelling us forward.
We don’t speak another word until we pull into his self-appointed parking spot at school.
“I miss this parking spot,” I tease.
His chuckle is deep and sexy. “You can have it.”
I shake my head. “Nah, you might lose credibility, and people might start to think you’re nice.”
“I would park on the other side of town just to watch you get off that Ninja motorcycle.”
I laugh. “Yeah? The other side of town, huh?”
“Every damn day,” he confirms.
I turn to look at him. “Thanks for the ride.”
His windows are so dark that no one can see in. I’m still conscious of people seeing us together. I don’t need any more shit stirred up after I finally got free of Brielle’s claws. Not that I can’t handle her, but I don’t need to give her another reason to start her petty shit with me again.
“I think it’s best if you go back to ignoring me,” I suggest.
His expression tightens, then relaxes. It’s only a quick change, but I see it. “As you wish. But you might want to be careful in the library.” The devious grin presents itself, then dashes right back behind the curtain again, only a brief preview of what’s in store for me.
