We exit and pass my fleet of custom cars to get to the SUV. I don’t mention they’re mine. Pointing them out seems pretentious, and she won’t be impressed. Besides, I have to take the Escalade. I need to drop off the spanking bench to my storage unit before swinging by Pierce’s place later to check on the basement remodel.
Rachel climbs in as soon as I unlock the doors. I don’t hold her door, and in the back of my head I hear my mom’s disappointed voice.I raised you better.Shaking it off, I open my door. Walter hops in, finding a place on Rachel’s lap. I’d move him to the back seat, but she doesn’t seem to mind, and I still lack the capacity to form a normal sentence. Flipping on the radio, I focus on getting her to work without causing a fender bender.
Is Rachel my Aubrey?The question repeats in my mind like a bad pop song. Obviously, I’m attracted to Rachel. I’m attracted to a lot of women.Only, you couldn’t get it up for Jenese the other night.Fuck. I blow out another frustrated breath. I don’t want to think about this now. Not when Rachel’s perfume fills the cab of my SUV.So damn enticing. Or when her hot-as-fuck lipstick begs to steal my attention from the road.That color should be illegal. And especially not when I’m just discovering how kickass she is. Each day she opens up a little more, and I feel as though there’s still so much to learn about her and her life. Hell. How can I possibly have genuine feelings? This must be infatuation. That’s got to be it. Or maybe Mercury is in retrograde again.
So I like her. That doesn’t have to mean anything. It doesn’t have to flip my world on its axis. I have no room in my life for that, and I won’t be played a fool. Not even for love.
The music is interrupted with an incoming call. Mark’s name flashes across my SUV’s digital dashboard. Mark, my mechanic. I send him to voicemail with the flick of a button and avoid Rachel’s stare. Not that she’s remotely paying attention, what with Walter on her lap. Lucky bastard. He’s getting more action than I am these days.
Thankfully, Americana isn’t far from my condo. The ride goes quickly and the further we drive, the more settled I become. I’m going to take this next week to get to know Rachel. There’s no harm in that. At the end of the week I’ll have worked through this fascination. If I play my cards right, she’ll invite me to join her in my bed. Once we fuck, I won’t be so conflicted. I’m certain of it. As I pull up to the front gate, I exhale a sigh of relief. “This good?”
“Perfect.” Rachel cradles Walter to her chest, giving him a kiss on the head before she hands over his leash and slides from the passenger seat. “Have a good day.”
“Me or the dog?”
Her gaze catches mine and she grins. “Both. Obviously.” Her bag begins to ring, and she pulls out her phone, all humor draining from her face. She silences her cell and slides it back into her bag.
Protectiveness fills my veins. “Who was that? One of your roommates?”
“No.” She bites at her bottom lip. “Just something I’d rather not deal with. I have enough problems right now, what with being homeless and carless.” Her feeble attempt at humor does nothing to diffuse the worry from her frown or mine. “Anyway, thanks again for driving me, and letting me crash at your place.”
“Yep.” My throat burns with deceit. An odd feeling because I don’t tend to question my decisions. Maybe I should’ve answered Mark’s call with her in the car. But I didn’t, because I don’t want her to know the cost of the repairs. Now more than ever, I want to take care of this for her. Does the end justify the means? God, I hope so. Not that I can ever tell her. Still. I don’t lie. I wouldn’t, but the truth will only hurt her. She has enough on her plate; I won’t add to it. Forcing a casual grin, I raise my hand and wave. “Text me when you’re done for the day.”
“I will. Thanks.” She shuts the door.
I heave a sigh of relief. Jesus. What’s wrong with me? It’s one little fib. I pull from the curb and return the missed call.
“Hey, Jude. I was just leaving you a message.”
“Sorry about that.”
“No worries. I have good news! The LeSabre’s ready. Let me know where you want her dropped, and I’ll have one of the guys take care of it this afternoon.”
My stomach twists with the news.No.Rachel’s vehicle cannot be ready yet. I’ve just gotten her in my place. We’re vibing. She’s letting me in. Bringing back her car will ruin everything. She won’t have any reason to stay at my place, and I’ll have no reason to persuade her to stay. Obviously, I can’t keep it from her forever, but I need a few more days. I need the weekend.
“I’ll pay you extra to keep it until next Monday.”
Mark chuckles. “You don’t need to do that. I can store it in the garage a few more days, no problem.”
“You sure?”
“Of course. It’s not a problem, Jude. Hell, you send me enough business, it’s the least I can do.”
“Thanks, Mark.” I end the call, but my stomach doesn’t settle. It twists with a bit of guilt. Am I doing the right thing? I want Rachel.God, do I want her. But is this taking things too far? I’ve never been one to meddle with fate, but when it comes to her, I’m willing to go to extremes. Besides, it’s not as if this little lie hurts anyway. If anything, it makes her life better. “You don’t want Rachel to leave, do you?” I say to Walter. He blinks up at me from his spot on the seat. He whines a little at the passenger door.
“Of course she should stay.” I hate the thought of her moving back with her horrible roommates. If I fudge the truth and keep her car from her a few more days, is it really such a bad thing?
25
Rachel
Crap. Crap. Crap. I paste a smile on my face and make my way through the lot to the studio. I can’t believe Ethan would call again.And yet, I can. I don’t want to be on his radar. One of the benefits to starting over in a new city was that I’d never have to see him again. Now. Now, I can only hope I don’t run into him when he’s in Los Angeles for work. What if he’s already here? The thought causes me to dig my phone back out of my purse. But before I can check my voice message, a barrage of texts from my brother comes through.
Jared: What the hell, Rae?
Jared: You trying to give me a heart attack?
Jared: Why aren’t you staying at your apartment?
