He appeared in the hallway again a few moments later with a white plastic bag dangling from his hand.
I stifled another yawn as we made for the exit. When we got to the parking lot, his hand came to rest lightly on the small of my back, guiding me to the passenger side of his Jeep. He opened the door for me, and I think under normal circumstances, I would’ve anticipated the move and hurried ahead to open the door first, deflecting it.
But here I was, stowing my board in the back of the Jeep and hoisting myself right on in.
Or trying to.
I didn’t give it quite the momentum the movement called for, and Adair chuckled as he pushed lightly on my lower back in that same damn place, giving me a boost up and into the seat.
I pointedly kept my attention fixed on fastening my seatbelt as he closed the door and went around the hood to the driver’s side.
We spoke nine words on the short drive back to the house.
Only one of them came from my mouth.
“Ducks?” I asked, gesturing to the dashboard.
He cranked the engine and rolled the windows down, the drive not nearly long enough for A/C to cool the interior before reaching the house.
“Sometimes it’s just easier to lean into things,” he said seriously.
Our hair blew wildly even at less than thirty miles per hour as we made the short drive back to the house.
The street was quiet when we pulled up to 317 Camellia Lane, and I wondered if that was why the flower had been on my mind.
I’d just swung my legs out the side of the open doorwhen Adair made it to my side of the Jeep, carrying that plastic bag.
He frowned in disapproval, but then offered me his free hand.
I considered arguing about the wisdom of it. If I fell, wouldn’t it be smarter for me to fall alone rather than taking an injured man down with me?
We’d already played this game, but in the end, I took his hand.
He guided me down onto the driveway without a word, his warm palm cradling my hand. Once I was on solid ground, he let go and opened the back door and grabbed my board.
“Are you always this considerate?” I asked bluntly. Suspiciously.
He raised his eyebrows at me as he handed me the board for the second time today.
“No,” he said hesitantly, but then his gaze flicked to the street behind me, and his lips quirked up. “Sometimes I stand in the middle of the road like a moron and make unsuspecting, beautiful women crash.”
Well.
I—
Well.
17
ADAIR
Iwas fairly certain I’d been body snatched.
Feeling at odds with my body wasn’t new to me, but this had taken it to a new level.
I should call Cole ASAP. This felt like his influence, which meant it was possible his mysterious new roommate Gary had actually murdered him. It tracked that my best friend would spend his afterlife possessing me, giving me the balls to call my new roommate beautiful. To her face.
I rubbed the back of my neck and stepped aside, clearing my throat. I wasn’t quite up for checking her indigo eyes for clues, so I let out a subtle breath of relief when she brushed past me and made for the front door without comment.
