Drive(49)

“You get it?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said, clenching and unclenching my fists. As it turned out, that half-off the first month didn’t include the one-time fee for this and the nickel and dime for that. I was flat broke and had already overstayed my welcome at his apartment.

“Stella.” Reid was staring at me as I began to panic.

I had maxed out my emergency credit card fixing my car the last time it broke down. And the rest I had saved was in a no-touch bank account that my parents monitored for my tuition.

Broke. It was hopeless.

“Stella?”

I put my head in my hands as I tried not to cry. “Can you take me to the restaurant, please?”

“Look at me.”

For the first time in my life, I was truly terrified.

I can go back to Dallas and stay with Mom and Dad.

I would call them. They would send me bus fare. But that in itself would be hell on earth. They were more than mad at me at that point. I had no choice. And then I remembered I had a job.

“Never mind, your place.”

I was pulled out of my haze by warm hands as they slid my body over to the driver’s side of the truck.

“You irritate the shit out of me, you know that? So full of questions, and no answers. What the hell is wrong with you?”

I looked up to Reid with a sigh. “I love your hands.”

“That’s wonderful, Stella. I’m fond of your beautiful tits. Can we talk here?”

“My tits, that’s what comes to mind first?”

“Well, it’s definitely not your mouth,” he said dryly.

“Can we just go?”

“Yep,” he said, yet he didn’t move as he gripped my hair and took my lips, gently at first and then fully. His kiss was , and as his tongue slid against mine, I relaxed and clutched him to me. He pulled away. “What?” He searched my eyes as I tried my best not to show him all I was feeling.

“I can’t move in for a week.”

“That’s cool,” he said as he waited. “And?”

“And? There is no and.”

Realization crossed his features as he cupped my chin. “You were worried I wanted you out?”

“Reid, you didn’t ask for this, and I’m mooching, and you hate my mouth—”

Reid released me and started the truck as I went on. “Paige hates us, and here we are stuck together because we had sex, and you feel obligated—”

Reid flew out of the parking lot as I rambled. “This whole situation is screwed. It’s like I can’t get a break, and that manager is a lying bastard. He took every single dime I had. I swear he saw my bank account balance and made up fees as he typed up the lease. It was all I had. I can’t even buy you a steak dinner at the shitty-ass steakhouse! Like, I can’t even buy you a marbled, nasty, greasy, fat-filled steak. Fuck this, just fuck this!”

Before I could take another breath, we were parked. I got quiet and looked up to see the Emo’s sign.

“Why are we here?”

Reid gave me a pointed look.

“Yes, I’m done talking.”

I was still close to him on the bench seat in his truck; we sat like old couples do on the same side in a booth. A part of me was hoping he would grab a license plate from his glove compartment that read Grenade instead of Sissy like in that movie Urban Cowboy—I loved that movie—and kiss me all sweaty-lipped like John Travolta did Deborah Winger. And all would just be decided between us, his decision. He would be my Bud/Band Nerd, and I would be his Sissy/Grenade, and I wouldn’t have to question myself daily whether or not it was okay to proceed with falling for him, like I so clearly was.

He palmed my scalp. “Whoa, it’s really getting heavy in there.”

I swallowed. “You have no idea.”

Soft eyes stared back at me. “Stella, if I were a better man, I’d tell you to go home to your parents.”

“I can.”

“No, you can’t. You’ll lose your job and your footing here.”

I swallowed and looked up at him. “I’m scared. Like really scared.”

“Then you’re doing exactly what you said you wanted to, right? Doing things that scare you.”

“Right,” I said with false confidence. “It’s what I want. This is good.”

He chuckled. “Still scared, huh?”

“Shitless.”

“Well, the good news is, you’ve pretty much already hit rock bottom. You’re poor, you’re homeless, and you have to stay with friends. All you lack now is a drug addiction.”

“Holy shit,” I said as his words hit me. “You’re right. Is there some crack around here we can get addicted to?”

His eyes widened, he scrubbed his palms together, and then pitched his voice. “I bet we can find some inside!”

“Oh, goody. And while we’re at it, let’s have sex without a condom tonight! Wait!” I said, shrugging continually and waggling my brows. “Let’s have a ménage, so I won’t know who the baby daddy is!”

Reid scowled and gripped my lips. “Stay with me. I love your mouth, especially when mine is on it. And no one is fucking touching you but me.”

I “ahhhed” through clamped lips. “Yob do wibe me.”