Chapter Ten
ZACK
I glanced up as the door swung open and Mia emerged.
The blue uniform polo she wore hugged her breasts so perfectly, I was actually jealous of the damn thing.
I was parked next to her car, but far enough away from the entrance that she hadn’t spotted me yet.
I pushed away from my Jeep, but immediately froze as she turned to talk with some guy who’d exited behind her.
He pulled her into a hug, and unconsciously my hands balled into fists at my sides.
Frenemies. Not mine. Get it together, Stoer.
Forcing myself to relax, I leaned back and waited for her to move toward me.
She finished talking and turned, heading my way. Her gaze locked on mine and she raised a brow, stopping a few feet away and crossing her arms. “What are you doing here?”
“Picking you up.” I smirked. “You know, for our date.”
“Never said I was going.” She rolled her eyes and scoffed. “And it’s definitely not a date.”
“Got it.” I lifted my hands in mock surrender. “Not a date.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You’re frustratingly annoying.”
I shrugged. “Want to drive my Jeep?”
She stood up straight, letting her arms drop, and her eyes lit up with excitement. “Really?”
Hmm. My Jeep seemed to be a way in. Noted. I’d hoped it would be after I noticed her admiring it outside the diner the other day.
“If that’ll convince you to try my idea.”
Hesitation swam in her eyes. “What’s in it for you?” She let out a heavy sigh. “Honestly, why do you even care?”
Well, fuck. That was the million-dollar question today, wasn’t it? I grabbed at the back of my neck, stalling. Trying to come up with the perfect Mia-shaped answer. But the truth was, I’d do this for anyone. It was just the type of person I was.
“I’ve been where you are, and I had to figure out how to cope.
” My lips twitched as I thought about that first year on the job.
My highs, my lows, and my…coping mechanisms. “I had a lot of drunken nights before I found better outlets. And maybe my thing isn’t your thing. But it wouldn’t hurt to try, would it?”
Her shoulders sagged, almost in defeat. Like she was finally, reluctantly, acknowledging she was losing a fight or something. I held back the grin that wanted to break free. Man, she was stubborn.
“Fine.” She stepped forward and held out her hand. “But only if I get to drive your Jeep.”
I passed her the keys and hopped up into the passenger seat. It felt weird. This was a first. I wasn’t sure anyone had ever driven either of my vehicles before. And definitely not with me sitting shotgun. “Need me to put the address in my GPS?”
“Nope. I know exactly where it is. Not far from where I grew up.”
I took her in as she pulled out of the lot onto the windy road that led out of town.
The rage room was a little bit of a drive, and the farther we got from work, the more her shoulders slowly began to ease away from her ears.
Eventually, a slight smile even lifted her lips.
I resisted the urge to tug on her tight bun at the nape of her neck.
Would her hair have a natural wave to it as it tumbled down around her shoulders?
How would it feel wrapped around my fist?
My thoughts drifted to dirtier images—bending her over the hood of my Jeep as I held her hair in my hand and drilled into her, making her scream out my name.
She glanced over at me with a raised brow. “Are you going to spend the whole time watching me like a hawk? What, afraid I’ll wreck your baby?”
I blinked and pulled my gaze away with a shrug. “Nah. I’ll just buy another one. One thing you learn quickly in this job is cars can be easily replaced. Unlike people.”
The moment the words passed through my lips, Mia stiffened and some of the color drained from her face.
Shit. I was an asshole of epic proportions. Here I was trying to find a way to take her mind off things, and I likely just reminded her of the woman who died today, probably while on the phone with Mia. I couldn’t imagine the turmoil of listening to someone dying and not being able to save them.
“I’m sorry, Raven.”
Her head whipped my way, and she sent me a scowl. “Don’t call me that,” she snapped.
I flinched. Obviously she didn’t remember what I told her after taking her home the other night. Or she didn’t care that I explained it was a compliment. And even though she lashed out at me just then, I knew it wasn’t really directed at me.
I sat quietly, avoiding her gaze. Nothing I could say would likely soothe her ruffled feathers.
She sighed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just”—her voice lowered to barely a whisper—“tired.”
“Is that code for I had a shit day and you’re pissing me off?”
She smiled and side-eyed me. “I don’t need to have a shit day for you to piss me off.”
I grinned at her. “Sounds about right.”
She rolled her eyes. “Do you ever get mad? Or really sad? Especially after a day like today. Like seriously, how are you always so happy? It’s annoying.”
I laughed. “I come to this place at least once a week, sometimes twice. Destroy every single thing I can. It helps.”
We drove for a few minutes without speaking before she pushed the volume button on the steering wheel, turning up the song on the radio.
I sang along to “Play It Again.” And not just softly. When I sang, I did it with pizzazz, hand gestures, and belting it.
When I sang about taking my hand, I reached out toward her. She pushed me away with an eye roll, but it was obvious she wanted to laugh at me. She seemed ten times lighter and more relaxed than when she’d walked out of work. And damn, it was beautiful.
She was beautiful.
“You’re ridiculous.” She shook her head, her lips still twitching as she fought back a smile. “You probably do karaoke.”
She said it like it was fact. Like she didn’t need me to confirm. But I did anyway. “Any chance I get. Who doesn’t love karaoke?”
“Me.” She scoffed. “I only sing in the shower.”
I bit back a groan as images of her naked, water running down her body, assaulted me. I shifted uncomfortably, praying my now hard cock didn’t give me away.
I had to change the subject to something safer. “Have you ever been to a rage room before?”
She shook her head. “No. Didn’t even know they existed until you sent me that link.”
“You’re gonna love it.”
“I don’t know.” Her nose wrinkled. “How will breaking stuff help me forget?”
“It’s not going to help you forget, but hopefully it’ll help release some of the pent-up frustration and sadness.”
“I just want to forget.”
I barely heard the murmured words above the sound of the engine and music.
“But that’s not realistic.”
She sent me one of her glares, and I held her gaze, not willing to back down. Because she had to come to terms with that aspect of the job. If she didn’t…
“I distinctly remember you saying you could help me forget.”
“Sure. For an hour. But it wouldn’t be permanent.”
She chuckled. “Cocky are we?”
“Not cocky. Facts.”
Do not think about her naked. Do not think about her naked.
After a few more songs, we pulled up in front of Wreck It and made our way inside. I had already reserved a room for forty-five minutes, so I just had to give my name. Once we went through the safety briefing and got equipped with protective gear, one of the staff members led us to our room.
“What if I’d refused to come?” she asked as we stepped inside.
I shrugged. “I would have just come by myself.”
She looked around, taking in everything. “So, what do we do?”
I picked up a baseball bat and spun it in my hand.
“Break things. I usually accompany the smashing and crashing with admissions of the things I’m feeling.
Like…” I brought the bat over my shoulder, eyeing a vase sitting on a table.
“I feel guilty sometimes.” I swung hard, obliterating the vase into tiny pieces.
Her brows pulled together as she stared at me. “Why do you feel guilty?”
I leaned on the bat. “That I’m alive when someone else didn’t make it home from a call. Or that I enjoy being busy at work even when that means others suffer.”
She picked up a mallet. “I hate feeling powerless.” Using both hands, she brought the mallet down hard on a ceramic plate. The tiny pieces scattered everywhere. “Why can’t I help them?” She destroyed a printer with multiple erratic smashes. “Nothing I do can help them,” she screamed.
“So quit,” I offered, preparing for the scowl I hoped she’d shoot my way.
She rewarded me instantly with heat in her gaze. “Screw you.”
I laughed. “You have to decide what you can live with. Knowing all the people you do help comes with ones you can’t, versus not helping anyone ever again.”
Her breathing came in short pants, and it made me smile, although the scowl she wore made me want to laugh at her. I loved it when she was all riled up. Something about her fire intrigued me. Ignited a desire to see it again. To see more of her.
I handed the baseball bat out toward her, and once she grabbed it, I picked up a crowbar and used it to splinter an old cabinet. Pretty quickly, we were destroying stuff in tandem. The smell of wood and plastic mixed with sweat filled the air around us.
The bat clattered to the ground, and she bent over with her hands on her knees, breathing heavily.
I came to stand in front of her. “So what are you going to do?”
She looked up at me and narrowed her gaze. “Right now, I’m contemplating punching you.”
“Careful. I might like that.”
She straightened, rolling her eyes. “I’m not quitting.”
“Good.” I grinned, internally pumping my fist into the air. “Do you feel better?”
Her lips twitched. “Actually, I do. Like I can finally let out a breath. Not sure that makes sense.”
“It does.”
We returned the safety gear and walked outside. She held her hand out for the keys and I cocked a brow as I pulled them from my pocket. When she reached out to grab them, I pulled back and lifted them high in the air.
“We agreed you could drive out here. I never agreed to letting you drive home.”
“Come on. Not fair.” She jumped, trying her best to get them, but with at least seven inches on her, she didn’t stand a chance.
She stepped forward, latching one hand on my shoulder, and her chest pressed against my body as she stood on her toes, still reaching for the keys.
She was so close I could kiss her. I just had to lean down a few inches and I could claim her mouth.
Get another taste. If I was being honest—a taste I’d been fantasying about since the other night at the bar.
And as my gaze locked on her lips, man did I want to.
Her tongue ran along her bottom lip, and she leaned into me, snaking her hand around the back of my neck as she rose up higher on her tiptoes. I couldn’t pull away even if I wanted to. And I sure as hell didn’t want to.
I clocked the devilish grin on her face a second before her hand reached its destination, clamping around the keys in my hand. She giggled, spun, and ran away.
Little brat.
I laughed and took off after her. Once I caught up to her, I wrapped my arms around her from behind and lifted her off her feet.
“You like teasing me?” I asked, lowering my mouth down to her ear. My voice was gritty, unrecognizable to my own ears.
She shivered in my arms, slowly turning her head toward me with a smirk. “Maybe a little.”
“Yeah?” Our lips were inches apart and our breaths came faster as we stared at each other. Heat burned in her eyes, and I knew it reflected my own.
Her gaze locked on my lips, and I let mine drift down to hers. But in the next heartbeat, her eyes snapped back to mine. “Zack,” she bit out, a warning obvious in her tone.
I swallowed. Right. Not crossing lines we couldn’t come back from. I dropped her and stepped back. “You driving or what?”
Her eyes narrowed, but just as quickly, a mask of indifference came over her face, and she gave me a curt nod before heading around to the driver’s side.
We were quiet for the first five minutes of the drive. Until I couldn’t stand it anymore.
“What are your thoughts about my Crescent Moon suggestion?”
“Huh?” She glanced at me with a furrowed brow.
Was it wrong that I hoped I affected her so much she was deep in thought about our almost kiss?
“For the Izzy and Logan thing?” I reminded her.
“Oh. Um.” She almost seemed flustered, and that made me smile. “I’ll call tomorrow.”
I sighed. “We could just stop by for a drink.” It made so much more sense to me.
“Let me call first.” She huffed. “We don’t even know what night would be best to stop by. Then we could go for a drink.”
At least she hadn’t shot me down completely. “Fine.”
“You’re kind of cute when you pout.”
I gasped dramatically. “Did you just call me cute?”
She scoffed. “Don’t let it go to your head.”
“Which one?”
I bit back a laugh as her expression morphed into exasperation.
“You’re an idiot.”
Words spilled out of my mouth without thought. “But still, you wanted to kiss me earlier.”
She snorted out a chuckle. “No. I was just pretending.”
“Is that right?” I cocked a brow, challenging her. “You faked the heat in your eyes and the shiver that tore through you? That’s impressive.” I grinned. “You need to teach me how you did that.”
She was quiet and I waited, knowing there was no way she wouldn’t be able to get in the last word.
“I’m actually really good at faking.”
“You need to fake it a lot? Maybe next time you need someone who knows what they’re doing.”
Her head whipped my way with a devilish grin. “You offering?”
Was I? I kept the smug smile on my face and tried not to squirm under her gaze. She was going to win this one because I had no idea what to say. Lie or tell the truth—both would get me in trouble.
“What? Cat got your tongue?”
Yep. A black cat that likes to hiss at me. “No matter how I answer that question I’m screwed, so I’ll just plead the fifth.”
She glanced over at me with questions swimming in her eyes, but something more dangerous lingered there too. Heat and excitement. Finally, she smirked and pulled her gaze away.
I reached over, turning up the music, and started singing along to “Espresso.” She chuckled and shook her head at my over-the-top craziness.
Once we pulled up next to her car, we hopped out and I made my way around to the other side of the Jeep.
She deposited the keys in my palm, slowly brushing her hand against mine as she did, and looked up at me from underneath her lashes.
I stiffened. There was a flirtatious air about her now.
Paired with the question swirling in her gaze, I braced and bit back a curse.
Fuck. Please no. Do not ask me back to your place. Not sure I’d say no tonight, and that would just muddy everything.
“Goodnight, Raven,” I said with a curt nod and moved past her to the driver’s door.
I jumped back up in the Jeep and refused to look back until I was pulling out of the lot. Because I didn’t trust myself to not turn around and head straight back to her.