Total pages in book: 167
Estimated words: 164557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
“I have to go. Talk later.”
“Char, wait—” she protests, but I’m already pressing End Call.
I stare at my phone, the tension in my chest growing with each passing second. I feel raw. Like I’m teetering on the edge of something I can’t control.
I need to clear my head. Do something. Anything. Just anything that will make me forget about that uncomfortable exchange.
I should have never opened my mouth.
I text Dante, who says it’s cool to stop by the track, then grab my purse and jacket. I’m heading for the door just as my phone rings, and I brace myself, expecting to see Ava calling me back. Fortunately, it’s Beckett.
I greet him with a tired “Hey.”
“Hey, sugar puff. Where are you?”
“Home. Why?”
“You were supposed to come by tonight. After dinner with your brother?”
“Oh fuck, I’m sorry. I totally forgot. It’s been a night.”
“What happened?”
“I got into a thing with my sister. Got into a fight with Harrison earlier. Can I call you tomorrow? I’m on my way out.”
His voice sharpens. “It’s eleven at night. Where are you going?”
“Out,” I say, trying to keep my own voice casual. “Just need to blow off some steam.”
“Where?” he repeats, suspicious.
I sigh, because I know he won’t let it go. “Do you want to come with me?”
“Yup.”
“Fine. I’ll pick you up in twenty.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
BECKETT
Yeah, that’s the one
THE DRIVE IS MOSTLY QUIET, BUT IT’S A COMFORTABLE SILENCE. IT’S SO easy to be with Charlie. I don’t need to impress her or fill every pause with random conversation. She’s happy to sit in the driver’s seat and sing along to the pop songs wafting from the car speakers, every now and then turning to flash me the smile that makes my chest clench. She’s gorgeous.
I haven’t pressed her any further about where we’re going. I’ve already asked twice since she grabbed me from Hastings, to which she’d shrugged and told me to wait and see.
Only proving that Charlotte Kingston has many more layers just waiting to be unraveled.
I didn’t expect to like her this much. But the more time Will and I spend with Charlie, the more I find her getting under my skin. She’s so damn smart, able to hold her own in any conversation, any topic you throw her way. She makes me laugh my ass off. She gets my dick harder than anyone ever has.
And this is the first time I’ve ever felt…dread. Genuine anxiety about this arrangement coming to an end. Because it always does. The woman gets bored of it, the novelty of being with two men wearing off. Or she catches feelings for one of us, the way Caitlin did at the beginning of the semester. And then it ends. We all part ways.
I don’t want to part ways with Charlie. I want…fuck, I’m not sure what I want from this. All I know is that the idea of breaking things off with her brings a knot of pain to my gut.
When we reach our destination, I gaze at the huge AMATO RACING sign above our heads, then at the stocky, muscular man standing near the entrance smoking a cigarette. He looks to be a few years older than us, with dark hair and a multitude of tattoos.
I swivel my head toward Charlie. “What is this?”
“I’ve got a friend—that’s him over there. Dante. He lets me in after hours sometimes to drive.”
A slow grin spreads across my face. “You’re into cars?”
“Sort of.”
“Sort of?”
Her smile is sheepish. “Very much so,” she amends.
See? This woman never fails to surprise me.
We slide out of her car and step into the dark, silent night. It’s cold outside. I shove my ungloved hands into my coat pockets as I follow Charlie toward the tattooed guy. My breath escapes in white wisps that are carried away by the frigid air.
“Hi, princess,” he calls at our approach, his eyes flicking to me with mild curiosity. “So which one is this—Lars or Bjorn?”
I can’t help but snicker.
“This is Beckett Dunne,” Charlie introduces. “And sadly, he is not Swedish.”
“Pity.”
“He’s Australian, though. Which is even better, I think.”
He extends his hand toward me. “I’m Dante. Good to meet you. Any friend of Charlie’s is a friend of mine.”
“Nice to meet you, mate.” As I return the handshake, I give Dante the same inquisitive once-over. “How do you two know each other?”
“We met at a party a few years ago and bonded over cars,” Charlie explains, rubbing her hands together. She’s not wearing gloves either, and her cheeks are turning pink from the cold. “I hope it’s okay that I brought Beckett. I promise I won’t let him behind the wheel of a single vehicle.”
“Hey,” I protest. “That’s just cruel.”
Dante grins at me. “Sorry, bro. You’re on passenger duty. Especially now that I have to go.”
This startles Charlie. “You’re leaving?”
“Yeah, I was just about to text you. Kody’s car broke down and I need to go save him.” He pulls a set of keys from his back pocket and unlocks the front doors. “But I’m gonna let you in anyway because I’d feel like an ass turning you away after you drove all the way out here. Just promise to keep it slow, okay?”