Page 36 of Drive
Even in the dimness of the courtyard’s fairy lights, he could see her eyes twinkle. “I’d like that, but I rode mybike.”
All thoughts of fairy lights and shining eyes fled his brain. “You rode yourbike?”
“Mmm-hmm,” she murmured with anod.
“Down JohnstonStreet?”
“Yep.”
“In the dark.” This time, he wasn’t asking, and he was sure his tone told her he wasn’t merely curious. Johnston Street had a bike lane, but it also had no shortage of asshole drivers. Jacques wanted to kick himself. He should have known she’d need aride.
“Yeah, it’s only like amile.”
Jacques frowned, and he asked the question he’d been wondering about her since they first met in his Impala. “Why didn’t youdrive?”
Her face went blank. Her eyes that sparkled a moment ago turned opaque like a statue’s. She took a few seconds to respond, and she looked away when shedid.
“Because I don’t drive,” she saidquietly.
Jacques thought of the Mini Cooper in her garage. After driving her twice, he’d assumed it must have been her sister’s. He’d guessed that Rainey simply didn’t have a car, which didn’t really make sense in a town like Lafayette, but what did heknow?
Still, she didn’tdrive?
“What do you mean? Like you don’t have a car… or you don’t drive atall?”
She looked up at him then from under her lashes, and the corner of her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth. “Neither,really.”
Touchy subject,Jacques warned himself. But he also guessed it was an important subject, so he let go of Rainey’s hand in order to wrap his arm around her and pull her close. Then he gentled hisvoice.
“Babe, why don’t you drive atall?”
She looked down at her knees, and he felt her sigh against him. “A while back, I was in a really bad car accident.” She brought her gaze back to his, and all he could see was a bottomless well of pain. He’d seen pain like that up close. In his father’s eyes. In Pal’s eyes. Both after they’d lost what could never berestored.
“Really bad,” she added in a choked voice. Maybe he imagined it, but he thought he saw her shoulderstremble.
Jacques nodded, pulled her tighter. “You lost somebody? Somebodyclose?”
Her eyes went wide, her look almost startled. “H-how did you knowthat?”
He felt his brow crease. “Rainey, it’s written all over yourface.”
She closed her eyes and tipped her face up to the night sky, inhaling deeply. Then she exhaled and faced him again. “I don’t really talk aboutthis.”
He shook his head. “Then don’t talk about it. I don’t need you to,” he whispered. He leaned in and pressed his lips to her forehead. When he drew back, the relief in her expression told him he’d said the rightthing.
Jacques gambled and hoped his next move would also be right. Slowly, giving her plenty of time to pull away, he leaned in closer to her lips. And the only move she made was to tilt her head in welcome, so heaccepted.
Since Tuesday night on her front porch, he hadn’t been able to forget the taste of her. He’d swear on his life she tasted like raspberries. Like raspberries and longing. And the urge to have her again now sang in his blood, and it might sing there forever for all heknew.
When his lips met hers, and the tip of his tongue ventured lightly between them, the tip of her tongue was there, ready and waiting. She opened further, welcoming him and drawing out the moan of pleasure that rattled through his chest and quickly brought him to hissenses.
He wanted to make out with Rainey — like for about a week — but he didn’t want to do it in the courtyard of Artmosphere while God-only-knew who watched. He pulled back as slowly as he’d advanced, but he ran one hand down the softness of her cheek and held her tight in his otherarm.
“The first time I kissed you,” he whispered, loving the feel of her skin under his fingertips, “I couldn’t linger. Now I have a little more time but no space. I’m hoping next time I’ll have more ofboth.”
He watched her swallow in a flustered, ridiculously cute way, and she nodded. “Yeah, metoo.”
His eyes fell to creamy expanse of skin that her sweater left bare. He wanted to bring his mouth to it, but he resisted. “I really like that sweater,” he saidinstead.
