Page 41 of Corrupt Me

I pull into a drive-through next, and she orders a cheeseburger and fries without taking a breath.

“I’m so hungry,” she says, and right then, her belly grumbles.

“Did you have fun?”

“I did. What was your favorite activity?”

You. Seeing you. Spending time with you. Damn. I am fucked.

“Hmm, the laser tag and the karting. And yours?”

“Jumping and climbing, but karting wasn’t so bad either.”

“You held up the entire line,” I remind her.

A cute frown digs between her brows. “No, I didn’t. I am a cautious driver.”

“Mm-hmm, sure.”

She shoves at me playfully, and this feels too good, too familiar. I don’t know what to make of this newfound intimacy. The part that scares me the most is it doesn’t scare me at all—it feels natural.

“We’ll have to work together,” she says, peering at me as if to gauge my reaction.

“There could be worse things.”

She palms her chest. “I’m honored.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” I wink at her, and her expression is priceless. Brows furrowed, she doesn’t know whether to believe me. I’m confusing myself too.

“What is the deal with your parents?” I ask, wanting to know more about that.

“They never truly cared about my existence. It’s like I’m a stain on their perfect lives.”

I hate them so fucking much.

“I don’t care any longer.” A deep sigh rocks her chest, and she says, “Actually, I do. After being neglected for so long, it leaves scars. Maybe that’s why I preferred to stay in the shadows. If my own parents don’t like me, how could someone else?”

“Don’t ever talk about yourself like you’re not worthy of love.” If anyone is lovable, it’s her.

“You don’t like me either.”

“You want me to like you, Bailey?”

Why do I get the impression we’re talking about more than liking?

“What if I wanted you to?” she asks, challenging me.

The air gets too hot in here to even breathe, and thinking clearly edges on impossible. Pent-up desire chokes me up, and I roll down the window, inhaling the fresh air.

She takes another bite of her cheeseburger. “Tell me something about you.”

Thankful for the change of topic, I could kiss her. Fuck me.

Despite her coming across as quiet and an introvert, Bailey has never behaved like that with me. I haven’t been what others say about me with her either.

“There’s not much to tell.” Loss. Trauma. Shame. Mission. That would summarize my life.

She tilts her head, and her undivided attention strips me bare. “What are you so afraid of?”

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