Page 106 of Cut Me Down

“Okay, um, when did you get this car?”

“They dropped it off about an hour ago.” I stare at him dumbfounded. My head spinning with questions.

“Oh, it’s a rental?”

“Nope.” There’s a deep pause. The only sound filling the room is the small breeze outside.

“Okay, I'm confused. Did you have a new car on back order or something?”

“I ordered it last night.” Why the hell would he have a new car delivered to his house? What happened to the other car?

“Did something happen to the Audi last night? I thought you took the bike?”

“I did take the bike.” He puts his hands in his pockets and looks at me with a smug expression.

“Then why?” I scrunch my brows.

“I heard you didn’t like Audis.” Now my mind goes blank. How would he possibly know that? We’ve never talked about cars, and I haven’t had the chance to tell him about Cooper’s old Audi. After a few beats, realization smacks me in the face. Fucking Serena. What the hell did she say to him while I was passed out?

“So, because my abusive ex had an Audi, you got rid of yours and bought a brand new car?”

“Damn right.” He says proudly.

“Damien, that’s ridiculous, you did not have to do that.” He walks up to me and gently pulls on my chin. Pulling my lips only close enough to graze our mouths together.

“If I say, do, or own anything that reminds you of that piece of shit, it’ll be gone in a matter of minutes. Slang term? I'll never speak it again. Same car? I'll blow it up. Something aboutourhome reminds you of him? Consider it sold. I’ll make sure there’s nothing left on this planet that will even resemble the smallest bits of him. He’s beneath you, and I'll do anything to rid this planet of every reminder of him.”

I melt. He certainly has a way with words. He doesn’t speak like a scholar, or a literary genius, but he says how he feels. Nothing is ever confusing about what he says, and it could be his deep, soothing voice, but he always intends for it to be a compliment. I gently lay my hand on his wrist.

“Nothing about you reminds me of him. You two are nothing alike, and a car wouldn't change that.” He nudges our noses together before quickly placing a quick kiss on my lips.

“Yeah, but just in case.” He smirks at me, and opens my door to thisverynice, all black, luxury, Dodge Charger.

About five minutes into the drive, I made him play twenty questions. So far I’ve learned that, his middle name is Alexander, he loves to go to the movies, his favorite season is fall, he does not have any allergies, his favorite animals are dogs, and that his parents own a lake house where he used to spend his summers. We have almost all of that in common, except my parents didn’t own a lake house. They had a favorite spot by the lake and lived in a tent for a week once, and I had to call in a missing person’s report for them at fifteen. They found them at that spot on the lake, but it's so not the same.

“What did you want to be when you grew up?” I ask. “I’m going to guess and say not a vigilante.”

“For the longest time, I wanted to be an astronaut. I always believed it was like they showed on Star Wars or Star Trek. Of course, when I turned eleven and found out it was all a lie, I didn’t want to be an astronaut anymore.”

I giggle, finding his answer endearingly innocent.

“That’s adorable.”

“What about you?” He asks.

“I wanted to be a teacher until I was about fourteen and I was told how little money they made.” We laugh. “I wanted to be an elementary school teacher. I love kids, but you know, life. So, I took cosmetology in high school instead so I could work as soon as I got my license, and Emmett taught me the rest.” I try and contemplate my next question, knowing that I'll also have to answer it. “What did you love as a kid, but you hate now as an adult?”

“Cotton candy.” I gasp and gently nudge his shoulder.

“Shut up! I love cotton candy! Why do you hate it?”

“It’s not the flavor, it’s the texture. I feel like I'm eating spider webs.” He shudders his shoulders and slightly sticks out his tongue as I laugh.

“Oh, okay, so you like cotton candy flavored things?”

“Yes.” He nods confidently.

“Perfect, I'll let it slide then.” We giggle and glance at each other.

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