Page 64 of Pretty Wild

As I step out of the truck, TD is there. He makes a big production of checking his watch.

“Sorry for the slight delay,” I state, walking back to get set.

He snorts. “Yeah, that smug smirk on your face shows how sorry you are.”

I can’t help but laugh. “I was just being polite. I’m not sorry at all.” I wink before lowering the bed and getting to work.

TD grabs one of the brooms and a bucket and starts sweeping up any debris in the roadway, while I secure the car on the trailer. By the time I have everything set to remove the car, he has the scene cleaned up.

“Thanks,” I say, taking the bucket and placing it on the trailer. I hold it in place with the bungee strap and set the broom in the long toolbox.

“No problem. Thanks for helping out,” he says. “Even if I was giving you shit about…you know.” He glances toward the cab of the truck, letting me know he’s referring to Ryan. “She seems great.”

I shrug my shoulders and shove my hands in my pockets. “It’s not like that. It’s just…casual.”

He nods in understanding. “It’s always casual,” he starts, stepping over and giving me a friendly slap and squeeze on the shoulders, “until it’s not.”

His words reach their desire target—my brain. He’s reminding me that even casual flings can turn into more. He was friends with his wife for years, secretly pining away for her like a lovesick fool. Then, one day, he decided to take the leap. It wasn’t always easy for them, straddling the line between friends and lovers, but they got it figured out. They were married not too long ago, and trying to have a baby.

But what happened between him and Ellie is completely different than what’s before me and Ryan. First off, geography plays a huge factor. She’ll be leaving in a few weeks, ending our time together. Nothing more can—or will—come of this. Plus, let’s be honest. This is just fun. We’re two totally different people from two totally different worlds, and unless you live in a romance novel or a cheesy rom-com movie, those two worlds don’t combine. So, this arrangement will remain in the friends with benefits zone with no possibility of parole. It’s just not gettin’ out of there.

“Have a good night, TD,” I state, making my way to the driver’s door.

“You too,” he hollers. TD beats me to the door and reaches in, petting Buddy. “You be a good boy.” Looking up to Ryan in the passenger seat, he adds, “Good night, Ryan.”

“Night. Tell Ellie I said hello,” Ryan says.

“Will do.” TD steps back and taps the side of the truck before heading off to his vehicle. He drives a big SUV, and when he climbs inside, he flips off the lights in the windows and the grill.

“Ready?” I ask, sitting in the driver’s seat and preparing to take off.

“Yep.”

As we cruise back to the shop, Ryan asks, “Is this hard to drive?”

“The flatbed? I mean, it’s longer and a bit wider than a normal vehicle, so it takes some getting used to. It requires a CDL.”

“What’s a CDL?” she asks.

“Commercial Driver’s License. It’s required when a vehicle is heavier than a certain weight.”

“Like a semi?” she asks.

“Yep. A semi requires a CDL,” I tell her.

“Hmm.” After a few seconds, she asks, “Can I drive it?”

I glance her way, finding her studying me, waiting for my reply. “You wanna drive the tow truck?”

She nods. “I’ve barely ever driven anything bigger than my little BMW.”

“You ever driven a stick shift before?”

She giggles. “Not of the vehicle variety.”

My cock jumps in my pants, eager to talk more about that.

I consider her request for a few moments, ignoring the bulge between my legs. “All right, if you want to drive it, I’ll teach you. But not tonight. I don’t want to do it when it’s getting dark. We’ll have to go out on a back road that isn’t traveled often.”

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