Page 56 of Moonlight and Mischief
“You’re a great teacher. And you’re funny,” he praises, taking my hand, flipping it, and kissing my wrist. I can’t help but be disappointed I’m in my own chair and not in his lap. Public space and all.
Back in his car, he pulls out of town, but then slows and parks on the side of the road.
“Whatcha doing?” I ask, fidgeting with the leather seam of my seat.
Jasper smirks. “I think you should drive.”
Spluttering, I shake my head. “No thank you. This is a really nice car. I’d rather learn on a junker so if I screw something up, it’snot a huge deal.”
“It’s fine,” he insists, running his hands over the steering wheel.
“Bad idea.”
He opens his door and slides one leg out. “I’ll be right here. We can go slow.”
“Seriously, what if I bust your car?” I say, reaching over to grab his sleeve and keep him from climbing out of the vehicle.
“Marigold, you can do this.” The command in his voice silences me.
The driver’s seat is overwhelming, with so many indicators and knobs. Jasper points out the speed and how to change from Park to Drive to Reverse. I know the basic mechanics, but I’ve never tried to use them.
“Foot on the brake, and take it from Park to Drive,” he instructs. I hold down the brake so hard, I expect to snap the pedal.
“Now ease off the brake, and it’ll start rolling forward, and you can steer us off the shoulder into the road.”
Gritting my teeth, I lift my foot, only to slam it back down when the car lurches forward a few inches.
“Try again,” he orders, his hand coming up under my hair to massage the nape of my neck.
On the second attempt, I manage to roll along the side of the road. Slowly, I pull the wheel to the left until we’re drifting onto the pavement.
“Okay, you’ll need to add a bit of gas before another car comes along and gets pissed we’re going five miles per hour.” I shoot him an alarmed look and he laughs, his hand squeezing the base of my neck, thumbrubbing circles. Tentatively, I press down on the gas pedal. The second we surge forward, I yank my foot back and he smiles at me. “It’s okay, Sunshine, try again.”
Soon enough we’re hurtling down the road at an impressive twenty miles-per-hour. But once another car pulls up and swings around us with a honk, I lose my nerve.
“Can that be enough?” I ask, my knuckles white on the steering wheel.
“If that’s what you want,” he agrees and then jerks forward when I tap the break harder than I meant to. Somehow I manage to slow and pull off into the grassy shoulder. A bush scrapes along the side of his car and I cringe, but Jasper seems unbothered. I reach for the door handle to get out, but he grabs my forearm and pushes the button to turn the car off. “Where are you going?”
“Swapping back,” I say, frowning at him.
“You can climb right across,” he says with a cocky tilt of his head.
Rolling my eyes, a reach for the door. “Yeah, I don’t think so. I’m too clumsy for that.” The center console is fairly low and flush, but I still don’t like my odds of not kneeing him in the groin.
His eyes spark. Oh, crap, I know what that look means.
Before I can open the glossy black door handle, hands grab my waist and I’m hauled over the center console into his lap. I want to be angry, but I’d spent our coffee date wishing I was here, so it seemshypocritical to put up a fuss.
For a moment, he holds me, his brassy grin softening while he inspects me. Unable to help myself, I reach up and drag my fingers through his hair. He leans into my touch, eyelids drooping as he enjoys my nails against his scalp.
I love him like this. He’s still charming, but the polished edges are washed away to show something real and genuine underneath.
Leveraging against the door and the dash, I lift one leg across until I’m straddling him.
“You make me crazy,” he murmurs, his hands falling to my hips and slowly stroking over the fabric of my dress.
“I think you were already crazy,” I tease.
