Page 34 of Tattoo My Heart
“I hate you, Cal Prentice.”
TWELVE
Tonight has not gonethe way I thought it would. At all. But I learned a couple of very important things. One is the fact that Evie is so much fuckin’ fun to hang out with. I haven’t laughed as much as I have since running into her at the grocery store. That’s what set the current situation in motion.
Another thing I learned, that I never imagined I’d be experiencing, is that Evie is one hell of a kisser. She got so hot for me, we could’ve set the Jeep on fire with our kisses alone.
I still have the smell of her invading my senses every time I take a deep breath in. I hope it never goes away.
“I should probably go,” she now whispers to me, careful so the tow truck driver doesn’t hear us.
I first just stare at her, confused but grateful that she put her top back on. Why would she want to leave? Then, I realize that she can’t, and I almost bust out laughing.
Making a show of looking around us, I then bring my eyes to her face.
“We are a few miles away from your place.” I spread my arms wide to encompass the greatness of the property we are currently on. There’s no one here other than us and the tow truck driver, no house in sight. It’s unclear how she plans on leaving other than getting a ride from the towing company.
“Oh.” She glances around and comes to the same conclusion. “Maybe I could walk?”
I hook my arm around her neck and bring her body against my side. Now I’m laughing.
“Baby, you’re not going to walk for miles to get home. Get in the truck.”
I start walking that way myself, pretty much dragging her with me. With my elbow hooked around her neck like that, she is walking at a weird angle, but she’s coming. I don’t give her a chance to get away.
Ray, the tow truck driver, who also happens to be an acquaintance of mine, is waiting with a grin on his permanently tanned face.
He lifts his chin at us. “I didn’t know it was like that.”
His meaning is obvious, and Evie struggles to get out of my hold.
“Cal Prentice, let go of me right now,” she mumbles, but I only squeeze a little harder, just enough so I don’t hurt her.
“No way, baby,” I chuckle. “I don’t need you taking off running through the fields.”
Now she’s struggling even more. Both hands come up and hang onto my forearm, trying to pull it down. When I still don’t release her, with fingers still tight around me, she lets go and just hangs onto my arm, like a monkey on a swing.
Ray is staring at us, completely unsure on how to react.
“Does she do this often?”
“Eh,” I shrug. “Only when she’s stressed. This makes her feel better.”
“Cal Prentice!”
The sound is muffled and barely audible from where her face is stuck against me. I am having so much fun with this entire situation, I don’t really want to let her go.
“I’m more than happy to sit around and watch this,” Ray interrupts my thoughts. “But I’d have to charge you more. The less stops I do, the less money I make,” he grins at me. “Just saying.”
I shake my head in amusement. I know for a fact that he doesn’t need the money. He does this job for pure fun. The business used to be his grandpa’s, but his father wanted nothing to do with it, and Ray didn’t want the employees to lose their jobs.
He and I got to know each other when Alex had an opportunity for a new business venture. It ended up making us a shitload of money. I got to invest some of the money I made off Alex’s software. Ray had to borrow money from his parents. In return, his father wanted a cut off Ray’s profit. Since it was a very large amount, they both still made a lot.
“Evie.” I loosen up my hold on her. “We have to go now, baby. Ray’s gonna rake up the damn bill. I’ll be paying more than the Jeep is worth.”
She has enough room now to just push herself off me, and she does so with a huff of aggravation. Her hair is sticking out funny, and I’d smooth it back down if she didn’t look as adorable as a little kitten.
She marches to the tow truck. I’m sure she thinks she can just get in, but it is a little higher than the average. She lifts on the tips of her toes to reach the door handle. It doesn’t open in as a dramatic fashion as she was expecting, barely missing her face when it swings out.
