Page 920 of One More Kiss

“I think you’re the one being hypocritical,” she shot back.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah. Okay.”

“Okay, what?”

“Nothing.” I bit the inside of my cheek. “Let’s just go.”

I didn’t wait for an answer. I just got up and headed back to my car. When I knew she wasn’t following, I called out, “You coming?”

I knew I should stop this now, but I was fired up. I was right, and she had some nerve to get on me for saying one thing about myself. She didn’t know how I was outside of our bubble. I could be a prick. It was part of the façade I put on while I was with my friends.

We didn’t speak the whole way home. I’d opened up to her. Reached out to her. Brought her to the most important place in my life. I didn’t share that with literally one other soul. And then we made love. And what did she do? Ruined it by calling me out for something she does all the time. Something she’d done seconds before I did.

Things had escalated way quicker than they should have and neither of us tried to stop it. Our emotions had gotten the best of us, but I couldn’t help it.

I dropped her off with a simple, “See ya,” as she got out. Watching her walk away all but undid me.

I swallowed hard and shoved anger in place of tears as I peeled away. I ripped down the road going at least sixty-five in a thirty-five, but I didn’t care. My heart was slamming into my ribcage, and I needed to let it out.

The stop light in front of me turned yellow, and I gunned it. My front tires barely hit the crosswalk before it flashed red, the cameras going off. I didn’t care. Then I saw more lights in my mirror. Red and blue.

Fuck.

I pulled into a gas station and grabbed my papers before looking for my wallet. I rummaged around but couldn’t find it and rolled the window down.

The officer tapped on my window, so I rolled it down.

“Going somewhere?”

I didn’t answer.

“License, registration, and—”

I handed it to him before he could finish. From my peripheral, I watched his jaw tighten.

“Sunglasses off, kid,”

I sighed, removing them. But I still didn’t look at him.

“All right, get out.”

That made me look. “What? What did I—”

“Get out of the car.” He was getting louder as he spoke.

“Unbelievable,” I mumbled, unbuckling my seatbelt. I opened the door and stepped out, hands and eyebrows raised.

“I should cuff you right here and now.”

I rolled my eyes like a child. “So why don’t you?”

“Because I knew your dad, Mr. Soronen.”

I looked up at him, wondering how he knew who I was since I hadn’t given him my license but then realized he had my registration.

“Where’s your license?”

I shrugged. Maybe if he hadn’t interrupted me looking for it, I would’ve found it.

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