Both guys turned to look. The brother said, "So?"
"So, couldn’t you use one of them?"
"Sure," the brother said, "if I want to drive an hour round-trip, and we're already late."
At this, a new wave of guilt washed over me. It was a Saturday night, and they were both wearing tuxes. Probably, they were on their way to a wedding or something. Cripes, for all I knew, I could be talking to the groom and his best man.
I summoned up what I hoped was a smile. "You know what? I'll just call a cab." I forced a laugh. "I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner." Aside from the fact I had no money.
Now both guys were frowning.
The first guy said, "You're not calling a cab."
"Why not?" I asked.
"Because, as the dickhead already mentioned, we've gotta go. And we're not leaving you here alone."
I looked to his brother, expecting him to say something dickish, like I deserved to wait alone for all the trouble I'd caused – or that I'd be perfectly fine and no one needed to worry.
But the brother didn't say any of those things. To my infinite surprise, he said, "No shit. If you think we'd just leave, you're nuts."
Huh. Imagine that. There was something they agreed on. Unfortunately, it appeared to be the only thing, at least when it came to vans and crashed cars – which is how I ended up sitting on the first guy's lap as the three of us crammed ourselves into a car designed for only two.
Chapter 5
"My name's Jax," he said. "What's yours?"
I should've been blushing. Who knows, maybe I was blushing. Here I was, sitting on the guy's lap, and I knew nearly nothing about him.
My mom would be so proud, well, if she weren't so angry, that is. But hell, she'd be even prouder if I could talk Jax or his brother into buying me dinner and a beachfront condo.
But I wasn't my mom – thank goodness. With my gaze straight ahead, I said, "My name's Cassidy, and um…it's nice to meet you."
Talk about a massive understatement. The guy had rescued me, plain and simple. And he hadn't asked for a single thing in return, at least not yet.
I felt like I should turn around and shake his hand or at least look him in the eye as I gave him my name. But I didn't dare. Already, my ass was shifting dangerously tight against his pelvis – not because I was grinding into him on purpose, but because his brother was driving like a maniac, and every corner and curve sent me shifting against my rescuer's lap.
And it felt embarrassingly good.
Damn it.
But I wasn't that kind of girl – the kind who'd throw myself at him, just because he'd done me a favor or because he was the hottest, most intriguing person I'd ever met.
Looking to silence my inner floozy, I kept my body rigid and my gaze firmly on the road, even as I prayed for the brother to slow down, at least while taking the corners.
It wasn't even because of the danger. It was because I was pretty sure that I was one good grind away from whimpering out loud.
From behind me, Jax said, "Hey Jaden, slow down, will ya?"
The brother laughed. "Why?"
"Because you're scaring Cassidy."
I couldn’t help but smile. The sentiment aside, I liked the sound of my name on his lips. And I loved the feel of his arms, holding me just a little bit tighter when his brother – as if looking to make a point – hit the gas and rounded the next corner so fast, it was a wonder that all four wheels stayed on the ground.
The brother – whose name was apparently Jaden – said, "She doesn't look scared to me."
He was only half-right. I wasn't scared for my safety, although heaven knows I should've been. But I was scared because my inner floozy was growing more obnoxious with every block.
Even now, I could practically hear her whispering, Go on, live a little. You know you want to.
I stiffened. Shut up.
But she didn't shut up. And you just know that's not his cell phone pressing against your ass-cheek, right? Feels good, doesn't it?
Desperately, I looked to Jaden. "Maybe you could slow down a little."
"Sorry," he said, sounding anything but sincere. "But if we don't get there by nine, it'll be my ass in the hot seat."
Ass?
Hot seat?
Holy hell, don't remind me.
Seeking a distraction, I glanced at the car's digital clock. The time was 8:48. I frowned. "You mean nine o'clock? But that's only twelve minutes away. Why didn't you say something?"
"Because I'm doing something," Jaden said. "Screw talking." He gave me a sideways glance. "And if you want to be dropped someplace on the way, forget it. There's no time."
I tensed and not because of his rudeness. It was because I suddenly realized that I wasn't quite sure where they could drop me. Was I now homeless? I bit my lip. Oh, crap. I probably was.
Jax was saying to his brother, "Hey, I already told ya, stop being a dick."
"I'm not being a dick," Jaden replied. "I’m just telling her."
"Well don't," Jax said. "She doesn't need the grief."
"You mean you don't need the grief."
As they argued back and forth, I sat in stupefied silence while my mom's words of warning played in my head. If you think you can just waltz back into the penthouse like nothing happened, you're crazy.
At the time, I'd figured that was just anger talking. But now that I had some distance, it was dawning on me that things were a lot more complicated than I'd considered at the time.
We'd been arguing about Dominic. He owned the place my mom called home – which happened to be the same place I'd been living for the past week. In spite of what my mom liked to call it, it was no penthouse, even if it was on the top floor.
This might've been impressive, if only the building were taller than three stories or contained more than four apartments. The building didn't even have an elevator, which was fine by me. Still, it couldn’t be a penthouse without an elevator, could it?
Jax's voice, softer now, interrupted my thoughts. "Don't listen to him. If there's someplace you need to be, say the word. I'll make it happen."
Jaden said, "Only if you're calling her a cab, because if I'm going, you're going."
In spite of my worry, I just had to ask, "Going where?"
It was Jax who answered. "Nowhere. It's not a big deal."
I didn't believe that for one minute. You didn't wear a tux unless it was some sort of big deal. I hadn't wanted to pry, but now, I couldn’t resist asking, "Are you on your way to a wedding or something?"
From the driver's seat, Jaden laughed like I'd just said something funny. "Hell no. What makes you say that?"
I gave him an annoyed look. "Well, you are wearing a tux." His laughter grated on me, and I couldn’t resist tweaking him at least a little. "Are you sure you're not the groom?"
He stopped laughing. "God no. Jesus."
Behind me, I heard a low chuckle, almost too quiet to hear. I felt it, too – Jax's body vibrating against mine, like we were sharing a secret joke.
I liked that feeling, and I let myself relax against him, even as the seatbelt dug into my hip and Jaden muttered something about marriage being for suckers.
Still, I was curious. "Okay, so if it's not a wedding, what is it?"
Jax said, "Just a party."
Funny, my mom had mentioned a party, too – something fancy with dancing and champagne. It had sounded surprisingly nice until she'd mentioned going someplace private afterward with Dominic.
But I refused to think about that now. "It must be some party if you're all dressed up. Who's throwing it?"
From the driver's seat, Jaden said, "A couple of assholes. We're only going because we have to."
I gave him a sideways glance. From what I'd seen so far, neither guy seemed the type to do anything they didn't want to, and I had the distinct impression that I was missing something important.
From behind me, Jax said, "Make that one asshole. And we're going because we promised a friend."<
br />
"You promised," Jaden said, "not me."
In a low voice, obviously intended for my ears only, Jax said, "…which explains why he's in such a sorry mood."
Before I could even think to reply, Jaden shot back, "No. I'm in a sorry mood because you crashed my car."
Jax said, "Yeah, well, I wouldn't've been driving the thing if you hadn't blocked me in."
"Oh, shut up."
"And that'll teach ya for leaving the keys under the seat."
Jaden was still grumbling. "You could've asked me to move it."
"While you were boning Phoebe?" Jax said. "I don't think so."
Phoebe? I had no idea who she was, but I was embarrassingly glad that she'd been with Jaden and not Jax, whose arms, even now, were holding me in a nice protective cocoon.
Still, I hated that they were arguing over something that never would've happened if not for me and my mom. Silently, I mulled this over, even as I noticed that with every passing block, our surroundings were growing noticeable nicer.
If I wasn't mistaken, we were heading toward the ocean – or more accurately, toward the gulf, with its calm waters and sandy beaches.
I loved the beach, but right now, it was the last thing on my mind.
At the next red light, I looked to Jaden and said, "I'm really sorry about the car."
"Yeah, me, too," he said. "If the dickhead had waited five more minutes, he could've crashed his own instead of mine."
I felt my gaze narrow. The so-called dickhead was my rescuer, my hero, and yes, my newfound fantasy. Even now, that inner voice was whispering something terribly obscene about dick and head, and a whole bunch of other naked stuff that I'd never consider with a stranger.
Pushing those thoughts aside, I gave Jaden a sarcastic smile. "Wow, five whole minutes, huh?"
His jaw tightened. "Meaning?"
"I'm just saying, Phoebe sounds like a lucky girl."
"Hey," he said. "We'd been at it since six, so it's not like I left her high and dry, if that's what you're getting at."
I rolled my eyes. "Good to know."
And that's when I felt it – the sweet vibration of Jax's silent laughter. The only problem was, I felt it everywhere – and I mean, everywhere – thanks to that latest turn, which had planted my ass more firmly against his pelvis, not to mention the thing that definitely wasn't his cell phone.
I felt myself swallow. Was Jax a five-minute man? No. He wasn't. I don't know how I knew, but I just did. He was the kind of guy who wouldn’t stop until I was a quivering mass of pure satisfaction.
When the light turned green, Jaden floored it, sending me rocking backward into Jax, whose grip tightened further even as he told Jaden, "You're just pissed she got the better of you."
"No," Jaden said, "I'm pissed because we're gonna be late, and if I get one more speeding ticket, I'm gonna lose my license."
"So, slow down," Jax said. "We'll get there when we get there."
"Easy for you to say," Jaden said. "You're not the one who's gonna hear it from Darla."
Jax laughed. "Don't tell me you're scared."
"Hell yes, I'm scared," Jaden replied, glancing in my direction. "And you wanna know why?"
"Why?" I asked.
"Because she's fucking scary."
As he said this, it wasn't lost on me that he'd said basically the same thing about my mom. Was my mom scary? In a way, yes, she definitely was.
But less than fifteen minutes later, my mom was the furthest thing from my mind. And why?
Because we'd arrived in the land of money and mansions and who knows what else.
Chapter 6
It was a few minutes after nine when the car finally screeched to a stop behind a long line of expensive-looking vehicles that were inching along on an otherwise quiet street.
The street ran along the coastline and was lined with houses that could only be described as estates – big, glorious estates, the kind you never saw in real life, especially if you happened to be the kind of girl who'd been counting pennies for way too long.
Jaden cut the engine and shoved open the driver's side door, telling Jax, "Park it, will ya?" He took a single step away and then turned back to add, "And I swear to God, if you're not in there in ten minutes, I'm telling Darla what you did last October."
Jax's body stiffened. "You wouldn’t."
"Oh yeah?" Jaden said. "Watch me." And with that, he turned away, crossed in front of our vehicle, and began striding forward along the sidewalk, heading in the same direction as the line of cars.
He hadn't even bothered to close the driver's side door.
Idiot.
Suddenly, I felt incredibly awkward, sitting on Jax's lap with the car's overhead light blazing down like some sort of spotlight, giving everyone around us a clear view of our distinctly unsafe and totally illegal position – a position that also happened to feel incredibly good.
I cleared my throat. "I guess I should get off, huh?" As soon as the words left my lips, a wave of warmth crept across my face and – damn it – settled southward, thanks to my ass pressing against his pelvis.
Get off? Seriously?
I tried again. "I mean, get out. Yes. Get out. Right."
I was reaching for the door handle when Jax said, "Hang on."
He shifted beneath me, and I heard a click, followed by the sensation of him releasing the seatbelt, doing it slowly, probably so it didn't whack me in the face or something.
How embarrassing. Now, he probably thought I was stupid. I should've remembered the seatbelt. I mean, I always wore one when I wasn't on someone's lap. But in truth, it was hard to remember anything with him was so achingly near.
Like seriously, what was my name again?
Oh yeah. Cassidy. Cassidy McAllister.
That settled, I reached again for the door handle, only to stop in mid-motion when he said, "Wait."
I dropped my hand. "For what?"
"A question. What happened back there?"
I didn't bother asking where or what he meant. I knew exactly what he'd seen – a girl fleeing a limo on a street where limos didn't belong. But none of this was his problem, and already, I'd inconvenienced him beyond all reason.
I forced a smile into my voice. "Nothing."
"Are you in some sort of trouble?"
Oh, boy. Was I ever. I had no job, no money, and no idea where I'd be sleeping tonight. Cripes, when I put it that way, even in my own head, I felt like a total loser.
But it wasn't always this way. Until just a week ago, I had a decent apartment, a wonderful roommate, and a job that actually paid the bills – as long as I wasn't too extravagant, anyway.
Luckily for me, I was almost never extravagant, probably because I'd seen firsthand the dangers of loving things more than people.
Still, his question hit a little too close to home, and I shifted in my seat, only to remember – belatedly, stupidly – that it wasn't a seat I was shifting on. It was the lap of a complete stranger.
What must he think of me? I didn't even want to speculate. "Everything's fine," I said, even as I pushed open the car door, scrambled off his lap, and found my footing near the curb of the street. And then, standing there like a complete idiot, I glanced around. What now?
Already, the traffic ahead of us had moved forward at least two car lengths, which meant that Jax's car was stopped in the middle of the road for no good reason – with both doors open, no less.
And yet, the cars behind us weren't passing.
Why?
Searching for some clue, I looked to Jax. Taking his sweet time, he eased out of the passenger's seat and joined me on the street. He gave me a long, penetrating look before asking, "Is there someplace you've gotta be?"
This was a very good question. Unfortunately, I had no good answer, or at least none that wouldn't sound totally pathetic.
In reality, I had no place I could go.
I tried to think. I had maybe ten whole dollars in my wallet. Was that enough for cab fare? A
hotel? Anything?
Not hardly.
At the recollection of my wallet, I stifled a gasp. "Oh, shoot."
Jax frowned. "What is it?"
I gave a nervous laugh. "I almost forgot my stuff."
Earlier, I'd placed my things underneath the passenger's seat, intending to swoop them up on my way out.
I glanced toward his car only to feel myself cringe all over again. My cell phone and wallet were nowhere in sight, which meant that they were probably still safely under the seat. But the tampon? That had rolled out into the open. Of course.
And there it was, sitting there in the middle of the floor-mat like some sort of tiny pink neon sign, announcing to everyone – well, to Jax, anyway – that I was on my freaking period, even though I wasn't.
Right then and there, I vowed I'd toss that stupid thing into the very next waste-basket I came across. The vow lasted only a split second before I considered how awful it would be to not have if I needed it.
I heard myself mumble, "I don't suppose you have a paper bag."
"For what?" he asked.
I was dying of embarrassment. "My stuff, actually."
"Do me a favor," he said. "Get back in the car. We'll figure it out."
From somewhere down the street, a car horn sounded, making me practically jump out of my skin. I turned to look and realized that the line of cars behind us had grown considerably. Meanwhile, the line of cars ahead of us had moved further forward.
I gave Jax's car a worried glance. "You should probably get moving, huh?"
He flicked his head toward the passenger's seat. "Get in, and we will."
We? I glanced around. "But don't you have someplace to be?"
"Yeah. I do," he said. "But I'm not moving 'til your ass is in that seat."
I stiffened. "What?"
"I’m not leaving you here," he said. "So get in." He paused. "Please."
Was it the "please" that did it? I had no idea. I didn't like bossy guys, but I did like him, probably more than I cared to admit.
Plus, I'd caused him more than enough trouble for one night – so without any further comment, I did what he asked and even fastened my seatbelt as he climbed behind the wheel, fired up the engine, and drove forward until we'd caught up with the other cars.
One Good Crash Page 3