Why wasn’t he annoyed that I hadn’t done my car homework? Was he finally softening toward me? Or just enjoying the fact that the more time he spent with me, the more it would cost me?
We arrived at the dealership a few minutes later and I blindly followed Zack through the giant car lot, since I had no idea where to start. Nothing caught my eye until I saw the black Porsche buffed to a high gloss.
Zack chuckled. “Way out of your budget.”
“I can dream, can’t I?” I peered through the window at the interior.
Feeling an energy, I turned. A man in black stood by a silver SUV, his eyes trained on us. Zack stepped sideways to partially shield me from the man’s view.
“I’m under Charles’ supervision,” Zack said.
The stranger furrowed his brows. “Charles?”
“Yes,” Zack replied.
A moment later, the man smiled at me. Though he seemed less imposing than the cowboy, his too-smooth demeanor gave me the willies. It was as if an underlying ruthlessness itched to break free.
Like the episode with the cowboy, Zack and the man in black eyed each other intently for several seconds, then the man gave a curt nod and left.
Zack put a hand up. “Don’t ask.”
“Not like I get any answers when I do. I just hope you’re not mixed up with drug dealers or have huge gambling debts.” Zack and I would never be friends, but that didn’t mean I wanted him to end up in cement shoes.
“Right. Because between work and school and my family, I have so much free time to get high and play poker. Let’s get you home.”
Zack dropped me off at my house and I raced into the shower. After debating several minutes on what to wear, I remembered that Trevor had made reservations, which meant a nicer restaurant. So I curled the ends of my hair and slipped into a plum-colored halter dress that pushed up and squeezed, giving me much more cleavage than anyone had a right to. It hugged my waist and gently draped over my hips, flaring just enough to create soft folds that clung to my thighs.
After a touch of powder, a quick brush of mascara and a light coat of lip-gloss, I stepped into a pair of slip-on heels with tiny crystals covering the arch and backed up for an overall view. Not bad.
Zack would probably be wearing something nice, too. He might even smell good. Even the thought of him made my cells vibrate like flashing lightning. What the hell was wrong with me? So he had hot muscles, smooth skin and good God he smelled like freshly cut grass and wet earth after a storm. I had to remember not to breathe him in or I’d forget I was supposed to hate him. Zack was a guy who didn’t like me. I needed to return the favor.
I checked my cell for the time, then peeked through the curtain to see his Jeep pull up to the curb. I ran my fingers through the soft waves of my hair to fluff it and flipped my head back. I was making a couple of adjustments with a few wayward tendrils when the doorbell rang.
I flung the door open, a wide grin waiting for Maya.
Zack took a step back like I’d blinded him. “We’re… Y-You…”
Did he just stutter?
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Uh…” Zack blinked, then his lips moved again, but no sound came. He looked phenomenal in black pants and a dark gray sweater pushed up to expose his forearms. His hair was disheveled as though he didn’t care what anyone thought. Why was his lack of concern for his looks so sexy? “We should get going,” he finally managed to say.
I gathered my cool and pulled it close, forcing a smile. “Hi, Zack.”
He flinched, abruptly spinning and heading to his car. I followed him out and met him at the passenger side of his Jeep where he opened the door for me.
“Thank you.” Peeking inside the Jeep, I saw Trevor and Maya in the back.
“Hey, Autumn,” Trevor said.
Maya grinned, looking like she was going to burst.
“Shouldn’t one of them be in the front seat instead of me?” I asked Zack who was still standing beside me. It felt way too much like a double date with us separated into couples. Maya and Trevor made no move to rescue me.
“They wanted to sit together.” Zack made a motion for me to climb in.
I reluctantly settled in the passenger side.
“You look hot,” Maya said as Zack got behind the wheel.
“Thanks.” Finally a compliment after all my hard work. I beamed.
“Yeah, you look really nice, Autumn,” Trevor chimed in.
Zack made a noncommittal sound, engrossed in the stereo knob and finding a station. I really needed to lower my expectations where he was concerned. I turned in my seat, chatting with Maya and Trevor, until we stopped a few minutes later. Facing the front again, I saw a restaurant. Italian. My favorite.
We waited while they cleared a table for us. Maya and the boys didn’t have a problem hanging out in the waiting area, claiming a section of the bench right away. But I felt awkward with nothing to do.
“Ladies room, Maya?” I asked, still standing.
“Sure.” She jumped up, glancing back at her date. “We’ll be right back.”
We snaked between tables and dodged waiters as we made our way through the crowded restaurant. In the restroom, we went straight to the mirrors.
“Did you see the way Zack looked at you?” Maya giggled. “I think he likes you.”
I stared at her with my mouth open. “Are you kidding? He hates me.”
She tilted her head. “Really? I thought I felt a spark between you two.”
I laughed. “It’s called loathing. You don’t notice, because you’re too busy making goo-goo eyes at Trevor.”
“Isn’t he amazing?” She dug out her lipstick and opened it. “Zack’s pretty nice too. You’d see that if you gave him a chance.”
It was too complicated to explain, so I gambled that she might not notice a subject change. “You look great, by the way. Can’t go wrong with a little black dress.”
Maya glided the color over her mouth. “I just bought it. I got a few other things for our next get-together too. You think our table is ready yet?” She smacked her lips together and dropped the tube in her purse.
My eyes flared at the idea of another uncomfortable double date-ish night. “Let’s find out.”
The restaurant had become even busier during our short stint in the bathroom. Zack and Trevor were seated at a half-circle booth in the far corner. As Maya and I carefully weaved past tables and bodies, I wondered what the boys were talking about. If I tuned out the music coming from the speakers, the clanging of silverware and the din of other voices, could I focus on only their voices? I zeroed in on them and concentrated.
“What about you and Autumn?” Trevor asked.
Zack gave a short laugh. “She’s not my type.”
Trevor nodded thoughtfully. “Smokin’ hot isn’t your type?”
“Oh, she’s hot alright.” Zack laughed. “More than that — she’s freaking beautiful. But, dude, she’s way too high maintenance. She’s…” He shuddered. “Scary.”
“Autumn? She’s sweet. Maybe she’s only scary with you. Maybe she likes you, but she’s trying to hide it, because you behave like such a dog around her.”
Zack’s brows raised. “You think she likes me?”
I wanted to run screaming, but I squelched the urge when they noticed our approach. They scooted out of the booth, standing on either side of the table, so we could slide to the middle and be trapped. Lovely.
Maya slipped in on Trevor’s side, which left me next to Zack. I settled in and mulled over this new information. They thought because I wasn’t nice to Zack, I liked him? How horrifying. I’d have to rectify that as soon as humanly possible. But how? I could pretend not to care, act like nothing bothered me and be nice, no matter what. But not sweet nice. Casual nice. And a little emotionally remote. That would do it.
“We have friends from A to Z,” Trevor told Maya with a grin. “Get it? From A.” He pointed at me. “To Z.” He wagged his index finger at Zack.
“Th
e alphabet has things in the middle. With her and me, it’s just A and Z. Nothing between us.” Zack picked up a menu and eyed it.
Ouch. “Careful, Zack,” I said coolly. “If you’re mean, people will think you like me.” I grabbed a menu and checked out the entrées. “What’s good here?”
Zack squinted. Probably trying to decide if I’d somehow eavesdropped on their earlier conversation. He could stew in it for all I cared.
“They have some good vegetarian stuff,” Trevor answered. “Cheese ravioli, tortellini and veggie pizza.”
“You’re a vegetarian?” By Zack’s expression, you’d think I’d just announced I was converting to communism.
“Yes. What’s wrong with that?” Oops, my voice was too sharp for the casual nice I’d been going for.
Zack’s eyes shifted and he moved away ever so slightly.
I glowered at him. “It’s not illegal, you know.”
“I think I’ll have a double cheeseburger with bacon,” Zack said.
Hamburger at an Italian restaurant? He was trying to bait me. Now was the time to apply my philosophy. I removed all traces of irritation from my face and smiled. “That’s great. Hamburgers are high in protein.”
“Autumn, what’s the deal with Daniel and Gina?” Maya asked. “I thought I’d see them all kissy-kissy after Monday, but I haven’t.”
“Why would you think they’d hook up?” Zack asked.
Exactly what I wanted — for the uber-hot new guy to know I’d been dumped in the worst possible way by both my friend and my boyfriend. My humiliation with Zack was almost complete. My front teeth scraped my bottom lip, removing the last of my lip gloss.
“Because Daniel cheated on Autumn with Gina. I thought everyone knew that.” Maya paused, glancing at the boys, then back to me. “Did she return your stuff?”
I nodded, sensing Zack’s gaze on me. By the tingling at the back of my neck, I had a hunch he was annoyed. But if he’d given me the benefit of the doubt at the time, he wouldn’t feel like such an ass now.
“Ooh. Could I borrow that leather jacket?” she asked. “It’ll go great with some shoes I just bought.”
“Sure.” I kept my eyes trained on the menu and ignored Zack. Maybe he’d been upset to hear about Daniel and Gina because he did like her and their Saturday gig really was a date. Ick.
A busboy came by and set a tray of hot bread on the table. “Your server will be right with you.”
“Thank you.” Trevor smiled at the server.
“That was Gina with Daniel?” Zack snagged a piece of bread and slathered butter on it. “And when I accused you of extortion, you were really asking for your own things back?” he asked.
I lifted my chin and made an effort not to get irritated. “Yeah, right after she tried to pull my arm out of its socket. You have a knack for misreading my situations.”
His fist tightened on the butter knife. “You should’ve told me.”
“I did, but you were too busy being a jackass.” I dropped my bread and stared at him.
He stared back, one corner of his mouth lifting. “I thought you were totally into jackasses. Daniel’s proof of that.”
Damn, but he was sexy when he smiled like that. I wasn’t falling for it though. “Well, at least you admit what you are.”
“Okay, you guys.” Maya giggled nervously. “Let’s play nice, huh?”
A pretty brunette appeared at our table. “Are we ready to order?”
No one spoke up and my stomach was so empty, I thought it might
make good on its threat and implode. “I’ll have the cheese ravioli in the pink sauce,” I said.
After everyone else ordered, Maya and Trevor talked animatedly about movies, which left Zack and me on our own. Now that we’d gotten everything out in the open, maybe we could get past it.
“What got you interested in cars?” I asked.
“Necessity.”
His terse reply wasn’t helpful in keeping the conversation going. “So it’s just a job?”
“I like seeing how things work and figuring out why they don’t.” All annoyance had vanished from his voice. I wondered how long that would last. “What was so interesting yesterday that you didn’t have time to research cars?”
“I saw a giant wolf last night when I went out for a walk. Actually, it was the second night in a row.” I twirled the handle of my fork between my thumb and middle finger. “So I researched wolves instead of cars. But I’ll do the car stuff in the morning and still be ready when you pick me up.”
“Hmm. What did you find out about the wolves?” he asked, angling toward me and narrowing his eyes.
A tingle crept up my spine. “Most wolves are usually under a hundred pounds, give or take, but they’ve been known to get twice that size.”
He nodded. “You shouldn’t be out in the woods alone.”
My fingers stilled. How did he know I’d been alone?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“I never said I was alone…” My voice trailed off as alarms pealed in my head. “And what makes you think I went into the woods?”
Zack sighed as if I were trying his patience. “You said you went for a walk and the forest is practically in your back yard. Where else would you see a wolf?”
I glared at him. “Can’t you be nice for one evening?”
He took a bite of the bread, then returned it to the small plate. Inhaling slowly, he lifted his chin and sniffed the air. He repeated the act two more times.
I struggled to keep my voice level. “You’re smelling me again, Zack.”
“Yeah.” He must have been totally oblivious to how much he was pissing me off, because he sniffed me again. “You smell unusual.”
“Gee, thanks.” The disgust had to have been evident in my tone. Just when we were getting along. Sort of. “Thanks for letting me know,” I said with a sarcastic edge.
“No, not in a bad way. You’re a mixture of…” He inhaled again, long and deeply. “Lavender and vanilla and a little bit earthy.”
“Earthy?” I’d been called many things, but never that. “Whatever. Just stop sniffing me, okay? It’s weird.”
“Autumn,” Maya interrupted. I’d forgotten she was next to me. “There’s a carnival next weekend. We should go.”
That would be a nice break from all the drama in my life. And refreshing not to have Zack there. “I’d love to.”
“You’re coming too, right Zack?” Maya asked.
My mouth dropped open.
“Uh…” He stared at me with wide eyes, but I couldn’t think of any way to rescue myself, much less come up with an excuse for him. He turned to Maya again. “Sure, if I’m not working that day.”
Trevor shook his head. “You don’t work on Sundays.”
“I might be car shopping,” Zack explained, his eyes darting to me.
Trevor waved him off. “Not at night.”
I tuned them out. It was bad enough we spent our afternoons together without donating my play time to him.
“Maya told me about your mom,” I said once Maya and Trevor were absorbed in each other again. “How’s she doing?”
“Hanging in there.” He stared into the plate in front of him. “I’m not seeing much of her these days.”
And I was sucking up his extra time by car hunting. “We don’t have to shop over the weekend if you don’t want to.”
“No, it’s fine. If I stay home too much and hover over her, she doesn’t like it. She wants me out living life, meeting girls.” He shook his head. “But if we could meet at Trevor’s place tomorrow, that’d help.”
“I’m so sorry about what you guys are going through,” I whispered. “What rotten luck.”
“She’s had great luck, actually. She wasn’t supposed to live past eighteen.” He toyed with the little bread plate. “But she went into remission and had me, kept me safe after my dad died and made it to my eighteenth birthday. I’m lucky to have had so much extra time with her.”
I dropped my gaze
as my eyes misted. I cleared my throat, willing myself not to get choked up. “So I’ll meet you at Trevor’s. What time is good for you?”
“About one o’clock?”
“I’ll be there.” The food arrived and I attacked it, shoveling it in while still maintaining a ladylike veneer.
Lord, Zack’s dinner smelled unbelievable. I tried to ignore the smell, but that only made it harder to enjoy my own food. Half way through my pasta, I set my fork down and watched him with his big, juicy burger. Sauce dripped out and onto his plate as he bit into it. The delicious aroma made me crave his food instead of my own.
My mom had lectured me for years on the food industry — how animals were treated and the hormones they were given. And it had worked. Until now. What was up with this sudden need for meat?
“What?” Zack finished chewing and swallowed. “Is it bothering you to see me eat an animal?”
“Not at all.” I stared at the burger, saliva pooling in my mouth.
“Do you want a bite?” he asked.
I froze, my eyes wide. What would my parents say if I turned carnivore? “I’ve never eaten meat before.”
He thrust it at me. I took the juicy burger, licked my lips and sunk my teeth into it. As I chewed, the flavor melted on my tongue and my taste buds rejoiced. I started to hand the burger back to Zack, but before he had a chance to take it, I swallowed and brought the burger back to my lips. Opening wide, I shoved it in.
Zack chuckled. “Should we order another one?”
Heat rushed into my cheeks and I pushed the food toward him. “Sorry.”
His eyes danced with amusement, the dimple in his left cheek appearing. “You can eat that and I’ll order my own. It’s totally fine. I think you need it more than I do.”
“No!” I finished chewing the stolen bite and swallowed, so I could talk. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“The movie starts in forty-five minutes,” Trevor reminded us.
When the check arrived, Trevor insisted on picking up the entire tab. It didn’t feel right, since it wasn’t a real date. But since he’d snatched it up and left the table to pay, I had no other choice.