“I’m an adrenalin junkie. I love endorphins. And they’re not illegal. I discovered the feeling when I was a kid. I started out with trick skating. I liked the feeling I got from tricks on ramps. The ramps kept getting bigger and bigger and I moved up to BMX stunts and Motorcross. It takes more for me to achieve that rush so I’ve escalated to street racing.”
“What’s next? Stunts with planes?”
“Maybe one day."
He was serious. “Is that the real reason you want to be a police officer? You need that rush?”
“Possibly.”
He was so cryptic. “Couldn’t you just go bungee jump or something like that?”
He was quick to answer. “Done it.”
Yeah, I should have guessed that one. “You’re weird.”
“Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it.”
Maybe he was on to something. “Your car has a lot of power.”
He grinned because he liked that I noticed. “It’s not exactly legal. It has a lot of bells and whistles I’ve added to it.”
I remembered the way his car made me feel the night I had to drive him home. “When I drove your car, I liked the way I felt when I was in the driver’s seat.”
“See? You could be a closet adrenaline junkie.”
I looked around at the Highway we were on and didn’t see any other cars. “Show me.”
He looked at me and then back at the road. “Show you what?”
He didn’t get what I was talking about. “How fast you go when you race.” He looked back at me to see if I was serious and I gave him a wink. “Give me a rush.”
He was smiling, dimples and all. He was proud of what he could do and he wanted to do it with me in the car. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Show me what this mutha can do.”
“Okay.”
I grabbed the edge of my seat and felt my entire body tense as he sped faster and faster down the highway. It felt like we might lift off the ground any minute. “Shit! How fast are we going?”
“Speedometer cuts off at 120. I’m guessing around 140 miles per hour, but that’s as fast as I’m taking it with you in here.”
He started slowing down, but I wasn’t finished getting my rush so I lowered my window. “What are you doing?”
“I want more.”
I unbuckled and got up on my knees to put my head out the window. He was right. I liked this rush thing. I kicked my shoes off and pushed up until I was sitting on the door ledge. I raised my arms up and let the wind completely take me over. It was so exciting I couldn’t contain my squeal. “Woo hoo.”
I felt the car slowing down. “Shit, girl. You’re crazy. Get your ass back in this car before you swallow a bug.”
I slid back in the car like a Duke and pulled the visor mirror down so I could try to tame my wild hair. “That rocked.”
≈ ≈ ≈
I had calmed down from my rush by the time we got back to my house. We hit the kitchen as soon as we got back and started getting dinner ready. I washed the potatoes and wrapped them in foil first and then washed and cut the strawberries while Nick prepped our steaks. Surely, I couldn’t mess that up and I silently prayed I didn’t; I didn’t want him to think I was a total flake.
“These won’t be as good as they would have been if they had marinated longer.”
“I’m sure they’re gonna be great.”
“You’ll have to let me grill for you when they have time to marinate overnight.”
That meant getting together again. “I’d like that.”
He went outside to light the grill while I finished cutting the strawberries and I watched him through the window as I stood in front of the kitchen sink. I remembered what Claire told me about the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn’t looking and I dared say I probably had the same look on my face right now.
An hour later, we ate dinner and Nick was true to his word. No one grilled a better steak than him. “You weren’t kiddin’ You’re quite the skilled grillsman. I ate the whole thing.”
“I learned from watching my dad.”
“I like your dad. He was really nice to me the night he drove me home.”
He half-smiled and then quickly changed the subject. “What about dessert? I want you to show me your culinary skills.”
There was little skill involved in what I had done. “You mean lack of?”
“I’m sure that isn’t true.”
He was placing way too much confidence in my abilities because he’d never seen me in action in the kitchen. “Unfortunately, it’s very true, but I don’t think you’re in any danger with the strawberry shortcake.”
I cut two slices of pound cake and then topped them with whipped cream and strawberries before I placed his in front of him. “Bon appétit.”
“Looks great.”
I tried to make it pretty and I guess I didn’t do a terrible job but it didn’t look like anything I’d ever gotten in a restaurant. Hopefully, I didn’t screw it up royally in the taste department.
I waited for him to take the first bite because I was too nervous to try it myself. “It’s really good.”
I felt relief wash over me. “Really? You’re not just saying that to keep from hurting my feelings, are you?”
“It really is good. I promise. Here. Have a bite.” He reached over and offered to feed me a bite of his although I had my own right in front of me. Shiz, that was sexy. The thought of putting my mouth where his had been caused my stomach to do another one of those fluttery things.
My eyes never left his as I leaned closer and took the bite he offered. He watched my mouth as I licked my lips and I hoped he offered me another bite because it was so damn sexy.
“You’ve got a little...” he said as he pointed to the corner of his mouth.
I reached with my finger to one corner of my mouth and slid it downward.
“Let me,” he said huskily as he leaned over and kissed my mouth. “Tastes even sweeter this way,” he whispered as he smiled against my mouth and that was it; I was a lost. I was his puppet and he was my master; he could do with me what he wanted.
Nick’s mouth was still against mine and I could feel the warm rush of his breath against my lips and I suddenly wanted a dessert that didn’t include strawberry shortcake. “What do you think of a night swim?”
He smiled against my lips. “I think I like that idea very much.”