Page 44 of Crash & Burn
“I don’t know how to explain this, but-”
“Just take me home,” Sterling interrupts, before I can explain any further. I want to share this part of my life with her. I want to tell her about the situation with my family and how I wanted to give my mom something special, to prove that she’s still worthy in my eyes, even after her betrayal. I want to talk about everything with her. But now isn’t the right time, and honestly, I’m not sure there ever will be a right time because I’m no good for her.
I speed up on the ramp to the highway and slide over into the express lane. Everyone drives too slow on the highway, in my opinion. I look over at Sterling and she still looks upset and rightfully so. I was a dick to her. And I know that I gave her mixed signals after this morning.
“Am I going too fast?” I ask, looking over at her, hoping she’ll meet my eyes. Honestly, I just want her to say something to me, anything.
But she doesn’t answer. Her cheeks are rosy, but not from makeup. I’m starting to notice that she always wears her nervousness on her cheeks.
Her skin looks soft, like velvet. As she breathes, her chest rises and falls inside of her dress. I can’t help but admire her, even though she’s mad at me.
I put my focus back on the road, but I catch her turning to look at me, out of the corner of my eye.
“I didn’t mean to get so mad at you back there.” Her small, seductive voice breaks the silence in apology. “I’m sorry if I caused a scene. I guess I was just upset.”
“Upset?” I question, wanting her to explain. “If that was upset then I’d better prepare.”
“Yeah, maybe more than upset,” she tries to explain. “I thought you were flirting with – you know, it doesn’t matter. I shouldn’t care what orwhoyou do in your free time. But I do think you owe me an apology for completely ignoring me back there. If anything it was super unprofessional. I’m already out of my comfort zone here and it was truly humiliating.” Sterling doesn’t look at me while she talks.
I feel like an ass. And even more so because I don’t know what to say.
The highway is basically empty as we make our way back into town. I crack the windows slightly and the cool air breezes through, making strands of her hair fly around ever so gently.
I see what she means about her dress, the fabric in between the side slits rests between her legs. Crossing them exposes everything and just one glance makes my cock stir.Now is not the time, Callan.
“I’m sorry to make you feel that way.” It’s all I know to say. I’m not sure there’s anything I can say to make it right. “But I’m not hooking up with Celeste,” I add. “Actually, I’m not hooking up with anyone. Let’s just get that out of the way.”
“You’re not?”
“No.” I stifle a laugh, noticing how relieved she seems after that admission.
I think back to the whole reason my night was ruined. That stupid family meeting. The anger builds in me again, and I speed up a little more, now hitting ninety miles an hour. I don’t do it on purpose, but my foot gets heavy.
“You didn’t do anything, Sterling. It was some family stuff.” I try to reassure her.
“I can understand that, but it doesn’t excuse the way you ignored and humiliated me.” She looks at me briefly before turning to look out the window.
“I really am sorry; I know I fucked up your night. If I could, I would turn around and start over. You deserved the perfect night and I promise I’ll give that to you next time.” I don’t know how else to respond, realizing that I just promised her some kind of redo. And I really do wish I could go back in time, say no to the family meeting, and go directly to pick Sterling up for the gala. She didn’t deserve the shitty night I gave her.
I catch a hint of a smile cross her face when I glance over. I hope my apology came across to her as genuinely as I meant it. I can feel the tension in the air fizzle as she takes a relaxed sigh. She runs her hand across the sleek dashboard before leaning back more comfortably in her seat.
I’m driving my Drako GTE tonight. It’s classic, apple red, almost the exact shade as her dress with an all matte black interior. I push my foot on the pedal and accelerate in a matter of seconds. Ninety-five. Ninety-eight. One hundred and two. One hundred and seven. I look over at Sterling. She’s wiggling in her seat. I can’t tell if she’s uncomfortable or enjoying herself. But the speed of the car will be a good distraction for her.
I roll the windows all the way down, the cool air now blasting through the car. She looks at me annoyed but she’s too stubborn to speak up. She’s going to have to use her words if she wants something.
Her expression softens as we continue coasting for a few moments. Before long, she looks like she’s enjoying the ride.
She looks over at me for a brief second, adrenaline coursing through my veins as I see the ocean in her eyes.
“Faster,” she says, a devious smirk curling on her lips.
Yes, ma’am.
She throws herself back into her seat as I pick up the speed and her eyes close softly. I push harder on the gas, almost to the floor. We’re at one hundred-ten now.
“What are you thinking, Sterling?” I ask, both hands gripping firmly on the wheel. I know that the moment I allow myself to remove a hand, it’s going straight to her legs. The rush I felt when I gripped her thigh at the gala was a feeling I’d kill to experience again.
“What makes you think I’m thinking anything right now, Callan?” she shouts over the wind. “Maybe I just want to enjoy the rest of this shitty night.”