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DOMINIC
Despite my perfectly nice invitation,Shiloh doesn’t immediately move to climb into my passenger seat. Instead, she remains stubbornly in place, arms crossed tightly over her chest.
“Is this standoff going to last much longer? I’m bored already,” I sigh, folding my own arms to imitate her defensive posture.
Her eyes narrow to thin slits, “I’m just deciding whether standing out here all night would actually be preferable to going anywhere with you.”
I roll my eyes. I can’t help it. The sooner she realizes she’s just as obsessed with me as I am with her, the sooner we can be done with this false reluctance. “By all means take your time…What’s up with the car anyway?”
“I haven’t got a damn clue,” she bites out. “The stupid thing won’t start.”
“Why don’t I take a look at it, while you decide whether or not to sleep here tonight?” I saunter over, relishing every step that brings us closer. As if reading my mind, she instantly moves away, rounding her dead vehicle so that she can pop the hood. While a disappointment, it’s fine.
I’ve already got you closer than you know, Shy Girl.
“Hmm.” I make a brief show of examining the engine. All I have to do is tinker with a few things and it’s easy enough to convince a clueless Shiloh that I’m conducting a thorough investigation.
“Alright,” she huffs. “Professor Gadget, do you know what the problem is or not?”
“Looks to me like your battery is dead.” I have to dip my head low to conceal my smirk as I reconnect the cable to her alternator that I may or may not have disconnected earlier today. “How old is this thing?” The false innocence in my voice is possibly my best performance to date.
Shiloh’s cheeks color slightly as she shifts her weight from foot to foot, avoiding eye contact. “I don’t know,” she mumbles. “Probably pretty old.”
I straighten up, wiping my hands on a handkerchief I’ve pulled from my pocket. “Well, there’s your problem. These things don’t last forever, you know.”
“Yes, thank you for that invaluable insight, Dominic. I’ll be sure to leave you a glowing Yelp review.”
It’s incredibly hard not to chuckle at her embarrassed snapping, but I manage to hold it back. “Chill, Shy, I wasn’t judging. I’ll call someone to come out and pick it up.”
“No, I can do tha–”
I silence her with a wave of my hand, already holding my phone up to my ear. She simply stands there and scowls while I arrange for a wrecker to come and tow the hunk of shit to their lot for safe keeping. Shiloh watches me the whole time, chewing on her lip again. I grow hard immediately, that enticing habit making me imagine the things we could do.
Right here. Right now.
But I brush it off–being the good brother I am. “Done,” I announce once I’ve hung up the phone. “Now, get in the car, Shiloh. I’m taking you home.”
She stews for a few more seconds, and I can almost see the gears turning in her head. Part of me wonders if she’s going to wait for the tow truck, but really, I already know she’s going to say yes. She can’t resist when I toss her a direct command. That fire in her eyes makes it obvious.
“Fine,” she grouses, giving me a wide berth as she pads towards my passenger door. This time the chuckle that rumbles in my chest is unavoidable. Her insistence on keeping as much space between us as possible is all too ironic as she climbs into my passenger seat.
Shiloh stares pointedly out of her window, her knees pressed tightly together and angled away from me as far as the confines of the car will allow. It doesn’t bother me one bit. I succeeded in bringing us together again, and close enough that I can smell her berry shampoo.
Were the means a little questionable?
Maybe.But the end result is worth it.
A couple of miles flit by as we sit in the wordless tension. No doubt Shiloh wants to pretend she’s successfully icing me out, but personally, I find the whole thing hot as fuck. I’m still mulling over my options for how to shatter that harsh exterior of hers and worm my way back in, when her phone starts buzzing loudly in her purse.
Out of the corner of my eye I watch her fumble with it, her face noticeably paling as she spots the caller ID.
“Shit,” she mutters, immediately swiping to answer. “Yeah? Melanie, hi. I know, I'm so sorry, I completely–”
Even without the call on speaker, I can hear the shrill tones of Melanie's voice as if she were in the car with us. Shiloh winces,holding the phone away from her ear like she’s nervous about hearing damage.
“Yes, of course… No, I'm on my way now. My car broke down, but I'll be there soon…I’m so–” Shiloh drops the phone into her lap as the line goes dead. She then lets her head fall back with a loud groan. “Fuck, fuck,fuck. I forgot about the committee meeting this afternoon at Fairchild Manor. Do you think you could…” Her voice trails off as wefinallymake eye contact.
“Change course? Why, of course.” I finish, already signaling to turn. “Can’t let Melanie think we’re slackers, can we?”
