Page 7 of Furious (The Six Six Six Rule #2)

Don’t Hurt Me

ZARA

A res’s Jeep makes a shrieking sound, like chalk scraping on a blackboard. Or like something is being ground to dust.

I hit the brake and the car jolts to an abrupt stop. The seatbelt does its job, but it digs painfully against my chest.

“You need to step fully on the clutch, princess. This is what happens when you don’t. The gear won’t be engaged.” Ares explains, his tone is way more patient than I would have given him credit for.

“Sorry.” I groan. “I thought I did.” I wipe a sheen of sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand and I exhale.

I’m so tense that all my muscles hurt right now. “What I don’t understand,” I whine. “Is why are you teaching me to drive a stick? If I get a license and I can borrow Mom’s car, or eventually get my own, it isn’t going to be a manual transmission.”

“It’s a family tradition,” Ares chuckles, pulling up the handbrake.

“My brothers and I all learned how to drive in this car. Dad was adamant that if we knew how to drive a stick, driving an automatic transmission would be a breeze. And I’m pretty sure once he comes back, he’s going to insist that you learn the same way we did. ”

I let go of the steering wheel, flexing my stiff fingers. I’ve been holding on with a death-grip and my joints hurt like hell.

“I didn’t even know you guys had a manual transmission vehicle.”

Ares’s smile widens. “This belonged to Dad when he was in high school. He had to work a part-time job to buy it and he had to fix it up to make sure it ran properly. He bought a few more cars once he got his NHL contract, but he loves this old beat up Jeep. So he kept it, and he made sure we all learned how to drive in it.”

This family tradition is actually very sweet.

I miss doing things with my dad. Riding with him was my favorite thing in the world.

I would have spent all my time with him on the racetrack or in the garage, to Mom’s chagrin.

Once Dad moved out, I missed the noise of his race bike, the scent of gasoline in the air.

But the thing I missed the most was the sense of freedom when you’re going over a hundred miles an hour on two wheels.

In reality, Dad’s race bike's top speed would exceed two hundred miles per hour, but he never went that fast with me on it.

No matter how much I begged. I guess he knew that Mom would have literally killed him if I had gotten home with so much as a scratch after riding with him.

He taught me how to ride on a bike he bought just for me; something not nearly as fast as the bikes built for racing. A lot of them aren’t even street legal. But I loved it anyway. It was our little secret.

“I love family traditions.” I smile. “But I wish your tradition wasn’t learning to drive on something way more difficult. I don’t want you to think that I suck at this and give up on teaching me.”

Ares smiles, taking one of my hands into his much bigger, slightly rough one. “It’s your first time driving, princess. And you’ve been at it for five minutes. Give yourself some credit.”

His tone is soft, and he’s rubbing the space between my thumb and index finger while he speaks to me.

He’s trying to calm me down, but his touch has the opposite effect. My skin comes alive under his touch and the way he’s looking at me makes it hard to breathe.

Ares’s blue-gray eyes are a glittering silver right now and if I get to look into them, I don’t care if driving the Jeep blows. I mean, not that I get to look into his eyes while I’m driving. But I love spending time with him, no matter what we’re doing.

“Thank you for being so patient.” I say, wishing he was touching much more than my hand.

“I just like to spend time with you, Zara.”

My heart expands in my chest at his words. The last time Ares and I were alone together, he was seconds away from kicking me out of his apartment. His dad’s demands that we treat each other like siblings had made him decide that spending time together wasn’t a good idea.

I can still hear him telling me that we should just be friends. Right before he kissed me.

All of a sudden, I couldn’t care less about driving. The seatbelt is keeping me pinned to my seat and I toy with the idea of unfastening it and leaning closer to my stepbrother.

The only thing that keeps me from acting on my urge is that I like the way he’s looking at me right now; the tone of his voice. The last thing I want to do is to ruin this moment.

Ares releases his own seatbelt before unbuckling mine.

Maybe the universe is listening to my wishes, and he’s going to kiss me again.

“I really like spending time with you, princess.” He repeats. “But I have to tell you something.”

Ok, so maybe I spoke too soon, and the universe isn’t listening after all. Nothing good ever followed the words “I have to tell you something.”

But Ares doesn’t let go of my hand, so it can’t be that bad. Right?

“This morning while I was on duty, I bumped into your ex, Calvin Fox. It looks like he’s looking for a job in town.”

This doesn’t come as news to me, since I heard his brother telling Chance and Lev that Cal wants to race them.

Is it possible that Ares knows about the secret race Dave and Cal are organizing this weekend just outside of campus?

I don’t think so. When he came to pick me up to take me driving, he saw Chance and Lev.

If he knew about the race, there’s no way he would be so calm.

A crazy idea comes to mind. Maybe I should tell Ares about it. I don’t trust Cal to play fair, and maybe Ares can talk Chance and Lev out of it. I would, but they don’t know I followed them, so I’m not supposed to know.

I open my mouth to say something, but I change my mind.

Ares might be Chance’s brother, but he’s also a cop.

If he knew about the race, he would be obligated to do something about it.

Maybe he would have to report it to the sheriff.

With the new law that makes just keeping a motorcycle within city limits illegal, that’s a risk I can’t take.

If Ares got Chance and Lev in trouble with the law—and most of all with Scott—they would never forgive me for telling on them. They could have told me about the race since rush night, but neither of them said one word about it, despite having the opportunity multiple times.

Ares interprets my internal conflict as shock about the news he just gave me.

“Princess, are you ok? Look, the guys and I didn’t want to tell you.

But we thought you should know. As far as we know, you didn’t end things amicably with him.

And that motherfucker looks like the kind of asshole who would bear a grudge.

So we wanted you to be prepared in case you bumped into him. Watch your back, you know?”

“Thank you.” I say softly.

He brings my knuckles to his lips. “Don’t mention it. But can I ask you to do something for me, princess?”

God, those eyes are so intense I swear they can look deep into my soul. Ares is so gorgeous, with his high cheekbones and those soft, perfect lips that rarely break into a smile but feel so good against mine.

“What is it?” I ask.

“If you see your ex and he says or does anything even vaguely hostile, I want you to call me. Is that ok?”

I’m about to argue that I can handle Cal. But then I remember how I met Ares and the others, and I nod. “If I’m by myself, I promise I’m gonna call you. You know, Ares, I think you chose the right job.”

He tilts his head to the side, his curiosity peaked. “What makes you say that?”

“It’s how we met, remember? Cal was being an asshole, and you stepped in and kicked his ass. Your instinct is to help others. You protected me even if you didn’t know me.”

He’s still holding my hand. “I will always protect you. With my dying breath.” He kisses my knuckle again.

I’m about to jump out of my seat and into his lap, but he lets me go and buckles up again.

“Come on. Let’s take another couple of laps around this parking lot.

We’ll do a few stops and starts. When I say stop, I want you to step on the brake as gently as you can.

Remember the clutch, or we’ll get jolted again.

Knowing how to stop is half the battle here. ”

I’m a little disappointed that the moment we seemed to be having is over. My body is certainly not happy with the lack of contact with Ares. It’s hard to explain, but he’s like a magnet. When he’s in my vicinity, the attraction I feel is so intense that it hurts.

But we’re here for a driving lesson, so I do as I’m told and turn the key in the ignition before lifting the handbrake.

The next half hour goes fast, as I follow Ares’s instructions. He’s a good teacher. Calm and confident, he doesn’t berate me when I do something wrong. He just explains how to correct my mistakes and he’s quick to praise me when I get things right.

“Ok, come to a stop now. See if you can stop right within those white lines.” He points to a parking spot ahead of us.

This is all about keeping the car straight and knowing when to stop, as the parking lot is completely empty.

“Well done, princess.” His face lights up with one of his rare smiles. “I’m proud of you. Do you feel like driving home? If we take the old coastal road up the hill, we shouldn’t meet much traffic.”

“I think I can drive home, but are you sure you trust me enough on the road?” I ask.

Ares immediately understands why I asked. “Look, we had to do your first drive somewhere without traffic. My brothers and I all learned how to drive right here.”

“You did?” I look at the empty lot.

“Dad liked to joke that from here it’s a three-minute drive to the ER, just in case something went wrong.”

I laugh, but it comes out more like a snort. “Jeez, he was confident in your abilities as future drivers.”

“It’s the Hunter’s way of life, princess. Hope for the best but always be prepared for the worst. But this place is perfect because there’s never anyone here.”

Ares is right.