Page 27

Jackson

I opened the car door, flashing Thea a grin as she slid into my leather seat and buckled in, her expression smug as she shimmied into place.

“It’s nice up here,” she mused, running her fingers over the dashboard.

I slid into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and reached for her hand, dragging it over the center console until it rested on my thigh.

“Don’t get used to it,” I teased. “Once Tanner finds out about us, I doubt he’ll let me take you anywhere alone. Which means you’ll be a back seat princess.”

Her brow lifted, her lips curling in amusement. “Back seat princess? Is that like a pillow princess? Because I’m pretty sure I want to be one of those.”

A slow smirk tugged at my mouth. I lifted her hand, brushing a kiss over each knuckle before meeting her eyes.

“Again. Not something we can do with your brother around.”

Her breath hitched, but I didn’t let myself linger too long. Instead, I shifted gears. “How do you think the night went?”

Between the dull speech and the overcooked steak, the only redeeming part of the evening had been her—the girl beside me, the one who had let me hold her hand under the table while we sat among our friends, a quiet secret between us.

Thea tilted her head, considering. “I think it went as well as it could have, considering we still haven’t told Tanner.” She glanced at the empty back seat before her eyes found mine again. “Feels weird driving home without him, doesn’t it?”

She wasn’t wrong.

Aster and Tanner had wanted to drive back alone, and we hadn’t hesitated to let them. The entire night had been full of stolen glances and lingering looks between them, like nervous teenagers on the verge of finally admitting they liked each other.

They needed to talk.

And the sooner they figured things out, the sooner I’d be able to tell my best friend about the best thing that had ever happened to me.

His sister.

“Yeah,” I admitted. “But I’m glad he’s not here.”

Thea lifted a brow, curiosity flashing in her eyes. “Oh?”

I smirked. “Because it means I can do this.”

Leaning over the center console, I cupped her face, pulling her in for a kiss.

She sighed against my lips, melting into me, and just like that, all the tension from not being able to touch her, kiss her, have her, finally faded.

And nothing had ever felt better.

Pulling away, Thea licked her lips, a slow, satisfied smile curling across her face.

“That was nice,” she murmured, her eyes still closed, looking completely at peace.

If the car weren’t so small, if I wasn’t already crammed into my seat, I’d have dragged her over the console and had my way with her.

But public sex in a parking lot?

A little too risky for me.

No matter how tempting the idea of being stuck in a jail cell with Thea sounded.

“I love you, Thea.”

Fuck.

Did I just say that? The only other woman I’d ever uttered those words to was my mom.

Her eyes popped open, locking onto mine, searching my face like she was trying to figure out if she’d heard me right.

And she had.

I might have accidentally said it, but that didn’t make it any less true. I didn’t flinch. Didn’t backtrack. I just let it settle between us because there was no denying it—I had never loved a girl the way I loved Thea Joyce.

And I doubted I ever would again.

“Wh-what?”

Oh shit.

Had I read this wrong? Had I just pulled a Tanner—pushing things further than we were ready for?

I shook my head, tearing my gaze away from her, my fingers tightening around the steering wheel. “Nothing. It doesn’t matter,” I muttered.

Just because I was down bad for this girl didn’t mean she was ready to hear it.

A soft scratch against my palm had my breath slowing. I turned back toward her, and—

She was smiling. Not her usual smirk, not one laced with sarcasm or teasing. She looked happy. Ecstatic, even. Wait a minute … Was she happy about this?

“Did you just tell me you loved me, Baseball Cap?”

I swallowed hard. “Yes …”

Her fingers curled around mine, her voice dipping to something almost shy. “Well, that’s good,” she whispered, “because I love you too. The more I think about it,” she continued, her eyes holding mine, “the more I think I liked you the minute I met you. I was just too dumb to realize it.”

Was I having a heart attack, or was this how you were supposed to feel when the woman you loved admitted she felt the same? My chest tightened, and I was thankful I already had my seatbelt on, as there was a serious possibility I’d fly out of this seat.

She’d been in love with me since the minute she met me? My mom couldn’t even say that since I caused her third-degree tears. Fucking Thea Joyce. The joker. The princess. The pain in my ass. I could fight with her, tease her, and she’d still want me. Perfect. She was fucking perfect, and I was so fucking lucky Britt put that seed in my head.

“It wasn’t you, Thea. It was me. I was the one who was too far up my own ass to admit I was only fighting with you because I couldn’t have you.”

She took in a breath and surprised me when she pounced over the console, pressing her lips against mine. She pulled my bowtie off and ripped at my shirt.

Placing my hands on her arms, I tried to calm her frantic kisses since this was such a tight squeeze. “Thea,” I said against her lips. She ignored me, forcing her way onto my seat and squishing us together. “We’ve got to stop. We’re in a parking lot, and if I get arrested, then I won’t be able to touch you ever again.”

The mere mention of jail time calmed Thea’s mood, and even though her lips were against mine, they’d relaxed. Short, sweet pecks. “You being in jail might not be so bad, and who knows, it could be fun. Imagine me visiting you, writing you sordid letters. I’d love it, knowing all your attention would be focused on me …”

“Trust me, Pyro. You don’t need to put me behind bars to get my attention. You’ve already got it.” I chuckled, grabbed her by the hips, and gently placed her back in her seat. Then I leaned over, tugged her seatbelt, and buckled her in. There. Surely, she wouldn’t be able to cause any trouble now.

“Now, let’s go home and tell Tanner about us. I’m sure he and Aster have made up, and I want our relationship out in the open.”

“Me too.”

I guided her hand back onto my thigh, pressing down gently to let her know it belonged there and pulled out of the parking lot. The car settled into a comfortable silence—something I’d never experienced with anyone else. Around most people, I always felt the restless need to fill the quiet, to keep the conversation going. But with Thea, I didn’t have to. Now that everything was out in the open between us, the silence didn’t feel empty. It felt right.

Thea’s nails danced across my thigh as I drove, and it was only when it started to sneak higher that I noted her mischievous smile.

“Thea, what are you doing?” I asked. My dick was already half-erect from our kissing, so this wasn’t helping. It was only when her fingers untucked my shirt and her hand tickled my waistband that I looked down.

“Focus on the driving,” Thea said as I whipped my head back to the street.

“Thea,” I warned with no real bite behind the words. Her hands were so soft that for some stupid reason, I couldn’t help but comply.

She tugged a little harder at my pants, forcing the zipper to open and freeing my boxer-covered cock. That didn’t deter her. She flipped the fabric down, leaving my dick exposed to the elements. My abs clenched as I lurched forward, attempting to give myself a little coverage.

“Thea. We’re only fifteen minutes away from the apartment. Can this wait?” I gritted out, focusing all my attention on the street.

“It’ll be fine. It’s always quiet around there.”

Before I could answer, her head was in my lap, her hand wrapped around my cock and her tongue lapping against the tip.

“Oh, shit,” I said, pushing my foot on the brake to slow us down. Sweat prickled at the back of my neck, and I wasn’t sure if it was because I was nervous about crashing or because Thea’s lips around my cock had never felt so good. I needed to stop her, but I wasn’t thinking with my head.

“Be a good boy and go slow. It’s all back roads from here,” she said, and when her tongue flicked across the tip of my dick, I had no other option than to comply. Blowing out a breath, I tried to focus on the road in front of me. It was too hard, though. Thea’s hand was moving in tandem with her mouth, and I wanted to enjoy it.

“Thea, if you’re going to keep sucking me off, I’m going to need to pull over.” She answered by pushing my dick deeper into her mouth all the way to the back of her throat.

“Oh, god.” My fingers gripped the steering wheel. My teeth biting down on my lip so hard I could have sworn it was bleeding. This was wrong but felt so good.

“I’m pulling over.”

I flipped the indicator on and turned the steering wheel at the exact same time Thea sucked my cock so hard I couldn’t control my movements. My foot pressed down and my hand swerved too far left.

“Thea!” It was all I could say before I drove straight into a tree, my body lurching forward as I slammed my head against the steering wheel.

The sound of metal crushing against wood filled the air, but my only concern was my girlfriend below me.

“Thea?” I called her name frantically and shifted back, ignoring the searing pain in my back as I pulled Thea from my lap.

Her eyes were closed, her face pale.

“Thea? Are you okay?” I gently shook her shoulders, hoping she’d come too.

Nothing.

Tears fogged my vision as I took her in. She had a bruise spanning the side of her face, but nothing else seemed to be wrong. Nothing except that she wouldn’t wake up. She flopped onto my chest, and I brought my fingers to her neck, thankful when I felt a pulse.

My shaky hand stroked her hair as I tried to gain enough composure to pull my phone out of my pocket.

“It’s going to be okay, Pyro. I promise.” I kissed her temple, knowing there was only one person I could call, and he was going to kill me.