Page 43 of Unveil

Said bastard’s shirt is back down and his lips now quirk sinfully. I scowl, but his eyes flick past me in the rearview mirror, brows furrowing.

My interest piques. “What?”

“Nothing.” He straightens, eyes darting between the road and mirror. “Just a bump in the road. A little company is all.”

I almost snort. These roads are nothing but bumps and potholes.

But I crane my neck to see a blacked-out Nyx Z2, a sports car model that’s not even released yet. Which means…

“That’s my dad and brother!”

Sure enough, my dad’s head peeks out from the passenger seat window, and even though the tint is darker than what’s legal, I know Nox is behind the wheel. Their car is so close I can see the scars on Dad’s face as he waves at two more cars behind him. All three take up both lanes, gaining on us fast.

Orion sucks his teeth. “Well, I’ll be. Wonder how they figured out where we were.”

“I don’t know, but you aresoscrewed.”

“We all might be,” he mutters to himself, whizzing by the only road I’ve seen in miles at a dizzying speed. “Of course they’d catch up right outside Old Bridge. Mighty fuckinginconvenient.”

I almost frown at the cryptic complaint, but I’m too giddy that I’m about to be rescued.

Orion increases speed around a bend, but Nox matches him, getting closer even as Orion hugs the mountain on another curve.

“Where the hell did he learn to drive like that?”

My gleeful grin mocks Orion in the rearview mirror as I discreetly work the tulle at my wrists and run my mouth to rattle him.

“Oh, you know, my dad’s just friends with Felix ‘Phoenix’ Santori, theownerof Nyx Automotive. My brother learned to drive on Phoenix’s racetrack. He’s been hanging out with F1 and NASCAR drivers since he was sixteen.”

“A racetrack, huh? Is that a fact?” Orion relaxes in his seat, one hand on the wheel, the other on the center console. He traces his lips, gaze flicking to the rearview mirror again. “So he’s pretty good at offensive driving. Defensive too?”

“All of it,” I say proudly. “And the cars following him? Probably Benoit and my Uncle Jaime. They all took the same classes. So just call it quits and pray for mercy before my brother T-bones you into a guard rail.”

Orion snorts. “He won’t do that. We both know I’ve got precious cargo.”

“So what? I don’t give a crap as long as he stopsyou!”

“Now, now. We can’t be reckless.” He tsks. “You’re always trying to go and get yourself hurt. What am I gonna do with you, hm?”

“Pull over and beg for forgiveness on your knees, for starters.”

His smile grows. “Next time I’m on my knees for you, sassy bride,you’llbe the one begging.”

My jaw drops and it takes a second to realize what’s happening when he reaches back toward me, steering with his knees.

“What’re you doing! Eyes on the road!”

“Please,” he snorts. “I could do these switchbacks blindfolded.”

I squirm away from his hand, but he just snags the crossbody strap and stretches it to join the waist seatbelt he must’vebuckled before we left. Then he tugs both, checking their tightness.

Panic tussles with something fluttery in my chest. “I’m in danger!” competing with a totally unhealthy, “Aw, how sweet, he’s protecting me!”

It’s official. I’m fucked up.

Once again, I blame dark romance books, and maybe the fact this so-called “meet-cute” runs in the family.

I harness my sass. “A seatbelt isn’t going to keep me from escaping.”