Shallow (20 page)

“Sure.” I heard the hurt in his voice, but it was better to hurt him a little now rather than have my parents forbid me from seeing him. I knew from experience that they weren’t afraid to do that.

He grabbed his T-shirt off my dresser and pulled it over his head. He came back to my bed to sit by me and he ran his fingers down my arm. “God, I don’t want to leave. I wish I could stay here with you in this bed all day, but I have a lot of stuff to do to get my car ready. This next guy isn’t going to be as easy to beat.”

“You sound a little worried.”

He kissed the tip of my nose. “Nah, I’m gonna smoke that clown.”

He got up from the bed and I followed him, wrapping the sheet under my arms. “You don’t have to get up. I can let myself out.” He kissed my forehead. “Go back to bed and sleep a little longer. It was a long night.”

That was the understatement of the year. “Okay, but call me later.”

“I wouldn’t dream of not calling you, Love.”

I watched him walk out the door and when I was sure he was gone, I fell back onto my bed.
Love?
Was it possible for him to love me so soon? I might not think so except I had the same feelings. I loved him. I knew it deep down in my bones. I loved Nick Hawke, even if the world thought I was crazy.

≈ ≈ ≈

37 hours and 20 minutes. That was approximately how long it had been since I saw Nick and it was too long. I didn’t like being apart from him and talking on the phone wasn’t enough. I needed to see him and touch him and I wouldn’t be happy until that happened.

I wondered if he was as restless as me. He didn’t sound like he was when we talked on the phone and that worried me. Had he grown tired of me already?

Any worries or questions I allowed to creep into my head vanished the moment I saw him coming out of the door to his house. He was as anxious to see me as I was to see him.

He caught me around the waist and lifted me up for a tight hug. “Mmm. I have missed you.”

I squeezed him as tightly as he did me. “Oh, I’ve missed you, too.”

“I didn’t think tonight would ever get here.” He stepped away from me and looked me up and down. I was wearing one of my favorite casual dresses with a denim jacket and a pair of boots. “You look beautiful. I may lose this race because I can’t take my eyes off of you.”

“You better not. How much do you have on it?”

He lifted his brows at me. “I’ve got a ‘G’ on it, my biggest bet yet.”

$1,000? That had to be a lot of money for him. “Should you really be betting that much? What if you lost?”

He grabbed his chest. “Oh, you’ve wounded me and my pride. Don’t worry, Love. I never lose.”

There it was again. That word,
Love.
“I hope not because my money is on the Camaro.”

“So, you’re bettin’ on the car without consideration for the driver? Tsk. Tsk. Haven’t I taught you anything?”

I felt like being a little saucy so I slipped my arms around his waist and pulled him close. “You’ve taught me plenty.”

He put his face into my neck and rubbed his scruffy face against me. “I hope to teach you more real soon.”

I had given this thought and I was clueless. Where would we go for our alone time? “You know we’re spoiled, right? We had my house all to ourselves and now we have to find another place to be alone.”

“Never fear. I’ll come up with something.”

“I don’t doubt you for a minute.”

“Come on, let’s go.”

I looked down at my watch. “It’s almost an hour before the race starts. Do you normally go this early?”

“No, but I can’t help it. I want to go early so I can show off my girlfriend. My buddies are gonna jizz in their pants when they see how hot you are.”

Maybe I should have been offended by that, but I wasn’t. I was flattered. “Well, by all means, let’s get down there so the jizzing may begin.”

He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close as we walked to his car. “You have to be the coolest girlfriend ever. Most chicks would be all like, ‘Ewe, that’s gross. Don’t say stuff like that.’”

“Your first impression of me wasn’t all that accurate and you’re gonna have to figure out at some point that I’m not this delicate little flower you pegged me for. There’s nothing delicate about me.”

We got to ‘The Strip’ almost an hour before the race and people were already lining up and hangin’ out on the side of the road. Nick parked his Camaro on the starting lineup and told me to stay in so he could open my door for me. He wanted everyone there to know I was his.

I got out and could almost tangibly feel the staring eyes on me. It was awkward and I wondered how many of the girls looking me over were one of the unidentifiable numbers. I had to get over that. I couldn’t look at every girl around and constantly have that on my mind because it would drive me crazy. Nick and I were together. He brought me here because he wanted everyone to know we were a couple. It was that simple.

He held my hand possessively as he introduced me to so many people I couldn’t remember any of their names. Some of the guys didn’t say a word when he introduced me and I laughed to myself as I wondered if that was a jizz moment I was witnessing.

It was getting closer to race time and Nick’s opponent pulled up and parked next to his Camaro at the starting line. He stepped out of a corvette very similar to my Dad’s and I cringed a little because I knew how fast that car would go.

Nick must have seen the worry on my face. “Doll Face. It’s gonna be all right. I’m gonna beat him. Remember, it’s not just the car. It’s the driver, too.”

I tried to look confident, but I wasn’t sure I pulled it off very well. “I know.”

Man, I just wanted this to be over. It made me too nervous.

Jake called out the three minute warning and I knew it was time for Nick’s good luck kiss. He pulled me into his arms. “I’ve been thinking about this for a day and a half.”

I put my arms up around his shoulders. “A good luck kiss is a lot of pressure to put on a girl.”

“I have complete faith in you. And your lips.”

He hooked one arm around the back of my neck and supported my lower back with the other. He started kissing me and dipped me backwards like the famous photograph of the soldier kissing the nurse on Times Square.

I heard a lot of whistling, clapping and hollering as he kissed me, but I didn’t care. It was one of the most romantic things I’d ever experienced.

He helped me to stand upright again and steadied me on my feet. “All the way to my toes, just like you promised.”

My heart was pounding and I felt lightheaded. “I still feel a tingle.”

“Hold on to that tingle and we’ll pick up where we left off when I’m done smokin’ this clown.

“Deal.”

He was in his car and I blew him a kiss as I walked to the finish line where the others were. I found a spot right on the line up front and wrung my hands as I waited impatiently to see him cross the red spray painted line first.

“He’s using you. You know that, right?”

I turned around and saw the whore that tried to hump him the night we met. “Excuse me?”

“Nick’s using you for sex.”

I had to laugh out loud about that one. I could argue that I’d have to be having sex with him in order to be used for it, but I wasn’t going there with her because it was none of her business. “Now would be the perfect time for you to become a missing person so run along and get lost.”

“Does Nick know what a bitch you are?”

She said I was a bitch like it was a bad thing. This chick didn’t want to pick a fight with me because it was a battle she wouldn’t win. I was a sarcastic genius. “He sure does and he
loves
the things my smart ass mouth can do to him.”

“Well, let me leave you with this thought. When he gets you in his backseat to screw you, just remember he had me there first.”

“Thanks for the tip. I’ll be sure to wipe the backseat down with bleach before I get naked.” I wanted to puke, but I wouldn’t let her see the way she had shaken me so I put on my poker face and prepared for my next best comeback. “Look, this bitch doesn’t want to be one of your 99 problems, so can you please cage the rage before I have to activate the Bat Shit Signal?”

“Don’t get smart with me.”

I used my best condescending voice and believe me, it was an awesome one. “Darlin,’ if I got smart with you, how would you know?”

“You, smart ass bitch.”

“Nicely played.” My words oozed with sarcasm as I under dramatically clapped my hands. “You’ve just killed at least a minute of my time I’ll never get back so run along because you’ve delighted me long enough with your presence.”

“I hope he screws you over like he did me.”

I looked at my watch. “Hmm. Give us about 15, maybe 20 minutes and we should be gettin’ right on that.”

Sarcasm, insult, and mockery...my work here was done.

I faked her out and she thought she wasn’t getting to me, so she turned and stormed off. When I turned my attention back to the race, it was already over and I didn’t even know who won.

It looked like everyone was going out to congratulate Nick, so I guessed that was a good sign he had won. I hung back so his
fans
could talk to him, but I heard him calling for me over the crowd.

“Back here,” I called out from behind the crowd.

He pushed his way through the crowd to get to me, just like the first night we met. He wrapped his arms around me and lifted me for a quick spin. “That one was for you, Love.”

20 Surprise In An Elevator

Nick

Payton’s parents being home sucked. She told me she needed to be careful where they were concerned, but I hadn’t seen her since my race three days ago and 72 hours was too long for me to go without her. I needed to feel her in my arms, but tonight I would have her all to myself because I had something special planned after the banquet.

I stood in front of the mirror to my dresser and straightened my tie for the dozenth time as I thought about the fight Dad and I had about me asking Payton to come to the banquet. He was no less prejudice than her parents and I didn’t understand why he was so opposed to us being together.

There was a soft knock on my bedroom door and I knew it was Dallas because Jake always entered unannounced. “You can come in.”

Dallas opened the door and peeked in at me. “Need help with your tie?”

“I do. It won’t stay straight. It keeps slipping or something.”

She came to stand in front of me and she untied it completely so she could start from scratch. “I heard you and Dad arguing about Payton.”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with him? He acts like she’s the devil incarnate, but she’s not. She’s awesome.”

She made the first loop on my tie. “I know. I really like her and I think you two are great for each other. She grounds you.”

She made the next loop and pulled it through to make the perfect knot. “I love her, Dallas. I know it’s crazy and it’s so soon, but I do.”

She finished my tie and patted my chest as if to say, ‘all done.’ “Have you told her?”

“No. I’ve told her that I was falling for her, but I haven’t said ‘I love you.’ I have something special planned for us after the banquet and I’ve decided I’m telling her tonight.”

“She loves you, too. I’m certain of it. Even Dane says he’s never seen her so crazy over a guy before, not even that Cooper guy she dated for a while.”

Just thinking about saying those three words to her made me want to throw up, but in a good way. “I sure hope so because I don’t know what I’d do if she told me she didn’t love me.”

“Remember what Ginny says about love...have no regrets.”

“You’re right. I’m not worried about it. So, tell me how things are going between you and Dane.”

“Everything’s great. I like him a lot and he’s good to me.”

I never expected anything less from him. He seemed like a real standup kind of guy. “He better treat you right if he knows what’s good for him. I’ve got a can of whoop ass with his name on it if he doesn’t.”

Jake appeared at my bedroom door. “Miss Fancy Pants is in the living room waiting on you.”

Thanks a lot, Jake. Could you say that a little louder? I don’t think the neighbors at the end of the street heard.
“Don’t call her that, especially loud enough for her to hear you.”

He thought he was being funny when he lowered his voice to a feminine whisper. “Okay, Miss Hot Piece of Ass is in the living room waiting on you. Wuss.”

“Don’t even say a word. He has every right to be like that with you after the way you’ve ragged him about Gabbi.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Good luck with whatever you have planned for Payton tonight.”

“Thanks, Sis.”

I walked into the living room and Payton was standing with her back turned to me looking at my school pictures on the wall. “Cute little bugger, wasn’t I?”

She turned around and her beauty almost took my breath away. Her hair was swept up with a cream flower and there were loose curls hanging around her face. She was wearing a strapless, cream colored lace cocktail dress with a wide black tie around her waist. Her tanned legs were bare and their length accented by the tallest heels I’d seen her in to date, making her almost as tall as me.