Chapter 94
So firm. So pale…
The words popped into Selene’s mind before she could stop herself.
Adrian turned and caught her gaze, his eyes sharp and knowing, as if he could read every thought flitting across her mind.
Selene flushed, feeling as if she’d just been caught red–handed. Embarrassed, she hurried over and offered, “Let me help you with that.”
Adrian’s heart leapt with satisfaction.
It hadn’t been for nothing, all that elaborate posturing–he’d been deliberately fussing with his back since Selene went into the bathroom, pretending to struggle with the bandages. Then, just as she glanced his way, he’d “accidentally” spilled the medicine down his trousers.
Selene took the bottle from his hand, dipped a cotton swab in the liquid, and gently
dabbed it onto the wound on his back.
Whoever had stitched him up had done a masterful job. If it weren’t for the angry red mark on his skin, you’d never guess he’d been hurt at all.
“I’m sorry,” Selene said quietly, her sincerity unmistakable. “You saved Daph. I never really thanked you for that.”
She managed a smile. “How about I treat you to dinner? If you’d rather not eat out, I can cook for you at home. Seriously, name anything you want–I’m always up for learning a new recipe.”
Adrian already knew what he wanted. “Then promise me one thing.”
She blinked at him. “What is it?”
He picked up a crisp white shirt, slipping it on with deliberate slowness.
The motion caught Selene’s eye, but he left his sentence hanging as he started buttoning up. She couldn’t help but notice the way his movements seemed to slow down, the way his chest curved beneath the fabric, the defined ridges of muscle along his stomach, the sharp line disappearing into the waistband of his jeans.
She held her breath, feeling a wave of raw masculinity radiate from him.
He was doing this on purpose.
Button by button, he coaxed her gaze downward from his chest to his waist.
1/3
08:51
Just as Selene’s mind started to wander, Adrian glanced over, his expression the picture of innocence, as if any suggestion of seduction was all in her imagination.
A jolt of embarrassment shot through Selene. Then she heard him say-
“There’s a street race tonight up on Bellcrest Mountain. I already put money in the prize pool, but now that I’m injured, I can’t drive.”
He looked right at her. “I need a driver. If you win, we split the prize money fifty–fifty. Sound fair?”
Adrian much preferred the idea of seeing Selene tearing across the open highway, wild and free, rather than cooped up in a kitchen surrounded by clouds of steam.
Selene stared at him, stunned. Did he know how tight money had been for her lately?
She’d thought that doing well at the qualifiers would land her a job, but now her results were under review and none of the companies were willing to make an offer. She’d even registered as a delivery driver online, just to make ends meet. And now, here he was, pulling her back from the brink.
She nodded. “Deal.”
She grinned at Adrian. “I’ll give it everything I’ve got!”
The race was set for nine that night. One of the Shaw family’s housekeepers volunteered to look after Daph while Selene was gone. Selene had considered sending Daph to stay with Luke Holloway, but in the end, it seemed safer and more convenient for Daph to stay at the Shaw estate. The housekeepers were women, after all, and could help if Daph woke up in the night.
After her bath, Daph snuggled under the covers. Selene bent down, breathing in the soft, sweet scent at her daughter’s neck.
“Mommy has to work tonight. Be a good girl and get some sleep.”
Daph nodded solemnly. “Don’t work too hard, Mommy. Come home early, okay? I’ll miss you!”
“I promise.” Selene’s heart/melted. She kissed Daph’s soft cheek.
A sleek black supercar roared up the mountainside, its engine echoing through the valley like a wild beast.
Selene sat behind the wheel, catching sight of several familiar faces through the
פור
08:51
Chapter 94
windshield.
She wasn’t surprised to spot Felicity. Felicity was dressed in rugged cargo pants and a black patent leather jacket studded with metal, a cropped knit tank top underneath showing off a strip of pale skin at her waist.
Felicity lounged casually on the hood of a gunmetal–gray Aston Martin.
Selene’s gaze sharpened; she’d seen that car in the Vaughn family garage before–the one Harrison never let her anywhere near.
Sure enough, there was Harrison himself, sharp in his tailored suit, with Dames at his side, looking serious and almost grown–up.
All around, the sons and daughters of Capital City’s elite car club were gathering.
Then Solarius pulled in, drawing everyone’s attention.
The passenger door lifted upward like the wing of a bird.
Adrian climbed out, and the wealthy heirs gasped in recognition.
“So Mr. Shaw was the one who bought the Solarius all those years ago? You really kept that quiet.”
Felicity craned her neck, trying to see through the windshield. “That’s the Solarius! Mr. Shaw, who’s driving tonight?”
