The Wager

Chapter Fourteen

Char took more than an hour to get ready. Nothing looked good, and she at least wanted to look good if she was going to be seen with a celebrity. What was she supposed to wear, anyway? The way Jake had been looking at her made her shiver. Well, everything was confusing the crap out of her, and making her suddenly thankful that she took an hour rather than her usual twenty minutes. She had to keep reminding herself that he probably just felt sorry for her. He wasn’t really that altruistic. He was Jake Titus, for crying out loud. When he passed mirrors they got jealous if he didn’t look at least once.

She drove her beat up Ford Escape down the driveway to his house, alternating between full-out panic, wanting to turn around, then determination. It was her birthday. She should have fun. She deserved that much and right now the only future she had was a four-book series on her Kindle and a bottle of wine.

If she turned around she’d just fall asleep to Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake doing their seventh history of rap, and then awaken to Carson Daly’s two o’clock in the morning ramblings.

Depressing. To say the least.

Jake was already waiting for her when she pulled the car to a stop in front of the house.

Her jaw nearly dropped to the ground. What the—she’d only seen a car like that on TV and even then she wasn’t sure they were actually real.

One thing was for certain: she was clearly in over her head. Suddenly it felt wrong to have her old Ford parked next to his car.

She grabbed her purse and stepped out of the SUV.

Jake had on fitted jeans, aviator sunglasses, and a pale blue shirt with a few buttons opened at the top. He completed the effect with a fitted camel-colored leather jacket and well, to be honest, he was almost too much to stare at. But it wasn’t as if she could look at the car. It was practically blinding her. It was… it was incredible. No words would come.

“You like the car?” He asked, throwing the keys in her direction. She nearly stumbled as she caught them out of the air.

“Is it real?”

Jake laughed. “Is what real? The car?”

Char could only nod.

“I don’t know. Why don’t you start it and find out?”

Eager to get inside the alien-looking thing, she quickly pulled open the driver’s door and sat down in the plush leather seat. It fit her like a glove. It was as if the car was molding around her body, fitting her like a dress. “What is this?”

“A Bugatti Veyron.”

“It’s—” Char ran her hands across the steering wheel and looked at Jake, who was now sitting in the passenger seat. “It’s beautiful. Can cars be beautiful?”

Laughing, Jake reached across and caressed the seat next to Char’s leg. “You feel this?”

She’d have to be dead not to feel the heat from his fingertips as they caressed the leather right next to her thigh.

“It’s hand-stitched. Amazing, isn’t it? That a car could feel sexy. But.” His hand moved to her leg. “I wanted you to feel sexy on your birthday. You look beautiful, by the way. I love red.”

She’d chosen a tight-fitting red halter-top dress and gold heels. That was after she’d made a hurricane out of her bedroom.

“You ready to go?” Jake pulled back. “You can drive if you want.”

Char shook her head and edged out of the driver’s seat. “No way. It’s too expensive for me to drive. I’d be going ten down the freeway for fear someone would hit us.”

Jake walked around the car and helped her get the rest of the way out of the low seat, but she ended up stumbling into his arms looking all kinds of clumsy. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” His eyes focused on her lips for a brief second before he stepped back. “First rule of birthdays… you never have to be sorry. Now, get in the car. We have some parents to find.”

“Jake, I doubt you’ll ever find them—”

“Already did, or should I say Grandma did? They’re staying at the first place Grandma called. She said it was one of the nicer places on Alkai and would be a good place to start. All she did was call and say she was on her deathbed and needed to talk to her son. She gave him your dad’s name and well… hung up.”

“She’s an evil genius.”

Jake put the car in drive. “One day she’ll rule the world. Mark my words.” He reached across her seat and buckled her seat belt. “Hold on. I’ve only driven this thing once and it’s fast.”

He wasn’t kidding about the car being fast. Or the fact that he’d only driven it once. A few times they got so lost in their conversation that he didn’t even realize he was doing over a hundred miles an hour.

For once in her life, Char felt like she was in a fairy tale. When she was younger she’d been the girl that Jake didn’t fall for, and now… She stole a glance at him while he changed radio stations. She was his Cinderella. It felt good, even if it was out of pity. For once, someone had picked her.

She’d never realized how much she needed it. Until now.