Stealing His Thunder (Masters of Adrenaline 1)

Mariella leaned over the counter, resting on her forearms, her eyes twinkling with humor. “You look like a girl who’s gettin’ some.”

“Shut up!” She threw the dish rag back at Mariella, who laughed.

Was she that transparent? Fox was supposed to be a fling—a hot guy to fuck around with while she inserted herself into his business. Sex hadn’t been this good since . . . forever. Plus he was funny, caring, smart . . .

But still a fling. With cuddling and feelings.

She winced. No. She had more important things to think about. Her grandparents. Her parent’s home. Money. Finishing school. A boyfriend wasn’t on the list, no matter how hot the sex was.

Although . . . was Fox her boyfriend now? They hadn’t really defined themselves. She preferred not using labels anyway. Labels just got in the way of natural chemistry.

Oh god. Maybe Mariella was right about the whole commitment issue thing.

“Ugh. I’m going out.” Addison grabbed her purse then walked to the door. She wasn’t in the mood for deep introspection. Fox had texted her earlier that he had a puzzle for her to work on. Pleased he’d thought of her for the job, she wanted to get there before he did something stupid like panic about her safety again.

Although she had a paper due, it could wait. This sounded way more fun. Plus, practical application. What was better for learning engineering than that?

“Make good choices!” Mariella called after her, still cackling.

As she drove to Fox’s house, Mariella’s words echoed in her mind. In the past, she’d gotten bored of her boyfriends and discarded them, gently, after a few months. But Fox was different, wasn’t he? She tried to imagine him at Sunday dinner with her family then grimaced. With his tattoos and dodgy career explanation, her father wouldn’t be impressed.

But the more they spent time together, the deeper their connection. She was afraid she was falling for him. It terrified her, but at the same time a giddy feeling grew whenever she thought about him.

On the highway now, the car behind her was riding her ass hard. She slowed down to frustrate the driver, hoping he or she would switch lanes and pass her. But the car matched her speed, still hugging her bumper.

“Asshole,” she murmured, taking a good look at the driver through the rearview.

It was a guy driving a sleek black car with tinted windows. An expensive car that looked like it belonged in a Fast and Furious movie. Was that . . . a Jaguar?

She signaled then moved to the right lane.

He followed her.

Shit. Was this the beginning of a road rage incident or could this be one of Fox’s enemies he’d told her about? One of the people who’d destroyed the auto shop? Was he trailing her or planning to run her off the road? She slapped the off button of her stereo system, and the car was filled with the loud sound of her own nervous breathing. Stealing cars was one thing, but getting followed by thugs was entirely different.

She just wanted to get to the safety of Fox’s house, but she had to get rid of this guy first. At the last second, she swerved off the highway onto an exit two before her usual route to Fox’s. With a screech of his tires, the guy followed her.

Way to be subtle, idiot.

Either the guy was trying to scare her on purpose or he didn’t give a shit about discretion.

At least she knew her way around the area enough to take a more scenic route to Fox’s house. She weaved her way through traffic, trying to lose him on a crowded street in the city.

At a light, the car pulled up in the lane next to her. She stared straight ahead, dread running down her spine. What the fuck was she supposed to do? If she sat there avoiding eye contact and looking scared, would he feel like he won?

It wasn’t as if she could scare the guy off by herself—not like Fox had

with the guy on the road outside the dealership that time. She knew how to throw a punch but she’d never been in an actual fight.

Well, the last thing she wanted was to let the guy believe he’d successfully scared her.

Brazenly, she turned her head and glared. The guy stared back. Oversized sunglasses and a long mane of hair shielded his face. Who the fuck was this douchebag?

Wondering where she got the balls, she revved the car engine and gave him the finger. The man smiled a slow, dangerous smile. He made a gun sign with his hand and pretended to shoot her.

Oh my god. She felt like she was going to throw up, but she forced herself to stare him down.

As soon as the light turned green, she took off, tires squealing. She turned left then made a quick right. Two more lefts, with no sign of her tail, and she was back on the highway.