Danger (The Driven World)

“I could eat.”

“There’s a little diner at the next exit.” I need out of this car for a breather. Being around Monterey for this long makes me feel on edge. And not in a bad way. More in a type of way where if I’m not careful I may open up and spill all my secrets to her.

I take the next exit, parking the Benz at the diner, and we make our way inside.

“Can you please order me a bottle of water and I’ll be back.” Monterey heads off toward the restroom, and I take a seat at a booth near the back.

“Two waters and a coffee,” I tell the waitress. Doreen, her name tag reads, winks at me as her smile widens. “Sure thing, Danger. I’m a huge fan.” She bats her overly made-up eyelashes at me. If I’d been here on my own I’d probably have her legs wrapped around my back. She’s kind of pretty. But, she’s not Monterey pretty.

Doreen is a weed, whereas Monterey is a whole damn garden of roses.

Monterey returns from the washroom at the same time Doreen drops off our drinks.

“Ready to order?” she asks.

Monterey looks at the menu for a second and then smiles. “Just a BLT extra lettuce, thank you.” She hands the menu to Doreen.

“Same.” I hand my menu over and Doreen walks away.

I like a girl who doesn’t need half an hour to look over the menu. But that’s Monterey. She’s never been indecisive about anything in her life. She’s a go-getter. A woman who can make snap decisions in a split second.

“Can I ask you a question?” I pull in a deep breath of air, afraid to even ask Monterey this, but I need answers.

“Sure.” She shrugs.

“Do you personally know Colton Donavan?”

She blinks. “Um, sure. I know of him. I think I’ve met him a few times.”

“He’s that Indy racer that invented that helmet thing we use now, right?”

She nods. “Yes. He is.”

I scrub my hands across my jaw.

“Why do you ask?” She stares at me.

“I’d like to meet him.” I’m not sure what reason to give her, but settle on, “he’s kind of an inspiration to me with driving.”

That works because she smiles. “Actually he’s doing a charity event tonight in Vegas. We could swing by.”

“That won’t make us late to Indy?”

Monterey stares at her phone for a moment. “I don’t think so.” She taps a few buttons. “Nope, we should make it just fine.” She sets her phone down and looks up at me. “Want to go?”

“Yes. I do.”

She smiles, like she’s pleased with the answer. “I would have never guessed you had someone you looked up to.”

I hang my head down. “Don’t start.”

“No, I think it’s cute.”

I stare at her and blink. “Cute?”

“Yes, it’s cute that you have a hero.”

“Whoa, whoa. I wouldn’t call Colton my hero.” I shift in my seat. “I just want to meet him.” Monterey’s blowing this whole thing out of proportion.

She leans forward. “No, I think it’s admirable, Danger. You shouldn’t feel embarrassed. I’m excited for you to meet him. He’s a really good guy. And I love his wife.”

I twist my fingers together, relaxing a bit. “Ok, good.”

“So, Vegas?” Monterey’s eyes light up.

“Don’t get any ideas.”

“What? I’m not going to try to marry you.” She laughs like the idea is so ludicrous. And I guess it is. “Contrary to popular belief, I’m not trying to hop on the Danger train and ride it all night long.”

My ears perk up, my blood pumping a beat faster at the thought of Monterey riding me all night long. “You’re not?” I try to make it sound like I’m joking, but the tone comes out all wrong and husky.

Monterey blinks and we’re both interrupted by Doreen, dropping off our sandwiches.

Thank god too, because things were starting to feel a bit too real.

Chapter 6

Monterey

Just staring at Danger from across this table makes me want to squeeze my legs together to ease the constant want and longing for him.

He hasn’t even done anything, but there’s this hint of something in the way he stares at me. Like he knows what I’m thinking.

Like he knows every single dirty thought that’s racing through my mind right now.

And racing is the operative word. Because I want to race him to the moon and back.

It’s exhausting trying to hide my innermost fantasies from him. How can I survive this whole trip with him? How can I survive this whole pretend engagement with him?

When the cameras flashed it became way too real for my heart’s safety. And it frightened me just a bit. The last time I was in the spotlight it didn’t end too well. I’ve never done anything this crazy in my whole life before. It’s insane.

The fact it was my father’s idea makes the whole thing that much more insane.