I smile at the thought of how my touch can affect her, which gives me a sliver of the validation I was hoping for.
“Anyway, then when we arrive in California the following week, the schedule is pretty set in stone. Monday is a day full of interviews, Tuesday is open spectating, where the public gets to walk through all the cars, the awards are Wednesday, Thursday is the auction, and Friday is the post interviews. We should be done by mid-afternoon on Friday.”
“Damn. This is a big deal, isn’t it?”
“Yes, and all the while, I have to smile and pretend that Vinnie isn’t watching my every move.”
I want to reach for her hand this time and bring it to my lips, but I refrain. “That’s what I’m there for, remember?”
“I know. It’s just…”
“If you need me to, I’m sure I could find a way to distract you…”
Hereyebrows nearly hit her forehead. “The last thing I need in that environment is for you to distract me with your penis jewelry and that tongue of yours.”
I unbuckle and slide across the seat to the middle, fastening the seatbelt right next to her before planting my lips on her neck. “My tongue, huh?” Dragging my tongue up the column of her neck, I chuckle as I hear her breath hitch.
“Elliot, I’m driving.”
“And I’m showing you how well I can distract you.”
“With all due respect, the last thing I want to do is get in a car accident before the biggest show of my career,” she says, reaching down to rub her hand over the bulge in my shorts, contradicting her words with her actions.
“Fine. But trust that I know what you need, Dilynne…and I’m more than willing to give it to you.”
Her eyes meet mine briefly before she rolls her eyes. “You think because we’ve slept together twice that you’re an expert on my body now?”
I line my lips up to her ear. “I’m not just referring to what you need physically. I’m talking about everything. I’ve been watching you this past year, even when I didn’t want to be paying attention.” A small gasp escapes her lips. “Turns out, you’re easier to read than you think.”
“Elliot…”
I plant a kiss along her jaw. “Don’t freak out. If it makes you feel any better, my dick initiated the shift.” Her laughter makes me smile. “But now…I’m just…” I blow out a breath and run my nose along her cheek. “I’m just trying to be honest with you, like I said I would.”
“Thank you,” she says, twisting her face to the side so our lips can meet. “I never knew that honesty could be so hot.”
Herwords make me chuckle. “Oh, trust me, Dilynne. We’re just getting started with the truth that we’ve both been avoiding.”
***
“Tell me more about your grandpa.”
Dilynne and I were staring out the windshield for a few moments in silence, so her request sort of comes out of left field.
“What do you want to know?”
“I mean, he obviously meant a lot to you. And that picture of him in your dad’s office?” She shrugs. “You can definitely tell you two were close.”
I smile softly thinking about the man that has shaped me in more ways than one. “Well, he was the second lawyer in my family, his father was the first. My dad was his only child, so I think that’s why he felt such a need to follow in his footsteps.”
“Is that what was expected of you too?”
“Actually, my grandfather was very adamant that I should do whatever made me happy. It was my dad that pushed the lawyer thing onto me and made it this big deal that all Thornes would be lawyers.”
Her brows draw together. “So did you actually want to be a lawyer?”
Her question is one I’ve asked myself more and more over the past couple of years. “Yes, but the past few years have been difficult for me.”
“How so?”