I chewed my bottom lip. That shouldn’t have sounded so nice. Shaking my head, I turned Hawke down. “You go enjoy being a king.”
His head tilted. “What does that mean?”
I sighed as my phone buzzed, and the sound of a car approaching grabbed my attention. An all-black Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. It was my car-loving side’s wet dream.
I didn’t need to check my phone to know who it was. I turned to head toward the car. People were coming out of the mansion to take a look at it. I didn’t blame them. It was a fucking beauty.
Hawke’s warm hand wrapped around my wrist, stopping me. I glanced over at him. There was an intent glint in his gaze.
“I’ll see you at school. I just…” Glancing up, Luxious, Rem, and Samson stepped out. Their gazes fixed on me. “I need a break.”
Slipping free, I hurriedly kissed Hawke on the cheek. I needed time away from Aridole as a whole. Running around, I slipped into the passenger seat, being careful not to drag dirt into the car.
Four sets of eyes watched me as MJ peeled off. I was angry with at least two of them, yet I couldn’t get rid of the small inkling of guilt that festered inside of me. “Thanks for coming,” I said.
MJ rested one hand on the wheel as he leaned back. He wore a tight-fitted shirt that showcased all his muscles. I glanced away too quickly. The crush I had on him when I was thirteen was stupid, and I was over it. I wanted to roll my eyes at myself. My body would disagree. Shit, even my stupid heart would disagree with my brain.
“No problem, Kee. Rare for you to call me.”
I nodded. I’d gotten mad at something so stupid, something that shouldn’t matter to me. Just remembering the hickey on Rem’s collarbone and the girls all over the guys made me see red. Fuck. Pulling Mac out of whatever he was doing felt too selfish.
“I can pay you back.”
“Man, Kee. Don’t start the bullshit.” MJ changed the gears and picked up speed.
“You know I’m good for it.”
“It ain’t about that, and you know it. Don’t start. How long have we known each other?”
I bit my bottom lip and stared at the passing scenery. “A long time.”
“And out of all this time, have I asked for money outside of a job?”
I shook my head. If he did, maybe squashing this childhood crush would have been much easier.
“Then get it through your thick skull.” He tapped the side of my head. There was a tingling sensation where his fingers had touched. It took everything in me not to reach up and touch my head. “Who were those pricks watching you?”
I turned in my seat and looked at MJ. His jaw was tight, the muscle there ticking with every passing second. He was rarely mad. In fact, I’d only ever seen MJ blow up once the entire time I knew him. He was so laid back.
“Those were the kings.”
“Kings?” He laughed. “What kind of monarch bullshit are they on here?”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
“I’m taking you home?”
I was shaking my head before I could even think about it.
“Cool, then you can come to races with me. Might as well have some real fun.”
I could use that. A night of no thinking. It had been my original plan anyway. My phone buzzed, and I glanced down to see it was Samson.
MJ took the phone out of my hand and answered it.
“MJ,” I hissed.
“Nah, this ain’t her. She’s busy. And I’d appreciate it if you back off for now.”