Free Jacked Up by Erin McCarthy

I’m going to head out for the night.”
    It took him a second to process what she was saying. “No wiener?”
    “No wiener.”
    Disappointed, he tried to regroup. No wiener. That sucked. “That’s a shame, but alright. I’ll walk you to your car.”
    “No, you go ahead and collect your prize and get your bratwurst. My car is only a few spots from the gate, I’ll be fine.”
    With any other woman, he would insist on walking her out. But his gut told him if he insisted, it would just piss Eve off. “Are you sure?”
    “Positive.”
    She was already taking a few steps back. She was done and she was bolting. Best to let her go. “Alright, I’ll call you tomorrow about the derby.”
    “Great. Enjoy your sauerkraut.”
    “Thanks. Night, Eve.”
    “Bye, strongman.”
    As he watched her go, his eyes automatically dropping down to check out her stellar curves, Nolan had a feeling his car might not be the only things getting smashed up this weekend.
    His ego and his libido might be taking a beating as well.
    But he was willing to risk the bruises.
    Because if he won, well, he had a feeling the prize was going to be well worth it.
    * * *
    “YOU want to do what?” Elec stared at her in surprise.
    Eve fought her annoyance, which was directly related to the fact that she was embarrassed, and took a deep breath. “I want to drive in the demolition derby. And I was wondering if I could borrow a car. I know you have a bunch of beaters laying around.”
    Elec had been amassing a car collection for years, and last time she’d counted, he had about seven or eight, most in storage since his house with Tammy only had a three-car garage. Some were vintage stock cars, some sports cars, and one or two were rescued from the scrap pile.
    “I have a couple, yeah. Sure you can borrow one.” Elec leaned back in the rocker on his front porch and made it tip off the floor. “So what made you want to do this all of a sudden?”
    Eve had been over for dinner with Elec and Tammy and the kids, and now they were sitting on the porch in the crisp fall air in the dark. Only a porch light was illuminating their faces, which was good for this conversation. Eve was thoroughly embarrassed and not sure why.
    Though there was no denying it was easier to talk to Elec than it was to Evan. She and Evan were too similar, too competitive. They both wanted the last word. Elec had never had a lot of words, period. When he had spoken when they were kids, she and Evan had drowned him out. But it had never seemed to bother him. He had a naturally content disposition. It was like there’d been no sass genes left by the time their mother had given birth to him.
    So it didn’t really surprise her that, outside of his career, he had chosen to marry a woman with children and a house, and settle down into a domestic routine. He had never been the party type, even when he’d been trying to live the playboy lifestyle.
    Rocking on his porch looked natural for him, and Eve sometimes found herself a touch jealous. Not that she saw herself as domestic exactly, but Elec had his own family, people to come home to who were happy to see him. She had an empty condo that wasn’t a home—it was just a place she owned and had had decorated.
    “It’s been pointed out to me,” she told Elec, “that I am a little uptight.”
    He snorted, letting go so the rocker slammed back down to the porch. “Maybe.”
    “So having a way to let some steam off might be a good thing. Fun.”
    “I think that’s a great idea. Seriously.”
    “You do?” Because she wasn’t really sure it was all that brilliant, but she couldn’t come up with a good reason to say no to Nolan without just sounding bratty.
    “Yeah, I do. You always loved to drive. I’m sure you miss it. And you don’t have to worry about wrecking the car—that’s the point. No sponsors to please. Just slamming into people. Bumper cars for grown-ups.”
    “I always did love the bumper cars.” She remembered the