Free The Collision on Hardwood Drive by Elizabeth Bryant Page A

away, cutting off whatever I might have been able to say in my defense.
    Claire caught only the tail end of our exchange when she came back from tossing our trash out, but it was enough for her to respond. “Hey, neck rolls! You can fuck right off!” she shouted at his back.
    She looked at me, then at Joe, and then at me again—she ultimately settled her angry glare on Joe. “What the fuck was that ?”
    Joe couldn’t even meet her eyes. “Stephanie, uh, ran into that guy,” he said. I stared at him, incredulous. How could he?
    “What?” Claire asked, looking at me now.
    “I did nothing,” I said with a heavy, irritated sigh. “That asshole ran into me ,” I said, shooting Joe an unkind look, “and dumped his coffee all over me. Let’s just get out of here, yeah?”
    We left Raymond’s quickly and parted ways with Joe as soon as possible. Once we’d said our goodbyes—our voices polite, but strained—I waited until we were a few blocks again to groan in disgust.
    “Who does that?” I asked as I walked along with Claire. “What kind of person just sits there while his friend gets yelled at? Nice guy— sure . That guy just slammed into me and told me I owed him a coffee, and Joe wouldn’t even stand up for me!”
    Claire linked her arm through mine. “I’m sorry, babe. You don’t need that shit. What you need is a real man.” She gave me a pointed look and I sighed, nodding.
    “Like Rob, I presume. Is that what you’re insinuating?”
    “Not insinuating , Steph. I’m telling you. You can’t tell me you have even one ounce of interest in that Joe guy. I saw your face when he said that coffee thing was your fault—you practically hate that guy.”
    “Wait,” she said as we paused in the middle of the road. “You said there was something new with Rob. What happened?”
    “He texted me this morning,” I said, a bit hesitantly. “Right after I had a dream about him—you know, a dream . I’m not sure what to do.”
    “Are you kidding ?” she said, so loudly that a few people passing us turned around to look our way. Claire either didn’t notice them or simply didn’t care. “I’ll tell you what to do—you text him back! Tell him what you’re wearing.” She grinned and poked me in the ribs, teasingly. “And if you aren’t wearing cute underwear, lie ."
    When I got back to my apartment, I was still fired up from the exchange a t the coffee shop. What the hell was that, anyway? I didn’t expect to be taken care of, but it would have been nice to know I could count on someone for a little support. Who just sits there?
    Disgusted, I pulled out my phone and stared at the texts Rob had sent me. Can I see you again? Text me back.
    I knew Claire was right. Enough was enough. I wanted a man who knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to grab it—I wanted Rob .
    I typed a reply, slowly: Don’t tell me what to do. Even if I knew I wanted him now, I sure as hell wasn’t going to make it easy for him.
    My phone lit up almost instantly. Ah, that’s better.
    I couldn’t help smiling. I didn’t text back, though, and decided to see if he would send me something else.
    What do I have to do to get you here with me?
    Hah! Now, I’ve got him hooked. Terrible, dirty things, I responded.
    You have my attention. Make a list of demands.
    Demand number one: kisses. As many as I want. I paused, briefly, as I thought about how my body had responded to that first—how, how wet I had been when I woke after last night’s drive. I loved thinking that he could be hard right now. I wanted him to want me as much as I wanted him.
    He responded before I could continue. As long as they’re below the belt.
    Did I say you could make demands? I grinned and retreated into my thoughts again. I imagined Rob kissing my inner thighs, moving slowly and inexorably closer. I unbuttoned the top of my shirt, feeling my hardening nipples. Fine. Tell me about those kisses, Rob.
    I’m going to tease you with my