The Bad Boys of Summer Anthology(82)

“Open the door,” she hissed at me loudly. I stared at her in shock. What was she doing? Was she crazy? She didn’t even know me. I pressed the unlock button and she jumped into the car. “Shit, took you long enough to open the door.”

“What are you doing?” I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. It was definitely the same girl. I would recognize her vivid blue-purple eyes anywhere. She was actually more beautiful than I remembered. She had long black hair and her skin was flushed red. She was wearing tight black jeans and a tight black tank top. Her chest was heaving and I could tell she was out of breath.

“I’m trying to escape the cops, duh.”

“Oh?” I looked at her curiously.

“You were following me?” She turned to me with slanted eyes. “I saw you slow down, pull over, and turn off your lights.”

“I don’t even know you. I wasn’t following you.” I shook my head in disgust. “And why would you get in a car with someone who was following you? Are you dumb?”

“I tried to steal a cop car.” She sighed and leaned back in the seat in shock. “I can’t believe I did that.”

“Why did you do it?”

“I don’t know.” She started laughing hysterically. “I am going to be in deep shit if my parents find out.”

I stared at her, not sure what to say. I swallowed hard as I stared at the naked length of her neck and chest. I turned away, upset with myself for being turned on by this crazy, beautiful girl.

“What’s your name?” I asked her finally, not sure how much longer I could stay in this weird situation.

“Maddie.” She opened her eyes and looked at me. “You?”

“Logan,” I bit out, waiting for the inevitable recognition. The widening eyes that would turn her half-smile into a frown, and the worry that would cross her mind when she realized who she was with.

“Logan?” She smiled. “You don’t look like a Logan.”

“I don’t?” The words tripped out of my mouth in surprise.

“You look like a Brandon or something.” She laughed and then rubbed her eyes. “Don’t mind me, I’m rambling now.”

“Why do I look like a Brandon?” I felt like laughing. This was turning into one of the weirdest nights I had ever had. And Maddie seemed to be living up to her name; she was quite mad to be sitting here in a car with me, a guy she didn’t know.

“ ’Cause you’re hot.” She giggled and leaned towards me. “I’m not coming on to you or anything. I’m sure plenty of girls come on to you and say that. But I’m not one of those girls. But you’re hot. Like James Dean.”

“James Dean?”

“He was an actor—”

“I know who he is, or was.” I frowned. “I just don’t think I look like James Dean.”

“You’ve got that air about you.” She nodded. “Definitely a James Dean look: dark blond hair, shimmering, hooded green eyes, slight stubble, and you look like trouble.”

“I look like trouble?” I raised an eyebrow at this strange but honest girl.

“I know, right? It’s ironic.” She laughed. “Here I am, running from the cops, and you’re here sitting in your car, and I’m saying you’re trouble.”

“Ironic is a fitting word.” I nodded and tried not to smile. “Do you need a ride?”

“Yeah.” She sat up, and I think the seriousness of the moment finally hit her, because her body froze and she looked at me carefully with an extremely worried expression. “Shit. Shit. Shit,” she cussed under her breath, and she stared at me with wide eyes.

“No longer feeling like you made a good decision tonight?” I asked her softly. I knew that she was experiencing the crash. The adrenaline and excitement was fading now and she was starting to feel panicky and worried.

“I don’t know what I was thinking.” She bit her bottom lip. “I was just walking, and I saw the cop car, and something just came over me.” She shook her head. “I’m going to be in deep trouble.”

“Do they know it was you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why did you do it?” I looked at her curiously. She didn’t look like the sort of girl who would steal a car.

“For fun?” She made a face. “You probably think I’m a horrible person, right? I wouldn’t blame you if you decided to call the cops on me.”

“I’m not going to call the cops.” I laughed.

“You have a baby?” She surveyed the car and I looked at her in shock.

“No, no baby.” I shuddered.

“So why do you have a baby seat in the back?” She frowned and I turned to look in the backseat.

“Oh.” I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel. “About the car.”

“Yeah?” She leaned towards me. Her eyes looked even more purple up close. I could smell her minty breath on my lips, and I had a sudden urge to kiss her. We stared at each other for a few seconds, and I studied her eyelashes. They highlighted her eyes and I wanted to feel them against my cheek, to see if they were as soft as they looked.

I leaned back away from her and gripped the steering wheel. “I don’t own this car.”

“You borrowed it from a friend?” She cocked her head at me, and I shook my head. “You rented it?”

“No.”

“Then what?” She looked puzzled and I watched as realization hit her. “You weren’t following me, were you?” She sat back and looked dazed. “Shit, you pulled over because of the cops? You— you stole this car?” Her voice was amazed and loud. I didn’t look at her because I didn’t want to see the reproach in her eyes. I knew what people like her were like. It was okay for them to commit crimes because it was just for fun. But when it came to people like me, it was a big deal. It was a bad thing. A really bad thing.

“That is fucking crazy.” She started laughing and I turned to look at her in shock. Was she insane?

“Did you escape from a mental institute?” I asked her seriously, worried that I had perhaps picked up a real crazy person.

“A mental institute?” Her eyes glittered as she stared at me. “Maybe.” She laughed even harder and gasped out, “Maybe I should be in one, indeed.”

“Why aren’t you jumping out of the car? I’m a bad guy.” I looked at her, unsmiling. This wasn’t a joke. Maddie made me uncomfortable, and I didn’t like feeling uncomfortable.

“I thought you were going to give me a ride home?” She buckled her seatbelt.

“Are you crazy? I just told you I stole this car, and you want to stay in here with me?”

“Why wouldn’t I? I just told you I tried to steal a cop car.”

“But that’s different.” I started the engine and sighed. “You did it for fun.”

“This is your career?” She sounded surprised.

“Yes,” I bit out and pulled away from the curb. “This is my career.”

“Well, no wonder you’re better than me at stealing cars.”

“Where do you live?” I studied the road ahead of me. I didn’t understand this girl. Why didn’t she have more common sense?

“Are you attracted to me, Logan?” She pressed her fingers against my arm, and I turned to look at her quickly. She was giving me a sultry look, and I almost did a double take. What was going on here?

“Where do you live, Maddie?”

“I don’t want to go home,” she said softly.

“Where do you want to go?”

“To your place.”

“I don’t have my own place.”

“Where do you live?” she asked.

“With my dad and two brothers.”

“Do you have your own room?”

“Yeah,” I replied.

“So let’s go.”

“Why?”

“Do I have to tell you why?” She laughed. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“How old are you, Maddie?”

“Twenty.”

“Let me take you home.” I gritted my teeth and ignored the stirrings of lust in my pants. It would not be a good idea to take Maddie home. She was trouble, I could sense it in my bones. They didn’t come any crazier than Maddie. Yes, she was beautiful, and yes, she was fearless, but she was not someone I needed in my life.

“Come on, Logan Martelli, take me home.”

My breath caught as she said my whole name and I looked at her with suspicion. Had she known who I was the whole time? “How did you know who I was?”

“Who doesn’t know the Martelli family in River Valley?” She spoke matter-of-factly. “I mean, I only just figured it out a few minutes ago. You don’t look like I pictured.”

“How did you picture me? Like the big, bad wolf?”

“Something like that.” She nodded. “You’re younger than I thought. How old are you?”

“Twenty-five.” I paused. “So, what’s your address so I can take you home?”

“I don’t know if I should give you my address. What if you come back to steal from my house?”

“I wouldn’t—” My face flushed as I responded to her angrily.

“I’m joking, Log.” She touched my arm again. “Can I call you Log?”