Pedal to the Metal: Love's Drivin' but Fate's Got the Pole (The 'Cuda Confessions Book 3) by Eden Connor Read Free Book Online Page B

bill for the tip. To my shock, Senior added a twenty. Jesus Christ, how much was that wine? Senior didn’t strike me as overly generous.
    The night air cooled my stinging cheeks. I paused on the front sidewalk to say good-bye to Dale and Mom, but Dale tipped his head in the direction of the gleaming black dually truck with a pointed look that froze me.
    “It was real nice meetin’ you folks. We appreciate the fine meal, but if you don’t mind, it’d make me feel better if Shelby rode back to the dorm with us.”
    “Why?” Robert burst out. “I only had four glasses of wine. It’s less than two miles.”
    Dale gave him the grin that wasn’t remotely jovial. “My family’s priceless to me, son. My womenfolk are the crown jewels in that treasure box. I got no control over what Shelby does when I ain’t lookin’, but—”
    “See you later.” I tried to smile at Senior, but the huff of amusement he gave pissed me off, so, I stalked to the truck, praying his own Mercedes ran over the arrogant ass.
    As soon as Dale pulled to a halt in front of the campus’s main building, I slung the rear door open. Ignoring the tears in her eyes, I leaned over the seat to give her a perfunctory hug.
    “I cannot take one more scene. My head hurts all the damn time as it is. Love you. Happy Valentine’s Day. Have fun this week. Bye.”
    “I’ll, uh, just walk Shelby to her dorm, Macy.” Dale hopped out of the truck.
    Relieved she didn’t insist on coming inside for a drawn out good-bye, like she was headed for Dubai rather than Daytona, I stalked toward the dorm. Dale’s long legs caught up to me easily.
    “Listen, kiddo. Have you seen the neurologist again?”
    “Yes.” I slowed with a sigh. “I even told him that I swing from moody to bitchy like I’m stuck on a trapeze. He said sudden shifts in mood were normal for someone who’d had a concussion. All he offered me was another prescription for pain meds. I’m already struggling to study. The drugs make it harder to concentrate, so I turned him down.”
    “Just gonna tough it out, huh?” He stopped in front of the stairs leading to the back door of my dorm. I skipped up the step and paused to say goodnight.
    “Yep. To be honest, if the headaches would go away, I’d be cool with the rest of my symptoms. It’s kind of hilarious to see people’s expressions whenever I say the stuff I’ve been thinking for years.”
    Standing one step up, I had a good view of his troubled expression, but I put my arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Thanks for playing along with my bitchery at dinner. I wish you’d told that old bastard off, though.”
    “Cale Yarborough’s a good ol’ boy from South Carolina. Ernie ever tell you about him?”
    “Uh, I think so. Wasn’t he one of only two NASCAR drivers to win back to back championships three different times?”
    “Yep. He once said, ‘Don’t ever wrestle with a pig. You’ll both get dirty, but the pig will enjoy it. I figured I could substitute ‘lawyer’ for ‘pig’, so....” He lifted his palms and grinned.
    That made me chuckle, but I still felt wound too tight. “I really like Robert, but our families are just different. He’s different when his dad’s around. I like our family, Dale. I know I used my injury as an excuse to be rude. But, at least I had a damn excuse. I know when someone’s being an asshole because they think they’re superior.”
    Out of all that babble, he seized on, “You like him?” His piercing look made my heart falter. Before I could cover my mistake, he barked, “Listen up.”
    The stern tone kept me from interrupting.
    “Some folks would say I messed up big time, because my young’uns ain’t born nine months apart and they got different mamas. Hell, until recently, I agreed with ‘em.” He reached up to adjust his absent baseball cap, grimacing before dropping his hand with a sigh.
    “But since me and you had that talk about Colt, I been paying attention