Even his Fallout shirt under his black plaid does it for me.
“Zo?”
I shift my eyes, hoping he didn’t notice me checking him out. “I wondered if you were still okay teaching me how to drive?”
“I thought you were grounded.”
That lie is really starting to bite me in the butt. “I-I just can’t see any of my friends.” Crap. That totally came out wrong. “I mean—”
“No, you’re right,” he says, not looking at me. “We’re not friends.”
Ouchy. I wish I could argue, but I can’t. I haven’t been his friend. Gave that up when I gave up everything. I gulp and ask again, “So, can you? You know, teach me?”
He hesitates which makes me almost mumble out a whole bunch of “you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I’d really like you to”s but I bite my tongue. I can’t control the natural response I have to awkward silence, and my face blows up to the size of a giant water balloon.
He smirks at my cheeks and pinches them together. My stomach does that stupid backhand spring like he’s suddenly the center of my universe.
“Hey, Mom!” His sudden outburst makes me jump and he laughs at me. “It okay if I take Zoe out for a drive?”
He makes it sound like a date. I’m not the only one who thinks so either. Mrs. Gibbons sticks her head out into the entryway, a gleaming smile glued on her face.
“Oh hi, Zoe! I didn’t know you were here. Zak, honey, aren’t you going to invite her in?”
“We were going to head out,” he says, giving her a look I can’t see.
“Will you be home for dinner?”
“Yeah.”
“Is Zoe joining us?”
“No.”
I only see half the conversation, but Zak obviously gives her the please-don’t-embarrass-me look.
“Okay. You kids have fun!” Her excitement is so transparent, it makes me feel like I should explain, but Zak pulls me down the porch steps before I can squeeze it in.
“Sorry,” he mutters as he drops his hand from my arm. I kind of wish he would’ve kept it there. Like old times. Like with his other… oh that’s right. We’re not friends.
“You don’t have to apologize. I know she adores me.” I nudge him with my elbow—because I just have to touch him—and he smirks.
“Must be because you’re so humble about it.”
“Hey, you know you want this.” I gesture to my body in a teasing and completely unsexy way. Zak throws his head back in a fit of laughter, which causes me to giggle like a little school girl. We better get in the car fast before someone sees Geek Zoe.
“Yes. So humble.” He walks over to my car, right to the driver’s side. I make my way to the passenger seat.
“Um, hello? Where are you going?” There’s that smile again, sending waves of tiny butterflies in my chest.
“You walked to the driver’s seat. I thought you were going to take me somewhere secluded so I don’t kill anyone.”
His barking laugh is so addictive. “I was opening your door for you, silly girl.”
“Oh.” I’m so stupid. I cross around, and he holds the door open. “I guess chivalry isn’t dead.”
“For some of us it isn’t.”
He shuts the door and walks over to his side. Gosh, I’m freaking nervous. My hands shake so badly you could put a paint can in them and I’d have it mixed within seconds. And he called me “silly girl” again. Why the heck does that make my heart go wa-bam ?
He sits and a wave of his amazing cologne hits my nostrils. I resist the urge to moan.
“Okay,” he says as he buckles. “You ready?”
Heart still going way too fast. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.
But I nod anyway.
“You’ve got your foot on the clutch?”
I nod. I know that much about manuals.
“Let’s start her up.”
I can’t get the stupid key in. My hands won’t stop shaking. Zak smiles, reaches over, brushing my hand, and turns the key.
The car vibrates up my butt and I let out a yelp.
Zak grins, totally holding back his laughter and says, “Nice. What kind of engine does this
“Zo?”
I shift my eyes, hoping he didn’t notice me checking him out. “I wondered if you were still okay teaching me how to drive?”
“I thought you were grounded.”
That lie is really starting to bite me in the butt. “I-I just can’t see any of my friends.” Crap. That totally came out wrong. “I mean—”
“No, you’re right,” he says, not looking at me. “We’re not friends.”
Ouchy. I wish I could argue, but I can’t. I haven’t been his friend. Gave that up when I gave up everything. I gulp and ask again, “So, can you? You know, teach me?”
He hesitates which makes me almost mumble out a whole bunch of “you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I’d really like you to”s but I bite my tongue. I can’t control the natural response I have to awkward silence, and my face blows up to the size of a giant water balloon.
He smirks at my cheeks and pinches them together. My stomach does that stupid backhand spring like he’s suddenly the center of my universe.
“Hey, Mom!” His sudden outburst makes me jump and he laughs at me. “It okay if I take Zoe out for a drive?”
He makes it sound like a date. I’m not the only one who thinks so either. Mrs. Gibbons sticks her head out into the entryway, a gleaming smile glued on her face.
“Oh hi, Zoe! I didn’t know you were here. Zak, honey, aren’t you going to invite her in?”
“We were going to head out,” he says, giving her a look I can’t see.
“Will you be home for dinner?”
“Yeah.”
“Is Zoe joining us?”
“No.”
I only see half the conversation, but Zak obviously gives her the please-don’t-embarrass-me look.
“Okay. You kids have fun!” Her excitement is so transparent, it makes me feel like I should explain, but Zak pulls me down the porch steps before I can squeeze it in.
“Sorry,” he mutters as he drops his hand from my arm. I kind of wish he would’ve kept it there. Like old times. Like with his other… oh that’s right. We’re not friends.
“You don’t have to apologize. I know she adores me.” I nudge him with my elbow—because I just have to touch him—and he smirks.
“Must be because you’re so humble about it.”
“Hey, you know you want this.” I gesture to my body in a teasing and completely unsexy way. Zak throws his head back in a fit of laughter, which causes me to giggle like a little school girl. We better get in the car fast before someone sees Geek Zoe.
“Yes. So humble.” He walks over to my car, right to the driver’s side. I make my way to the passenger seat.
“Um, hello? Where are you going?” There’s that smile again, sending waves of tiny butterflies in my chest.
“You walked to the driver’s seat. I thought you were going to take me somewhere secluded so I don’t kill anyone.”
His barking laugh is so addictive. “I was opening your door for you, silly girl.”
“Oh.” I’m so stupid. I cross around, and he holds the door open. “I guess chivalry isn’t dead.”
“For some of us it isn’t.”
He shuts the door and walks over to his side. Gosh, I’m freaking nervous. My hands shake so badly you could put a paint can in them and I’d have it mixed within seconds. And he called me “silly girl” again. Why the heck does that make my heart go wa-bam ?
He sits and a wave of his amazing cologne hits my nostrils. I resist the urge to moan.
“Okay,” he says as he buckles. “You ready?”
Heart still going way too fast. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.
But I nod anyway.
“You’ve got your foot on the clutch?”
I nod. I know that much about manuals.
“Let’s start her up.”
I can’t get the stupid key in. My hands won’t stop shaking. Zak smiles, reaches over, brushing my hand, and turns the key.
The car vibrates up my butt and I let out a yelp.
Zak grins, totally holding back his laughter and says, “Nice. What kind of engine does this
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