Collided (Dirty Air Series Book 2)

“The pit crew is gossiping about you spending time with Maya and the McCoy boys.” My dad would’ve made a great detective in another life. He has a nose for anything out of the ordinary, making me cautious about how I should answer him.

I look up from my brunch menu and meet my dad’s questioning eyes. He starts off our breakfast in an irritable mood, bringing up Liam without any type of lead-in, making my spine stand straight. Not even Canada’s maple syrup can cheer him up based on his frown.

“Yeah, I like Santi’s sister. She’s been a lot of fun to be around.”

“And those guys?”

I roll my eyes behind my menu. “Also friends. You know, it may be very modern of me, but boys and girls can be friends without dating.” I drop my menu, giving him my best fake surprise face.

My dad glares at me. “I was a guy once, and when men hang around a pretty girl like you, it’s usually for one reason.”

I can do without my dad talking about his old hookup days. “Thanks, Dad. You’re ruining me. Here I thought my bright personality brought all the boys to the yard.” I jiggle my shoulders and pucker my lips.

“Please don’t compare yourself to anything in a yard. Like ever. I’m familiar with that song and would rather not hear anyone needing your milkshakes.” He rubs his face.

I crack up, enjoying how he gets all riled up. At least he comes from a good place.

“You sound really uncool right now. No one under seventy even talks like that.” I pat his hand to ease his anxiety. “It’s going to be okay. I promise. I’ve defined very clear boundaries.” I draw an invisible line in front of me.

I exclude how I think Liam is the hottest guy in F1. That would go against everything I set up so far, including our line in the sand that we’ve tiptoed around for two months.

“Anyway, tell me about this lady the gossip mags report you’ve been seeing.”

My dad has never quieted down as fast as he does. Ladies and gentlemen, my evasion technique comes off flawless, one so good lawyers would clap about it. His eyes dart across the menu, engrossed in whatever breakfast choice he needs to make.

Bingo. My dad’s totally dating again, and I want to know who.

“Don’t believe everything you read or hear for that matter.” His eyes catch mine.

Interesting words coming from him. I give him a pointed look.

He puts his hands up in surrender. “All right, I understand.”

“Lay off the inquisition, would you? I’m twenty-two going on fifty since I have the personality of a grandma. You don’t need to worry about me so much.”

“You’ll always be my baby girl. But I’ll work on it, just for you.” My dad gives me one of his classic goofy smiles.

We clink our mimosas together.

I offer a genuine smile. “I’ll toast to that.”

We laugh together when I knock over my glass.

“I’m glad some things never change.” Dad cleans up my spiked juice with a cloth napkin.

“Did you know Niagara Falls isn’t close to here? Maya told me, and I’m disappointed I missed that tiny detail.”

“You missed a six-hour driving detail? I’m shocked.” Liam mockingly scoffs as he covers his heart.

He looks rather normal in jeans and a T-shirt. Dare I say he appears domestic, all barefoot while reading a book in a chair off to the side of his bed. I lie on his comfy mattress, pretending to scroll through my phone while I sneak glances here and there. Somehow, he makes reading look sexy.

“Why are you reading A Game of Thrones? Can’t you just watch the TV show like everyone else?”

Liam turns to the next page. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.”

“What’s so wrong with what I said?” I continue, wanting to distract myself from him licking his finger before flipping the page.

Liam stares at me like I asked if I could have his first-born child. “Everyone knows the books are better than the movies or TV shows.”

“Says who?”

“Says everyone who reads books!”

I feel some sense of relief as Liam and I fall into our usual casualness. We both ignore last week’s late-night phone call. Well, more like I’ve ignored Liam every time he mentioned it until he eventually gave up. Turns out, I can evade topics like he overtakes cars. Thank God he can’t read my mind. Liam keeps to himself, acting like a perfect gentleman and friend. He gives me exactly what I want. Except I know his dirty secrets, like how his voice sounded when he came while getting me off.

I snap back into the conversation. “Okay, so you really love books. Got it. So, Niagara Falls is really that far away? I’m still disappointed.”

“Whoa. You lasted a whole minute without bringing up your failed plan again. I’m surprised because you’re usually so well-versed in your little ideas.” Liam’s playful smile pulls at my heart. Stupid, stupid heart. I thought we were in this together. You fickle bitch, acting all excited after one incident of phone sex.

“I think Google lied to me. It’s the only explanation. Maybe someone on Reddit hacked my feed and messed with my head. You know, kind of like how our phones show ads about stuff we talk about aloud but never search for. Talk about freaky.” Call me a nut, but the one time I talk about kayaks to a friend, ads popped up on my phone for a sporting store all week.

“The conspiracies. Do you think they accessed your Pinterest boards? That would be a total breach of secrecy and the worst kind of hack.”

My eyes bug out of my head. I sit, searching for my phone somewhere within the thick comforter. “What do you know about Pinterest?” I whisper. My Pinterest is my diary, not meant for the eyes of people like him.

“The secrets are in the boards.” His attention turns back to his book as he avoids eye contact with me, a smug smile displayed on his face. I want to wipe it right off of him.

“How do you know these things? Who is giving you inside information? Tell me now.” I hit him with my best glare.

Liam’s lazy grin expands as I drag my finger across my throat. “I’m not above offing whoever has loose lips around here.”

He gets up from his chair and sits next to me, the mattress dipping beneath him. His weight makes me sink closer to him. The scent of him wreaks havoc on my body and gives me limited mental clarity to deal with the situation at hand.

“Pinterest her interests.” He chuckles.

I glance at him, my eyebrows pinching together. “You either missed two-thirds of a haiku or you just made a terrible joke.”

He shrugs, not telling me anything.

“Have you seen my boards?” I go from avoiding his touch to clutching his shirt like a cheesy 1950s movie because I need direct eye contact to differentiate the truth from jokes. My Pinterest includes boards of my future wedding, my dream house, and pins of random babies dressed up for Halloween. Basically, all my deepest desires.

We both look at my hands touching his golden chest. A zing of energy spreads across my fingers, the same feeling I ignore daily. His eyes snap back to mine as he licks his bottom lip. I lean into him, tempted to brush my lips against his.

No. This is a bad idea in all capital letters.

I let go of him, putting a foot of distance between us, just in case.

“I will neither confirm nor deny.” He shakes his head.

My heart beats faster. I need to change my account name and update my passwords. Either I have a hacker on my hands or an inquisitive man who doesn’t believe in standard rules of privacy. Or maybe both because I wouldn’t put much past Liam, seeing as he bribes kids and doesn’t follow the status quo.

He scoots in close again. “You look like you’re about to pee your pants any second.” Charming, Sophie. “Relax and watch.”

I take another deep breath of his cologne because I enjoy a steady state of punishment.

He plays a video on his phone of a guy talking about Millennial Boyfriend School. The man reveals trade secrets about women and how men should have wine and chocolate stocked at home. Damn right they should.

By the end of the video, I’m crying from laughing too hard. It’s a habit I’ve long given up on stopping.

“I’m deceased, so please forward all ten cents of my will.” I throw myself back on the bed. My body sinks into the plush comforter that feels way better than my own. Liam definitely gets the upgrades, experiencing perks from being a monster on the track.

He chuckles as he bends over to wipe away some stray tears from my cheeks. How sweet of him. The gesture makes me painfully aware of the rough pads of his thumbs swiping across my face slowly, with him taking his sweet time. I allow this physical rarity between us because I like his attention.

We both play our own game of poker and wonder who will fold first. Unfortunately for him, I have a hell of a poker face if I do say so myself. The concept of folding my cards doesn’t register in my vocabulary with my will stronger than a shitty hand.

“Do girls really hate being told to relax?” he asks me earnestly, pulling me from my thoughts.

“The last boyfriend who told me that ended up in a shallow grave in my backyard. My dad helped me cover it up because he said I’m too pretty for prison.” I keep my voice steady.

He freezes. His eyes run over my face, gauging my seriousness.

I smack his arm. “I’m joking! But yeah, I personally can’t stand it. Maybe you need to go to boyfriend school. Wait, have you ever been a boyfriend before?”

“Nope. I was never good at classes anyway. Teachers would find me roaming around the school or the library.” His cheeks blush, catching me off guard.

“You know hooky sounds less badass when you tell people you hung out in the library.”

The look he gives me makes me wonder if he’d smack my ass with a book if he could.

“What if I told you I snuck in because I invited a few girls to hook up between the stacks.”

My mouth drops open. “I don’t know whether to be scared or impressed by your love for literature and female company.”

“I can show you how much I love the second.” He beams at me.

Liam stares at me as a roar of laughter escapes my lips. His eyebrows lower like he thinks too hard, while his hands ball up next to him. Baby blues focus their attention on my lips before they roam across my body. My skin prickles at his assessment. I wish I could take things further with him, to test out his lips against mine, or to feel his skin under my fingertips. But I don’t at the same time.

Confusing as hell, I know.

Ever since our phone call a week ago, I can’t get him out of my head. The ideas that cross my mind are everything but friendly. I like us as friends, but I can’t help but wonder if I’d like us as more.