Chapter 15: Not a Date
Gareth took the driver’s seat without a word and I slipped into the passenger seat. I was expecting the car to turn towards home, but Gareth headed in the opposite direction.
“Wait... you’re not taking me home?”
He glanced at me briefly. “You looked like you hadn’t eaten. Figured we could grab a meal. Unless you’d rather go home hungry?”
I blinked. “I—no. Food sounds good.”
The drive was quiet at first, but not uncomfortable. Just... charged. Like there was something in the air neither of us wanted to name.
I tried to keep my eyes on the road, on the passing buildings, on anything that wasn’t the man behind the wheel—but my gaze kept drifting. His profile under the soft dashboard light was unfairly perfect. Sharp jaw, straight nose, and his lashes were long enough to cast shadows against his face. He looked carved from stone, calm and composed, with one hand resting lazily on the steering wheel.
My eyes dropped to his hand. Big, and strong, the veins on the back of it slightly visible. I remembered how that hand had wrapped around my wrist just days ago—firm, warm, possessive.
Snap out of it, Jasmine.
I blinked and looked out the window again, cheeks warm. But then I caught the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth. A smirk. He’d noticed me staring and was enjoying every second of it.
Cocky man.
I crossed my legs and looked outside, pretending I hadn’t just been caught.