Chapter 53

Shirley

He couldn’t be…could he?

My head is still reeling with the thought, feeling dizzied by the possibility as Keith and I finally sit in the car and buckle our seatbelts.

I’m questioning it, trying to make myself believe that I’m mistaken and something else must have set Keith off. But it’s becoming harder to ignore my suspicions as he aggressively throws the car in drive and speeds away from the estate.

There’s a buzzing silence between us that’s not even filled by the ambient sound of the radio as Keith has already turned it off. I assume that every mile we put between us and the party that his mood would get better, but it doesn’t. He only grips the steering wheel harder, keeps his angry stare on the road.

Finally, I can’t hold my tongue any longer.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, studying him once more.

But Keith doesn’t reply - it almost seems like he didn’t hear me at all. I know he did, though - he’s just refusing to reply.

It causes my curiosities to finally spill from my mouth.

“Are you…jealous?” I ask.

Keith’s hands only tighten more on the steering wheel as he briefly snaps his head in my direction.

“Why the fuck would I be jealous?” he throws at me.

“Beats me,” I insist. Partially because his response told me everything I needed to know. Despite his question, I can tell I was right - he is jealous. But my reply was honest. I don’t know why he’s jealous.

“You seemed pretty determined to pull me away from that bartender,” I comment then.

“Because I wanted to leave,” he chews out, his cold gaze back on the road.

“Then you could have left,” I reply. “I had planned to get a ride with Warren.”

“Warren’s busy,” he tries.

“With what?” I immediately toss back, trying to catch him in a lie. And I do. Because Keith doesn’t reply, he just sighs as he throws on his turn signal, only growing more irritated.

And maybe it makes me cruel, but I eat it up. I can’t help but grow amused by his reactions that still indicate that he’s jealous. Incredibly jealous.

Maybe it’s a result from the last few days. Here I’ve been sweating and heated over my annoying attraction to Keith and now I’m starting to think the feeling isn’t one sided. Perhaps Keith is also just as attracted to me…and apparently he’s just as frustrated by it.

Relishing in the idea, I feel myself warm with more enjoyment, unable to mirror any of his anger as I focus on the possibility again. And soon, I decide to use it to tease him.

“You know,” I begin, drawing out the words. “It’s okay to be jealous. Some people say a certain amount of jealousy can be healthy.”

I can tell Keith hates every one of my words.

“I am not jealous,” he bites back.

“No?” I ask innocently. “Then you wouldn’t have minded if that wolf took me home? Or back to his place?”

“No,” Keith replies, but he says the word between his teeth as his jaw hardens more - making the reply anything but believable.

“Oh good,” I say calmly, still playing it up. “You don’t have to worry, though. I wouldn’t have gone with him even if he asked.”

That response has Keith relaxing a little and I don’t fail to notice it. My eyes are trained on him the entire time. But his obvious ease only adds fuel to my fire.

“So you really didn’t have to make a scene,” I toss out then. “If you wanted me all to yourself then you could have just so.”

I’m teasing, of course - baiting him. And he takes it. Just as Keith started to settle, he’s pent up again and clearly not sharing my amusement.

“Shirley,” he begins, that deep and cold drag of my name making my stomach somersault.

“It’s okay, Keith,” I jump in again. “You can admit that you’re attracted to me. Again, a crush can be healthy.”

Goddess, I’m really pushing buttons, but I love it. Especially as I see Keith’s nostrils flare.

“A crush?” he says with a laugh. “I don’t do ‘crushes.’”

I hum in reply, acting unconvinced as I keep staring at him.

“You’re an attractive woman,” he continues, not looking at me. “But I’m not attracted to you.”

Keith’s admittance makes my skin spark, even if he claimed he didn’t find himself “attracted” to me. Maybe that’s because I still don’t believe him - not when he’s so clearly pent up again.

I don’t know what gets into me then, what makes me so daring - but I can’t help myself. I see one sliver of his lie and I latch onto it. Maybe I’m finding this whole thing too interesting, but I’m acting before I think twice.

“That’s good,” I tell him, my voice getting quieter as I look down toward his strong thigh. My hand then goes to it, sliding over the fine quality of his suit pants before I rest my palm against him.

And Keith twitches. It’s subtle and contained, but he fidgets.

The reaction causes me to smile as I look up at him again, keeping my hand where it is as Keith draws in a breath.

“Well, I’m glad we cleared that up,” I say then, my voice still devilish. “I was beginning to worry you wanted me.”

Keith says nothing at first, but I see him shift a centimeter as he registers my tone, as my thumb begins to casually draw circles against his thigh. But then he shakes his head.

“Then you were mistaken,” he states. “I don’t make a habit of wanting women I don’t know. That I don’t trust.”

Right. He doesn’t trust me because we hardly know one another. Well…actually that may not be true anymore. After all, we’ve started to get to know one another and we’ve been spending lots of time together. So just like his claim that he’s not attracted to me, I begin to wonder if this is also a lie.

Because I’ve seen how relaxed he’s been in my presence - he even offered more genuine smiles. And I’d seen the way he’d looked at me the night before.

“I don’t know about,” I practically purr, running my hand up his thigh then. It’s clear that Keith focuses on every centimeter I pass as I hear the leather steering wheel whine within his grasp.

“I think you trust me more than you think,” I insist, really just toying with him. And then I go in for the kill. “I think it’s you who you don’t trust.”

“And what exactly do I not trust myself about?” Keith says between his teeth.

So I smile and give a very purposely swipe of my thumb over his leg.

“Me,” I state.

Swiftly, Keith takes his hands off the steering wheel and his body turns toward mine before he’s leaning toward me. I probably would have gasped, but my throat launches itself into my throat as ours are completely locked. I hadn’t even realized we’d made it back to his house before then, that he’d thrown the car in park.

“I don’t want you,” Keith says, despite the evident electricity appearing between us. I can feel it, like a thread at the center of my chest that is drawing me toward him. However, I don’t move an inch.

But I have to recover. I have to hold onto that flirty attitude I’d been feeding him. So I do, I sweep away his excuse and smirk.

“You sure?” I say, moving my hand again as I lean a little closer. Immediately, Keith tried to suppress a huff. “You sure seem like you want me.”

His legs are tight and I can’t help but notice his slacks might be too. It leads me to believe that if I were to slide my hand up higher I would be able to find undeniable proof that Keith does want me.

But I don’t take advantage of him, and I wouldn’t be able to even if I wanted to. Because Keith suddenly jumps. One of his hands moves to grab my hand on his leg, moving it into his grasp before he holds it. But his other hand then also comes toward me, finding the side of my face as he holds my cheek.

The skin on skin contact nearly draws a sigh from me, but it’s Keith’s breath I feel instead. But then he gives a rumble from his throat.

“Stop,” he orders.

And I don’t say anything - I can’t. Not when I’ve realized our lips are only inches apart now and both of our eyes are aimed down to each other’s mouths.

And Keith seems to notice too. As I feel him tense and relax at the same time. His breath tickles me again, and I sense his mouth come closer, a breath away.

I’m certain that when he exhales again…that Keith is going to kiss me.