Without a word, he tossed aside the cigarette he had just picked up and extended his hand, palm facing up. Against the deep darkness of the night, his knuckles were elegant, slender, and pale, his fingers curling slightly in stark contrast.
Erin Lowell placed the item in his palm, maintaining her distance perfectly so that she didn't touch him in the slightest.
Zane Jennings stared at the candy in his palm. Even though she hadn't touched him, the skin where it lay began to feel strangely warm. He looked up, his voice magnetic and laced with amusement. "My reward for saving the damsel in distress?"
She shook her head, unfazed by his teasing. Her expression became even more neutral. "No. I just think you're a good person."
'Not this again!'
He slipped the candy into his pocket, his gaze turning dangerous as he looked at her. "Don't call me a good person again. Otherwise, I might just have to do something that proves you wrong."
He wanted something from her; he was not the "good person" she kept calling him.
She kept calling him a good person, putting him on a pedestal. If he ever decided to act on his less-than-honorable intentions, he was afraid that title would become an obstacle.
Erin Lowell was no pampered heiress from a prestigious family, but this was the first time she had ever heard words that were equal parts threat and flirtation.
Her hands, resting on her knees, fiddled with the hem of her clothes. She looked up, scrutinizing him. "Then you should give the candy back to me."
Zane Jennings was stunned for a second, experiencing the distinct feeling of having shot himself in the foot. He draped an arm along the seat behind her, his casual, roguish demeanor returning.
"Not happening. No one's ever been able to take something away from me once I have it."
Erin Lowell spoke softly, neither angry nor annoyed, a faint smile gracing her eyes. "You've accepted my apology gift, so all the trouble I caused you today is officially settled. How about it?"
'What she really wanted to say was that they should go their separate ways and pretend they had never met.'
Too much deadly danger lurked around someone like her. She had no idea how many people wanted her dead, or if she would even live to see the sunrise. She couldn't protect anyone; all she could do was refuse to make friends, so she wouldn't drag anyone down with her.
The roguish glint in Zane Jennings's eyes hadn't quite faded. All he knew was that she was trying to draw a line between them, and the look in his eyes darkened imperceptibly. "Why do I get the feeling I just walked into your trap?"
He pulled back his sleeve, showing her his wrist. "You think a few pieces of candy make up for this?"
Erin Lowell glanced at his cuff, where a white bandage stood out starkly. "Should I give you a few more?"
Zane Jennings debated how to respond, torn between wanting more and not wanting it.
Before he could answer, Erin Lowell pulled a few more candies from her pocket. With one of his arms still behind her and the other resting on his thigh, she said, "Hold out your hand."
Zane Jennings hesitated, afraid that accepting them would mean the end of their connection.
He stared at her, his expression shifting from defiant to aggrieved, and finally, to resigned. After a few long seconds... he held out his hand.
The corners of Erin Lowell's eyes crinkled in a smile she quickly suppressed. Perhaps she was truly starting to believe he was a good person, that his deliberate approach wasn't driven by some ulterior motive. Without realizing it, she had let her guard down considerably.
She was less wary now, and the distance between them had shrunk.
His hand hung obediently in the air. As she reached over to place the handful of candy in his palm, her fingertips unintentionally grazed his skin.
The hand Zane Jennings had resting behind her stiffened. Erin Lowell froze as well.
It didn't hurt. Instead, he felt a distinct tickle, like a willow seed in springtime landing right on his heart, making it itch from the inside out.
He turned his head to the side, a smirk playing on his lips. "I've accepted your gifts, but a debt like this isn't so easily settled."
"Are you going back on your word?"
'She felt like she'd just lost on both ends of the deal.'
Zane Jennings was noncommittal. He pulled two long, rectangular tickets from his pocket, slipped one back, and kept the other in his hand. "Come with me to this tomorrow, and we'll be even."
He held the ticket out to her. She glanced at it but didn't take it. He brought his arm back from behind her and grabbed her wrist through her sleeve.
Erin Lowell tried to pull away, but she was no match for his strength and failed to break free.
He placed the folded ticket in her hand. "There's no such thing as a truly good person in this world." He was still holding her wrist. His grip wasn't strong, but it was enough to keep her from pulling away. "I had a motive for saving you, you know."
As for what that motive was, he didn't know yet himself.
Erin Lowell was a little stunned. It was normal for someone to have a motive for saving a life, but this was the first time she'd seen that motive be a companion for a car race. "We're even after this is over? Are you sure?"
Zane Jennings pursed his lips, a sly arch to his brow, and gave her an ambiguous answer. "Am I still allowed to go back on my word?"
"..."
'It's just one race. If anything, I'm the one getting the better end of this deal.' Erin Lowell hesitated for only a second before agreeing. She even added a bit of flattery. "You wouldn't do that."
This time, Zane Jennings didn't rush to answer. He just angled his head slightly. In the light filtering through the car window, he could just make out the flutter of her lashes and the desperate hope in her eyes—hope that he would say he wouldn't.
He pulled his gaze away, deliberately ignoring her silent plea. "If you show up tomorrow, then I probably won't," he said with a playful smile. "Otherwise... I'll have my eye on you."