Trent hops in and hooks up his phone to Bluetooth before we pull away from the curb. The sun has barely crest over the horizon by the time we hit the freeway. “We’re going to drive until we hit Texas, stay the night, then finish up the drive the next day,” he tells me, glancing over to gauge my perspective.
“Sounds good,” I tell him, nodding.
“Here,” he hands me his phone, “Go ahead and pick some music.”
A giggle escapes my lips. “You are not going to like what I like,” I tell him, handing him back the phone.
Trent glances at me again, curiosity written deep in his eyes. “Why do you think that?”
“My mom was from Mexico. I grew up listening to Latin and Tejano music. Plus, I’m obsessed with Halsey, so every once in a while, I throw a couple of her songs in the mix,” I explain to him, watching his reaction.
His lips pull up in a smirk before he throws the phone into my lap. “We have thirteen long hours for your music to grow on me, Scar. I like me some Halsey, too.”
A little floored, I stare at him until he looks my way again and laughs. His hand rises and he lightly pinches the edge of my chin between his fingers. “You asked for it.”
“Surprise me,” he fires back, before sliding his sunglasses over his eyes and rolling a window down. His hair blows in the breeze while he combs his fingers through it.
Without giving it another thought, I hit play on Pablo Alborán and Ava Max’s “Tabú.” Trent keeps one hand on the wheel while the other seeks mine out. I startle when his warm grip tightens around hand, and relax again once his thumb strokes over it. Butterflies erupt in my stomach before taking flight throughout the rest of my body. I almost feel dizzy from the sensations.
True to his word, Trent listens to all my song choices the entire drive. Only once do we all make a stop to stretch our legs, grab some food, and switch drivers. Except for Trent, he gets right back behind the wheel and I roll my eyes. “You know I can drive the truck, right?”
He shrugs. “I have no doubt, but I have the trailer behind me with precious cargo. I’m a little protective.”
I scoff. Little does he know I could drive in reverse hauling the trailer and we’d still make it to our destination on time. “Aren’t you tired?”
His eyes meet mine, and he grabs my hand again. “Talking to you makes me not tired. Just keep telling me about you.”
I tell him about my mom, about growing up in Mexico, leaving everything about my training and my dad out of the conversation. We talk about his family; even though I already know the basics, it’s still nice to hear how he talks about them. He loves his mom and dad and they support his career choice. When they can, depending on his younger brother’s school schedule, they fly to his races and spend time with him. The way Trent talks about his family almost makes me jealous. He loves them and its obvious they love him as well. Our lives are so different. I tell him about my love for mint chip ice cream, but he doesn’t get it because he likes cake batter the best. I express my love of writing and also how I want to major in medicine or chemistry.
Trent’s head swivels to the side. “You actually like math and science?”
I shrug. “Yeah, it’s interesting and there is so much more to be discovered. It changes all the time.”
“Wow,” he says, chuckling, “I think you’re the only person I know to actually say that. I suck at both. Made it through high school then was done.” I laugh at how horrified he looks.
“Tell me something I wouldn’t expect about you,” he says, looking at me sideways. I feel the smile slip from my lips. My brain suggests I lie to keep covering my tracks, while my gut tells me to give him something straight. I’m already in so deep and the worst part is, the more time I spend with Trent, the harder it is not to like him. Every time I expect some shallow answer from him, he surprises me.
Before I can stop myself, I end up listening to my heart and give him one of my truths, “I technically hold a title for longest range sharp shooter.”
“Why do you say technically?” He laughs.
“Because I wasn’t actually in the contest, I just knew the score and set up my own targets in my back yard,” I respond.
“She’s a badass, ladies and gentlemen,” Trent jokes and I playfully drop his hand. He picks it right back up, like he can’t not touch me.
“How about you?” I ask, resting my head back against the headrest.
“I grew up near the beach, but I was and still am too scared to surf.” He shrugs.
“You ride motocross and leap into the air, letting the bike drop beneath you, how?” I question and his face blanks.
“Sharks are in the ocean,” he says quietly, and I burst out laughing.
The sun is setting when we finally reach our stop in Texas. Trent follows the cars in front of us, as we pull off into a state camping grounds’ exit.
“Camping?” I turn to Trent, questioning.
“Since it’s just for one night, Dean always books us a camp site. Have you ever tented it?” He grins, my eyes narrow.
“Only in dire situations,” I respond, and he laughs.
“It will be fun. I can help you girls get your tent up if needed.”
We all get out and the guys pull tents from the bed of the truck. I watch in fascination as they set up a little camping area with such precision, you can tell they do this often. Once again, the image of always staying at five-star resorts or being above roughing it comes to mind and Trent surprises me. Every news article I read wasn’t lying when they said how down to earth he is. Evita slides up to me and bumps my shoulder. “How was the drive?”
For some reason, I feel shy talking about it. “Good.”
“Scarlet! Evi!” Ayda yells from up a small hill, “Come check this out!”
Evita links her arm with mine as we make our way over to Ayda. The guys follow behind us after a while. Ayda leads us down a path until we reach a clearing, which overlooks a huge lake. The color of the water almost looks turquois in the setting sun. The sky is now red and orange and reflects off the crystal-clear water. The scene is breathtaking, the kind of image you only need to see once in your life, and it stays with you forever.
“Look at those colors,” Trent says, standing right behind me, close enough that his voice vibrates in his chest, causing shivers to run down my arms.
“It’s beautiful,” I answer, and everyone around us seems to agree.
I have no idea how long we all stand at the edge talking, watching nature change around us, before the air starts to get chilly. Slowly, everyone leaves until it’s just Trent and me. He wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me close to him. I go willingly and let my body settle against his, soaking in his warmth.
“This really is a magical place,” I say under my breath. I turn toward Trent so we’re face to face. His hands lock behind my back, so my whole front is pressed against his. My head tilts back, so I can look at his gorgeous face. His blue eyes deepen until they match the color of the sky. “I’m really glad I came.”
He nods, his hands sliding up until they are cradling my face. “Where did you come from, Scarlet Reyes?”
I smile, feeling vulnerable under his gaze. Before I open my mouth to say anything, he dips his head down and angles my face to receive his kiss. Stars go off behind my eyelids, my hands fly up to his waist to center myself, while Trent kisses me deeply, passionately, and possessively. As if my lips were made for him, he trails his tongue along the seam, opening them to him, invading my mouth with his tongue. Sparks shoot all over my body and warm my skin. I move in as close as I can get, pressing into him. A moan escapes my mouth, and he pulls back, just as breathless as I am. Holy fuck. I’ve never had a kiss like that. Trent moved the earth beneath my feet. Our gazes collide and it feels like a meteor shower explodes around us. What did I just do?