Pedal to the Metal: Love's Drivin' but Fate's Got the Pole (The 'Cuda Confessions Book 3) by Eden Connor Page B

straightaway and said the pedal wasn’t all the way to the metal. He ran out of balls when he felt it lift. If you need to go faster than that, I gotta make it some wings.” Satisfaction radiated from his expression. 
    Who in their right mind wants to do two hundred and ten miles an hour? If a person’s in that big of a hurry, they should buy a damn plane ticket.
    “Do I owe y’all for the work?” I’d pinched pennies to save the majority of what was left from my Google ad money after buying the recliner. The check he’d written me was tucked in the back of my wallet for a rainy day. Mom had deposited three hundred bucks in my account yesterday.
    “Well, since we slapped our name on the doors, I reckon we can call it even. You’re the best advertisin’ money could buy. Not to mention, it’s your birthday.”
    Something I couldn’t mistake glowed in his eyes. I squeezed my thighs together while my tummy did a slow tumble. When I looked away, he returned to describing the car’s myriad systems. I absorbed perhaps every fifth word. My gaze shifted to the various features he pointed out, but my thoughts bounced around like a beach ball in a hurricane.
    “Where’s my dash cam?” I interrupted. “Did it break in the wreck?”
    “Oh, wait’ll you see this.” Caine spun a dial on the console with a fingertip. “This car has electronics fit for NASA, Shelby, no joke. So, I took the liberty of installin’ a state-of-the-art camera. Dad sprung for the new wheels. Jonny helped me design the skin, and we all pitched in to install it. But the camera’s from me. Happy birthday.”
    They’d bought me gifts? This was a first. “Uh, thanks. That’s... awesome.”
    “Your site needs some fresh videos.” He winked.
    “Your site needs to die and be resurrected.”
    He burst out laughing. “I came prepared to beg you to take it over. I wanted to ask you to do it from the git-go. But, Dad said, between that knock on the head and the broken arm, you had all you could handle, just dealin’ with school. Be glad to hand off the login info if you’re feelin’ frisky. Put whatever you need to fix it up on Dad’s card.”
    “Really?” I’d re-designed that site in my head five different ways already.
    “Yes, really. Goddamn, that shit’s harder than it looks. Got a whole new appreciation for geeks now.”
    “Who you calling a geek?” I tossed my head. The awkwardness evaporated. He was being an adorable big brother. I had no idea if that should feel awkward or not, so I turned back to inspecting the car.
    An electronic screen, built into the dash above the console, sprang to life. My face, as well as Caine’s, stared back. The shot was wide angle, but the curvature had been compensated for onscreen.
    He pointed to the rearview mirror, but kept his finger on the dial between us. “Okay, all wires are concealed. There are two lenses on the back of the mirror. Now, see this?” He tapped the dial. The view switched to the brick building behind us. Tapping the dial again brought our faces back.
    “Wow.”
    “Sweet, huh? You can run the video straight to your phone, or stream direct to another mobile phone with apps you already have. Or, stream it live to any website, if you plug in an IP address. Damn car’s got its own Wi-Fi hot spot.”
    I caressed the wheel and placed my foot on the clutch. “Tell me about this stupid automatic mode.” The chrome shifter knob fit my palm like it’d been carved just for me. The dual gearbox had been a joke ten weeks ago. Today, not having to shift would help me not think about the wreck. I’d just leave the transmission in granny mode.
    “I had to disengage that.”
    “What?” My heart fell. “What do you mean?”
    He snorted. “Fancy-ass computer didn’t have much memory to spare. I figured you’d never use the dual gearbox, so—” He dragged a finger across his throat. “Got me a few gigs that way. Let’s ride.”
    My throat closed. Sweat stung my upper lip.