Chapter 59

After school, Juniper got a call from Shanley.
“Are you free? Let’s get some dinner.” The man’s voice was rich and low, with an alluring quality. “I know a restaurant with pretty good food.”
Through their few interactions, Shanley had discovered the girl’s primary interest: food. She loved to eat. A little glutton.
“Sure,” Juniper agreed without her usual hesitation. She had found that she didn’t mind Shanley’s company. Being with him gave her a strange sense of comfort, almost like her grandfather was still around. She liked it.
“Great, I’ll pick you up,” Shanley said, a smile in his voice. “Find a shady spot to wait so you don’t get sunburned.”
Fifteen minutes later, a sleek, dark gray sports car pulled up by the traffic light on the west side of the school. The man unfolded his long legs from the car and walked straight to the wooden bench where she was waiting. He leaned down slightly, a smile playing on his lips.
“Milkshake?” he asked, holding one out along with a small bag of snacks.
Juniper looked up, her eyes meeting his handsome face, and her heart gave another one of those strange, frantic beats.
“Is your bag heavy?” Shanley reached for her backpack. “Let me get that for you.”
Juniper looked down at her hands-snacks in her left, milkshake in her right—and realized it would be awkward to carry her bag. After a moment’s thought, she nodded and handed it to him.
“Let’s go.” A grin touched Shanley’s lips as he took the backpack in one hand, falling into step beside her.
He opened the car door, and Juniper slid inside. As soon as she sat down, she wrinkled her nose at the smell in the car.
“What’s wrong?” Shanley asked softly, noticing her expression.
“It stinks,” Juniper said, looking at him with her clear eyes, her voice muffled. “Do you smoke?” The distaste in her tone was obvious.
“You don’t like the smell of smoke?” Shanley immediately shot Flint a look and had him turn on the air vents and open the windows. “How about now?”
“Better,” Juniper’s expression relaxed, and she started sipping her milkshake, her defensive posture softening considerably.
“Is everything taken care of?” Shanley asked gently, placing a napkin by her hand.
“Mostly.”
The timing wasn’t quite right yet; the most important part was still to come.
“Good,” Shanley responded softly. Just as the word left his lips, the car suddenly jolted.
“Careful.” Shanley’s eyes flashed with cold light as his arm shot out instinctively to steady the girl beside him.
The lurch was so unexpected that Juniper, who was in the middle of drinking her milkshake, was thrown off balance. The back of her head bumped into a broad, hard chest, and the milkshake in her hands went flying.
“Hiss-”
A low grunt escaped Shanley, and Juniper instinctively looked back. She saw him frowning slightly, his arm protectively around her waist. A large, wet patch had spread across his white shirt, faintly revealing the toned muscle underneath. Juniper’s cheeks grew hot, and she tried to pull away, but the car was still unsteady. “Don’t move just yet,” Shanley murmured, holding her securely until he was sure she was safe. After a moment of gentle reassurance, he glared at Felton in the driver’s seat. “How are you driving?!”
In an instant, the temperature in the car plummeted below freezing.
“Sorry, Boss.” Felton lowered his head, his palms sweating. “The car in front of us suddenly changed lanes.”
“If this happens again, you can go back and get your license retrained,” Shanley growled, his face dark with anger. His girl had almost been hurt.
“Yes, Boss.” Felton’s face was grim, but he didn’t dare argue. Everyone on the boss’s team was highly trained. He and Flint, as personal bodyguards, were the elite of the elite. Their reflexes were top-tier; they shouldn’t be making mistakes like this.