Read The Color of Us (College Bound Book 2) for Free Online Page A

corner.
    “Did you quit your job?” My right hand clutched the door handle, and the other clung to the edge of my seat. My heart raced as I watched how he loosely gripped the steering wheel while his other held his now-lit cigarette. His confidence was all-consuming.
    “Fuck yes. Nobody talks to me like that. They couldn’t pay me enough to put up with a stuck-up princess like her.”
    I pressed my head against the back of the seat. “Melissa’s not a princess. She’s a queen—queen of the bitches. Always has been.”
    He glanced over at me with narrowed eyes. “You were sitting with her. Aren’t you friends?”
    A laugh tumbled out of me. “God no. She’s way too shallow and evil. But unfortunately, my friends, MaryAnn and Talia, wanted to hang out with her.” I turned my head to look out the window. “Popularity isn't at the top of my to-do list. I don’t give a crap what Melissa thinks of me.” I drew my bottom lip between my teeth and watched as the trees along the road flashed by the windows in a blur of green and brown.
    The Jeep slowed as we approached a stoplight, and I could finally breathe normally again now that we weren’t recklessly hurtling down the streets. When I turned to Liam, he was staring at me.
    “What?” My heart beat faster under his scrutiny. I tugged at the fringe on my cutoffs as I forced myself not to look away.
    Smoke circled above his head, and I felt exposed under his penetrating stare. Something about his gaze was probing, searching, and I was anxious. Everything about Liam was intense, and I worried he just might have the power to destroy what little remained of my heart if he wasn’t careful. He was all harsh lines and wickedness. Except for his eyes. They were a vivid green, bright and intoxicating.
    “I’m trying to figure you out,” he finally said. “Straight A student, right?”
    I shrugged before nodding. There was no point in denying it. I had goody-goody plastered all over me.
    “Scared of a B ?” he asked. His smile reached all the way to his eyes.
    I looked away, my gaze focused on the road ahead of us. The light turned green, and as he accelerated, I spoke softly.
    “I’m scared of everything.”
    We drove in silence for a few minutes, the words I’d spoken echoing through my mind. Liam didn’t look at me again, and my stomach was in knots wondering if he was judging me. I was a coward, and he was the exact opposite. I focused on taking even breaths before I could talk again.
    “You invited me along for a ride, what do you want to do?”
    Liam pulled into an empty parking lot and came to a stop before answering. He slung his arm over the back of my seat, twisting to face me. “I was thinking I could teach you how to drive stick. You know, since I offered the first day of class.” His shameless grin forced me to blush.
    Shit. Driving? No. I wasn’t ready for that. Driving stick? Hell no.
    Or was he referring to something else? My heart was struggling to get out of my chest at the thought. “I’m not very comfortable in cars, Liam. Especially behind the wheel.” I concentrated on each word and hoped I didn’t sound as terrified as I was inside.
    “I can tell.” Liam turned off the engine and leaned toward me. “You’re shaking like I plan to sacrifice you to a volcano.” He laid his hand on top of mine and ran his thumb over my knuckles. My stomach settled a bit, but my heart was still beating full tilt. “You have to drive with Weinberg next week. Any time he mentions our on-the-road lessons, you damn near have a seizure. I was thinking it might be easier for you to learn with me.”
    “You have a traffic violation,” I said, flashing him a wry smile.
    “One too many speeding tickets. I’ve never been in an accident.”
    “Speeding is still breaking the law. You’re the last person who should be giving me driving lessons.”
    “That’s where you’re wrong, Lex. You trust me.” He spread his hand over mine, lacing our fingers