Pedal to the Metal: Love's Drivin' but Fate's Got the Pole (The 'Cuda Confessions Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

worse off than I had been ten days ago? It wasn’t like I could drive until my cast came off.
    Except... nah. Dumbass, it was all about the drag race. Caine just wanted to be sure I didn’t back out of the race.
    I always know where I stand with Robert. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I need to get my shit together. Should’ve bought a vibrator, not a strap-on. They eat batteries but they never lie.
    ***
    F our days later, Harry set my suitcases on the dorm elevator. “Sure you don’t need me to go up with you and tote them to your room?”
    “They have wheels.” I kissed his cheek.
    “But there’s two of ‘em.” Harry scowled at my cast.
    “I’m a big girl. I’ll figure something out.”
    His gaze slid from my face to a spot over my left shoulder. “Listen, Shelby. I’m gonna have to hire someone to replace you.”
    Till I get back. My heart...damn, it had been through too much in the last ten or eleven days. “I know.” I backed into the elevator and pushed the button for the top floor. “See ya.” What kind of idiot worried about losing a service job?
    I’d lost too much already. The problem was, I had no idea whether what I’d lost had been real, or just more head games.
    Duh! Am I really having this thought? They used me. Again. I got played. Too bad, so sad. Except, one thing is clear. Either way, Dale believed in me. Which is a hell of a lot more than can be said for my mother.
    Becca Pattinson spun from her closet when I shoved the door open. I’d never realized how much the South Georgia native resembled a Cocker spaniel. Something about the narrow line of her jaw, the gleaming hair that was the exact shade of the breed, and her dark brown eyes.
    Or, it might be the Demerol talking.
    “Hey, Shelby! How wa—oh, my God, what happened?”
    “That story can wait. Gotta order something real fast and I need your help. And your tablet.” I plopped down on her bed, prepared to hear about her Christmas—her family had taken a cruise down the fucking Nile River—as soon as I was done.
    I found the website on her Surface Pro and shoved it into her hands so I could dial the phone. “Find the biggest, fluffiest one they sell.”
    By the time I’d gotten the right party on the line, Becca pointed out her choice.
    “But all the fabric choices are hideous,” she whispered, wrinkling her nose.
    I grinned at the interior design major and covered the mic on the phone. “I’m having it recovered.”
    The store’s interior designer came back on the line. “You absolutely guarantee this can be delivered the first week in February?” If Dale was to get any use out of my gift, it had to arrive at least a week before the season started, or I might as well wait to buy it until the end of October. “And that plaid fabric? You’ve verified that it’s in stock, too? The labor’s not going to be a problem? I don’t mind paying a rush charge, but if it’s even one day late, I don’t need it, so be sure before you run my card.”
    Once I disconnected, I relaxed on Becca’s teddy bear collection. “So, how was Egypt?”
    She peeled the hated sling back from my fingers, then fixed me with a glare. “Egypt can wait. What the hell’s going on? I spent days sneaking around to help Robert pick out your ring. Didn’t he propose for Christmas?”
    I’d aged a lifetime since Becca and I parted for the break. I flexed my fingers, but the motion did nothing to relieve the ache building in my neck and shoulder.
    “He did propose. Then we broke up. We got back together, but—hey, guess what? I got a new car.”
    Becca sank onto the edge of the bed, looking like she wanted to take my temperature. With a baseball bat. “What kind of car?”
    “Audi R8.” I expected the model to go completely over her head. I doubted we’d spend much time together once we graduated, but in many ways, Becca reminded me of Caroline. Too damn soft-shelled for the mean girls here.
    Instead, she straightened. The excitement blazing in her