Laina“No,” I breathed. Everything seemed to unfold before me in slow motion. The crowd was tense, and all seemed to be holding the same breath as the three cars hurtled toward the finish line. The roar of the engines and the crash of the bumpers slamming into each other echoed in my ears as they approached, and all I could think was one thing. This is going to end badly. The three cars passed the line. Mason’s brake lights came on. The crowd gasped. And then Sid and Mark made their move and sent Mason’s car spinning across the track where he slammed driver’s side first into the cement barrier. The passenger side tires lifted off the ground with the impact, and the whole frame seemed to crumple inward, leaving the car looking warped and crooked like a piece of plastic left out in the sun for weeks. I think I might have screamed. I didn’t realize I’d started moving away from the crowd in a desperate attempt to get
Laina Feeling his pulse was enough to spur me into action. I reached around him and guided his arm out from the seat belt. Blood stained my fingers, but I didn’t care. I worked the seat belt out from around his shoulder, freeing him, and Benji asked me to help him turn Mason sideways so we could guide him out through the driver’s window. He weighed a fucking ton. Benji wrapped his arms under Mason’s armpits and began pulling him out of the car. Laughter caught my ears. I looked out the passenger window to see Mark and Sid standing about ten feet away. Sid had his arms crossed over his chest. He was wearing loose jeans and a white tank. His gold teeth flashed as he threw his head back and laughed. Mark jabbed him in the chest and said something they both found humorous because their laughter increased, and soon Sid was doubled over, slapping his knees and howling with hilarity. “Bastards,” I growled. “Laina, no,” B
MasonFuck. Everything hurt. My head pounded like someone was relentlessly smacking my skull with a hammer. The pressure behind my eyes had me convinced my brain had exploded and was pushing itself out of my head. My ears were ringing like a fucking fire alarm. And it wouldn’t stop. The rest of my body wasn’t better off. My ribs and shoulder and chest ached furiously, and I found myself being gently jostled around and every bump or movement sent little shocks of fiery pain through my veins. I groaned and lifted my hand to my face to try to rub something wet out of my eyes. “Mason?” A woman’s voice called my name from far away. She sounded familiar. She also sounded scared. I tried to open my eyes without success. “Mason? Can you hear me?” I swallowed and rubbed harder at my eyes. The woman pulled my hand away from my face, gently stroked my hair off my forehead and said, “Hold on. We’re almost there.”
Mason The latter might be easier for her. Then she wouldn’t have to think of me ever again. She could finally wipe her hands of us and focus on her relationship with Mark. The thought made my aching body ache even more. I tried to think of other things, but everything kept circling back to her. I grimaced when we hit a bump. The car rolled up my driveway, and Benji apologized. I must have made a sound without even realizing it. Laina’s hand fell still in my hair, and she opened her door. Cool air washed in and chased away some of the fog in my head. I rubbed at my eyes vigorously one last time and was finally able to squint them open. My lashes were thick with red. I heard Benji get out of the car. He hurried around to my side as I forced myself to sit up. I gripped the headrest of the seat in front of me to try to stabilize my spinning head. “Okay,” Benji breathed, looking from me to the front door. “
LainaMason’s eyes had been closed for a minute or two when Benji returned with a clean bowl of blood free water and a new cloth. I thanked him, dipped the cloth in the hot water, and wrung it out. Then I took the scissors from the coffee table and cut Mason’s shirt off him. Benji helped me pull the fabric away as Rick sank down onto the opposite sofa and watched me work. Mason’s brother was furious. I could see it in the tension in his shoulder; the darkness in his eyes. He wanted vengeance. He probably felt the same way Mason had when we went to the hospital after finding out Rick had been jumped and beaten. Rick was probably even angrier at the sight of Mason’s battered torso. His tanned skin was riddled with bruises. His left side was already purpling, as was his shoulder. He must have slammed into the side of the car pretty fiercely when the car struck the barrier. Luckily, there was no blood. The only place he was bleeding from was his head. “
Laina He watched me, and I continued stroking his hair. Benji and Rick moved away from the sofa and spoke in hushed voices off in the hallway by the bathroom. I could feel the urgency between them. They were angry. Frustrated. Trapped. There was nothing any of us could do to make this any better. Mason had to just suffer through it. I looked over my shoulder at Benji and Rick. Neither of them was paying any attention to us. So I leaned forward and pressed my lips to Mason’s. He smiled when I pulled away. “What was that for?” “I needed it,” I whispered. “It was for me.” “I need another one.” I leaned forward again. The second kiss was tender. His lips were warm and soft, a stark contrast to the stubble along his jaw. I could smell the musk of his cologne along with the coppery scent of his blood. When we parted, I continued raking my fingers through his hair. Every time he blinked, it was harder for him to open his eyes.
Mason“Son of a bitch,” I mumbled, shielding my eyes against the glare as I tried to open them in the morning. The brightness was not doing my headache any favors. “Sleeping beauty wakes,” Benji said dryly from somewhere nearby. I groaned and gingerly moved around to prop myself up on my elbows. I managed to open my eyes and looked blurrily around. Benji was sitting on the opposite sofa. He was leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clasped together between them. “How’s your head?” I forced myself to sit up. I made sure to move slowly in case I invited another bout of dizziness, but luckily, none came. “Better.” “How much better?” I rubbed my temples gently and leaned back against the couch cushions. “Like I got hit with a baseball bat instead of a crowbar sort of better.” Benji snorted. “So about the same as last night?” “No. Better than last night. Definitely.
Mason Benji shrugged one shoulder. “He’s not happy. But he knows it wasn’t in your control. I’m going to try to find a solution that works for everyone. I told him I’d keep him posted. I gave him the twenty grand, though. Took it out of your envelope.” “Good,” I nodded. “He shouldn’t have to wait for it. Not after what I did to his car.” “It was an accident.” “No. I should have expected it. I was reckless and foolish to think they wouldn't pull a stunt like that.” “But you still want to race on Saturday?” I stared down into my glass of water. “Yes.” “Why?” “Because I can’t let them win. I can’t let them continue thinking this is how you operate. I won’t tolerate it. I’m taking back my title. My place. I’ll be damned if Sid or Mark continue to run the racing scene. I’ll be damned if they win.” “This is just vengeance talking.” “So what if it is?” “Is it ve
Harley“I can’t believe it, man,” Rick said.“I couldn’t for a while either,” Mason said. “But this is something we’ve wanted for some time now. Now it’s happening. You picked a good time to go away. I was going to ask for your help building the crib and setting up the nursery.”Rick chuckled. “Well, you have Benji for that.”The men looked at Benji. His shoulders slumped. “Yay.”Everyone laughed.“Are you going to find out the gender, or let it be a surprise in the end?” I asked Laina.She lit up like a light bulb and instinctively put her hand on her belly, even though she wasn’t showing yet. “I think we’re going to wait.”I smiled. “Beautiful.”Within the next half hour, everyone migrated to the dining-room table, which Laina had set beautifully with a white tablecloth, gold chargers, and white plates. The candles were in gold holders, and even the cutlery was gold. She had an eye for detail.While we devoured the spaghetti and meatballs, we talked about life and babies and all the
HarleyTwo Months Later“Careful,” I said as Rick took a sharp righthand turn and drove the Jeep into Mason and Laina’s driveway. The appetizer I’d thrown together slid across the backseat and bumped into the door panel. I scowled at him. “I slaved over those for fifteen minutes. Don’t ruin them before we walk in the door. I want to knock everyone’s socks off with how much of a homemaker I’ve become.”Rick killed the ignition and arched an eyebrow at me. “A homemaker? Really?”I lifted my chin. “What?”He snorted and got out of the Jeep. “Nothing. I just doubt anyone is going to think ‘homemaker’ just because you’re showing up with a plate of—what do you call these?” He opened the back door and picked up the plate covered in three layers of saran wrap.Wrapping the plate had been more difficult than whipping up the food.“They’re caprese salad skewers,” I said.I’d spent the fifteen minutes before we left sliding cherry tomatoes, bocconcini cheese, and basil leaves onto toothpicks. I
RickThe corner of her mouth twitched, giving away the beginning of a smile. “A trip, huh?”I nodded. “We can narrow it down to some destinations and start mapping it out. There’s no better time than now, right? We can get out of the city, figure out what we want, and make up for lost time. Just you and me and beaches and sand and—”“Lots of sex?”I chuckled. “That’s not what I was going to say, but I assumed it was part of the package.”Harley nodded. “That sounds like a plan to me.”“Good,” I said. “Now stay still.”She opened her mouth to ask me why but promptly shut it when I ran my hands over her shoulders and then to her breasts, which I gently massaged, loving how they felt all lathered in slippery soap.“You’re such a guy,” she said playfully.I snickered. “I know.”She let me lather her entire body in the shower. Then we switched places, and she did the same for me. Having her run her hands all over me was heavenly, and it helped me forget about the tight pain in my bruised r
RickAll the aches and pains that had plagued me on Saturday night were still with me when I woke up on Monday morning. I was lying on my back, and Harley was tucked into my side. Her cheek was on my chest, and her left leg was draped over me. Her breathing was deep and slow and soft, and I didn’t open my eyes.I just lay there and listened to her. And felt her closeness.Yesterday had been dedicated to recovering and covering our tracks from Saturday’s race. I hired a tow-truck driver to come get the Saleen and bring it back to my place, where I got it in the garage so that if the cops came looking for it, the car wasn’t sitting out somewhere. It needed a lot of work, and the downside of street racing was obviously that it didn’t have insurance. I couldn’t claim a hit and run when the car was beat to shit on both sides and the rear end.Fucking Torq.But it was just a car, and I liked working on vehicles. The Saleen would be my project for the next year or so while I figured out what
HarleyHe watched me like a hawk as I started going down to my knees, pulling his boxers down as I went.His cock sprang free, teasing and taunting me as I got comfortable below him. I gazed up at him and took his shaft in one hand, working him over softly and warming him up. His gaze was dark and heavy as I ran my tongue from the base of his shaft to the tip and then swirled it around his meaty head.I drew him into my mouth, suctioning my lips around his thickness. I worked him slowly at first, taking my time, easing him into it. I knew he was hurting, and I wanted to be gentle with him.If he’d let me.He had a way of taking over halfway through and showing me who was boss. Not that I’d be mad if that happened.I swirled my tongue around his length before taking him deep in my throat and holding him there as my mouth filled with saliva. Then I bobbed my head, sucking him off hard and fast and fitting as much of him in my throat as I could take.He let me suck his cock for a long ti
HarleyIt was a wonder that the Saleen had even started back on the track, and it was even more mind blowing that it made it back to my house without losing several more pieces along the way.I parked at the back of my building in the private parking lot. I didn’t want to leave it on the curb in case any police drove by. It would be easy for them to link the Saleen to the scene down by the docks, and then we’d be done for.After parking the car, Rick had to climb out of the passenger window again. Every move he made was gentle and controlled. I knew he was hurting and hated that there was nothing I could do to take the pain away.Once he was out of the car, I climbed across the console and slipped out too. He offered me his hand, and I took it but didn’t lean on him for support. I was pretty sure he wasn’t in much of a position to be offering it in the first place.We walked soundlessly across the parking lot, our footsteps drowned out by the sound of rain pinging off the metal garbag
Rick“Fuck me fucking sideways,” I said.I couldn’t afford to waste any time. Either I was getting his ass out of the car, or I was bailing.“You owe me, motherfucker,” I said as I leaned in through the driver’s window and reached up to unclip his seatbelt.Torq crumpled to the ceiling of the car, landing across my arm beneath him. Shattered glass from the windshield bit into my bicep and forearm, but I gritted my teeth against the burn and worked to drag Torq’s ass out of the car. He was a heavy motherfucker.He started groaning.I stumbled to my feet and hauled him backward. “Work with me you fat bastard. I’m getting you out of here. Your asshole buddies bailed on you.”He mumbled something incoherent.“Yeah, I know. They’re your friends, not mine. I guess that’s what you get for being a piece of shit.”I collapsed when I had him clear of the car. I struggled to catch my breath, and my side screamed with pain. I tucked my arms under his armpits, stumbled back to my feet, and kept dr
RickI landed heavily on the wet pavement after managing to climb out through the passenger window of the Saleen. My right leg was tender and bruised from Torq driving into me, and my chest ached from the seatbelt and being jostled around roughly as I’d lost control of the car.But I was alive, nothing was broken, and there was no blood. So, overall, things were pretty good.Aside from the approaching police.I used the car to push myself to my feet, slicking my wet hair off my forehead as I rose. Then I stood and waited for the dizziness to pass. I didn’t think I’d hit my head at any point, but it sure felt like I had. Maybe it was just severe vertigo from whiplash.It didn’t matter. I could figure that out later. I had to focus on getting the hell out of there and making sure Harley was safe, too.She had a lot to lose if this race got busted, and so did I. She was everything. If I lost her, I would lose my damn mind. After all this time, we were finally together, and there was noth
HarleyBenji and Mason took off for the registration table. I swung my attention toward Rick’s car. The whole passenger side was busted up. The damage looked pretty bad, and I had no idea what sort of injuries he might have acquired. I leaned forward to look down the road.The last drivers were only twenty or so seconds away. Maybe less.“I think his door is jammed,” Laina said, nodding at Rick’s car.I narrowed my eyes. She was right. He couldn’t get out. His car was too crumpled and too fucked up for him to get the door open. I wondered if it would still run.If we had to leave it behind, it was a sure-fire way for the cops to trace the car back to Rick. Then all our dreams of starting a new life together would be over. He’d be in jail for a long time.Charlie shook my arm. “What do we do, Harley? Tell us what to do!”I swallowed and took a deep breath. “Okay. Okay. We need to clear the area. Rick can handle himself. Help me get people the hell out of here. Send them off in differen