RickI had no sense of time when I woke up on Sunday morning. It was day, but the light streaming through the partially open curtains was gray and dull, promising a gloomy day. Rain pattered against the window, and I knew that was what had woken me. With every passing minute that I lay on my back with my eyes closed, it rained harder.It was a soothing thing to wake up to.I’d slept well. Better than I expected, given the condition of my body.I lifted a hand to press gingerly at my ribs on my right side. There was pain, sure, but it wasn’t the intense, burning, sharp pain that it had been yesterday.I opened my eyes and lifted my head to inspect the bruise. It was dark purple with yellowing around the edges. Just a normal bruise.My head was aching horribly, but that was to be expected after the couple punches I’d taken. My lip didn’t feel swollen anymore. Overall, I felt better than I thought I would.I owed that to Harley.She’d been a fucking rock star last night, both in dealing
RickI shrugged one shoulder. It hurt less than using both. “I’m not sure. I’m not going to let them stop me from racing, if that’s what you mean. This is my home. My city. I’ll be damned if I let Torq roll in here and treat this place like it’s his damn playground.”“And if he shows his face at the race on Saturday?”“I’ll be ready for him. And I’ll have backup.”Harley licked her lips after eating another strawberry. I watched her tongue roll across her teeth and disappear back into her mouth. “So, you’re taking my advice? You’re going to talk to Mason and Benji?”“Of course.”“Good.”“I’ll need to make sure they have my back so you don’t have to get involved again. Torq is a bad guy, Harley. I know why you did what you did last night, and I appreciate the hell out of it, but I don’t want you anywhere near this guy. Please tell me you understand and you don’t think I’m being a misogynistic asshole.”Harley frowned. “I don’t think you’re being a misogynistic asshole.”“But?”“But not
HarleyI hadn’t wanted to leave Rick’s place on Sunday afternoon. He was still hurt, with a messed-up side and a headache, but he assured me he was just fine and that I couldn’t cancel the plans I’d made to go for dinner and drinks with Charlie and Laina that evening.So, after some vigorous sex in his bed and then more in the shower, he dropped me and my registration equipment at my apartment so I could get ready.Now I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to find my favorite cardigan. Laina and Charlie were waiting for me outside. Laina had offered to drive, and Charlie and I had jumped at the offer. I was holding us up.I gave up hunting for my sweater and opted for a cropped denim jacket to pair with my black leggings, white sneakers, and gray V-neck. I shook out my curls one last time, slapped on some lip gloss, and left my place to rush down the stairs and out across the grass to meet them in Laina’s car.I slid into the backseat.“Took you long enough,
HarleyLaina and Charlie exchanged a look. Then Charlie turned back toward me. “And? Who is it?”I sighed. “You remember how he said he ran into some trouble with some guys in LA?” They nodded. “Well, that’s who he thinks it is. He’s pretty sure. And it makes sense. I mean, who else out here would go after him like that? Nobody.”Charlie rubbed her jaw. “That’s insane. They followed him all the way here from LA?”“Yep,” I said, finishing off my Bellini.“So they really hate his guts.” Laina grimaced.“Yeah, I guess so,” I said. “I mean, he did win the car the guy had his heart set on and a lot of cash that I think Torq was confident would be his.”“Torq?” Charlie asked.I told them everything Rick had told me about Torq. They listened enraptured until I was done, at which point the server returned with our spinach dip. Charlie and I ordered another drink, and all of us dug into the cheesy concoction before us. It was heaven on a plate.After we inhaled the spinach dip, we ordered a co
RickThere was one downside to being the guy seeing the race coordinator of The Streets. And that was the fact that I had to arrive at the races much earlier than I was used to—as in, before anyone else showed up.Harley had picked the location for the first race over four weeks ago and had kept it very hush-hush until this morning, when she sent out a blast communication to all the drivers and their entourages, telling them to meet down at Owl’s Head Park at midnight. She’d been pinning everything down over the week to make sure there wouldn’t be any police in the area the night of the race, and once everything was confirmed, she finalized everything.Harley and I had arrived at eleven o’clock that night. The park had cleared out long before then. There were a few cars lingering around, hosting teenagers with no other place to pull over and make out, but even they were gone by the time midnight rolled around.Harley and I set up the registration table together.It was a bit odd to be
RickMason looked over at me. “Yeah. Didn’t you know?”“No,” I said. “I mean, I had an idea that she missed me while I was gone, but I didn’t think the word ‘pining’ was the right one to describe it.”Mason scoffed. “Dude, she never wanted you to leave in the first place. And this is the happiest she’s been since you left. Seriously, I’m not blowing smoke up your ass.”I looked over at Harley. She was standing with the other girls. A smile played on her lips, and she flicked her hair over her shoulder. Her eyes shifted over toward me, and we locked gazes. Her smile stretched, and it was contagious, making me smile in turn.Mason rolled his eyes. “Good God, man. Try to keep it in your pants, will you?” He shook me again and slapped my chest.“Will you quit that shit?” I barked, slipping out from under his arm and rubbing at my bruised side. “I got my ass kicked last week, remember?”He shrugged. “Don’t be a baby.”“Fuck off, Mason.”Benji rolled his eyes. “Gentlemen, really? Are we eve
Harley“Hold this,” I said to Charlie, who took my leather jacket from me so I could pull my red crop top off over my head.“Nice bra,” she said, pointing her chin at my boobs.“Thanks,” I said, flashing her a smile. It was the same red push-up I’d worn the other night when Rick and I had sex. Well, we’d had sex a couple more times since then over the course of the week, and I’d remembered how his eyes lit up when he saw this little number.I felt sexy in it, and I’d worn it specifically for him tonight to start the race on the right foot. I hoped he noticed the gesture.I traded the crop top for my leather jacket and shrugged back into it. I left it unzipped to show off my navel and a peek of the red bra, and then I plucked my crop top from where it dangled from her fingers.“All right,” I said, tucking the top into the back pocket of my ripped-up black jeans. “Let’s kick this bitch off. You want to come snag a good spot to stand and watch with me? I think the others are waiting for
Harley“I can’t tell who it is,” Benji said.“Me neither,” Mason said.“Give it a second,” I said, leaning forward to brace myself against the barrier as I peered down the road. The sounds of high-performance engines echoed down the street to greet us. I grinned. “It’s him.”The two cars were closing the distance between them and the finish line fast. They’d made it halfway down the road by the time any other cars even appeared behind them—far behind them.I knew without a shadow of a doubt that one of the cars was Rick’s.“It’s gonna be close,” Mason said, his voice strained with nerves.He wasn’t wrong. The cars were pretty close to each other, but one of them had a bit of a lead, maybe by only a couple of feet, but it was a lead nonetheless. It was the midnight blue car, not the orange one.I was on my feet, screaming Rick’s name and cheering for him, when his car blew across the line first.The whole crowd went wild. The Saleen’s brake lights flashed on, and Rick slowed down and p
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