Текст книги "Throttled"
Автор книги: Elizabeth Lee
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Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 16 страниц)
“Hey Nick,” I said into the phone. “What’s up?” I’d assumed that Pilsner was calling to thank me for recommending my brother as a coach for his new rider. I hadn’t been expecting him to say he needed me back in Texas in a week.
“We’ve got a few press things lined up for you and Brett. Can you make it back here by the twenty-third?” he asked. My heart fell into my stomach when I thought about telling Nora that I had to go. We both knew it was coming. The house was nearing completion and the weather was starting to turn cold. Every free moment I had I spent with her and the thought of not seeing her every day was jarring.
“Yeah,” I said, mustering up as much enthusiasm as possible. Even if I didn’t want to leave right away, I had to. It was my job. It was something I had to do. “I’ll let Brett know.”
“Great,” he replied. “And thanks again for suggesting your brother. He’s doing a great job.” Hoyt had left a couple weeks ago and besides a few random texts, I hadn’t really heard from him. I’d just figured he was really busy.
“I’m glad it’s working out. I hope he’s able to get the new guy into shape.”
“I think he will.” Nick laughed. “He’ll get the new gal ready for the starting line.”
“Gal?” I asked. I was confused. “McCade’s a female rider?”
“Sure is. One of the best natural talents I’ve seen,” he explained. “From a guy or girl. She’s got real talent.”
“Well, I’ll be damned.” I chuckled. “Hoyt hadn’t mentioned that he was training a girl.”
“She’s a bit of a wild card. He’s probably been too worried about figuring out how to get her under control.”
“Well, he will,” I said, confident that my brother could get the job done.
“I know he will.”
“We’ll see you in a week, buddy,” I told him good bye and hung up the phone before tossing it on the counter. Nora was working and I had just sat down to have some lunch. My appetite disappeared the second I’d heard Nick ask me to leave Halstead. I grabbed the sandwich in front of me and headed outside to talk to Brett.
Ever since our discussion about Georgia, Brett had been acting a little strange. He still put on a show that he wasn’t pissed at me, but I knew better. I had to make things right with him. I should have made them right sooner, but I seemed to have become a little wrapped up with the woman I loved.
“Hey man,” I said, opening the door of his trailer and stepping inside. Much to my surprise, the space was neat and tidy. The small kitchen area was spotless. The floor was clear. I could even see that his bed was made in the small back bedroom. During our time of not hanging out, Brett must have become domesticated.
“What’s up?” he asked stepping out of the bedroom.
“Pilsner just called. Said he needs us back in Texas for some promo stuff.”
“Okay.” He shrugged and started to walk back into the bedroom.
“Brett.”
He turned back to face me.
“Are we okay?”
“We’re fine.”
“Are you sure? I mean, I hope you aren’t still pissed about what I said about Georgia. I wasn’t trying to be a dick. I just—”
“Dude,” he said calmly. “I’m not pissed. You were right. I need to get my shit together before I even attempt to date a girl like her.”
“Looks like you’ve made a good start,” I said, pointing out his clean living space. And, I couldn’t go without noticing that my usual rough and tumble buddy was clean shaven and wearing a pair of jeans without a single hole in them. Whoever he was becoming was different than the guy I knew.
“Gotta start somewhere,” he laughed.
“I know that you’re a great guy,” I confessed. “I shouldn’t have butted my nose into your business.”
“It’s okay. I think I needed a little bit of a reality check.” He walked over and sat down on the couch. “How are things with the Mrs.?” he smiled.
“Good,” I answered, not even bothered by the implication. “Great really. I’m not too excited about telling her I have to leave early, but what am I going to do?”
“Yeah, that sucks.”
“We knew it was going to happen,” I said, leaning against the small built-in kitchen table. “Just thought it would be a few more weeks before it did.”
“You love her?”
“More than anything.”
“Then it will work out,” he said, giving me a friendly boost. Which is exactly what I should have done for Brett when he needed me. I shouldn’t have been trying to deter him from pursuing Georgia. I should have been lifting him up and encouraging him.
“Thanks man.” I reached out and bumped my fist against his. “You feel like going out tonight?” I asked. “I know a couple of girls who are looking for a little fun,” I said waggling my eyebrows. Nora had already asked me to join her and her sister out at The Pub tonight. If he wanted to date Georgia, the least I could do was help a brother out.
“Sounds good.” He nodded. I think he’d already figured out that the girls I was talking about were the Bennett sisters. If not, it would fun to see him squirm.
“You wanna ride tomorrow?” he asked. “Weather is supposed to be good.”
“Of course.” There weren’t many days that I didn’t want to ride.
“You about ready to let me on that 450?”
“You finally grow a pair and decide to ride a big boy bike?” I laughed. Brett had always rode a 250. It was lighter than my bike and better for the freestyle riding he did, but what his bike lacked in weight, my bike made up for in power. Every guy liked to feel a little more pull between his legs.
“I can handle Eileen,” he said with a wink. “Let me show her what if feels like for a real man to ride her. Let me get her up in the air.”
“All right, Sally,” I teased. “You wanna ride her, you can.” It felt good to be razzing each other again. It felt good to just be hanging out with him.
“Oh,” I said, remembering what Nick had told me about Hoyt. “You wanna hear something good?” He nodded. “Chayse McCade, the rider Hoyt went to train?” He nodded again. “Well, Chayse is a chick. He’s training a female rider.”
“No shit?” Brett said, pulling his phone from his back pocket. “Let’s just see what we can find out...” he trailed off as he typed her name into the phone. His eyes went wide as he pulled up his search results. “Oh, this is good.” He laughed out loud. “Your brother is in so much trouble,” he said, holding up his phone so I could see what he’d found.
Chayse McCade was a girl all right. A girl that didn’t mind posing in a bikini and a pair of riding boots while straddling her dirt bike. A wild-eyed brunette with pouty lips and a few other features that I tried not to look at because I was a taken man.
“Trouble doesn’t even begin to describe what that girl is,” I said. “I can’t wait to see what he has to say about her.”
* * *
“Hey baby,” I said, wrapping an arm around Nora’s shoulders and leaning in for a kiss. Brett and I had come to meet them and as I greeted my girl, I waited for him to spout off a pick up line to Georgia.
“Thanks for letting me crash your party,” he said, standing next to me. “Y’all didn’t have to invite me.”
Who is this guy?
“Of course,” Nora replied. “The more the merrier.” She looked incredible as always—a pair of dark jeans and simple, pale yellow, long sleeved shirt. The girl looked good in anything, but these particular jeans seemed to be hugging her ass in an exceptionally tempting way tonight. Her long hair was down and wavy, looking a little blonder from all of our time outside on the bike recently. She pulled it to one side as I stood next to her, purposely showing off her delectable neck to me. I leaned in a pressed my lips to her skin, chastely.
“I don’t know about you Brett, but I’m about sick of these two and their constant groping,” Georgia teased. “You wanna grab a drink?”
“Yeah, they’re pretty gross,” he said with a smile before following Georgia to the bar. As soon as they walked away I turned Nora in my arms and pressed my lips to hers.
“If they want to see groping, we can show them groping.”
“You’re incorrigible,” she said against my lips.
“You love it.” I tightened my arms around her waist.
“I do,” she said wrinkling her nose. “So, what’s the deal with them?” she asked, turning her head to toward the bar. Georgia and Brett seemed to be having a friendly conversation as they ordered drinks.
“No idea,” I answered. “I know he thinks she’s hot. You mean you haven’t gotten any gossip from your sister on the topic?”
“Not really,” she said. I released my arms from around her and took her hand in mine. “She’s been busy at work and I’ve been busy with you so...”
“Yeah, I’ve kind of dropped the friend ball with Brett, too.” I sighed. “I might have said that I didn’t think he was good enough for her a while back. I don’t think he’d tell me the truth about her anyway.”
“Hmmm.” Nora stared up at me pensively. “I mean, I don’t think he’s a bad guy,” she hesitated. “And, I think Georgia is pretty good at making her own decisions.” As she was talking, Georgia playfully slapped at Brett’s arm and it appeared that she was actually flirting with him. “We might just have to wait and see how it plays out.”
“Well, we might not have that much time,” I said, deciding it was best to just tell her that I had to leave in a week.
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve gotta go back. For work.”
“When?” Nora’s big blue eyes were full of concern, a crease had formed between her brows and I wanted to kiss it away. I wanted to tell her that we were going to be fine and that it was all going to work out. I wanted to keep telling her that until she believed it.
“A week.” I squeezed her hand in mine. “It’s going to be fine though. I’ll be able to come back when the house is completed, and you can fly out for the weekends. We’re going to be fine.” I needed just as much reassurance on this topic as she did. What if she decided that I wasn’t worth the trouble and was the one to end things? I knew she thought it would be me, but I was the one that was worried.
She nodded, but didn’t say anything. I could see the tears welling in her eyes and I felt helpless. I hated seeing her cry, and knowing I was the reason for her tears was almost more than I could handle.
“Shutterbug. Please don’t cry.” I pulled her against my chest and pressed my lips to the top of her head.
“I’m not,” she said, shaking her head and trying to muster up a smile. “I’m fine. I just need some air.” She pulled her hand from mine. “I’ll be right back.”
O ne week.
It didn’t seem fair. It was too soon for him to be leaving. I paced the sidewalk in front the bar. The sun had set and the street lights had turned on. For a Friday night the town square was exceptionally bare. Which was fine, I really didn’t feel like explaining to anyone why I was wiping tears off of my face.
I knew that he would eventually have to leave, but the house wasn’t finished. I thought we still had time.
Stop being so ridiculous, I told myself. Yes, he was leaving, but it wasn’t like last time. This time was different. We’d talk every day. We’d see each other whenever it was possible. We were going to be fine.
“Nora?” I heard my name and turned expecting to find Reid. Instead I nearly ran right into Beau. I placed my hands on his chest and steadied myself.
“Sorry,” I said, taking a step back. He looked at me and I knew that he could see the tears on my face.
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” I said. “I was just having a moment.” He reached out and rubbed his hand on my shoulder and I looked up into his eyes that were sweetly trained on me. Maybe he did really care about me. “I’ll be fine,” I told him.
“Rethinking leaving me for Travers?” he said. Of course he would assume that my tears had something to do with him. “I told you it would end this way.”
“Nothing is ending.” I wiped the last bit of wetness from my face. “For your information, Reid and I are just fine.”
“Yeah, well, I give it a month.”
“I get that I hurt you, but you don’t have to be a dick about it.”
“Actually, I can be however I want to be about it. You’re the one that made the mistake. You’re the one that cheated on me.”
“Whatever, Beau,” I said, walking past him. I didn’t have to stand out there and listen to a single word he said. I hadn’t cheated on him. Well, not exactly. He could think whatever he wanted, his opinion really didn’t matter to me. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry that things didn’t work out between us, but I’m not going to apologize again. If you want to be pissed for half your life, that’s fine.”
“Wait just a minute,” he said, reaching out to grab my arm. “You didn’t even give me a chance to fight for you. That’s what really pisses me off.” His fingers tightened around my arm as he stepped closer. He was angry and I could smell the alcohol on his breath. “I could be the right guy for you.”
“No,” I said, yanking free of his grasp, I took a step back. “You couldn’t.”
He took a step toward me. I shuffled my feet back until I felt the cool cement of the bar wall behind me.
“What is it, you only fuck professionals?” he said, pinning me between his arms. The heat in his tone and stare had me worried. “I don’t have enough sponsors for you?”
“That has nothing to do with it,” I said, trying to move past him, but he wasn’t budging. “Just let me go back inside. I have nothing to say to you.”
“Well, I think—”
“I’m going to give you two seconds to get the fuck away from her before I beat your ass, Gregurich,” Reid’s voice broke the trance that Beau was trying to hold on me. I could see Reid over Beau’s shoulder. His fists and jaw clenched, whatever restraint he had was wearing thin as those two seconds passed and he walked to where we were standing. Beau held up his hands, releasing me, and took a step back. Briefly, I thought maybe that would be the end of it. That somehow we could avoid what was next, but just as I reached Reid’s side, Beau turned on his heels and launched his fist toward Reid’s face. The sound alone was enough to draw a scream from me.
“Omigod,” I yelled, as I rushed to Reid’s side. The punch hadn’t knocked him off his feet, but I could see his cheek reddening and immediately starting to swell. “Are you okay?”
“I’m all right,” he said to me, before turning his attention to Beau. “I’m going to give you that one,” Reid said. The chuckle that followed surprised me as much as it surprised Beau. The smug smile he had on his face after sucker punching Reid fell as quickly as his fist had. Reid rubbed his hand over his cheek and smiled as if it hadn’t hurt at all. “I deserve a punch for stealing back what was mine, but I swear to God if you ever touch, talk, or look at her the wrong way, I will end you. Do you understand me?” Reid took a step toward him, and he knew as well as Beau that they weren’t evenly matched. Reid could have wiped that parking lot with Beau if he wanted to. “Don’t think I won’t use every connection I have to ruin you.”
“Go fuck yourself, Travers,” Beau snapped, not wanting to back down.
“I don’t have to,” Reid said, dropping his arm across my shoulders. “That’s what I’ve got her for.” I tucked myself against him as we walked back inside. The second we were back inside and far from Beau, Reid turned to me. “Are you okay?” he asked. His eyes scanning my body for any trace of Beau being a little too forceful. “Did he hurt you?”
“I’m okay,” I promised. “You’re the one who got punched in the face.” I brought my hand up to his cheek and he winced a little when I pressed on it.
“I’m fine,” he assured me. “He hits like a little bitch.” He gave me a wink and smile to let me know that he was really all right and then grabbed my hand. We walked over to the table where Georgia and Brett were sitting.
“Damn, RT? Who clocked you?”
“Who do you think?” he replied, before giving his buddy and my sister a run-down of what happened.
“Did he hurt you?” Georgia asked. Reid shook his head.
“Is he gone?” Brett said, cracking his knuckles. “We need to go out there and give him a Throttled Energy ass whooping or what?”
“Just let it go, man. He’s not worth getting into trouble with the sponsors over. We’ve got too much to lose.”
“He is definitely not worth the trouble,” I agreed.
I couldn’t help but feel like this was entirely my fault. I hadn’t provoked Beau, but it was my fault he was so upset. Maybe if I would have just been honest with him from the get go, he wouldn’t have felt the need to lash out.
“I’m sorry,” I said to Reid.
“Baby, you have nothing to apologize for. He shouldn’t have been out there harassing you.” He ran his hand down my cheek, looking deep into my eyes. “I’m sorry for letting you go out there alone.”
“No. I ran off.”
“Well, I should have followed you,” he sighed. “And, I’m sorry for the smart ass comment about having you to... you know.”
“Well it was true.” I leaned in to kiss him.
“I guess it is.” Reid chuckled. “But, it’s more of a forever kind of thing for me, not just a fuck.”
“For me too,” I said with a smile, before pressing my lips back to his. “He deserved a whole lot more than just a smart ass comment from you.” I was still in awe of the fact that Reid had played it so cool. I knew he hated Beau and I’m sure he wanted to retaliate, but he was right about having a lot to lose. He didn’t want to stir up trouble with his new sponsors or get a bad reputation. If he would have hit Beau, I had no doubt that he would have gone straight to the press and spun some story about how Reid assaulted him. I didn’t want to think about it anymore. “Speaking of what you said earlier... can we go home?”
“Absolutely.” He looked over at Brett and Georgia. “Can you make sure she gets home?”
“Of course,” Brett answered. I could see the sparkle in his eyes when he turned to look at my sister. Could the playboy actually be looking for more than just a one night stand? Although, maybe what my sister needed was a night of reckless fun. She hadn’t dated anyone since Jamie had died. Perhaps one wild night with a motocross bad boy was exactly what she needed to jump start her love life.
“I can get myself home, Reid,” Georgia said proudly. Or maybe she didn’t need anything at all.
“I know you can, Georgia-girl, but just humor me. Let my guy here be a gentleman and all,” he persuaded.
“I guess it would be all right,” she said, giving Brett a look when she thought he wasn’t looking, but he was and the pink of her cheeks gave away that she was enjoying it.
“I’ll be home tomorrow,” I said to Georgia as I stood up. Reid was right beside me and we both pushed our chairs back. “Night, G.”
“Good night.”
Brett said his goodbyes and as we were walking away, I knew the first thing I’d be asking my sister about when I saw her tomorrow was how the rest of her night went. It was time for her to let herself fall again, and judging by the way that Brett was paying attention to her all night, I’d say he was up for the challenge.
* * *
“So one week, huh?” I had brought up the inevitable as we climbed into bed. I’d pulled on one of Reid’s shirts and left just my underwear underneath. He was down to his boxers as soon as I suggested we go to bed. His lips grazed mine as we cuddled together.
“Yeah,” he said, his tone heavy and disheartened. “It sucks.”
“I’ll be okay,” I told him. “We will be okay.”
“I know, baby. I’m just not ready to leave you yet. I’ll miss you.” He pressed his lips to mine. “And this.” His hand ran down the length of my body before slipping underneath of my shirt and caressing my skin softly on its way back up. “And these.” He chuckled when he found my breasts bare and cupped one, then the other with his hand. “I’m going to miss all of you.”
“Well then...” I sat up and pulled my shirt over my head, before straddling him. “Might as well get your fill of me before you have to go.” I grinned as he pulled me against his chest and locked his mouth to mine. He was leaving and it might be a month or so before we actually got to see each other again. I was damn sure going to get my fill of him. If that was even possible. We definitely gave it our best effort before we fell asleep that night, neither of us wanting to let go of the other. Six more nights like that and we might have to take some time apart out of sheer exhaustion.
I woke up to an empty bed but I could hear the rumble of dirt bikes outside and knew that Reid hadn’t gone far. What I was surprised by was the fact that my camera was sitting on his pillow with a note from him.
Come take some pictures, Shutterbug.
I was up and dressed quickly, my hair half-hazardously thrown into a knot on the top of my head. The morning light wouldn’t last long and I was excited to have a camera back in my hand. And not just any camera, my camera. He must have gone to my parents’ house and picked it up while I was at work one day. Just another sweet thing to add to the list of sweet things he did for me.
As I walked over to the track, I snapped a couple pics of the landscape, to see if the settings were how I’d left them, and if I even remembered how to adjust them. It was like riding a bike, each click and twist seeming natural as I adjusted the lens.
I saw Reid on the far side of the track, 237 still emblazoned on the front of his bike. He was riding over the whoop section—a succession of small hills, bumps really, that can send a bike off into many different directions if not handled with control. He looked a little looser today than I was used to seeing. His normal, upright position a bit more lax. Perhaps our long night of love making had taken too much out of him to ride today. I felt myself grinning at the memory of last night. I clicked a quick picture of him coming out of a turn. He looked strong and capable, but different. I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I frowned as I looked harder at him on the track, the difference of his riding clear to me.
The bike revved hard as he approached the double jump and as soon as the bike was in the air, I knew something was wrong. The silence that followed as I watched the bike seize and toss Reid on the landing was worse than watching him get punched in the face. His body lying motionless on the track. My own body frozen in shock, I waited for him to get up. To shake it off as if he hadn’t just hit the ground at an extreme rate of speed.
I dropped my camera on the ground and took off running as fast as I could. I had to get to him. Trying to see the rise and fall of his chest under the chest protector he was wearing was pointless, but I could see the way his leg was bent at his knee. It wasn’t normal. It was painfully obvious that something was broken. He was not okay and I wanted to get to him. To let him know that I was there for him, but I felt like I was running in slow motion. The grass and dirt I was running through may as well have been quicksand. His injury looked bad and I knew what that meant for his next season. He was going to need me by his side to get him through the disappointment but there was no place I would want to be. The tears were streaked down my face by the time I made it to his side.
“Reid,” I yelled. “Omigod.” I dropped to my knees beside him and took his hand in mine.
“Nora,” Reid said, but not from the ground where I expected to find him. “I’m right here.” He was instead on his knees on the other side of whoever was lying on the ground between us.
“Reid?” I said, hoping that I was dreaming that he was okay. I wanted to smile and ask him to pinch me, but that would have to wait. I was so grateful that Reid was okay and I desperately wanted to hug him and tell him that I loved him, but I held onto the rider’s hand instead. He was the one who was hurt. He was the one who needed someone to hold his hand. As soon as I saw blonde hair fall from the helmet Reid was gently pulling of his head, I knew it was Brett. I’d keep holding his hand as long as he needed me to. As Reid called 9-1-1, he grabbed Brett’s other hand. Both of us telling him that he was going to be okay, both of us trying to keep him from looking down at his leg.
