Текст книги "Throttled"

Автор книги: Elizabeth Lee

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

I was far from the end of my racing career. God willing I didn’t get injured, or worse. The idea of running Beau out of town by taking his business from his was great and all, but owning my own track and bike shop was what really had me excited. Nora would always be enough to bring me home, the business part would be an added bonus. With my brother working on his coaching career, the opportunities for us were endless. The two of us could train riders and really make Travers a household name in racing.

I’d talked to Hoyt earlier in the week and he’d been so frustrated with his current riding student that I didn’t even bring up the idea of opening a business. Chayse McCade was proving to be a handful on and off the track from what I’d gathered. I knew my brother though, and I knew he’d figure out a way to make things work.

I picked up Brett from the hospital later than afternoon and got him situated in the cabin. Nora had insisted I drop her off at home so she could start cooking the meal she’d promised me. A home cooked meal before I set out on a publicity tour was going to make eating out for the next two weeks a little more bearable.

“So you’re putting down roots, huh?” he asked when I told him about the plans I had for Halstead.

“The roots have always been here.” I laughed, patting him on the back. “I’m just growing into them, I guess.”

“I like it,” he said. “The track you have is already a good start. Just think what you could do with a few investors. A little more cash flow and you could have it top notch.”

“Are you saying you want to invest?” I cocked a brow.

“Of course,” he nodded, “I’ve got nothing else to do with my money. Can’t waste it all on booze and strippers, right?”

“Well you could, but I’ll happily spend it, buddy.”

“Well, I’m not a silent partner,” he informed me. “I want to make sure you don’t put little bitch jumps in. We’re going to need a good freestyle section too.”

“Of course.” I nodded. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Good. I’ll draw up some plans,” he said, looking around the living room. He gently hoisted his leg onto the sofa. “I’ve got nothing else do to.” Brett patted his knee-braced leg. With that amount of down time he’d be able to draw up plans for fifty tracks.

“Not that I mind you staying here, but you’re sure you want to stay in Halstead?”

“I think I do.” He sighed. “If I can’t ride, the last place I want to be is in Texas or worse, on a press tour where I have to answer a million questions about my injury and if and when I’m going to get back on a bike. Plus, Dr. Forlani is great.”

“You are though, right?” I asked. “Going to get back on a bike?”

“Well, yeah,” he laughed. “I’m not really good at anything else. I can’t just rely on my good looks to make money.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t go putting all my eggs in that basket,” I teased. “Your ugly mug cannot pay the rent, my friend.” He chucked a throw pillow at my head. I ducked and caught it before it knocked the lamp off the table.

“Get out of here.” He grinned. “Don’t you have a goodbye dinner and a hot girl waiting for you?”

“I sure do,” I said with a smile as I headed out the door.

* * *

“Nora?” I called out when I walked into the house she shared with her sister. The lights were dim, candles lit on the coffee and end tables.  The smell of something fantastic was coming from the kitchen, but my girl was nowhere to be seen. I walked into the kitchen and found the table set for two. A bottle of wine and fresh flowers in the center of the table. She’d went all out. “Baby, where are you?”

“Right here.”

I turned to find her standing in the doorway and for a split second I think my heart stopped as I looked her over. She was wearing my race jersey and, from what I could tell, nothing else. Her long hair a mess of loose curls around her face, her eyes bright with excitement. Her smile was just as inviting as her bare legs. She nervously drew her foot up against the back of her other leg and bit at her bottom lip as I waltzed over to her.

“This has got to be a dream,” I said, reaching out for her. “In fact, I think I’ve had this one before. Many times.” She playfully pinched my arm as I circled them both around her waist.

“Not a dream,” she said wrinkling her nose as she smiled.

“How am I supposed to make it through dinner with you dressed like this?” I asked as I pressed my lips to her neck.

“The oven is set to keep it warm,” she informed me. “I was thinking we could eat later.”

“Smart and beautiful,” I said, moving my lips to hers. “How’d I get so lucky?”

She shrugged as I hoisted her into my arms and carried her to her bedroom. Her hands tangled in my hair as we kissed. The effort that we were both putting in was making it clear that neither of us were ready to say goodbye. Tomorrow I had to leave and as much as I wanted to cancel the whole thing and stay with her, I knew I couldn’t. She knew I couldn’t.

“I’m going to miss you so much,” I said, laying her down on the bed. I stood to pull my shirt over my head.

“I don’t want to talk about it right now,” she said, reaching out to grab the waistband of my jeans and pulled me towards her.

“Okay,” I conceded. I didn’t want to talk about it either. The reality of the situation was enough. Right now, I wanted to focus on her and how sexy she looked laying there with my shirt on.

Before I could climb on to the bed next to her, she stopped me.

“What’s that?” she asked, pointing at the white bandage I had on the left side of my torso. In my rush to get to her I’d almost forgotten.

“Oh, that?” I said coyly. “Brett and I made a stop on our way home from the hospital today. Tattoo shop,” I said, pulling a piece of the medical tape free to show her what was underneath: NORA

“Reid?” she said breathlessly as she sat up and moved to the edge of the bed to examine it, tears immediately welling up in her eyes. The scrolling font I’d picked out didn’t do her name justice. It was nice, but barely conveyed how amazing I thought she was. “I can’t believe you did this,” she said, leaning in to press her lips against my chest above my new tattoo before replacing the bandage and tape. It was fresh and still needed to be covered for it to heal properly.

“Only girl’s name that has ever really mattered,” I said as moved onto the bed. I could tell that she liked my new ink, but for me it was more than that. Having her name on my skin was my way of feeling like I had her with me all the time. It was my way of showing her how committed I was to her.

“I love it.” She scooted back and we laid down next to each other. I swept the hair from her face and looked at her as she turned to face me. Her blue eyes. Her pink lips. The dimple on her left cheek. I wanted to just lay there and look at her. Memorize every inch of her, like I had many times. I’d need the memories of her face, and of her body, to get me through our time apart.

When I didn’t lean into kiss her, she took it upon herself to cover my mouth with hers. The urgency of her actions as she climbed on top of me made her intentions clear. Placing one leg on each side of my body, she sat up straight and pulled the shirt over her head, revealing what I’d thought to be true. Nothing underneath.

I was right. And, lucky.

When she tossed the jersey aside and pressed her chest against mine, I captured her lips with mine and swept my tongue into her mouth. My hands greedily surfacing over her curves. She giggled as I flipped us over in her bed and I quickly removed my jeans.

The slow, steady way that we made love that night was exactly what we both needed. I savored her. Cherished her. And, she did the same with me.

“You’re the love of my life, Nora Bennett,” I said, as I held her in my arms. She kissed me softly and I felt her lips spread to a smile against mine.

“Guess that means you aren’t going to get sick of me anytime soon then,” she said, pulling from arms and sitting up.

“How could I?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”

I was confused by what she meant. I was leaving tomorrow and the last thing I was going to be was sick of her. Sick of missing her, sure. I sat up and watched as she pulled my shirt back over her head.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” I asked.

“I’ve just heard that couples that are together all the time tend to get on each other’s nerves.” She grinned as she walked over to her closet and rolled out her suitcase. Judging by the weight of it, it was packed.

“Don’t tease me.”

“I’m not,” she promised. “I decided today that if you’re leaving, I’m leaving.”  She stood proudly beside her bag and smiled. “Brett can keep an eye on Georgia. The real estate office will survive without me. My life is with you. Besides, I can’t very well make a living on taking pictures if I never go anywhere, now can I?”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously. I don’t want to be apart anymore. I don’t want to spend the next few weeks just talking on the phone and texting. I want to be with you.”

I didn’t say anything as I jumped off the bed and pulled her into my arms. I didn’t need to. She’d just made me the happiest man in the entire universe. I picked her up and spun her around, her tinkling laughter filling the air.

Not only did she love me, but she was coming on the road with me. I kissed her until my lips were numb.

That afternoon when Reid dropped me off at my house, I’d had a moment of clarity. I didn’t want him to leave the next day and the only thing I could do to make it better was to go with him. My life in Halstead wasn’t going anywhere and I could afford to take a few weeks off work. Getting to be with him and seeing what his job was like day to day was worth it. He’d been making a lot of promises about our future and I wanted him to know that I was as committed to him as he was to me.

Seeing my name in black ink on his body solidified what I was feeling. On the left side and right below his heart to boot. It was the sexiest tattoo I’d ever seen, and made me want to shout the surprise I had for him on the spot. But I didn’t. We made love like it was the last time we were going to see each other and it made me taking out my suitcase and telling him I was going with him that much sweeter.

“I can’t wait to experience this with you,” I told him when we stopped kissing. We continued our night as planned, but instead of him getting up the next morning to tell me good-bye, we loaded up his truck with my luggage next to his and set out for Texas. Together.

The press conference and photo ops that he had to do for work were just as much fun as I’d thought they’d be. Exhausting yes, but seeing Reid in the spotlight was amazing. He’d earned his success and the way he humbly carried himself when he met fans and the press made me love him that much more.

I’d made good on my time, taking my camera with me and snapping pictures of him at work whenever I got the chance. He showed me what his life had been like over the past few years, including a tour of his practice track and the apartment he’d called home. The place we’d call home together when we came back here for his training that winter.

By the time the press tour had wrapped up and we were headed back to Halstead, both of us were eager to get the ball rolling on our new house and setting up the businesses that Reid had decided he wanted to own. On top of that, he was flying his parents in for their surprise. It had been so hard to keep the secret of their new house when we visited them in Texas.

When we picked them up at the airport and drove them out to the place they once called home, the smile on Reid’s face was priceless, only matched by their tears of joy and gratitude when we pulled up in front of the newly built house.

“They loved it,” I’d told him when we left them for their first night in their new home. Thanks to internet shopping and Georgia and Brett’s help, we’d had the entire thing furnished and decorated by the time we’d arrived back in Halstead.

“They did, didn’t they?” He smiled. If the whirlwind of the last few weeks were any indication of what my life was going to be like, I was going to be a happy girl. That night when we crawled into bed together back at my house in our hometown, I knew that choosing to be with him was the best decision I’d ever made.

Reid’s plans to open an official racetrack in Halstead were underway, along with his plans to open a shop in conjunction with the track. Vendors were already canceling their deals with Gregurich Motor Sports to go into business with Reid. Ricochet Racing would be opening soon and who better to be in business with than a professional rider.

Word on the street was that Beau was changing careers. Reid and his team might not have been able to formally charge him for tampering with the bike, but they’d made damn sure to put him on a blacklist with anyone involved with racing in any aspect. I’m sure the countless phone calls that Brett had been making while he was stuck indoors recovering had a lot to do with it. His vendetta was even more justified than Reid’s. Beau Gregurich had pissed off the wrong people this time. I had a feeling that our conflict with Beau was far from over, but at least in that moment I was content with knowing that he was on his way out.

“As excited as I am to have a front row seat to seeing his business crash and burn, I’m more excited to get this fucking knee back in shape so I can give him the beating he fully deserves,” Brett had told us. He still had a few weeks left in the cast so for the time being Reid wasn’t too concerned with him doing something he might regret. One thing was for sure, I didn’t want to be around if and when Brett Sallinger ever got a hold of Beau.

Reid and I spent the next few days at his parents’, helping them move their things in that arrived on a truck from Texas. My family came out for a dinner and it was like no time had passed at all—our mothers gushing about how happy they were for us. Our dads talking about hunting and racing seasons.

Georgia and Brett stopped by, but I could tell they wanted to be alone. The heated looks the two of them were exchanging either meant they wanted to kill or kiss each other. I didn’t ask. My sister’s life was her own and I knew that she was smart when it came to her heart. I’d have plenty of time to catch up with her later. We had a few weeks in Halstead before we had to return to Texas for Reid’s winter training. I hadn’t officially resigned from my job at Hillcrest Realty, but I had a feeling that if I wanted to, Reid would support my decision.

After seeing the pictures I’d taken of Reid while he was on the track, Throttled Energy had offered me a job as the publicity photographer. Maybe I could have a career as a sports photographer after all. Though he was kind of a special subject. One I loved and planned to spend the rest of my life with. Made taking flattering photographs of him pretty easy.

As I waved goodbye to my sister and Brett from the driveway, I felt Reid’s arms wrap around my waist as the sun set on another day together.

“My new bike came in today,” he said resting his chin on my shoulder.

“That was fast,” I replied, letting myself melt in his arms.

“It’s all in who you know,” he laughed. “I’m kind of a big deal.”

“Really?” I teased. “Never heard of you.”

“Mm-hmm.” He said, turning me in his arms and grinning down at me like he was fully prepared to show me who he was. “Keep telling yourself that.” He pressed his lips against mine quickly. “You want to see the new bike?”

“Of course.” I knew how excited he got over two wheels and a motor. Far be it from me to deny him the chance to show off his new toy. “Got a name picked out for this one?” I asked as I followed him to the bike trailer. His hand squeezed mine and I thought I felt him shaking. He must have been over excited about this new bike. The trailer was all shut up like he was scared someone was going to steal her. He had good reason, I guess.

“I’m still thinking on it,” he said, stopping us in front of the trailer door. He turned to me and quickly pressed another kiss to my lips. “Close your eyes.”

“Not this again,” I said with chuckle. When I saw that he was being serious, I closed my eyes with a sigh. “Fine.”

“Good girl.” He murmured, kissing my forehead as he released my hand. “Now wait here.”

“I’ve seen a dirt bike before, Reid,” I said, my eyes still squeezed shut. “What’s the big deal about this one?”

“Would you just give me a second?” I heard him say over the sound of the trailer door lowering. “Haven’t you ever heard that patience is a virtue?” He laughed. “Or something like that.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I sighed. “Can I open my eyes yet?” I asked.

“Yep.”

I fully expected to see a dirt bike made out of twenty-four karat gold and drenched in precious jewels from the way he had been going on about it, but what I found when I opened my eyes was a single solitary diamond set in a platinum band being held up to me by Reid Travers. Down on one knee. Looking more amazing than I’d ever seen him.

“Omigod,” I managed to choke out, before covering my mouth with my hands, tears already threatening their escape. The back of his trailer lit by candles and full to the brim of red roses. Not a dirt bike in sight. I looked down into his eyes and saw him nervously smiling up at me. “Yes!” I blurted out before he even had a chance to officially ask.

“Really?” He laughed. “Not even going to let me get a word in?” I bit my tongue and gave him quick head nod to continue as I placed my shaking hands in his. “Marry me, Nora Bennett. Marry me and make me the happiest, luckiest, most grateful man on the planet. Will you?”

“Absolutely,” I said, dropping down to my knees to kiss him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on to him like this was all a dream that was going to slip away from me. When I felt him hold onto me I knew it was real.

“I love you, Shutterbug,” he whispered in my ear before breaking our hold on one another.

“I love you too,” I replied, watching him slip the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen on my finger. I admired it as he placed his arms back around me and pulled me against him. “I really thought you were going to show me a new bike,” I confessed, overjoyed in a moment that I was certainly not expecting. We’d talked a lot about our future, but I didn’t think we were close to this yet.

“You’re more important than any bike. Always have been, always will be.”

After all these years of watching him ride, I finally got it. The exhilaration. The adrenaline. The rush of victory.  I understood exactly what it felt like to come in first. I was taking home the trophy and I couldn’t have been happier.

Want more of the Wild Riders?

Then don’t miss Brett & Georgia’s story WHIPPED coming soon from Elizabeth Lee!

He’s a guy who’s never been in love. She’s a girl that’s not sure she can love again.

Sign up for Elizabeth Lee’s newsletter HERE for news and release info!

In the meantime, check out all of Elizabeth's releases HERE!

And now, a sneak peek at INTERLUDE coming soon from Anna Cruise

There’s this rhythmic sound coming from the front of the house. I think it’s Joey, banging some girl in his room, and I flip over and smash the pillow over my head. It stinks of bad breath and sweat, but I don’t wanna hear the tempo pick up, or the bedframe squeak, or the moans and groans that’ll follow.

But then I remember. Joey isn’t here. ‘Cuz I kicked his sorry ass out for dealing. Not because I just found out and went all narco on him. I’ve known that’s his gig, and I told him I didn’t give a shit what he does at work or outside the house, but the minute he brought his junkie friends through the front door to swap his shit, he was out.

I sit up a little and listen. The sound isn’t rhythmic, and it isn’t coming from Joey’s old room. It’s pounding. At the front door.

I fall back on the mattress and squeeze my eyes shut. Probably Joey.

It’s been three days and I haven’t heard a word from him. No text, no Snap, no voicemail. He cleared out his shit in two hours—he didn’t have much—and last I heard from him was a loud, bitter “Fuck you.” Shitty way to end a living arrangement, but it was his fault it went down like that. I always knew how he got the cash to pay for his room, and I told him I didn’t care. As long as it didn’t involve me, he could do whatever the hell he needed to do to get me his $400 a month. Except bring drugs in my house.

The pounding gets louder. I listen. It isn’t angry or forceful, the way Joey would knock if he’s high on shit and wants to rail on me. It’s softer, insistent, the way a dog wanting to go for a walk might tug on a leash.

I grab my phone off the nightstand. One o’clock in the morning. Who the hell is knocking on my door at one a.m.?

Sara. An image of her long black hair and soft lips flutters through my still-foggy brain. And then I remember: Sara is pissed at me. Kicked me out of her place earlier, sent me home with no dinner and no sex. Some shit about not understanding her needs, not being responsible, not taking life seriously. I know what her needs are—she needs a boyfriend she can parade around the marketing firm where she scored a job a few months earlier. Not some college dropout who earns a living running lights at frat parties.

The banging doesn’t stop. It’s not a polite, sweet dog anymore. It’s a dog who’s like, “Dude. I have to go out right fucking now.”

I fumble for the bat I keep under the bed. The wood is smooth and cool and I hold it tight. I slip out and head down the hall, bits of cat litter crunching under my feet. My big toe nudges a pile of wet goo and I pull back and mutter under my breath. Goddamn cat gets sick every single night.

I reach the foyer and listen. Someone is definitely pounding on the front door. A few knocks, then a pause, then more knocks. Sherlock is sitting a safe distance away, his ears cocked, his pink nose twitching, and I think for the hundredth time how stupid it is to have a cat instead of a dog. A dog would bark and growl and scare the shit out of anyone. The cat just sits there. Waits for me to do something about the noise so he can go back to sleep. After he throws up a hairball or kicks more litter out of his box.

I take a tentative step forward and lean toward the peephole. My heart races a little, wondering if I’m all wrong about what mad knocks sound like and maybe Joey is out there, wild-eyed and high as fuck, aiming a gun at the peephole, ready to blow my brains out. He’s my friend—was, I guess—but I wouldn’t put it past him. Because he’s a crazy ass motherfucker.

I level my eye with the peephole and steal a quick glance. But there’s water on the hole ‘cuz it’s raining outside and all I see is a murky silhouette, like some dark, watery painting.

I clear my throat and move to the left of the door, up against the wall, clutching the bat a little tighter. If someone has a gun, they’re gonna aim dead center, right?

“Who’s there?”

The knocking stops. “Hello?”

It’s a girl’s voice. Not one I recognize.

I step toward the peephole and peer through it again. It still looks like a Monet painting—the one with the fog and the building that looks like Dracula’s castle, all blurry and out of focus—but the figure is more visible. Or maybe I just think it is, because I now know there’s a female voice attached to it, which means the person standing on my doorstep is not my drug-dealing ex-roommate looking for revenge. Or a dog that needs to take a piss.

“Who’s there?” I repeat. Just because I know it’s not Joey doesn’t mean the fear is totally gone. Because there’s still someone knocking on my door at one o’clock in the morning. And if it’s a girl…hell, I don’t even want to think about what that might mean.

“Lydia.”

I frown and mentally go through the list of ex-girlfriends, hook-ups, and old classmates. Pre-Sara, of course. No Lydia.

“I think you have the wrong house,” I tell her through the closed door. Rain taps at the windows and a streak of lightning flashes the sky.

“Nash, is that you?”

She knows my name. Shit.

I set the bat down and turn the deadbolt.

A girl in jeans and a skimpy black tank top is on my doorstep. Her hair is wet, plastered to her scalp. I think it’s brown but don’t know for sure. Her eyes are red-rimmed and I can’t tell if it’s because she’s been crying or because she’s high. Or both. Beads of water trickle down her cheeks and she wipes at them. Rain.

“Can I… can I come in?” she asks.

There is nothing familiar about her. I haven’t dated her. I haven’t slept with her. I didn’t have classes with her.

But she’s on my doorstep and she knows my name. She’s wet and shivering and she’s either scared or stoned. She’s looking at me and she’s asking me if she can come in.

And I don’t know what the fuck to do.

INTERLUDE releases October 2015.

Sign up for Anna Cruise’s newsletter

for updated release date and your chance to win a free ARC.