“Can I help you?” Kye asked.
“You can’t say that shit to us,” one of Dean’s friends said.
“I can say whatever the fuck I want if he’s going to threaten her or call her names. I really don’t think anyone is going to stop me.”
Dean and his friends looked back at each other, but Kye didn’t move. The calm scowl across his face left an open invitation for them, but no one took it. I didn’t know if I should back up or lean in.
My mouth had dropped open at some point, not knowing what to do. I expected Kye could scare them off, but he was going above and beyond what I planned. The easy way he dropped right into defending me wasn’t helping me find this any less attractive.
He took us a few more steps past them, and then he spun me. I gasped as he made one fluid motion and I was up in his arms, my legs locking around him to gain some stabilization.
“Bye, Dean,” he said, grinning as he stepped into the house. I leaned down, finding his lips again. I was too turned on to care if he was mad.
We made it to a bedroom, and excitement shot through me, until he literally threw me down onto a bed.
“I agreed to pissing off one boyfriend, not trying to convince an entire party that I’m here with the damn prom queen.”
“I just thought —” I stumbled over my words, trying to get up and face him. “I thought that was enjoyable.”
“For who? You? Didn’t realize you got off on jumping—what was it that Dean said…” He grinned, but it wasn’t friendly. “Oh, that’s right, a bottom-of-the-barrel loser. I have to go,” he said, pulling out the cigarette and lighting it this time. “I’m assuming you can get yourself out of here. Or do I have to be here for that, too?”
“No, I’ll figure it out. Thank you.”
He stopped at the door, the light flooding into the room and leaving him an outline of black.
“Did you really choose to jump me because I can scare Dean?”
I nodded before I could answer. As much as I wished it wasn’t, my body was still on fire, aching for him to come closer again. “Yes,” I said.
He nodded, taking a long drag of the cigarette before disappearing into the crowd.
FOURKYE
There wasn’t much that surprised me anymore. I got used to life handing me the most ridiculous things, and I learned to deal with them as they came. But Daisy Wells, of all people, jumping me last night and kissing me was one of the biggest surprises of my life.
Another girl might not have been as much of a surprise. There were plenty over the years that literally threw themselves at me. The perfect prom queen even approaching me felt ridiculous, but kissing me?
I wasn’t a fan of touching anyone, but over the years, I’d learned to handle the feelings that went with it. Sometimes it was pure disgust, my body going cold and clammy, my stomach rolling like I might puke.
Other times, it was pain. Pure blinding pain that seemed to wash over me in waves until I wanted to scream. Pins and needles and knives were skin met skin.
When Daisy threw herself at me, I had braced for either of those, but it hadn’t come. I had waited and waited, but I hadn’t been disgusted or in pain. My body had quieted when her legs wrapped around me, when her lips found mine for the second time, when her hand pushed through my hair once.
Complete silence.
I shook the thoughts of it from my mind as I pulled into Holt’s offices behind Ash, Scout, and Fox. Maybe I had just been too stoned. Yesterday hadn’t been a good day, and I knew today was going to be rough so I might have overdone it last night.
That had to be it.
I wished I was already stoned today. Holt had a meeting with us, more specifically for me, because I had been arrested the day before last. I didn’t think it was my fault, but Holt didn’t seem to care that the other guy actually owed me his car and wasn’t giving it up. When I had politely reminded him that he owed me a car, he called the cops for assault.
“This is bullshit and you guys know it,” I said, pushing my hat back on.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s enough that my dad is worried about you being added to the list of racers so today is judgment day,” Ash said.
I groaned, following behind them as we made our way up to Holt’s office that overlooked the track.
I had been here plenty of times, and even had a talk or two with Holt about cleaning up my rap sheet, but this was the first time, he had called an official meeting.
There had been plenty of back-and-forth conversation about me being one of his rally drivers, with the hope to one day help him expand into different stunt driving. He told me from the beginning he liked the way I drove, and I liked the way he helped Ash and Scout with their careers, but it wasn’t until recently that I actually thought I could have a spot as a driver.
It wasn’t a job I ever entertained—the idea of being paid to drive a daydream—and I never thought it would actually happen. I was a poor kid from a bad life, even having the chance to own a garage with the crew felt so far out of reach, but it happened. I didn’t want to believe this could happen, too. I still agreed to the formal meeting, bringing Ash, Fox, and Scout along to help with whatever shit Holt was going to throw at me.
When we finally sat down at the oversized meeting table, I knew I made the right choice based on how Holt was looking at me.
“Well, I’m happy to see you showed up. I had some concerns you were going to think this was a joke.”
“No,” I said, sitting up a little straighter. “I know what’s on the line this time.”
“I wasn’t sure based on the arrest days ago.”
“Dad,” Ash said. “You want him on your team, don’t start the conversation with insults.”
“I wasn’t trying to insult him, it’s the facts. I do want you on my team, Kye, but the rap sheet you have makes me worried that this isn’t going to be a serious career for you, more of a hobby, and I don’t pay for hobbies.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to. The arrests have nothing to do with how seriously I would take this. I’m here for a reason today.”
“I already know you can race well. I’ve seen you drive and think you have plenty of talent, but I can’t have any of my drivers getting in trouble constantly. The company’s image relies on you being responsible and not causing any worry that you could be a risk on the track.”
