A heaviness lifts from my chest, but I’m not sure if it’s only being replaced with regret. Cash has stayed silent, and the longer he doesn’t say something, the faster my stomach fills with dread. He’s going to turn away from me. No one wants a troubled—
“Thank you for sharing that. I know it can’t be easy.” I don’t say another word, trying to assess his words, any facial expression that triggers a sign of retreating. Instead, he surprises me with his next question. “I don’t want to overstep. Disclaimer: my next question falls under creep status, but if you’re not attached to The House, you can always stay with me.” My eyes widen. “I mean, I have an extra bedroom. I’m not asking because I want you in my bed—I mean, I do, but I don’t expect you to sleep with me, not like that, but like that. If you’re willing, and I’m willing. Or the room. It’s yours. Whatever your most comfortable with. I have plenty of shirts you can wear if you want, or not wear… I’m never going to not be a creep to you, am I?”
He shuts up and stuffs his mouth with fries. I’m struck silent at his offer. And even more at how damn cute he is when he’s nervous. He’s so far from being a creep. He’s turning out to be my very own Prince Charming.
“I mean…sure, I guess.”
“Wait, you will?”
“Yeah, unless you’ve talked yourself out of it already—”
“No, absolutely not. I think this is a great idea. For us. For the volunteering, I mean. To save that forty-minute hike every day. We can carpool. Save on gas. Help the earth. Waitress!” He throws his hand up, getting the attention of half the restaurant. “We’re gonna need dessert! Celebrating!”
I can’t help but giggle at his outburst. He truly is a rare individual. “And what exactly are we celebrating?” I ask.
“To roommates. The clean kind. I really want to become more than just a piece of meat to you.”
A French fry goes flying, smacking him in the nose. “God, so violent. It’s that sadist in you. Fine, if you promise not to hurt me too bad, I’ll let you tie me up and do things to me, but it’s still your night for dishes, ’cause we gotta share responsibilities now…”
I snort, sounding way unattractive. “Okay, that’s enough.”
“What you don’t want to tie me up?”
“Oh, I do, starting with something to cover your mouth.”
“Oh, kinky. I like it. Go on…”
I shake my head, but not before cracking a smile and lodging another fry right at his forehead.
Cash
I feel like Snow White whistling while little birds sit on my shoulder, tweeting in the background of my happy little melody. That’s right. I’ve become a sappy fool. But goddamn, I wouldn’t want it any other way.
I not only have the best roommate ever, I also have the most pliable, fierce, kinky one. I may have had the best weekend of my life. Winning races and being on top is such a surface level high. There’s happiness in it, but nothing like the joy Luna is bringing into my life.
She finally started to open up. I knew her story wasn’t going to be a good one, but for her to admit how bad she’s had it, tore me in two. I hated to hear how she grew up alone. I wanted to press her for more. Ask why she was in trouble. Did the nasty cut on her leg have anything to do with what she was running from? I almost fucked up and offered her money if that’s what she needed, but I knew better. She was a tough girl. Hard shell. She wouldn’t take any handouts from anyone, let alone myself. But that didn’t stop me from offering to have her live with me. What happens now, Romeo? No fucking idea. I didn’t have a set agenda when I asked her. Only that I wanted her to stay. And I couldn’t be happier with my decision.
I walk out of my bathroom to see my girl, dead asleep, one bare leg sticking out of the covers. Thank god she didn’t take me up on my offer to sleep in my extra room. I probably would have dragged her out of there within seconds of placing her there. But whatever had me out of sorts, had her just as bad because I didn’t need to test out any of my sweet pickup lines. She was just as hungry, eager, and consumed as I was.
She’s absolutely magical.
“I’m seriously regretting my decision.” Her raspy voice catches my attention as she begins to shuffle in bed.
“Uh oh, why?” Please don’t change your mind. I don’t want to have to tie you up.
“That whistling. Make it stop.” She grunts and stuffs her face back into the pillow. My lips crack into a wide smile. With a bounce to my step, I walk over and pounce on her, not caring that I’m late. The squeal that echoes around my room is what magic is made of. I can’t fathom leaving this condo without a morning fill of my new favorite roommate.
As soon as we walk into the speedway, I’m met with my team. Luna puts her head down and goes the opposite way, avoiding Beckett’s inquisitive gaze. “Morning, everyone,” I say with a smile on my face, ready to get back to work.
“Morning,” Becks says. “You get your shit worked out? I ain’t having you on my track—”
“All worked out. Promise.” His stern gaze follows me as I pass him, patting him on the shoulder and heading inside. I make it to the locker room when I hear him call my name.
“I’m serious, Cash, you’re not getting in that car if your head isn’t right.”
I turn around and face the man who’s been like a father to me since Luke brought him into our lives. “And I thank you for caring enough to know when I should and shouldn’t be on that track. You were right the other day. I was wrong. I do have some shit to work out. I’m not fully at terms with Luke dying, and I’ll be honest when I say I don’t know how or when I will be. But what I know is I’m starting to get a hold of the darkness I battle with day and night. Luna’s helping me with that.”
“Luna?”
“Yeah. I know you see her as a distraction. But she’s turning out to be the glue to put me back together. I’m here and ready to train. My focus is on this race, and I won’t let you down. Not anymore.” He waits for me to say more, but there’s nothing left to say. “So, we gonna race or are you going to stand there and admire my stellar looks all day?”
“Still a fucking showboat.”
I offer him the smile of champions. “Still better lookin’ than you.” He raises his fist, pretending he’s going to put me in my place, and we laugh, walking side by side down the corridor to prepare for the next race of my career.
Three days later…
“Thatta boy. That’s it. Stellar! Did someone eat their Wheaties today?”
I chuckle through my mic as I take the last bend and hammer down, loving the way the car vibrates under me. My back fishtails a bit, the grip loose, so I slow as I bring her in. I climb out and peel my helmet off, along with my sock. The weather today is brutal. Not even a fire suit can keep me from melting with the heat index.
“Great job out there, Cash,” Jimmy says as he runs up and grabs my helmet.
“Thanks, man.” Damn, that felt good. There’s nothing better than being out on the track with a clear head. Some of the demons that tend to haunt me in the quietest times haven’t surfaced the past few days, and it’s left me open to focus.
Beckett approaches me as I head to the pit. “Good to see you back.” He pulls out the results and starts reading his charts. “All right, everyone gather around,” he calls to the team. “We’re less than a week away from the Grand Prix. As you all know, we’re looking at just under three miles of track. We have eleven turns Cash plans on mastering.”
“Damn straight,” I brag.
“Keep the cockiness to a minimum. Justice Miles still has seven seconds on you. Word on the street is he has someone on the inside and has been training at Monterey.”
“What the hell, Chief? I thought—” Jimmy starts, but Becks jumps right back in.
“I know. Total bullshit. But we’ll get him on the course. Cash, I want to sit down and watch the footage of his last race so you understand exactly what he has up his sleeve. We leave for Monterey in three days. I want everyone prepared.
Right now, Jimmy, take the car and get her ready for another push tomorrow, then we’ll head down before Cash to check things out. We play our cards right, we’re headed for another win.”
My team howls, and I slap Becks on the back. He works just as hard for these wins. “Go change and meet me in the office.” I start walking off—my first stop to check on Luna. I find her in the garage, nice and soaked from washing the cars. “Hey there, pretty lady, can I offer you a lap dance…on my rod?”
She looks up, her face flushed from the heat. “You’re a dork.”
“An attractive dork. Wanna take me for a ride? I can pretend to be an innocent hitchhiker and you’re the big bad trucker out to violate me.” A wet rag is thrown at me, and suds smack across my face. I wipe the soap off my eyes and catch her wearing the cutest darn smirk. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
“Oh, just cute now?” she teases, walking backwards as I start to prowl on her.
“Cute, adorable, insatiable.”
“I think you’re the insatiable one—”
“Wasn’t done.” I near the corner of the hood, and she jumps back, avoiding my pending attack. “Sexy, deviant—”
“Okay, how am I deviant?”
“You tried to bite me last night.”
“I did not! You were tickling me and your shoulder was just there!” Her laughter is so damn beautiful. She backs into her bucket and trips. I reach forward and grab her bicep, crushing her into me. How did I not have her in my life before? Her pressed against me is something I’m not sure how I ever existed without. Her eyes are bright with clarity, happiness, peace—three emotions she hid from me in the beginning. My chest puffs with pride knowing I had a part in helping her to break through her shell and shine. .
“Fine, and I may have come a little when you did. You know your sadistic side always gets to me.” She tries to slap me, but I steal her hand and dip her, offering the sweetest, romantic kiss. When she becomes putty in my arms, I stand us upright and wait until I know she can feel her feet.
“What was that for?” she asks, as if there needs to be a reason.
“Classified information,” I reply with nonchalance.
She shakes her head, her eyes sparkling with humor. “Okay. Whatever you say. What are you doing here anyway? Are you done already?” I release her, making sure to smack her cute ass. She jumps and throws me a saucy smile as she starts cleaning up the spilled bucket.
“Gotta go clean up, but if you wanted to join me…” She rolls her eyes at me. “Got it. I’ve got to meet Becks in his office and go over some racing tapes. You’re pretty good at all this stuff. Jimmy said you were a huge help yesterday with changing out tires and refueling the cars. You put any more thought to the internship? I don’t see why you wouldn’t want it. Could really—”
“It’s not that I don’t want it. It’s…” she steps from one foot to the other, “I can’t sign those papers.”
“Why not?”
“Because I can’t.” She gives me her back, putting her attention on drying the side of the car. I don’t like how she’s dismissing the topic, so I follow her around the car.
“Is this about what you’re running from?”
“Cash.” She says my name in warning. Leave it alone.
“Luna, what? What sort of trouble did you run from? I can help you, you know. I have the financial ability if it’s about money—”
She tosses the rag onto the ground, facing me. “I’m not a charity case,” she snaps.
“I’m not saying you are. If you haven’t been paying attention the last two weeks, I like you. A lot actually. If you’re in trouble or in danger, I want to help you.”
“Well, you can’t.” She turns away again.
I hate that she won’t let me in, that whatever she’s running from is bad enough to choose to burden it on her own. “How do you know if you don’t open up?”
“Because I know, Cash. Please drop it.”
I’ve been patient. I’ve held back with the questions. I’ve allowed her the time to trust me and open up, but my patience is running thin. If she’s in trouble, I’m not letting her do this alone. “That’s it? You’re saying no to an opportunity that can be a huge stepping stone for your future.”
“I guess I am.” She doesn’t even look me in the eyes.
“Why?”
“Because I can’t. And if you can’t accept that, I’ll just get my shit and be out of your hair—”
I don’t let her finish that sentence. Fuck no. She’s not going to tap out on us. My arms shoot out and pull her tightly against me. “Fine. You win. Please don’t leave.” There’s sincerity in my voice, worry I’ve overstepped to a point she will leave. “I’ll stop pushing. Take the internship or don’t. Just don’t run away, okay?”
She stays glued to me for a while until her head pulls back. “I want to tell you. I do. I just can’t. Not now, at least.”
“Will you ever?”
She’s hesitant. “I just need to figure some things out first.” I stare back at her knowing I won’t be able to wait much longer. I need to know all her secrets, all her fears and ghosts, so I can start slaying away all her darkness.
Luna
“Ouch! That was right on my bite mark!” I yelp, jumping to the side to avoid the next oncoming butt smack as we walk into the speedway.
“Shouldn’t have bitten me and I wouldn’t have bitten you back.”
“You told me to bite you!”
“It was in the heat of the moment.”
Oh my god. I roll my eyes. “You’re unbelievable, you know that?”
“Unbelievably handsome? Sexy? A wild animal in bed—ow!”
This time, I smack him in the ass where his bite mark is. “Dammit, that hurt! Fine. You win. No more biting. But you have to admit you came so hard I thought I killed you.” Another whack. “Okay, fine, I came so hard I thought I died. Jesus, you’re violent. Still sexy. We may have to re-evaluate this whole sadist thing.”
“For the last time, I’m not a sadist.”
“You could be if you wanted to. I would go along with—okay, okay! I’m done. Have a nice day at work, dear.” He leans down and offers me a kiss of champions, followed by his panty-dropping wink, and takes a left down the corridor toward the locker room as I head right to the garage. I don’t move until he’s fully out of sight because who misses a second of that ass? Not me. A big sigh leaves my lips, wondering how a butt can be so perfect. “One of life’s many mysteries.” I turn to head to the garage when I run into someone.
“Whoa.”
“Hey, Luna,” Jackson says, holding my arm to steady me.
“Oh, hey. You scared me. I didn’t know…what are you doing here?” My words come out more accusing than I intend, but he just caught me off guard.
“Just checking up on ya. Since you’re under our volunteer program, I need to make sure you’re doing okay and everyone is treating you good.”
“Yeah, fine. Everyone is fine.”
He nods, trying to assess, the counselor in him fighting to hold back. “Good. Good. I assume your living situation is going well.”
“Fine, yep. Fine.” I need to use another word. “It’s great. Cash has an extra room and we share chores. Dishes—ya know, stuff like that.” Is that my nose growing and poking you in the chest? Sorry about that. “Thanks for checking in, but I gotta get to work. Cars won’t wash themselves.” I raise my hand, offering him a lame wave, and turn on my heel.
“Hey, Luna?”
I turn around. “Yeah?”
He pulls something out of his pocket, and my stomach drops. “The girls found this under the bed. Figured it was yours. Thought I’d bring it by.” Shit. My phone.
I’m frozen in shock, a thousand bright lights flashing red at me. How could I have forgotten it? Another violent wave of reality unsteadies me. Two days have gone by. Not once have I put thought into finding a race. How could I have been so…so…
Three deaths.
Leoni
cartel.
My past.
Find a race and get out of here…
“Hey, are you okay?” He reaches for me as I sway on my feet. Everything that’s happened the last few days with Cash…I forgot. I forgot why I was really here. I didn’t even realize I didn’t have my phone.
“Uh, yeah. Just the heat. Thanks.” I grab the phone from him, tucking it in my back pocket. “I’ll see ya around, ’kay?” I take off before he can respond, my mind spinning in circles. I round the corner and the lights go out.
“Hey, there she is. You okay?”
I’m dizzy. Confused why Cash is in my face. “Why am I on the floor?”
“You fainted. You sure you’re okay?”
Beckett is standing behind Cash, along with Jackson, Jimmy, and a few others from his crew. Humiliation creeps up my spine. I try to sit up, but a wave of dizziness strikes me back down. “Whoa, relax. Jimmy said you took quite the fall. Can I feel your head?” He reaches behind my head and works his fingers into my hair, checking for bumps. “Ahhh…there’s one. Maybe we should take you to the emergency—”
“No! No, really, I’m fine, really.” I make another attempt to stand, this time pushing through the dizziness and getting to my feet with Cash’s help. “Seriously, everyone can go back to work. I’m fine. Promise. I’m not used to this heat.”
“Yeah, you know what? I’m going to take you home.”
I’m not sure who growls louder, me or Beckett. “No. You have to practice. I need to do my work.”
Junkie: A Driven World Novel (The Driven World) Page 14