“Rings?”
Reese reaches into his pocket and pulls out two bands, one made of pavé diamonds, the other black titanium. The minister takes both, handing me Reese’s first. I swallow hard.
“Kayla Kincade, do you take Reese Dane to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health? To love him and honor him all the days of your life?”
Nervously, I say, “I do.”
Robert nods gleefully. “Repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed.”
Softly, awash with emotion, while the sun rises, illuminating the gothic buildings and sparkling river, I repeat, “With this ring, I thee wed.”
As I slip the ring onto Reese’s finger, an image of Dev flickers through my mind, causing a momentary relapse of sadness. I may be committing myself to Reese, but a small part of me will always irrefutably love Dev.
“Reese Dane, do you take Kayla Kincade to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health? To love her and honor her all the days of your life?”
Without fear or hesitation, Reese replies, “I do.”
I smile tearfully as Reese recites, “With this ring, I thee wed.”
No moment in my life has been more perfect. Once my wedding ring is securely around my finger, I’m whole.
“I am ecstatic to announce, for the first time ever, Mr. and Mrs. Reese Dane. You may kiss your bride.”
Reese doesn’t waste a second pulling me into his arms and kissing me rapturously. The embrace is so hot, I’m positive the minister is blushing.
“You’re finally all mine,” he whispers between flicks of his tongue.
“Yes, I am,” I avow.
After the ceremony, we take an abundance of pictures on the balcony, the city backdrop the main attraction.
By eight-thirty, the festivities have ended, leaving just a few short hours before race time and back to business as usual. It was a magical morning, and I’m sad it ended so soon.
“Hey.” Reese presses me against the window beside the balcony.
“Hey, yourself.” I slide my hands up over the front of his chest.
“I’m not through with you yet,” he informs me.
“You need to go get ready.”
“What I need is for us to consummate our marriage. You may have put this dress on, but I’m the one who’s supposed to take it off.” Reese bunches a fistful of the shiny material at my thigh. I don’t protest—I share his desire.
Greedily, he pulls my dress up and over my head, exposing my white satin thong and matching strapless bra. He drinks me in reverently as he slowly sinks to his knees regarding me as if I really were a virginal bride. My breathing quickens as he kisses his way across my stomach, worshiping every inch as he leisurely and steadily moves his mouth down to the apex of my thighs. “I love your body.” I push myself against the glass as he savors me over the silk of my thong. Pressing his face firmly against my damp pussy, he inhales my scent sharply, running the tip of his nose over the smooth material. I tangle my fingers in his dark hair as he ups the ante, throwing one leg over his shoulder before sliding the scrap of silk over to the side. Indulgently, Reese spreads my folds, reveling in what he’s truly after, my tingling pink flesh. He flattens his tongue against my overexposed clit, stealing a gluttonous taste. I nearly buckle as he works his mouth, taking slow pleasure in circling his tongue around the prickly bundle of nerves my clit has become. He strokes and skims and explores my slit painstakingly until I’m moaning insufferably and soaking fucking wet.
“Reese, please,” I pant as I slide down the glass, the strength in my legs depleting. In response to my desperate plea, he sucks on my clit one last excruciating time before he releases it and then rises. I watch, a heaving mess as he punctiliously unbuttons his shirt, and then his pants, revealing the tattooed god underneath. He’s as heart-stopping as a gunshot.
There’s no disinclination as he lifts me off the ground and secures my back against the window. Wrapping my legs around his waist, he immerses his cock straight into my sopping entrance. The contact is heavenly and just what I need. Yearn for. This man, inside me, for the rest of our lives.
With his fingertips stabbing into my ass, we find an earth-shattering rhythm and the soul-searing connection Reese was after. We never break eye contact, as together we dash to the pinnacle. The ache between my legs intensifying ten times over, demanding only Reese.
“That’s it, baby, let go.” I screw my eyes shut and press my forehead to his, with an impenetrable grasp on his face. “Let go and let your husband watch you come.”
The sobering effect of his statement forces my eyes to spring open. The severity hitting me like a wrecking ball. My husband. We lock gazes once again, the two of us possessed by pleasure. Our climaxes collide like a car crash, and I just can’t seem to get enough. I want him harder, deeper, faster, force feeding me every inch of his swelling cock until I bruise. Until it’s only him I feel lingering inside me.
I scream and thrash brazenly in Reese’s arms as I spiral out of control. Spinning and spinning until I finally hit a wall.
I come around, still pinned against the window with Reese breathing forcefully, floating back down from his own high.
“Shit, baby.” His words are muffled. “Shit.” His buries his face deeper into the curve of my neck. Our chests expanding and contracting avidly.
“I’m going to give you the whole world, Kayla,” he vows.
I cling to him, fastening my arms around his neck. “I don’t need the whole world, Reese. I just need you.”
Race days are insane. Just sayin’. The crowds that flock to these events are diehard. I’ve never experienced anything like it. The energy is electric and the fans’ enthusiasm is off the charts.
I peek out the window of Reese’s motorhome parked in the paddock, fiddling nervously with my heartbeat necklace. News of our nuptials traveled around the world faster than we consummated our marriage, thanks to Reese’s sole Instagram post. A barrage of people is outside just waiting to get a glimpse of me and their beloved champion. But the pressure of the newfound spotlight pales in comparison to my worry for Reese. Race days never get easier. This is my third, and although Reese looks worlds better than he did last night, my anxiety hasn’t abated. Every time he rolls onto that track, he places his life in danger. He pushes his body and his luck. I knew what I was getting into when I said ‘I do,’ but for forty minutes and eighteen laps, I become a devout disciple of God.
I catch Reese zipping up his colorful leathers adorned with sponsor logos. He’s a wicked mix of fighter pilot and walking billboard, wearing nothing but a pair of boxer briefs underneath. By the end of a race, he’s drenched in sweat and literally peeling the graffitied kangaroo hide from his skin. The soft, thin material doesn’t feel like much, but he assures me it provides more protection than it lets on.
I can only take his word for it.
“How are you feeling?” I ask as he stretches in the small space.
“Like I’m invincible.” The leather creaks as he swings his arms over his head. “It’s the happiest day of my life, and after this win, it’s going to become a whole lot better.” He’s such a cocky bastard. But I’ve learned that attitude keeps you alive and a champion.
“Ready to make our big debut?” He reaches out a hand to me.
I take one last peek outside. “No, but do I have a choice?” I bite my lip.
“Nope. I want to show off my new wife to the world.”
“Think your fangirls can handle that?”
“Probably not. But that’s their problem.”
I take his outstretched hand and follow him out the door. The paddock is a large area behind the track, equivalent to the backstage of a rock concert. The fence enclosing it is always buzzing with people. It’s only the elite or extremely lucky who get a coveted pass behind the scenes, where the riders, sponsors, and their teams prepare for th
e upcoming event.
As soon as we step outside, cameras’ flash and people cheer. Reese waves like the superstar he is as I cling to his arm, adjusting to all the attention. As we walk to his pit-box, he stops to sign an autograph for a young boy.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Reese asks as he scribbles on the kid’s photo.
“A motorcycle racer just like you!” the blond-haired boy exclaims.
“Damn straight, little man.” Reese gives him a fist bump, and the boy nearly jumps out of his shoes. I nearly swoon out of mine as a vision of Reese with our little boy invades my thoughts. I suddenly, and unexpectedly, can’t wait to have a child.
We finally find some calm in the sanctuary of the pit box, a glorified garage covered with logos and professional graphics. There’s even a life-size cutout of Reese with his slogan on a banner above it—Give me fucking fast—which he made famous in an interview after he won his first world championship.
Experiencing it firsthand, I’ve come to understand why this environment is so addicting. Why racers risk it all. They exist on a different plane, finding glamor, status, and danger wrapped up in one forty-minute thrill ride.
I hang in the background as Reese goes to work—talking tyres, engines, and electronic settings with his crew. It’s all Greek to me but common conversation for them.
Someone hands Reese a box, and his face lights up. “Finally.”
He places it on the floor next to my chair and opens it up.
“What do you think?” He pulls out the helmet, showing me the butterfly design on the top. It’s the exact replica of the tattoo on my back with a big red heart in the middle.
“It’s . . .” I’m left speechless. In professional racing, helmet design is a sacred thing. It portrays the rider’s personality and feelings toward any particular race. Reese once compared it to war paint. So I understand its significance. Its resonating statement.
“Now, the whole world will see a butterfly owns my heart. Every single beat.” He kisses me proudly.
I touch the top of the smooth fiberglass, choked with emotion. “It’s beautiful.” The artwork is so intricate and vibrant; it almost feels alive.
“It’s going to be even more beautiful when I’m holding it on top of a podium.” He presses his lips passionately against mine before he’s called away. “Watch me win.” He slips on the helmet and stands before me. Every inch of my body pulsates, electrified by the modern looking warrior. By the phantom I never saw coming.
“I promise I’ll never take my eyes off you.”
Dev
I stare at the caption under the picture.
“Sealed the deal at sunrise.”
I’ve been obsessing over this post ever since I saw it. They fucking got married. It enrages me. I dissect Kayla in her simple white dress looking beyond beautiful and beyond happy. After I walked away, the sun set and never rose again.
“When the regret sets in, remember you did this to yourself.”
I do regret it. I regret everything. I thought I was doing the right thing, but all I’ve become is a shell of man, miserable and heartbroken. There is a gaping hole in my chest and rage racing through my veins. I refrain from smashing my phone, overcome with violent thoughts of kicking my bike over and beating it with a crowbar until it’s unrecognizable. Until the anger dissipates. I’m a fucking idiot, and the universe loves to remind me by twisting the goddamn knife.
They got fucking married. I stare off into space, rocking obsessively back and forth on my Kawasaki. The bike Reese had designed specifically for me.
Nothing has any appeal, not riding or working or even hanging out at a rally. I wish I was too dead to care—about Reese, about Kayla—but my feelings are like open season.
Knight and Tammy do their best to engage me in conversation, but my responses are short, clipped, annoyed. I want no part of interacting. I zero in on Riley riding around like a fool, vying for a group of girls’ attention, one of whom who has been eye-fucking me all night. My vacant soul only reads her body as one thing. Anesthesia. A numbing agent to dull the pain. A temporary escape from my living hell. The hell I chose.
Fuck this. I’ve had enough socialization for one day. I turn on my bike. “I’m out,” I tell Knight.
“C’mon, man, stay.” He tries to persuade me, but it’s just not happening. I’ve had my fucking fill of happy couples. At the rate he and Tammy are going, I won’t be surprised if I find myself standing at an altar dressed in a monkey suit by year’s end. I need a distraction, a disruption, an interference. Right now, tonight. I pull right up to the cute blonde, slipping further into a pit of despair.
“What’s your name?” I ask aloofly over the idling engine.
“Eileen.” She bats her big blue eyes. Falsely innocent eyes.
“Hop on.”
The petite woman dressed in jeans and Converse sneakers doesn’t hesitate.
Her arms feel like lead around my waist as I ride away.
A distraction, a disruption, an interference, I remind myself continuously as I drive to my house. As we walk through the door. As we climb the stairs. As we shed our clothes. As I sink my teeth into the condom.
“When the regret sets in, remember you did this to yourself.”
Kayla
I can barely keep my eyes open. The last two months have kicked my ass, and we’re nowhere near through with our ‘round-the-world adventure. The plane bumps from turbulence, jolting me awake. Reese grabs my hand. “Hey, it’s okay.” I must look startled.
“I’m fine,” I reassure my husband. “Just really tired.”
“I know.” He kisses my hand. “It’s go, go, go all the time. Takes some getting used to. You’ll have a chance to rest when we get back to the States.”
“I can’t wait. All I want is my pillow and a huge plate of home fries from Joe’s.”
“Soon enough.” He chuckles.
The stewardess hands out the customs forms as we ascend closer to Brussels. We have a two-hour layover before heading across the Atlantic to Baltimore.
I begin to fill out the form, stopping at the date. “What’s today?”
Reese looks at his gargantuan watch. “May tenth.”
I pause. “Already?”
“Yup, all day,” he confirms, finding my lack of timekeeping endearing. There’s nothing cute about it, because I suddenly can’t remember the last time I got my period. I finish the paperwork and hand it to the flight attendant, overly anxious. I can’t be pregnant. I’ve been off the pill . . . Almost two months.
Shit.
In the airport terminal, Reese sits quietly wearing his white Beats while I internally go crazy. The sound of muffled thumping bass agitating my fanatical thoughts. Am I? Could I be? I count days, times, possibilities of conceiving until it consumes me.
As Reese relaxes with his eyes closed, I decide I have to put my mind at ease. I can’t wait another eight excruciating hours to find out.
I tell Reese I’m going to grab a snack before I race to the closest terminal mart. They have everything from mouthwash to maxi pads, and in the bottom corner, tucked away, I spot pregnancy tests. I just won the lottery. I grab two boxes and swipe my card, darting to the bathroom across the way. I lock myself in a handicap stall and pee on the stick, my heart beating in my chest like a high-speed round of power punches. I sit and watch the little window, every second agony.
A blue color finally starts to materialize. My stomach bottoms out as a cross, plain as day, stares back at me. I blink in disbelief. Positive. If I weren’t sitting down, I’d fall over. I pant heavily, shaken up with a cocktail of emotions. Happiness being the main one. Reese said he didn’t care if we got pregnant. Well, I hope he was serious because our life is about to change in the most drastic way. A tear escapes down my cheek as I recap the test and place it back in the box.
I hurry back to Reese, who’s completely unaware I’m about to deliver news that will forever change his life. I sit down next to him, brimmin
g with excitement, fear, and elation.
He perks up, reading my facial expression.
“Everything all right?” He slides the headphones off his head.
I nod zealously. “At least, I think it is.” I hand him the box discreetly. His eyes widen to the size of satellites when he sees the picture on the front. “Open it.” I lean in and whisper.
Reese, with shaky fingers, opens the top tab and pulls out the test. The second he sees the plus sign, he knows, too. My secret. Our secret. The breath he expels is audible as he stares at the stick.
“What do you think?” I ask nervously.
He doesn’t reply.
“Reese?” I quickly become apprehensive. Maybe he isn’t happy. Maybe I shouldn’t have told him. Maybe it’s a mistake.
Reese places the test back in the box without a word, and I panic.
“You’re upset? It’s too soon?” My eyes water. “You said you didn’t care. That you wanted it.”
He abruptly silences me with a kiss, smashing his mouth so hard against mine that it cuts off my intake of air.
“I do want it.” His tone is hushed, laced with emotion. “But you just blindsided the shit out of me, woman.” He laughs through tears. “You didn’t even drop a hint.” He pulls away to look at me, his eyes shiny.
“I only realized it on the plane.” I take his hand and place it on my stomach. “It’s okay, right?”
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