Pedal to the Metal: Love's Drivin' but Fate's Got the Pole (The 'Cuda Confessions Book 3)

by Eden Connor

  Forget Randall. Drive.

  This run had to be perfect. Everything I’d ever wanted lay just beyond the finish line, if I could get there first.

  Almost everything.

  Third.

  Wanna ride with me, little sister? I’m gonna need gas or ass.

  Fourth.

  Show him what’s comin’ when he lines up against a motherfuckin’ Hannah.

  Fifth.

  Sixth.

  I still had pedal, so I slammed the gas to the floor. The finish line lay twenty feet ahead. I touched the clutch, ready to gear down as soon as I raced past.

  “Gone, girl! He’s a fuckin’ length and a half back,” Caine shouted. “Woo to the motherfuckin’ hoo!”

  I tapped the brake and shoved in the clutch, backing down into fifth. Randall was still slowing his forward momentum when I reversed past him.

  The old man waited in our pit box when I arrived. Jonny held a wad of bills. I stopped and lowered my window.

  “We cool, Jonny?”

  From the corner of my eye, the Super Snake’s tail lights flashed. Soon as the driver caught asphalt, his tires shrieked. The big engine roared as he raced off into the night.

  Oh, well, guess he didn’t want none. I glanced at Caine. “Was it something I said?”

  He could barely speak for laughing. “Pretty sure it was that big ole fake cock.”

  Ervin shuffled forward and leaned down to peer into the car.

  “How ya doin’, Mr. Hannah?”

  I blinked, wrenching around to stare at his leathery face. This old bastard knew Dale?

  “Can’t complain, Ervin. Nice to meet’cha. Lee Haney sure has said some mighty fine things about you over the years.”

  “He brags on you pretty damn hard, too.” Ervin swept his hat off, slapping it over his left chest. “And of course, I been a Ridenhour man half my life.”

  Before I could open my mouth, Randall reversed past us and kept going. Dust churned and gravel popped the fence when he spun the wheel in the parking lot. His tires barked when he caught asphalt. His headlights lit the dark road, then his taillights disappeared in the opposite direction as the Super Snake.

  I slapped the back of my hand against Caine’s chest. “Uh, hello? That bastard just left with my thousand dollars.”

  Caroline and Jonny ran around the car to beat on Caine’s window. He managed to get it lowered. Caroline stuck her head inside.

  “Whoo-wee! Hell of a race. Hey, Dale!” She waved like a little kid, fingers spread.

  “Hey, honey. One of these days, you gotta show me what the fuck you done to the computer in this damn car.”

  Caroline wrinkled her nose. “Nothin’ to it. Just a bit of code.”

  Ervin interrupted before I could ask what the fuck they were talking about.

  “Lee ‘bout talked my ear off today, tellin’ me about that race Shelby run at his place. I was worried Randall had seen that video, but, I reckon not.”

  “Wait a damn minute.” I squinted at the old codger. “You knew who we were? And you let your boy run off at the mouth like that?”

  He turned green-gray eyes on me, but they shined with humility. “Miss Shelby, I got me a problem child. Randall can drive, ain’t no doubt about it, but he started winnin’ and quit listenin’. I was talkin’ to Lee about the problem yesterday, and he said he’d call me back. I reckon he called Dale.”

  “Yep.” Dale picked up the tale. “I needed to get you behind the wheel again, Shelby. Happened to overhear Caine and Jonny sayin’ Caroline needed money. Jonny and Colt can’t participate in no races, except the ones Rick pays ‘em to run, by contract. Caine... ain’t got your reflexes, darlin’. We knowed you wouldn’t let Caroline down.”

  He shrugged. “Three birds. One stone. And motherfucker, if I hadn’t seen that seven point seven for myself, I’d call all y’all liars. Even Audi says that damn can can’t do but a twelve-second quarter mile. I know damn well, y’all didn’t put no aftermarket parts on that car, cause I just got my credit card statement today.”

  “Had that clock calibrated today.” The old man bobbed his head. “Can’t quite believe it myself. Looks like you got one hell of a crew, Mr. Hannah.”

  “How do you know Lee Haney?” I demanded, because at the moment, Ervin was the only person I trusted myself not to slap.

  They’d all played me. Even Caroline, it seemed.

  He wheezed, shoulders shaking. “Me an’ him used to be married to the same hellcat.”

  I drew back in surprise.

  “Which one was legal?” Caroline giggled.

  Ervin’s grin gave me a glimpse of a once-handsome face. “We was married to her at different times.” The old man shook his head. “Damn, what a woman. She couldn’t cook worth a lick. Didn’t put out less’n she wanted somethin’, but goddamn, that redhead knew her way around a stick. Reckon a racin’ man can forgive most anything when that’s so.”

  His words conjured my first ride with Colt and Caine.

  It gives a man hope when a woman knows her way around a stick shift.

  Hope of what?

  That she might know her way around a different kind of stick, if you catch my drift.

  “How’d you know?” I demanded of Dale, shaking off the poignant memory.

  Dale’s expression belonged in the dictionary beside the word ‘smug’. “When Colt rolled a car his first time, we couldn’t get that boy to go fetch a gallon of milk for about six months. Ask him sometime what kind of shit we pulled on him to get him drivin’ again. Reckon that was right before me and your mama hooked up, baby doll.”

  When you called him a coward.

  “I doubt it was as traumatizin’ as that thang y’all waved at Randall.” Ervin wheezed, hunching over and grabbing his abdomen. I couldn’t tell if the old man was laughing or dying.

  Dale’s eyes rounded. “I think this is where I’d best say goodnight. I’ll round us up a lawyer in the mornin’. Damn fine job, Shelby Hannah. I love you, baby doll. Love all y’all. Jonny!”

  “I love you, too, Dale,” I cried.

  “Yes, sir?” Jonny took Caroline’s spot in the window.

  “Give Ervin his five back. Y’all can keep the rest.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Ervin flapped a hand. “Just gimme four. I’m gonna wring that thousand dollars Randall insulted you with, sweetheart, outta his ass.”

  Ervin pulled my title from his inside jacket pocket with one hand, tapping ashes off his cigarette with the other. “I reckon this is your’n, ma’am. I apologize for Randall’s foul mouth. I hope, now that his pocketbook’s been pinched, he’ll find some humility.” He gave me that grin again. “And I don’t suppose you can put the tape of this race on that site of your’n, to help him out?”

  “Count on it.”

  I lifted my thumb, just as Dale barked. “Colt!”

  Jonny backed away. Colt stuck his head inside the car. “Yes, sir?”

  “My tally sheet has Shelby down for an engine worth sixty-five grand, a car for one-eighty, and now, six grand in cash. She’s diggin’ you a hole, son.”

  Colt snorted. “Yeah? All I need is one win to lay her out in the shade.”

  “I ain’t gettin’ no younger. I’d like to see that day with my own eyes.” Dale moved his gaze to Caine. “Pit Boss Hannah, fine job tonight. I figure the hardest part of your job happened at the college?”

  Caine bobbed his head. “But, I had her at ‘Caroline needs help’. She wasn’t near as big a pussy as Colt.”

  Colt jammed his fist into Caine’s shoulder, backing away with a laugh.

  “Fellas, I need that backup car here no later’n seven in the mornin’. Kolby drew an early qualifyin’ time. I don’t wanna hear no shit about traffic. Be here or be prepared to find new jobs.”

  “Yes, sir.” Caine darted a look my way.

  Dale’s crew crowded into view to congratulate me. I waved, but heaved a sigh of relief when Caine disconnected the call.

  �
��Let’s ride. We’re burnin’ moonlight and Dad just cut our night in half.” His expression sent my stomach into a slow roll.

  Jonny accepted Ervin’s additional cash. He added the bills to the stack he pulled out of his jacket, then turned to press the money into Caroline’s hands. She threw her arms around his neck, meeting my eyes over his shoulder. Mascara stained her cheeks.

  Okay, she does need the money.

  “Nice meetin’ y’all.” Ervin tipped his cap. “And Jet, it’s good to see you found yourself a new family. What Dale said to his son about that first big win?” Jonny nodded. “Goes double for me. I’m a damn sight older than your crew chief. Get on the stick.”

  “Yes, sir.” Jonny slung his free arm around Ervin, slapping him between jutting shoulder blades. “Put down the cigarettes, old man. Live a while longer.”

  Ervin tugged another Marlboro free. “I lost in court, Jonny. City of Greer run in some new noise regulations. This place shuts down January first. I got one last season and that’s all she wrote.”

  Chapter Ten

  Colt’s belt hit the floor with a thump. “Seven point fuckin’ seven. Motherfucker’s gonna be tellin’ himself for the rest of his life it was the onboard computer that beat him.” He shoved his boxers down and reached for his cock, stroking the thick flesh. “If I didn’t know for sure Caine and Jonny disconnected the auto shift, I’d wonder my damn self. Jesus, you’re quick.” He took a knee at the end of the bed.

  “A hundred and sixteen point eight miles per hour,” Caroline announced.”

  “You’re incredible.” The look in Jonny’s dark eyes did something to my heart, because, finally, someone saw Caroline the way I did.

  “What in the world did y’all do to that car?” I bounced on the balls of my feet, still humming from excitement.

  Caine snorted. “We started by doin’ what Audi should’ve done. We stripped out the auto drive bullshit and added some torque to the wheels. Opened up the air intakes, but we ran into a problem. Then, Caroline stuck her nose in it, and did some voodoo with the onboard computer.”

  I shifted wide eyes to her. She laughed. “I was the only girl in AP Physics. Then, the motherfuckers refused to let me take Auto Mechanics, because ‘my grades were too high’.” She drew quote marks in the air. “All that meant, was, step to the back of the line, girl. I didn’t get hands-on experience. They can kiss my ass now.”

  She gave Jonny an adoring gaze. “Jonny helped me fill out the patent paperwork. Now, I got the money to send it in, and pay my insurance.”

  Caine chuckled. “Then, we borrowed a few quarts of Rick’s fifty-million-dollar motor oil.”

  “Excuse me?” I must’ve heard him wrong.

  “Oh, yeah.” Colt chimed in. “Over the last decade, Rick’s spent an easy fifty million bucks on motor oil research. He’s got a fucking blend that adds twenty-five, thirty horsepower. No lie.”

  “But, until you put your hand on the shifter, Shelby, it was just a hunk of metal with potential.” Caroline rifled the bills Jonny put in her hand. “This’s my car insurance for six months, and then some.”

  With a peal of giggles, she tossed the stack of twenties into the air. The low-slung ceiling fan whipped the bills around. Most floated onto Caine, who rested on the end of Jonny’s king-sized bed. She stripped her jeans down her legs, tossing them to Jonny, who hurled them toward a chair in the corner. Circling her hips, Caroline lifted her mass of light waves onto the top of her head.

  I tumbled into Caine’s arms. “Here’s some more voodoo. I still have gas in the tank after six quarter-mile runs. The ‘Cuda would’ve been on empty after three.”

  He laughed, rubbing the end of his nose across mine. “Fuel efficiency’s come a long way since 1971.” He cut his eyes toward Jonny and Caroline. “And, we might’ve broke new ground there, but time will tell. Hard to make a claim based on one race.”

  Turning toward me again, his eyes darkened, sending a jolt of lightning through me. Patting my hip, he urged, “Turn around. You know the rule. Winner gets head.”

  I couldn’t resist smoothing my hands across his chest, marveling at the way the dark hair arced from the outside of his frame toward his sternum. I turned around and settled into the spot between Caine’s thighs, leaning against his chest. Colt dragged a rough hand along my bare calf.

  While I stared, Caroline cupped her breasts. Caine must’ve watched, too, because he swiped his thumbs across my nipples exactly the way Caroline touched her own. Desire hit me with all the force of crossing the finish line with the pedal to the metal.

  My battered brain solved another riddle. I realized why watching Caroline fuck had always hit me so hard.

  She was the only woman I knew who seemed more secure naked than clothed. Her attitude had nothing to do with having a perfect body. Silvery stripes decorated her belly and breasts. A grim smile scarred the skin above her mound, but her eyes radiated a serenity never visible when she was dressed.

  “Who needs college when you’ve got gasoline and a hot pair of Quattro engines to work with?” Caroline asked, hips still gyrating.

  Caine slid my hair aside and pressed his lips to my neck. Colt crawled between my thighs. Goose bumps skittered in two directions along my spine, colliding in my tummy. Colt’s palms seemed more calloused now than at Christmas, but he pried my legs open with familiar force.

  “I ain’t forgot, I owe you one from December, so hang on, baby. I’m gonna rock your world twice.” Colt’s devilish grin made my heart skip a beat. He tugged my ass to the edge of the mattress and lowered his head. Churning with anticipation, I let my gaze drift to Jonny.

  Jonny unbuttoned his cuffs and eased his still-buttoned shirt over his head before he dropped his hands to his waistband, but his eyes followed every motion of Caroline’s hips.

  Dim bulbs in the ceiling fan light turned his golden skin into a desert landscape. He slid the shirt over the back of a chair, then stepped out of his pants and folded them. A slight happy trail started below his navel, which was an adorable outie.

  While Colt massaged my clit to get my engine started, I admired Jonny’s cock. This was the first time I’d seen it in the light. Not as thick as Colt’s, not quite as long as Caine’s, but a solid, well-formed specimen with a crisp head jutted from a thatch of ebony hair. And that ass. Dear God, the man had a delectable ass. No wonder he disdained baggy jeans.

  He caught Caroline in his arms. She didn’t have to go on tiptoe to reach his lips the way I would. Their ferocious kiss bent her over his arm. Her long hair swept the bed, tickling my thigh.

  When he let her go, he turned her to face me. Holding my gaze, he slid his shaft between her legs. She pressed the hard length to her slit and began to rock her hips.

  “That’s a girl,” Jonny crooned. “Show off for Shelby. I love the hunger in her eyes when she looks at you, beautiful.” He cupped her breasts. His fingers dug into the soft mounds, making her pale nipples darken and peak. Pressing those hard points, he rolled them over his forefingers with his thumbs. Caine switched up his touch, mimicking Jonny’s. Violent shock waves rolled through my groin.

  Colt speared his tongue into me. Adrenaline fueled my arousal. My heartbeat thundered in my clit and nipples. Every soft stroke of Colt’s tongue sent a jolt to my core.

  “Come all over your big brother’s face,” Caine rasped in my ear. “Make him wet all the way to his chin.” I drove my fingers into Colt’s hair, pressing him close. In return, he tortured my clit with soft, teasing strokes.

  “Can’t decide whether I wanna watch Caroline eat Shelby after Colt makes her scream, or do it my fucking self.” Jonny’s rough tone drove me higher. I dropped my gaze to his cock, watching the flushed head play peek-a-boo between Caroline’s alabaster thighs.

  Caine sent a shudder through me by stroking the outside of my ear with his tongue. Colt thrust a finger into my pussy. My tummy hollowed in anticipation as Colt withdrew, strumming my throbbing clit with his fingertip until I arched in need
.

  “Finger-fuck her, brother,” Caine demanded, earning my gratitude. “I wanna hear how wet she is.”

  Colt complied, driving in and out of me while his tongue danced across my clit.

  “Spread your legs,” Jonny demanded of Caroline, pushing her forward until she had no choice but to straddle Colt. Jonny pressed a hand between her shoulder blades. “Help Caine with Shelby’s cute little nipples.”

  I could tell by the way Jonny held his arms and lowered his eyes that he pushed his cock into her, but she taunted me, holding back and making Jonny drive her closer with each slow thrust.

  Caine growled in my ear. “Look at those pretty boobs bounce. Damn, Jonny, give it to her, brother. Shelby loves to watch a man fuck her girlfriend.”

  Darting me—or perhaps Caine—a grin, Caroline extended her tongue, making me anticipate the moment she’d connect with one of the tender peaks Caine squeezed between rough fingers.

  Colt’s rapid, delicate strokes across my clit made a strong contrast with the forceful finger-fuck I craved. He curled his finger and found the spot that made me pant. I cried out when Caroline’s warm tongue slid across one abused nipple.

  Caine’s cock, fully hard now, dug into my ass with heated promise. Colt speared me with two fingers. Added to the sound of Jonny’s thighs slapping Caroline’s buttocks, I neared the edge of reason. Colt’s thumb came down on my clit in the demanding way that always got me off.

  Caroline lifted her head, groaning with pleasure from Jonny’s continued assault. I cupped her chin, bringing her close enough to kiss.

  “Next time, you get to be the bimbo,” I whispered.

  “Honey, I was the bimbo till you came along.” She smiled. “But, we had to be a little more careful about who we picked on.”

  I couldn’t respond, because hard spikes of pleasure shut off my breath. Between Caine’s soft strokes along my neck and ear, Colt’s fingers driving inside me, and his thumb grinding against my clit, and the torture Caine applied to my breasts, I arched. Sparks danced before my eyes and my release hit with the force of a hammer.