A sick feeling started knotting up my stomach. “That jerk said he’d trim that part.”
Nikki cringed. “I know. No one’s even talking about the fact that you tied the record. They’re all caught up on that stupid interview. And Myles’s wreck. They won’t shut up about that either. It’s sickening. Makes me want to…” She smacked her fist into her hand for emphasis.
I smiled at her attempt to defend Myles’s and my honor, but Nikki wouldn’t hurt a fly and we both knew it. And besides, there was no one to hurt here. Just bad fucking luck and my loose tongue. “I better go smooth things over with Dad. He’s probably pissed.”
“It’s hard to tell with him, he always seems the same, but yeah…with Jimmy leaving, Myles out for the count, and your sister’s wedding getting more and more expensive by the day—did you hear that she wants doves and butterflies now? Diva. Well, on top of all that, this was about the last thing he needed.” She sighed, then her eyes went wide. “Not that it’s your fault or anything. I would have answered the same way; that interviewer was a total douchebag for airing it.”
I thanked her for trying to cheer me up, then headed upstairs to face my dad. It felt good hearing Nikki defend me, but I knew exactly whose fault this one was.
As soon as I stepped into my father’s office, I could tell by the stern look on his face that I was in for a lecture. To buy myself some time, I tried to throw him off guard with a fact I knew he wasn’t thrilled about. “So…I hear Daphne wants you to pick a father/daughter song for the reception. Have you considered ‘Butterfly Kisses’? It’s a little sappy, but easy enough to dance to.”
The steel look on Dad’s face melted into a grimace. “Don’t remind me…” Like clearing an Etch A Sketch, he shook his head. “I take it Nikki told you about the fine?”
I nodded. “And the doves. Does Daphne really want her guests pooped on?” Dad crossed his arms over his chest and I sighed. “I know, I know. I’m sorry. You know I’m horrible at interviews anyway, and they caught me by surprise, and whenever I think about Jimmy I just want to…” Lifting my hands, I started choking Jimmy’s imaginary neck.
Dad cracked a smile. It quickly faded. “I understand the instinct, Mackenzie, but you need to control your tongue just as much as your body. Perhaps more. The fine wasn’t large, but it was enough to leave a mark on our bottom line. And with Myles out…” He ran a hand down his face. “Ready or not, I need you to be exemplary right now.”
“I know, Dad. I’m—”
He didn’t let me finish. “Then please explain why your lap times have been slacking since Wisconsin—considerably slacking. You’re better than this. What’s going on?”
You placed the fate of the entire business in my inexperienced hands, and I’m stumbling under the weight. That’s what’s going on.
Unable to point out the pressure I was under so bluntly, I shrugged and gave him the most pathetic answer possible. “I don’t know. I’m trying, Dad, it’s just…not happening for some reason.”
Dad’s lips curved into a hard-edged frown. He hated getting half-assed answers. He wanted facts. My time sucked because of A, B, or C. Period. Vagueness didn’t sit right with him. “Mackenzie, now is not the time to start falling apart. Barber will be here before you know it.”
Barber. My favorite track as a kid, and I was finally going to be racing on it. I should have been over the moon with excitement, but my eagerness was coated with dread. What if I couldn’t get it together in time? What if I failed? Swallowing my fear, I told Dad, “I’ll be ready.” Somehow.
As if he didn’t believe my confident statement, Dad let out a weary sigh as he sat on the corner of his desk, which was, as usual, littered with paperwork—invoices, from what I could tell. “I don’t understand. You were on pace to break records, but now…I just don’t understand.”
I bit my lip to hold in the truth: that I just couldn’t get anything under control anymore. What was wrong felt right, what was right felt wrong, and the only way I seemed to be able to push myself to greatness was by chasing Hayden.
Still not able to speak my true thoughts, I said the only thing I could. “I’ll do better.”
Frustrated with my inability to pinpoint the problem, Dad said, “Is this because of what happened to Myles? Are you worried? Upset? That I could understand, at least.” Pressing his lips together, he shook his head. “Myles told me his theory about his bike…that he saw something go off…that he’s positive someone messed with it. He wants me to have the race officials open an investigation.”
Chilling shock coated me with fear. I didn’t want to believe Myles was right—about the tampering or about Hayden’s involvement. It had to be a random accident. An official looking into it…might prove otherwise. But isn’t that a good thing? If Hayden was guilty, he should be punished. Severely. “Are…you going to?”
Dad sighed again. “No. Whatever was done to the bike, there isn’t enough evidence after the crash to prove wrongdoing. It’s just conjecture at this point, and it would only aggravate the officials to bring it to them. And they’re annoyed with us enough as it is…” He flashed a glance at me and I cringed before schooling my features. Yeah, because of my stupid interview.
Heat in his eyes, Dad briefly peered out the window overlooking the track. “If Myles says he saw something, felt something…then I believe him. And I definitely wouldn’t put it past Keith to pull crap like that. There’s not much he won’t do to win. And hiring that Hayden kid to do his dirty work…well, it wouldn’t shock me. Rumor is, Keith found him on the street. Did you know that?”
I kept my expression very even. “I just don’t know if I can believe that anyone, even Keith, would sink to that level, Dad. There must be another explanation for what happened.” There has to be.
Dad’s face clouded over as he gave the window one final glare. “There is nothing I wouldn’t put past Keith.” Looking over at me, his brow softened with concern. “Just be careful out there, Mackenzie. If someone has sunk that low…I don’t want you getting caught in the cross fire. I know I don’t need to tell you this, but be wary of the Bennetis. The entire team.”
Swallowing a tight lump in my throat, I told him, “I will,” then I quickly turned to leave his office.
Before I could escape, Dad called my name. When I looked back at him, his face was once again the stern visage of a disappointed leader. “Whatever is going on with you, Mackenzie, I need you to figure it out, and I need you to fix it. Fast. Whatever it takes, just…fix it. For me. For the team.” His eyes grew heavy from the weight of his inner burdens. “Please. We need you.”
His plea stung, and nodding, I quickly left the room. Dad was counting on me to carry the glory of his name, and I was letting him down. He was right, bit by bit, day by day, I was slipping. If I didn’t change something—now—I was going to completely fail my father. Possibly send him into bankruptcy. Or worse. There was only one thing I could think of that might potentially prevent that from happening. And it was also something that would instantly get me fired if Dad knew about it.
Damn it. For better or worse…I needed to train with Hayden.
I needed to feed off his competitive spirit. I needed to let go of everything holding me back, tune out the entire world and focus on nothing but him. I needed that fire I felt when we were together. That fire would blaze me to a glorious finish. My family's legacy depended on it.
But how? Hayden and I couldn’t practice together on the track. We couldn’t even be on the track at the same time; Hayden’s little chip-removal had worked once, but that wouldn’t be enough every single time. Eventually we’d be spotted. The track was too busy. And Jesus…was I really considering taking him up on his offer? Hayden? The former illegal street racer? The potential saboteur who might be the reason Myles got hurt? The guy whose friends started bar fights? The guy with a kid and a girlfriend. The guy I knew next to nothing about? Was that who I wanted to get even more involved with?
Did I have any other ch
oice?
Jesus, this was a horrible idea. But it was the only one I had left.
As I went to the gym to lift weights, I considered how to contact Hayden. We needed to talk, that much was clear, but we needed to do it privately, and that was exceedingly hard to do inside the racetrack complex. My father couldn’t know the secret to my success, especially now, when he suspected Keith had hired Hayden to mess with riders. Dread settled over me as I considered the fact that the man I was hoping would help me hone my skills might also be setting other people up for failure. If that was true…would I be next? God, that put a whole new spin on this dangerous arrangement I was about to make.
Since I didn’t have his phone number, I couldn’t just text him to meet up, so I did the only thing I could think of. I hovered around the practice track and waited for him to show. Once twelve o’clock hit and all the riders going into and out of the track were Bennetis and not Coxes, I got a lot of crap for being at the track entrance. “Go home, Cox, you’re not welcome here.” “You lost, little girl?” And my personal favorite, “Aww, did you break your bike? Or break a nail?” Asswipes.
“Hurry the fuck up, Hayes,” I muttered. The longer I waited for him, the worse I felt: light-headed, yet anxious too.
A voice off to my right answered my disgruntled muttering. “Sorry, didn’t realize I was late.” I snapped my head around to see Hayden walking his bike my way. His gait was slow and steady, and his long, lean body was enticingly defined by his tight racing leathers. All my favorite things were on display, and it was really hard to not allow myself to appreciate them.
When he was so close to me I could smell the unexplainable scent of summer on his skin, he asked, “What are you doing here after noon, Twenty-Two? Or did we have a date I wasn’t aware of? If so, this probably isn’t the best place to get to know each other. What with the no-fraternizing rule and all.” His green eyes sparkled with playfulness as his mouth curved into a one-sided smirk that would defrost even the iciest libido. Lord knows it was making my heart beat harder. No. That’s not what this is about.
“We need to talk, but not in the open like this. Meet me here…at this beach.” I quickly handed him a folded piece of paper with directions to my favorite hangout scribbled on it. My cell number was also hastily written across the bottom of the note. I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.
Hayden’s eyebrows crawled farther and farther up his forehead as he took the note. “I must have fallen asleep in the sauna, because there is no way you seriously just invited me to meet you somewhere?” he whispered, looking around for anyone who might be close enough to hear us. Luckily, we were alone. We wouldn’t be for long, though.
“Tomorrow morning, dawn. Don’t be late.” With those words, I started walking my bike away. Considering every red flag between us, it was surprisingly hard to move away from him.
From behind me, I heard him say, “Can I ask what this is about?”
“No,” I said, not turning around. “Not here.”
* * *
I packed my surfboard the next morning, thinking I might unwind while I waited for Hayden, but I was so riled, I wasn’t sure if even surfing would relax me. Asking for help with anything was difficult, but asking for help from Hayden was going against the laws of nature. Impossible. But I didn’t have a choice; I couldn’t let my team down, my father down. I refused to be the weakest link, the one who put the final nail in the family business’s coffin.
When I arrived at my hidden beach, I immediately saw Hayden sitting on his motorcycle nestled in the weeds. All thoughts of surfing away my tension vanished. Here we go. Parking next to him, I took a nice, long, cleansing breath. This was nothing. Simple.
Taking off his helmet, Hayden started walking my way. His every movement was fluid, sensual, like he commanded the laws of physics instead of following them. He walked in front of my truck, and the headlights splashed over him, highlighting his blond hair and making his eyes flash bright green, like jewels in the early-morning light. In an instant, one of my steamier fantasies leaped into my head—racing him, chasing him, his hands, his mouth, his body over mine…
God, I bet he would feel good. But just because he might feel good didn’t mean he was good for me. Besides being an asshole on a team solely comprised of assholes, he was deeply involved with someone—bad idea was practically stamped on his forehead. I had to be careful, had to keep this on a very narrow path. Even still, my breath was quicker when he stopped outside my door, my pulse even faster. A dark part of me craved a slipup, a tiny moment of connection, something scintillating to add to my mental movie. No, stop that. Mind over matter. Control. Stick to the plan. These were my mantras as I shut off my truck and stepped outside into the cool morning air.
When I was as close to him as I felt comfortable getting, I stopped. His eyes inspected every inch of me, and I no longer felt cold; I was a little surprised steam wasn’t rising from my skin.
“You wanted to see me? Alone? Are you finally going to tell me what this is about?”
“You…were right. I’m better with you.” Those words were surprisingly painful to say. Hoping my cheeks weren’t flaming red, I kept my back straight and my chin lifted. I probably looked like a goddamn military recruit, I was so rigid, but somehow being stiff made me feel like my pride was more or less intact, even if it wasn’t.
“Yes…you are.” Hayden’s grin shifted into something a lot more sensual. The way his eyes gleamed and his lips curved spoke to the most basic part of me, ignited senses that I could never quite keep dormant around him. My body was whispering dark and sinister thoughts to my brain. Thoughts like Look at those lips. Picture them all over your body. What harm could it do?
No. It could do a lot of harm to a lot of people, and I wasn’t about to let that happen. It took some willpower, but I firmly squashed the insane words that were rattling my attention-starved sex drive. I was here to ask him to practice with me so I would perform better at the next event. Nothing more. “Whatever you’re thinking, just back that thought right up. I was talking about racing together.”
As if he heard my internal debate, Hayden’s smile grew wider. “So was I.”
Irritated that this wasn’t going as planned, I spat out, “Look, my family is in trouble, and I’m the only one who can get us out of it.” My eyes widened when I realized what I’d just confessed to him. I hadn’t meant to say anything other than that I’d changed my mind and I wanted to race with him. I hadn’t meant to give him details.
His expression softened as he gazed at me. “What kind of trouble?”
Stalling for time, I considered making something up, something less horrible than the truth. Our financial woes were no great secret, though, and he’d probably already heard some rumors. Still, it wasn’t something I was comfortable talking to a stranger about, and my throat locked up like someone had frozen it shut.
As if he knew what I was struggling with, Hayden ducked down to make eye contact with me. “What trouble, Kenzie?” he softly repeated.
Something about the tone of his voice loosened my throat. “Our best racer left this year, taking a huge sponsor with him. And with Myles breaking his leg and being out for the rest of the year, plus my sister wanting this insane celebrity-level type wedding and my dad seemingly unable to tell her no…well, this might be Cox Racing’s last year…unless I start winning. Or at least garner some attention that’s not negative. We need sponsors, we need advertising deals, we need…wins.” Having told him so much about my problems was making my palms sweat and my heart surge, but inhaling a big breath, I mentally prepared myself to throw it all out there. “My times without you are nowhere near my times with you, so…if I’m going to save the family business…I need you. To practice with,” I quickly added before he could get any lewd ideas.
Hayden’s eyes drifted over to the surfboard strapped to my truck as he considered what to say. There was a stern seriousness to his expression when he looked back at me. “This year is importa
nt to me too, Kenzie. Maybe for different reasons…but it’s just as…” He snapped his mouth shut, while my mind raced with questions—I knew what I was fighting for, but what was he after? Glory? Riches? More women to knock up? Yeah, probably.
“Okay, Twenty-Two,” he said with a smile. “No one can know we’re working together, though. We’ll have to keep everyone completely in the dark. Everyone. I know you’re close to your team…are you comfortable with that?”
He lifted the eyebrow with the alluring scar through it while he waited for my answer. God, was I comfortable with any of this? But he was right. No one could know we were conspiring together. “Yes,” I whispered; my voice refused to go any louder.
Hayden ran a hand through his hair as he thought. It was distractingly attractive. “We’ll have to meet at the track at night. It’s the only time we can be alone there.”
Alone. Just the word made me shiver. Was this a horrible mistake? “The garages are locked at night,” I said, frowning. “And I don’t have a key.” And if I didn’t have one to my family’s garage, I doubted Hayden had one to Keith’s.
He flashed me a grin, though. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll get us in.”
An uncomfortable feeling started hardening my gut. Who exactly was I getting into bed with? Figuratively speaking, of course. “Okay…but my dad is usually there until ten or eleven. We’ll have to meet around midnight. That work for you?”
Hayden looked up in the air, like he was checking his mental calendar. Really? He had plans that late at night? Maybe with his girl…Nodding, he finally said, “Yeah, that will work. See you there, Twenty-Two.”
“Yeah…” Our eyes locked, and as if the green depths of his irises were swirling with magical hypnotic powers, I couldn’t look away. I felt him draw nearer, and a rush of anticipation surged through me. Every sense sharpened, coming to life like a flower unfurling in the sun—the cool breeze tickled my skin and the sound of the surf dozens of feet away pounded my brain. All I could see, though, was Hayden. His eyes, his skin, his lips as they inched ever closer to mine…
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