by Amy Sparling
My life, my fame, my career – I owe it all to my dad.
After a few more fan visits, I slip past the crowded lobby of travelers and make my way back to the conference room. This room is still packed, but it’s with the professionals from the TV crew and Team Loco, so at least these people aren’t dying for a picture with me.
Marcus nods at me as I walk by, and I give him a wave. Marcus is a great team manager in general, but I think he likes me the best out of the other rookies. I check the time on my phone and see that Keanna hasn’t written back yet. It’s also only seven minutes until we start filming.
I make my way to the couches that have been set up like a talk show stage for the filming today. Clay and Aiden are already sitting there, eyes closed as the makeup artists cover their face in a shine-free powder.
I’m starting to get nervous just like I always do before something like this. On the track, I’m free. I don’t get stressed or nervous or worry about how I look. But in front of a TV camera, it’s a whole different thing. I don’t want to embarrass the hell out of myself, and deep down, as embarrassing as it is, I want to seem cool enough for my fans to still like me.
I grab a water off the snack table to the side of the stage and drink half of it at once. As I make my way back toward the couches, I see a girl standing facing Zach, her hands in her back pockets exactly the way Keanna always stands.
Wait.
She girl turns to the side and laughs at something Clay says, and that’s when I realize it is Keanna.
All of my anxieties wash away as I rush up to her, throwing my arms around her waist as I hug her from behind.
She squeals. “Oh my God, Jett.” She puts a hand to her chest. Funny how those same words from Keanna melt my heart but make me cringe when random girls say it.
“You scared me!” she says, smacking my arm.
“Sorry, baby.” I turn her around in my arms, keeping her in front of me. “I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”
She grins at me, her cheeks turning pink. “I was hoping you’d be happy and not like… annoyed.”
“Why would I be annoyed?”
She shrugs, looking down. “I dunno. I wanted it to be a surprise but then I thought maybe you’d think I’m clingy or something.”
I chuckle and kiss her forehead. “I want you everywhere I go,” I say, looking her in the eyes.
Her nervous smile turns into a real one and I kiss her quickly because now they’re calling us to the couches.
“Want to get ice cream after this?” I ask her as I’m moved to the couch and the makeup lady starts powdering my face.
Keanna curls her lip. “It’s freezing outside!”
“Okay so ice cream and hot chocolate?” I say with a wink. “That way it balances out.”
She rolls her eyes. “Sure.”
Once I’m all powdered and a lady fixes my hair, I take my place at the end of the couch next to Aiden. Zach sits on the opposite end, closest to the lady who’s interviewing us. He talks more than any of us, so he’s the best one for that spot.
The producer comes up and holds out red Santa hats. “We thought it’d be cute if you guys wear these,” she says, handing each of us one. I lift an eyebrow and Keanna laughs into her hand from where she’s standing a few feet behind the cameras. Knowing that she thinks it’s funny makes me go with it.
I pull on the hat and so do my teammates. Now we look like a bunch of hardcore motocross racers with Christmas spirit.
Our host is Mia Matthews, a leggy brunette who married Dylan Matthews a few years before he retired from motocross racing because of a shattered knee. She’s famous in the motocross world for being a host of stuff like this and for interviewing guys on the race track.
She’s wearing a black miniskirt and a Christmas sweater, but no one makes her wear a Santa hat, probably because the makeup and hair ladies just spent an hour fixing her hair. She does some vocal exercises and then nods toward the cameras. “I’m ready.”
“Everyone ready?” the producer says. “We begin filming in three…two…one…”
Chapter 3
Keanna
As I watch Jett and his team be interviewed on a national TV show, I find myself becoming just as obsessed and giddy as his many adoring fans. It’s one thing to watch him on TV, but it’s another to watch it being filmed. I’d be terrified to be in front of the cameras that huge, but Jett takes it all in stride. He doesn’t seem nervous at all.
Everyone in the room has to be extra quiet and they’ve warned everyone to keep their phones off and their mouths shut. I stand very still, not wanting to accidently trip over something and make a noise that would ruin the filming.
Jett looks so cute in his Santa hat, and although all the guys on Team Loco are handsome, muscular, and talented, mine is the best one.
I watch him answer questions and chat with the guys, and I know all of the people who will watch this at home will fall even more in love with Jett when they see it. He’s so charming and sweet and his smile makes me melt.
Eventually, the show is over and my boyfriend is free to leave that blue couch. He walks right up to me and kisses me on the lips. I wrap my arms around him and breathe in his scent.
“Hey lovebirds,” Zach says, smacking Jett on the arm. “We’re all going to the bar for a drink. Want to come?”
Jett gives me a questioning look. “What do you think?”
I shrug one shoulder. I don’t really want to go, but if he wants to, then I will too.
“Nah, we’re good,” Jett says, reading my mind. He tells everyone goodbye and then walks me out to my dad’s truck, which I’d accidentally parked across the entire lot from where Jett’s truck is parked.
“I wish we could ride home together,” I say with a pout that turns into a shiver because it’s cold out here.
“Me too,” Jett says, rubbing his hands up and down my arms to warm me up. “It’s only an hour drive, and then you’re all mine.”
I can’t help but grin. “Promise?”
His gaze turns so sexy that I almost melt despite the cold. “Promise,” he says, pulling me in for another kiss.
***
I follow Jett’s taillights and I jam out to some upbeat music to keep me awake. Eventually, we get home and I leave my dad’s truck in our driveway then I run over to Jett’s house, shivering from the cold.
He answers the door in his boxers.
“Wow, you undress quickly,” I say, poking him in the stomach.
He grins. “I was putting on pajamas.” He gives me a look over. I’m still in the clothes I wore to the hotel because I didn’t think to change. “You’re staying over, right?”
“If you want me to,” I say, poking him in the stomach again.
“I always want you to stay,” he says, sliding an arm around my waist. “But when the house is empty, it means we can make as much noise as we want. So…you better be staying tonight.”
“You know I’m not a loud love maker,” I say, rolling my eyes.
Jett grabs my hips and tugs me against him to where I can feel the boner beneath his boxers pressing into me. “That doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying,” he whispers against my neck.
I close my eyes, the touch of his lips against my skin sending a shiver down my spine.
Then I grin. “I’ll race you to your room.”
I shove him out of my way and run through the kitchen and up the stairs, knowing he’s right on my heels. I grab the banister at the top of the second floor and swing around, dashing down the hallway to his bedroom.
I make it inside just half a second before Jett does. “I win!” I say, throwing my hands in the air. I’m panting from running so hard, but I won, and that’s all that matters.
Jett laughs and closes his door behind us. “You won because you cheated,” he says, kissing me on the head as he walks over to his futon. He grabs a pair of flannel pajama pants and starts to put them on.
“Wait,” I say, reaching out for them. I t
oss them across the room and they land in the corner. “You won’t be needing more clothes tonight. Just less clothes.”
I lift up my shirt and pull it off, tossing it to the floor. Jett’s eyes widen, a smirk appearing on his lips as I pull off my jeans and kick them to the side, too. Now I’m in a pink bra and black underwear.
“Should I keep going?” I ask, taking a step backward toward his bed.
He nods slowly. “You should definitely keep going.”
“You first,” I say.
He pulls off his shirt with one hand and in the time it takes me to blink, he’s now wearing just his boxers. I unhook my bra and let it slide down my shoulders and fall to the floor. Jett hooks his thumbs under the waistband of his boxers.
I turn and pull down the covers of Jett’s nicely made bed and slide underneath them. “Hurry up, I’m getting cold.”
The lights turn off and I smell Jett’s cologne as he slides into bed next to me. I feel his hand, warm and calloused, as it grabs my thigh and tugs me closer. I reach out in the near darkness and touch his chest, feeling over the muscles he’s worked so hard to get.
Goosebumps trail down my skin as Jett’s hand slides up my thigh, then his fingers wrap around my panties and tug them off. I wiggle my feet to kick them down and to the bottom of the bed.
I reach for his boxers but feel only his erection. “When did you get naked?” I ask.
He chuckles. “I am really fast.”
And then his mouth is on mine, kissing me soft and so slowly it makes me want to beg for more. He lowers his body on top of mine, his hands feeling over the curves of my chest, and then down to my butt where he moves me into position. I scratch my nails down his back and hold onto him as he grinds against me, my heart pounding with excitement. “This is way better than drinks at a hotel bar,” I whisper against his chest.
He moans softly as he slides into me. “Yeah, baby. It is.”
***
In the morning, I wake up to the smell of coffee. I open my eyes and see Jett looking hot as hell in his pajama pants and no shirt. He holds out a cup of coffee for me. “Good morning, beautiful.”
“You had time to make coffee?” I ask, sitting up against his headboard. “And I didn’t wake up?”
“You were passed out.” He chuckles and sips from his mug. “Guess that’s what happens when you’re ravished by a sex god the night before.”
I grin. “There was a sex god here? I don’t even remember that.”
Jett puts a hand to his chest. “Oh come on now! Rude!”
“Oooh,” I say sarcastically. “You’re the sex god. I get it now.”
He rolls his eyes and sits next to me. We drink our coffee and watch some television until it’s time to head to the airport. The place is just as busy as it was yesterday, and Jett and I hold hands as we make our way through all the people and to our terminal. I’m glad I let my parents take the suitcase with my ski clothes in them yesterday because now I just have my carry-on bag and it’s hard keeping track of it with how many people are around here.
Still, I’m getting really excited for this vacation. Even though I’m not the biggest fan of cold weather, staying at a fancy resort with my family in the beautiful Colorado mountains will be amazing. Plus, we’ll get to spend Christmas morning together, one huge family of Jett’s parents and mine.
We make it past security and get on the plane, and my coffee isn’t helping much because I’m still tired. I probably shouldn’t have stayed awake until three in the morning with Jett last night. We get a row to ourselves and I lean against Jett’s arm as I turn on my Kindle and open an eBook to read. It’s a four hour flight and I have the perfect book for the occasion.
“I’m getting excited for the trip,” I say as the plane starts to take off.
“Me too,” he says. “I liked the challenge of getting small gifts for everyone.”
We’d all agreed to buy small gifts for each other so they can fit in our luggage. The only exceptions are with my little brother and Jett’s baby sister, who have a ton of big toys waiting for them under the Christmas tree at home.
“I got you something awesome,” I say, nudging his shoulder.
“It’s not as awesome as what I got you,” he says back, sticking out his tongue.
“How do you know that?” I’ve been very secretive about my shopping so he has no idea what he’s getting.
He shrugs and gives me this arrogant smirk. “Because I’m awesome.”
I roll my eyes and open my eBook. Jett puts in his headphones and plays a game on his phone. Before long, I’m totally into my book, and yet it feels like the plane is slowing down. I check the time. It’s only been an hour.
I look over at Jett. “Does it feel like we’re slowing down?”
He frowns and checks the time on his phone. “Weird.”
The speakers overhead crackle to life. “Attention passengers. This is your captain speaking. I have some unfortunate news. We will be making a stop at the Dallas airport due to weather conditions in Colorado.”
Chapter 4
Jett
The captain tells us what happened over the speakers in the plane. He says a sudden snowstorm has hit Colorado and shut down all flights inbound and outbound for an undetermined amount of time. Keanna’s eyes go wide with fear and she sends a text to her mom.
I put my arm around her shoulders. “They’re fine, baby. They arrived yesterday before the storm hit.”
My parents had called me when they made it to the resort yesterday and said it was beautiful and amazing and they couldn’t wait until we got there. Even if it’s snowing its ass off there, our family is still safely indoors, so I’m not worried about them.
Keanna looks up at me with worry in her eyes. “What are we supposed to do?”
I shrug. “Hang out in Dallas, I guess. We’ll get the next flight out.”
Other passengers grumble and complain as we land at the Dallas airport. As annoying as the sudden change of plans is, I’m not too concerned about it. We’re still in Texas, and Texas is my home. It doesn’t exactly feel like we’re stranded here. We could rent a car and drive back home in a few hours if we wanted to.
Keanna and I take a seat in one of the terminals and check the flight status on the big board in the airport. All of the Colorado flights have been cancelled, and a news reporter talks about the sudden storm on the television that hangs from the ceiling. Many displaced passengers are crowded around it, watching the news.
Keanna’s parents call her and say they’re fine but there’s no skiing allowed right now in the snow storm. My mom texts me saying she’ll call me later but right now the baby is sleeping and she doesn’t want her to wake up.
“What should we do?” Keanna asks me after fifteen minutes of sitting here staring at all of the cancelled flights.
I shrug. “We can get a hotel, try again tomorrow?”
She nods slowly. “Christmas is in two days. We better get there on time.”
“We will,” I say, taking her cheek in my hand as I lean forward and kiss her.
We decide to stick around longer to make sure we can get a ticket for the next flight out of here as soon as they’re announced. Then we’ll go get a hotel, but not until we have our next flight secured.
Keanna and I wander the airport to kill time. There’s a gift shop with all things Texas. The Texas mugs and shirts and magnets all make me laugh, because who travels to Texas and wants a souvenir of it?
I grab Keanna’s hand and we wander around some more. When her carry-on bag gets too heavy to keep lugging around, I take it from her and sling it over my shoulder with my own bag.
“You don’t have to carry it,” she says, reaching for it back.
“I don’t mind.”
She rubs her shoulder where the straps of her bag had been digging in. “Thank you.”
We find an airport café that looks like the food might be halfway decent, and we eat some lunch.
“This place is awesome,”
Keanna says as she stabs her fork into her salad. “Not the food, but the people.” She glances around at all of the people surrounding us in this airport. Most of them are busily heading to their terminal and some are killing time like we are because of the weather delays.
“So many different cultures here at once.”
“It is pretty cool,” I say. The couple next to us are speaking Japanese and a few tables down are some uptight guys wearing fancy suits sitting one table away from some hipster kids with English accents.
The airport is where people of all walks of life come to get somewhere else. Keanna and I eat lunch and people watch for a little while, but it gets boring after a couple of hours.
We head back to the terminal to check on the flights. Now the board is red all the way down, the word CANCELLED blinking on nearly every flight that goes out of here.
“The storm must be pretty bad,” Keanna says.
I approach a woman behind the ticket counter. “Any word on when we can get a flight to Colorado?” I ask. A few hours ago they’d said new flights will be updated soon, and we could probably leave tomorrow.
She shakes her head, a frown forming on her lips. “We’ve just been told there won’t be flights until after Christmas.”
“What?” Keanna says. Her grip on my hand gets tighter.
The woman frowns again. “I’m so sorry. The airline will fully reimburse you for your tickets.”
“I don’t want a refund,” Keanna says. “I want to get to my family for Christmas!”
“Me too!” some older woman says. She’s standing in line behind us. “This is bullshit!”
“Yes, it is,” Keanna says. She turns to me. “Let’s go. I’m just going to keep yelling and it’s not this lady’s fault that the weather fucked us over.”
The woman behind the counter looks relieved and I give her a small smile as we step out of the line. “Damn,” I say with a sigh. “This is no good.”