Hate Nothing (King Family Novels Book 1)

by Lindsay Becs

  Green. GO!

  I punch it and weave with everyone else fighting to get into a good position from the line. I was starting at second behind my dad. That doesn’t mean everyone behind me wasn’t waiting to push me out of their way and take my spot though.

  By the third turn, we’re all starting to spread out more. I’m sitting behind my dad still. The thing is, he doesn’t know that it’s me behind him. I’ve been watching him race my whole life. I know the things he says before and after an event about how he and his competitors do in a race. I know him.

  I’m in a comfortable pace by lap eleven. I have a good lead on the pack behind me, according to the leader board. It really is going to come down to me and my old man.

  By the next lap around, I’m in the final ten. Crazy things can always happen in the last ten laps of a race. I’ve seen it all. Seats falling off, bikes catching fire, tires popping, leaders crashing. You name it, it’s happened.

  One thing I know for certain is that no matter what happens after today, I did it. I raced in an IMR race. Nothing comes close to the feel of the bike rumbling and vibrating under me. The push and pull of gravity leaning into a turn so far you feel your knee scrape the ground. The sounds of the engines, the crowds, my breathing. The smell of gas, burned rubber, sweat, and road. I will remember this day for the rest of my life.

  Last three laps to go… It’s time to show this old man that it’s time to retire. I’ve been watching his ass for nineteen laps, and he’s stayed consistent. But I know him, I remind myself. Turn six is where he’s weakest.

  Riding up close to him, I push past him in the small opening he leaves in the turn. He tried to overtake me, but I block him, already knowing his ticks and tells. The way he moves and rides. He’s my blood, after all.

  I know he’s probably cursing himself for losing the lead, but I can’t get cocky yet. We still have two laps to go, and I know he’ll fight me to the end. And he does. He tries over and over and takes me once, but I get it right back.

  Last turn before the finish line. I got this. I’m going to win. I push and turn and lean. Straighten out and gun it.

  I pass the finish line on one back tire, Zander’s usual winning style. Cocky and sure.

  The crowd is going insane in the stadium. My dad rolls by with a hand out, and I give him knuckles like Zander would. I want to jump from my bike and hug my dad, but that has to wait. We had a plan.

  Rolling into my race bay, the team is going wild. As I stop, I spot Zander at the back, where no one sees him yet. I pull the helmet from my head, shaking out my hair, and it falls around my shoulders. Gasps and curses are heard everywhere. Racers pause where they are to see what’s going on around the stadium, but I’m too lost in the green eyes locked with mine.

  Zander pushes his way through the crowd of people, and when he gets to me, we both wear matching smiles. He leans his head to mine. “You fucking did it! You won! I knew you’d do it!”

  “I did it because of you,” I tell him.

  “No, Soda Pop. You did that because of you.”

  He pulls me from the bike and puts me on his shoulders. I can’t stop smiling and laughing, but the whole time, I’m so humbled that this man would give up everything to give me a chance. I’m proud of this man who is giving up everything for his son. I’m in love with this man because of who he is.

  18

  Zander

  As soon as the race ended and everyone saw that Poppy had been the one to win, pandemonium broke out. I quickly pulled her away from the crowd and the press. We took off, jumping in a car to take us back to the hotel. We’ll deal with the fallout later. I had Val stay there with Blake to pack so they’d be ready once we got there.

  Poppy quickly undressed, showered, and changed before we left the hotel. Loading up a taxi with our bags, we left to head to the small airport where a plane was waiting for us. I chartered our own plane, not wanting to chance if I’d be allowed to use the company plane after what I just pulled.

  We were barely in the air when my cell started ringing. I shut it off and told Poppy to do the same. Surprisingly, she listened. We spent the majority of the flight talking about the race. She was still high on adrenaline that I’m all too familiar with.

  Once we landed, over twelve hours later, I let the case-worker know we were back in California. She told me I could wait until tomorrow to see her, but I wanted to get it over with. We drove straight to her office so she could make note that Blake is in one piece. When she told me she’d be in touch tomorrow, it took me by surprise after everything I did to get there. That was a whole lot of work for a fifteen-minute meeting.

  By the time we arrive at my house, everyone is starving. Poppy orders pizza while I jump in the shower. When I finish and join them, they are lying on the floor playing Uno and laughing together.

  “I didn’t know you knew how to play,” I say to Blake, sitting next to him.

  “Poppy just taught me,” he says as he looks up at me with a triumphant smile.

  “It was a family staple in my house growing up,” she tells me.

  I watch them play, helping Blake every now and then. It feels so good to just be with them. No expectations or pretenses. Just us.

  The doorbell rings, sounding the arrival of our dinner. Getting up, I pay and bring the delicious-smelling pizza into the living room. We all eat while they finish their game. Once they’re done, I suggest a walk after we’ve been cooped up on a plane for a portion of the day.

  Walking close together, hand in hand with Poppy on one side and Blake on the other, makes me feel like the luckiest guy in the world. We walk our way down to the beach, letting the waves lap at our feet and legs, enjoying the gentle breeze.

  “Are you going to be my new mommy?” Blake asks Poppy out of nowhere.

  “I uhhh… I’m never going to take your mommy’s place, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Poppy tells him cautiously.

  “My mommy isn’t a very good mommy all the time,” he admits, kicking at the sand.

  My heart breaks hearing my son say that. I should have been there for him from the beginning.

  “You know, buddy,” Poppy starts, bending to look at him at his level, “your mommy has done the best she could, but at least you have your daddy now. And he’s not going anywhere.”

  “My daddy is awesome!” he yells, running off ahead of us.

  “His dad is one of a kind alright,” Poppy calls after him, looking up at me with a scrunched-up nose. I peck a kiss on the tip of it.

  We make our way back to the house, and Blake looks like he’s about to fall asleep mid-step. After giving him a bath, we put on a movie, all of us snuggled together on the couch. It’s just another one of the moments from today that I want to keep having and never want to end.

  Within thirty minutes, Blake is fast asleep. Carrying him to his room, I tuck him in and press a kiss to his head. Man, I love this little boy. I can’t believe I wasted so much time without him. I have a lot to make to him, and I plan on doing just that.

  Poppy is cleaning up when I come back out to join her.

  “Want to go for a swim?” I ask, wrapping my arms around her waist and nuzzling my nose into her neck.

  “You want to go swimming? Right now?” she asks, sounding confused, and I can see the shock on her face as she pulls out of my arms. She has no idea what I have planned in my head for us to do in the pool.

  Ridding my shirt from my body, I toss it at her face. “Come on, Soda Pop,” I taunt.

  “I didn’t bring a swimsuit,” she admits, still looking unsure.

  “Even better,” I reply, kicking off my shoes. She hasn’t moved, standing still, watching me. “What’s wrong, Poppy? Is the winner of today’s IMR afraid?” I tease before I turn around and drop my pants, leaving my bare ass facing her as I walk toward the glass door to get to the pool.

  Flicking on the pool light, it luminates a seductive golden hue over the water. I dive in and swim from one side to the other. I hear th
e roar of the water as Poppy dives in next to me. Rising from the water, I watch as her beautiful face emerges like a fucking goddess.

  Pushing off the pool wall, I crash my body into her, holding her close to me, our naked skin silky against each other in the water. I let out a throaty groan when my cock naturally nestles between her ass cheeks.

  She doesn’t fight me or try to swim away. Instead, she reaches back and holds on to my neck. My hands slide up her sides and cup her tits. I give each of her nipples a hard pinch, earning a yelp from her. Rocking my hips, my cock slides along her ass as my hands keep playing with her taut nipples.

  Pushing off the floor of the pool, I swim with her in my arms until we’re facing out over the city. One side of the pool is surrounded by the patio while the other side is plexiglas, making it look like you could fall over the side of a cliff, tumbling into the lit-up city below.

  She gasps when I push her against it. I’m not sure if it’s from being sandwiched between me and the wall or the view. “It’s beautiful,” she whispers.

  “You are beautiful,” I whisper back into her ear as I push two fingers inside her. Her head falls back on my shoulder with a moan. “You are more beautiful than all of the views in the world. You are my own personal wonderment of beauty,” I say at the shell of her ear, making her erupt in pleasure from my hand and words.

  Turning her head back, I capture her lips, bruising them in a soul-searching kiss. “I need you,” she begs into my mouth, making my cock twitch, getting harder than it already is.

  We haven’t had sex since we broke up before, but I’m not about to deny her what she wants.

  I thrust inside of her in one quick movement from behind, both of us emitting moans when I begin to rock back and forth. Her front is pressed against the wall, and part of me wishes I could see her from the other side. No doubt in my mind she is the sexiest thing on this earth.

  Needing to look at her, I pull us away from the side and swim to the steps, where I carry her out of the pool. Dripping wet and leaving puddles of water throughout my house, I carry her to my bedroom. I give zero fucks about the mess or water everywhere or that we’re soaking my sheets.

  She lies back on the bed, bending her knees and spreading her legs open, waiting for what both of us want. Crawling between her legs, I lick the water from her inner thigh, leaving love bites in my wake. Goosebumps cover her skin, and I look up to see her nipples hard.

  Rubbing my nose through her slit, I inhale the delicious smell of her and chlorine and sex mixed together. I run my tongue over her, licking her like an ice cream cone. So. Fucking. Good.

  “Let’s see how many times I can make you come tonight. You deserve some kind of trophy for your win,” I rasp with a smile against her sensitive skin before latching on to her clit, sucking on her before my teeth skate over the sensitive bundle of nerves. Feeling her legs begin to shake, I dip my tongue into her tight little hole, her impending orgasm literally on the tip of my tongue. Licking her from back to front, I flick my tongue over her clit before I clamp down on her, and she comes. Her hands pull my hair, and she screams my name while her legs lock around my head like a vice.

  “So good,” she moans as she shamelessly rubs against my face to get all the pleasure she can.

  We do break a record. I make my girl fly high several more times throughout the night. It is a perfectly blissful night together. Each time she lets go, she becomes more and more beautiful. Flushed and slick with sweat, she is everything I want. There’s something magically beautiful about seeing her come undone over and over. By my hands, my mouth, my cock, she falls mercifully to me as I pour all my love into her.

  “I’m boneless. A complete noodle. I can’t stand on my own,” Poppy tells me, shaking her head side to side on the bed.

  Chuckling, I kiss her cheek. Scooping her up in my arms, I carry her into the bathroom and hold her until the shower warms. Stepping inside, I carefully place her on her feet in front of me. I kiss her nose and reach for the shampoo. Washing every inch of her tired body, she hums in appreciation.

  Once we finish our shower, she strips the wet and messy bed while I check on Blake. Then, while she dresses and brushes her teeth, I remake the bed. We’ve already become the perfect team, partners who give and take and help one another in life.

  Climbing in bed, we curl into each other and quickly fall asleep holding one another.

  Best. Day. Ever.

  I wake up to the smell of bacon and the sound of Poppy and Blake giggling together like they always seem to be. I take a second to appreciate the simplicity of it before getting out of bed and turning on my phone. I wish I could keep the whole world locked out, but I know I need to face whatever awaits me soon enough.

  After pulling on a pair of shorts, I make my way out to the kitchen. Poppy is standing over Blake, who’s perched on the counter trying to crack eggs into a bowl.

  “Only two shells that time,” he tells her with a proud smile on his cute little sleep-weathered face.

  “Good job, dude!” She gives him knuckles, and my heart explodes from seeing them together.

  “Morning,” I say, walking toward them, dropping a kiss on Blake’s head and one on Poppy’s lips. “Are you making breakfast, buddy?”

  “Poppy let me crack the baby chickens.”

  I chuckle at his choice of words. “Good job,” I praise him, walking to pour a cup of coffee. “Need any help?”

  “Nope. Bacon is ready. We’ll scramble these as soon as I get this last piece of shell out,” she chuckles, “and we’ll be good.”

  I pour a glass of juice for Blake and a cup of coffee for Poppy as they finish up. We all sit and dig into our breakfast of greasy bacon and slightly crunchy eggs, Poppy and I chuckling under our breath as we eat so we don’t make Blake feel bad.

  “Have you talked to anyone yet?” she asks me, sipping the last of her coffee.

  I shake my head. “No, not yet.”

  “I’m scared of what message my dad’s left.”

  “He’s probably just mad that he lost to a girl—his own daughter no less,” I tease, trying to alleviate some of her tension and concern.

  “I hope you were sure about all this,” she mumbles as she carries the dishes to the sink to wash.

  I’m at her in just a few strides. I don’t want her questioning us or me or any of it. I turn her to look at me and cup her face in my hands. “I was sure. I am sure. This is it. This is what I want. I want you and I want Blake and I was us to be a family.”

  I watch as my assurances, my wants and desires sink in. Her eyes shine with tears as she absorbs it all. “I hate nothing about you, Soda Pop.” I smile at her wryly.

  She presses her mouth to mine in a sweet and savory kiss. “I want this,” she admits for the first time, honestly and openly. Her head rests against my chin. “I want you and Blake,” she says, looking up at me again. “I love you.”

  I cover her face in kisses until she’s giggling. Wrapping my arms around her, I press one last kiss to her temple. “I love you too. Let’s get this shit storm of a day over with.”

  Reluctantly, I release her from my hold as we each walk on our separate planks, waiting to see if we’re going to be pushed overboard after the choices we made. We each turn on our phones and wait for the tidal wave of notification pings to roll in. I make my way to my office to give her privacy in the bedroom.

  Checking in on Blake, who’s got cartoons on and a mountain of Duplo blocks in front of him, I let him know where each of us will be if he needs anything. Content with where he is, he smiles at me, gives me knuckles and turns back to his fun. If he only knew how much I needed that reassurance right then.

  Rolling my neck, I begin scrolling through the missed calls first, all from precisely who I expected. They are all from who I assumed they’d be from. Next, I look at the text messages and emails. I focus on the ones that have to do with Blake first and make arrangements to meet with the caseworker later this afternoon.

  Once th
at’s done, I call my agent and get ready to receive the riot act about how I killed my career. I wasn’t wrong in what I expected happen. I’m suspended from racing the rest of the season, and I’m off the Ducati team. I figured as much. My sponsors and endorsements are all suspended but not off the table yet, which was a surprise, but I do have to pay a hefty fee to the IMR and my team for breach of contract. My agent was surprisingly calm through it all.

  After hanging up from that lengthy conversation, I listen to the voice message from Benton, Poppy’s father.

  “You, son of a bitch! I told you to take care of my daughter, and you thought by me saying that, that gave you permission to put her in a race like that?! And don’t think I didn’t catch on to the fucking googly eyes you two made at each other either. That was on the fucking jumbotron for me to see. Thanks for that too, mate.” He pauses, breathing heavily. “She races better than you, ya prick.” He lets out a throaty chuckle. “You’ve trained her well, even if I do think you’re an arse for doing what you did. She won and beat me fair and square, that’s for damn sure. She put her racing career on the line before it even started. Risked it just as much as you risked yours. I hope you both understand the repercussions from that ballsy move. You better love her like I suspect you do. I’ll be talking you to real soon, yeah?” He hangs up with more laughter in his voice.

  What in the hell was that?

  Is Benton alright with Poppy and me together? I did not see that coming.

  But one thing is certain; I bet I love her more than he suspects.

  19

  Poppy

  I jump up and down a few times and then turn on my phone. Wait. Beeps, pings, notification lights. Shiiiiiit. All from my parents.

  I go with the safe-ish one first.