by L. P. Dover
I took his face in my hands, but he wouldn’t look at me. “No, they won’t. You’re a good man, Sean. Everyone sees that when they look at you. If I don’t want you to go, then neither will anyone else. I can’t do this on my own.”
His gaze lifted. “Yes, you can, Kass. You never needed me. You’re more than capable of doing it on your own.”
“Yes, I can,” I admitted, “but I don’t want to. You’re my best friend, Sean. I don’t want you to leave, and neither does my father.”
“You sure?”
A small smile spread across my lips and I hugged him. “I promise. You’re going to need our support over the next few months. It’s not going to be easy.”
He hugged me back. “Looks like I owe Chandler an apology. All this time I thought he was slacking off just to piss me off.”
“No, he’s definitely not a slacker.” I laughed, letting him go. “But I’m sure he’d appreciate the apology.”
“Is he staying around for the race this weekend?”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Logan called out. I turned around and he smiled. “Been waiting my whole life for it.”
Logan
Two days had passed since everything went down and the media went crazy. Donnie’s red Chevy Camaro was taken in and inspected. It turned out it was the car used to run Levi off the road. There was damage to the front, left side of the car to prove it. Micah and I also found the video footage of Angela digging in the scraps to find an old rusty brake line. Turned out, her fingerprints were found on Janie’s car.
It was the biggest scandal ever to hit Franklin, North Carolina. Kassie and Richard took it pretty well, answering the media’s questions every time they came around. There was a constant slew of people camped out at the shop, eager to hear more. Sean, on the other hand, was reluctant to be seen in public. He was embarrassed of his mother’s actions and afraid people would see him differently after what happened. It was something he’d have to live with for the rest of his life. I felt bad for the guy.
A car door slammed out front, then Micah appeared at my garage door, dressed in a pair of jeans and a dark T-shirt. I’d just finished changing the oil in my bike, getting it ready for the race. “Bike’s looking good,” he said, grinning wide.
I wiped my greasy hands off on my jeans. “Thanks, man. Gotta get her ready for the big race tomorrow.”
“You leaving tonight?” he asked.
“Yep. Just waiting on Kassie to get here. You gonna come too?”
He shook his head. “Can’t. I got a call from Kincaid. I’m needed in New York to help track down a wealthy tycoon. Apparently, he embezzled a few million dollars before taking off. My guess is he’s in Canada by now. We’ll see though.”
I held out my hand. “It’s been good having you here. I’ll miss being on the road with you.”
He snorted. “You have Kassie now. And I’m pretty sure I heard a rumor about you moving in together.”
“We are. At the end of the month, we’re moving into her mother’s house. It’s bigger than the cabin she has now.”
“Ah, so you can have kids and live happily ever after?” he joked.
“Something like that. What about you? Have you talked to Madison?”
His smile faded. “Not really. She knows the truth, but she’s mad I didn’t tell her sooner. She says if I didn’t trust her enough to tell her in the first place, then there’s no reason for us to continue.”
I rolled my eyes. “Sounds like Madison. I’ll get Kassie to talk to her.”
“You’ll get me to do what?” Kassie called out. I watched her walk down the back porch steps, grinning from ear to ear. Her hair was braided to the side and she wore a pink tank top and denim shorts. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Micah turned around and she hugged him. “Hey, Micah.”
Micah hugged her back. “What’s up, sweetcheeks?”
She giggled and he let her go. “Nothing much. Just ready to head out of town. You coming with us?”
“Not today. Duty calls. I’m leaving for New York, but I’ll be sure to watch the big race tomorrow.”
“Micah needs you to talk to Madison,” I cut in. “Apparently, he’s not getting through her exceptionally thick skull.”
Brows furrowed, she jerked her attention to him. “Is she seriously being that big of a bitch?”
Micah shrugged. “She said I should’ve trusted her enough to tell her the truth. I guess it didn’t help that you knew and no one told her.”
Kassie threw her hands in the air. “I didn’t know about you until the very end. Geez, why does she have to be so difficult?”
“Fuck if I know. I told her I was going to come see her when I finished up in New York. One way or another, I’ll make her listen to me.”
I stood and held out my hand. “Good luck with that, brother. We’ll do what we can to help you out. I, for one, know how difficult the Bennett women can be.”
Kassie punched my arm. “Hey. I’m not difficult.”
Micah shook my hand and slapped me on the back. “Ride hard tomorrow.”
“There’s no other way.”
He hugged Kassie one more time and waved at us before he disappeared to the front of the cabin and drove away.
“I like him,” Kassie said. “He’s a good guy.”
“Yeah, he is. Hopefully, I’ll get to work with him again.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, her face full of worry. “When do you think you’ll get called in on another case?” she asked.
“Not sure. Most likely any day now.” I pulled her to me and kissed her. “Until then, I’m going to concentrate on us and getting our lives back on track. Because, at the end of this month, you’re stuck with me.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck. “Sounds like a good problem to have.”
Her body rubbed against mine and my dick twitched, growing harder by the second. “Looks like we got another problem.” I rubbed my arousal against her leg. “How about we go inside and fix it before we get on the road?”
She glanced over at my bike and bit her lip. “Or we could stay out here. Might be kind of interesting to have sex on your bike.”
I pressed the button to the garage door, to close us in. Dropping my jeans to the floor, I watched her take off her clothes. My cock felt like it was going to explode at the thought of fucking on my bike. I straddled the seat and helped her climb on top of me, her body slowly taking me inside of her. Her nipples tasted sweet and I sucked them greedily as she milked me.
“You are one dirty girl,” I groaned.
She rode me harder. “You know you love it.”
That I do.
Kassidy
The big race had finally come. The pre-race interviews took longer than expected, since everyone wanted to talk to my father and I about what happened. After Donnie’s team split up, my father decided to take some of them on. They’d be joining our team at the beginning of the year, along with my new dirt bike crew. I was excited to begin a new adventure.
Logan and I had arrived late to the track. One escapade on his bike led to another and another. I couldn’t look at Logan on his bike without smiling.
“Are you okay?” Sean asked, grabbing a water from the cooler.
Janie joined him and grabbed one herself. She knew everything about Sean’s mother, but I hadn’t talked to her about it yet. I was curious to hear what she had to say, especially the part where Sean’s mother wanted her out of the way so he could be with me.
I cleared my throat, feeling the heat rush to my cheeks. “Yep, just thinking about something.”
He snorted. “Not gonna ask.” He winked and joined my father out at the start line, taking their turns talking to Logan and Miller.
“I will.” Janie laughed. “Your cheeks are red and it’s not from the sun. I take it you and Logan had a good night last night?”
I rolled my eyes and snickered. “It was amazing. We had sex on his bike. Hopefully it brings him luck.”
We both laughed, until I turned to her, my gaze serious. “How are you doing?”
She took a deep breath and let it out slow. “Fine, I think. Sean told me everything. I still can’t believe his mother tried to kill me so you two could be together.”
“Me either,” I murmured. “I didn’t want you to feel weird about me and Sean. We were together a long time ago. We don’t think of each other like that anymore.”
She grabbed my hand. “Kass, I know. You don’t have to explain. Sean loves me and you love Logan. I’m not worried about it.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God. I was so worried. I didn’t know how you’d feel.”
“I trust you and Sean implicitly. I’m not worried about it.”
“All right, girls, it’s time,” Ethan called out.
My father patted Logan on the back and hurried to the pit. My heart raced so fast I could feel it in my throat. Engines roared to life and grew louder as the red lights slowly trickled to green. The riders took off so fast, the wind blew my hair in my face.
Logan and Mark battled for first place, but it was Logan who took it and kept it for the last ten laps. He was untouchable out there.
“Kassidy!” Madison shouted.
I turned around and squealed. “Oh my God, what are you doing here?”
“My boss gave me permission to cover the race. I’ll be interviewing Logan when he takes the win.”
“I’m so glad you’re here,” I gushed, hugging her tight. “No one’s given you hell about what happened have they?”
She shook her head, but I could tell she was lying; she was never good at it. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“What about Micah? Girl, you need to give that boy a chance. He wants to work things out.”
“I know,” she replied sadly. “I don’t know if I’m ready for a guy like him. He’s on his way to New York to work a mission. What if he gets killed one day? I’d worry about him too much.”
“Sounds like you already are.”
“How are you going to handle it when Logan goes off and does the same thing?”
Swallowing hard, I averted my gaze. “I’ll live my life and pray he comes home safely. Yes, I’ll be worried sick, but it’s what he wants to do. I love that he wants to make the world a better place.”
By the look in her eyes, I could tell I was wearing her down. For Micah’s sake, I hoped so. He deserved a second chance to make things right.
“One more lap, girls,” Janie exclaimed excitedly.
Madison and I held hands as the riders raced around the track one last time. “He’s gonna win!” I screamed, jumping up and down.
On the straightaway, Logan picked up his speed and charged past the finish line, winning the championship race with a huge lead. Madison hurried off with her camera crew while Janie and I shrieked. Miller came in second which was another huge win for Bennett Racing.
Logan and Miller rode around the track one more time, then stopped in front of the cameras, taking off their helmets with smiles on their faces. I wanted to rush out there to him, but it was his time in the spotlight, so I stood by and listened to his interview.
Madison hugged him quickly before the cameras focused in on them. “So Logan, how does it feel to win the championship race?”
Logan chuckled and I had no doubt his smile made everyone in the stands swoon. What made it better was that he was mine. “It feels amazing,” he replied. “I’ve waited too many years to come back and win this race.”
“Yes, you did. I know the Bennett team is proud of you. Although, with this kind of win, it opens doors to professional racing. What do you have to say about that?”
He chuckled once and looked down at his bike. When he peered back up at the camera, he smiled. “It sounds amazing, but my time on the track is done. Bennett Racing is my home and I want to stay there. I think I want to step back and help the others on my team. That is, if the owners approve.”
“As a member of the Bennett family, I can say with confidence they won’t have any issues with that.” Madison laughed. “But congratulations, Logan. We wish you all the best.”
Once the interview turned to Miller, Logan rode back to the pit and I ran to him.
“You did it!” I jumped in his arms and kissed him, his arms wrapping around me tight. “Did you mean what you said? That you’re going to stop racing to help the others?”
His grin grew wider. “Is that okay? I thought I could help out when I’m not off solving a case.”
“You have no idea how happy you just made me.”
“I’m sure I can make you happier,” he countered, smiling mischievously.
“Oh yeah? How?”
“When we get home tonight, pack your bags. Our flight leaves tomorrow morning.”
“Where are we going?”
He bit his lip. “You’ll see.”
Kassidy
My surprise was a first class ticket to Wyoming to meet none other than my singing idol, Hadley Rivers. She was actually Hadley Evans now, but her fans still knew her as Hadley Rivers. Not only did I meet her, but we stayed in the same house since Logan was good friends with her husband, Blake. I was in heaven.
During our week of vacation, we’d gone horseback riding, hiked in the Grand Teton National Forest, and even driven through to Yellowstone. Hadley and Blake told us about the Hidden Falls trail. That was what we decided to do today. I’d never been out west, and it was the most amazing adventure I’d had to date. The mountains were nothing like what we had in North Carolina. The ones here still had traces of snow on them, even though it was late summer.
There was a fallen tree over the trail so Logan grabbed my hand and helped me over it. “We still have a couple more days out here. Blake says we can visit anytime we want.”
“He might not want to say that.” I laughed. “If I didn’t have Bennett Racing I’d move out here in a heartbeat.”
“Doesn’t mean we can’t buy a house out here.”
“True. We’ll have to look into it. First, we need to get settled into my mother’s house and see if we can even live with each other. Things might change when you’re around me twenty-four-seven.”
He squeezed my hand and winked. “Yeah, you might be right.”
I rolled my eyes and continued down the trail. We’d been walking for hours and were just coming up on our final destination, the famous Hidden Falls. Hadley had told me it was the most beautiful waterfall in all of the Grand Teton National Forest.
I heard the rushing water of the falls and grew excited. I’d taken so many pictures on our trip, I had to buy extra storage cards for my camera. When we got to the falls, it took my breath away. It was a hundred feet of natural beauty. I could feel the mist hitting my skin. Our waterfalls back home didn’t compare to it.
Logan clasped my hand and pulled me over to a boulder. We sat down and I pulled out my camera, sneaking pictures of him as he looked at the falls. Turning to me, he smiled. “Can I see that?” He nodded toward the camera.
I gave it to him and he set it in his lap. I thought he was going to take pictures, but instead, he pulled something out of his pocket.
Sliding off the rock, he held out a hand to help me off. “When I left all those years ago, a part of me stayed with you. I knew I’d never get it back, especially when I saw you at Levi’s funeral. There was no greater torture than to see the pain in your eyes.”
He bent down on his knee and looked up at me. My breath hitched and I gasped. “Only, I don’t want that piece of me back. I want you to have it. I also want you to have my name.” Taking my hand, he slid a beautiful, diamond ring down on my finger; it glittered in the sun. “Will you marry me, Kassie? I know we haven’t been back together long, but I will never love anyone the way I love you.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks and my hands shook. Falling to my knees, I hugged him so hard we tumbled onto the grass. He cov
ered me with his body, blocking out the sun. I cried, staring into his bright blue eyes. “I would’ve married you eight years ago if you’d asked.”
He brushed the hair off my face. “I was going to, I had it all planned out. But I’m glad I didn’t. It wasn’t our time yet.”
“And now?” I said.
“It’s time for you to make me the happiest man in the world, and say yes.”
I breathed out a shaky breath, my heart exploding with happiness. “Yes. The answer has always been yes.”
COMING SPRING 2017 – the next installment in the Armed & Dangerous series …
HIDDEN BETRAYALS
Read other books by L.P. Dover
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author L. P. Dover is a southern belle living in North Carolina with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she began her literary journey she worked in periodontics, enjoying the wonderment of dental surgeries.
She loves to write, but she also loves to play tennis, go on mountain hikes and white water rafting, and has a passion for singing. Her two youngest fans expect a concert each and every night before bedtime, usually Christmas carols.
Dover has written countless novels, including her Forever Fae series, the Second Chances series, the Gloves Off series, the Armed & Dangerous series, the Royal Shifters series, and her standalone novel Love, Lies, and Deception. Her favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense, but if she got to choose a setting in which to live, it would be with her faeries in the Land of the Fae.
L.P. Dover is represented by Marisa Corvisiero of Corvisiero Literary Agency and Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary Management for dramatic rights.
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