Breaking the Cycle (Rocking Racers Book 1)

by Megan Lowe

  He walks Chris and me up to the Ryan Racing box, leaving me with a kiss before going back down to the pits.

  Chris and I watch as the teams set up on the grid, and it’s then that Chris realises he left his backpack in the garage. He insists he needs it so we hurry back to the pits.

  We’re at the mouth of the garage when the air shifts around us. Instinctively, I crouch and turn slightly, gathering Chris in my arms, trying to shield him as much as possible as something explodes. The shock wave hits us and I barely manage to keep my feet on the ground. If I fall, I don’t want to crush Chris, and if I land on my back, he’s exposed to debris. It falls around us and I feel a sharp pain in my leg but ignore it, making sure Chris is protected. I have no idea how we manage to stay on our feet, but my guess is we were just far enough away. The explosions stop and I feel Chris shaking in my arms. I bring him closer to me.

  “It’s okay. We’re okay. You’re okay,” I murmur. Smoke and ash fill the air. People screaming and shouting and sirens blaring swarm us. People rush around, heading towards the remains of the Ryan Racing garage.

  The pain in my leg is getting worse and I think I can feel blood dripping but at the moment, it’s not my primary concern. I hear the roar of a bike and look up to see Liam approaching.

  “Bria! Chris!” he yells.

  “We’re okay!” I reply.

  He gets to us and I stand up, hissing as I put weight on my leg. Chris once again is clinging to me like he did the other night at the diner.

  “Shit, Bria, what are you guys doing here?” Liam asks.

  “Chris left his backpack in the garage and wanted it. I thought we’d have time before the race started.”

  “Shit! Oh God, Bria, your leg.”

  “Oh yeah, it hurts.”

  “You’ve got a piece of metal sticking out of it!”

  “Oh, well, that’d be why it hurts.” My voice is eerily calm as I try to make light of the increasing pain pulsating through my leg.

  “Liam!” I hear Reed yell.

  “We’re over here,” Liam yells back.

  I hear a rush of feet and then Reed comes barrelling out of the crowd trying to put out the fire of what once was the Ryan Racing garage.

  “Shit, Bria, baby, what are you doing here?” He pulls me to him and I yell as my leg moves.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?” Reed asks worriedly.

  “My leg… there’s something stuck.”

  “Shit.” He pulls me away and kneels down to examine my leg. “Liam, take Chris. We’ve got to get Bria looked at,” Reed orders.

  Liam tries to take Chris but he clings to me harder.

  “Don’t worry about him, Liam. He’s fine. I can be looked at with Chris with me. It’s fine.”

  “Angel, you need to have this leg looked at. You’re bleeding like crazy.”

  “They can look at my leg while I hold Chris. It’ll be fine.”

  “Baby, what were you doing here?”

  “Chris left his backpack.”

  “You could’ve been seriously hurt, or killed.”

  “We’re fine.” My words are almost a mantra as I try to convince the guys as much as myself. He pulls me in for a kiss.

  Jax, Jay, and Mav make their way through the crowd, a paramedic with them.

  “Oh, thank God,” Reed says. “Over here!” he yells. “She’s hurt!”

  “Bria?” Jay asks.

  “I’m fine. It’s just my leg.”

  The paramedic gets to me and I sit down for him to take a look.

  “I would take this out here, but you’re going to need stitches and for this to be cleaned, so I think it’s best if we take you to the medical centre.”

  “Okay,” I agree.

  I get into a car, Reed never leaving my side, Chris still plastered to me. Surprisingly, it's Chris wrapped up around me that prevents me from freaking out. I think I need him as much as he needs me. At the medical centre, the metal is removed, the wound, which isn’t all that bad, is cleaned, and four stitches later, I'm good to go. I’m given a prescription for some antibiotics to stop any infection.

  In the time it’s taken for me to get fixed up, Chris has fallen asleep.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” Reed asks me for the hundredth time.

  “Yes! Reed, I’m fine. My leg doesn’t even hurt. The only thing that’s annoying me is you constantly asking me how I am.” I struggle to keep the bite from my voice.

  “I’m sorry. It’s just, I feel like this is my fault.”

  “Why? You didn’t set off the explosion, did you?”

  “No, but you were in the vicinity because of me, because I asked you to come here. I fell in love with you and now you’re going to die.” He hangs his head.

  I jolt at his words, my brows furrowing. “You fell in love with me?” My voice dips low as I speak.

  He looks up bashfully. “Well, yeah.”

  “You love me?” I repeat for clarification.

  He nods.

  “Come here.” I beckon him to come closer. “I love you.” The words fall free, natural and true. I can barely believe the speed in which they come so naturally, but I've always been a great believer in saying what you feel. Well, to a certain degree. There are always exceptions.

  A beautiful smile crosses his face. “You do?”

  “Well, yeah. I mean, what’s not to love?” I tilt my head to the side and smile.

  “God, Bria, this is so fucked-up. The first night we met you were showered in glass and now you’ve four stitches in your leg.”

  “Yes, okay, the circumstances aren’t great, but it doesn’t matter.”

  “How can you say that?”

  “Reed, you just told me you love me and I told you I love you. That right there should tell you all you need to know.”

  “But—”

  I put a finger to his lips. “No buts. I’ve already died once, so I look at all this as a bonus.” I almost laugh at the shock registering on his face, but I hold it back when I see seriousness and panic racing directly after it.

  “What?”

  “When I was a kid, I was outside playing and was stung by a bee. It had never happened before so I didn’t know what was happening wasn’t normal. I kept playing and then collapsed. By the time Dad found me, my airway was closed. Luckily, we lived close to a hospital. They injected me with adrenalin, and I started breathing again. So you see, you can’t kill me because I’ve already been there.”

  “Baby,” Reed whispers as he cups my face.

  “I’m okay. I’ll be okay, and you’re going to be stuck with me for a while, all right?”

  “Okay.”

  He brings his lips to mine and kisses me slowly.

  “God, Bria, when I saw you standing there with Liam I almost died. Then when you cried out when I pulled you to me... fuck.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, Bria. So quickly you’ve become such a big part of our family, and you’ve become my whole world, baby.”

  Emotion blooms in my chest. I've never met anyone, especially a man like him before. He shares so much of himself. I wipe away my tears. “I’m not going anywhere, okay? Nothing’s going to happen to me.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Neither do you.”

  “But all this shit with my family—”

  “You and your family are more than worth the trouble.”

  “Are you sure? I won’t blame you if it’s too much.”

  “Reed, stop. I love you, I want you, and I want to be with you.” I nudge him, attempting to lighten the mood. "It almost feels like you're trying to talk me into leaving you."

  I shakes his head. “Never. I love you so much.” He rewards me with a slightly disbelieving smile.

  “Come on, you two,” Jax says, cutting our moment short. “Let’s go home.”

  “What about the garage?” I ask, trying to sit up, but it’s difficult with Chris lying all over me. Jax takes pity and pries him
off me; it’s the first time he’s let go of me since the explosion.

  “There’s a lot of damage. We lost a bike and a fair bit of tools, but insurance should cover it. The good news is the bomb was placed at the back of the garage, which minimised the damage,”—Reed shoots him a look—“which doesn’t mean much with your leg, but for everyone else it was good. It was lucky Pop and Pa had bailed up Liam and were talking to him at race control, otherwise the injuries would be worse. I heard some of the firies as they were having a look around, and it sounds like the explosion was more designed to cause damage than kill and injure. That’s why it wasn’t like, total death and destruction.”

  “Oh, that’s good.”

  “It is, but don’t worry about it, angel. Let’s get you home,” Reed says.

  I go to hop off the bed. “What do you think you’re doing?” Reed demands.

  I look at him, confused. “I thought we were going?”

  “We are, but you’re not walking.”

  “Then how am I supposed to get anywhere?”

  “I’ll carry you,” Reed says like it’s obvious.

  I shake my head. “You’re not carrying me.”

  “Yes, I am. You have four stitches in that leg and you’re my responsibility. You. Are. Not. Walking.” He puts his arms underneath my thighs and behind my back.

  “Reed, no, not like this. Please.”

  He stops. “Fine, then get on,” he says, offering me his back. “But if it hurts I’m carrying you the other way, okay?”

  “Fine,” I agree, knowing even if it does hurt I won’t be telling him.

  He grabs me underneath my butt, my legs swinging either side of him.

  Jay, Liam, Chris, and Mav are in Parker’s SUV. Jax drives with Reed and I curled in the back of Liam’s Mustang, and Reed, true his word, carried me all the way to the car.

  “Are you okay?” Reed asks once we’re settled. “Are you comfy? You’re not in any pain, are you?”

  I cup his cheek. “I’m fine, honey. Please stop worrying.”

  “Okay.” He kisses me on the nose and I snuggle into him, his arm thrown around my shoulders, his musky, manly scent invading my senses.

  “Hey.” I tap his cheek and he looks down at me, smiling his smile he reserves only for me. “I love you.”

  “I love you.”

  “Oh man, this is good,” Jax says from the front seat.

  “What?” I ask, confused.

  Reed brings my head to his chest. “Don’t worry about my little brother. He’s an idiot. Park dropped him on his head when he was a baby.”

  I giggle at their antics.

  “Don’t believe a word he says, sis,” Jax says. “He’s not thinking straight with his love-addled brain.”

  “I’m not love addled, you fuckwit,” Reed swears. “I’m in love, and don’t tell me you wouldn’t do the same if you saw Bria first.”

  “I knew it!” Jax crows and throws his head back and laughs. “And by the way, that’s my sister you’re talking about, man. I don’t think of her in any way but a strictly family.” He winks at me and starts the car.

  “You guys are nuts,” I say before snuggling more into Reed and falling asleep in the arms of the man I love.

  Chapter Sixteen

  REED

  It doesn’t take long for Bria to fall asleep in my arms and I couldn’t be happier. She loves me and I feel like I’m on top of the fucking world! The girl of my dreams, one I didn’t even know I was looking for, loves me. I don’t even know how it happened and I don’t care, because she fucking loves me. I grin from ear-to-ear the entire trip back home, my hand running through Bria’s hair. God, I came so close to losing her today. If she and Chris were a bit quicker walking back to the garage, or the bomb was thirty seconds delayed in going off, that would be it.

  Maybe that’s a sign our luck is changing?

  Regardless, I hate the fact she’s hurt; the scar on her leg is going to remind me every day for the rest of our lives how close she came to danger, but the main thing is that we will get the rest of our lives together. I guess four stitches is a small price to pay for that. I don’t even care my brothers are giving me a hard time. I have no doubt that if they found a girl like Bria they’d behave exactly the same way. There’s one thing us Ryans know, and that’s how to hold on to a good thing when we find it.

  We get home and I gently lift Bria out of the car. She stirs and snuggles further into me. God, this girl. I carry her into my room and have visions of doing this, only she’s wearing a white dress and my ring, not a Ryan Racing polo and denim shorts. I place her gently on the bed and take off her shoes.

  “Reed?” she asks in a sleepy voice.

  “Shh, baby, go back to sleep,” I say, smoothing the hair back off her face.

  “What time is it?”

  “Just after eight.”

  “I need to take my antibiotics.”

  “Okay. I’ll go get them for you.”

  She starts to get up. “I can do it.”

  I gently push her back down. “I told you last night that I’ll take care of you.”

  “Mmm,” she moans, and wiggles against the bed.

  “Baby,” I warn.

  “What?” she asks innocently. “My back was itchy.”

  I lean over and quickly kiss her. “I love you. Stay here and I’ll go get your tablet.”

  I get Bria’s medication, some water, and some cookies; she can’t take her tablet on an empty stomach.

  I walk back into my room to find Bria naked on my bed. I swear I almost bust my pants with the way my dick reacts to her.

  “Jesus, angel, you ought to warn a guy before he walks into something like this.”

  “Why? Like what you see?” she all but purrs.

  I climb over her and settle between her legs. “I fucking love what I see.” I grind my denim-clad erection against her.

  She moans and presses against me. “I want you, Reed.” She nips my shoulder with her teeth.

  “Tablet first, then sex.” She pouts. “I don’t want that leg getting infected. Who knows what kind of germs are floating around the track.”

  “Fine.” She rubs against me as she sits up.

  “Good girl.” I hand her the cookies.

  “What’s with these?”

  “You can’t have your pill on an empty stomach.” As she starts eating, I move down her body and stop when I get to the apex of her thighs.

  “What are you doing?” she asks breathlessly.

  “Eat your cookie,” I say, spreading her legs and blowing on her clit.

  She moans and thrusts her hips towards my face.

  “Finished?” I ask, and suck on her thigh, right near her pussy.

  “Uh-huh,” she moans and I hand her the water and her pill.

  “Bottoms up,” I say, and move down her body again. I watch as she swallows the pill and chases it with the water.

  “Good girl.” I lick up her slit. “So sweet.” I do it again, before sucking her clit into my mouth. She bucks against me and her hands grip my hair. I work down to her opening, sticking my tongue in and making her pussy even wetter.

  “God, Reed,” she pants, squirming against the bed.

  I go back to her clit and slip a finger inside her, curling it so it hits her G spot. She tightens against me, so I add another finger and bite down gently and send her over the edge.

  “Reed!” she yells, and I feel a hundred feet tall.

  While she’s catching her breath, I tear off my clothes, and am ready and waiting for her when she opens her eyes.

  “Hi,” she says shyly.

  “Hey, baby.” I run my knuckles over her cheek.

  “That felt really good.”

  “I bet.” I smirk.

  “So I had my tablet....” She wiggles against me.

  “I saw that,” I reply, and refuse to move. I know what she wants and I’m not giving it to her just yet. She wiggles again and again but I don’t budge.

  “Reed,�
� she whines.

  “I wanna hear it, baby.”

  “Hear what?”

  “What do you want?”

  “You.” She wiggles again and damn if it isn’t driving me crazy.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “I want you to make love to me.”

  “Done.” I slide into her and we both sigh. I capture her lips as I slowly slide in and out of her, tilting her hips so I grind against her clit.

  We’ve done the hard and fast, the rabid passion, but this, the slow and sweet, is making love at its finest.

  I move to kiss her neck, kissing, licking, sucking, and nipping as I go. She moves to give me more room and I cup her breast, squeezing and pinching her nipple.

  She arches against me.

  I thrust into her with a little more force and she moans louder and tightens around me. I pull back to study her face; sweat beads on her brow and her eyes are closed.

  “Angel, look at me.”

  She opens her beautiful brown eyes and all I can see in them is love.

  “I love you.”

  She reaches up to cup my face. “I love you.”

  I thrust into her one more time and we’re both coming hard.

  I collapse on top of her because I have no choice. I do try to keep as much of my weight off her as possible though. As soon as I’m able, I roll us so she’s lying on my chest, our bodies still connected. Her finger draws circles on my chest and I play with her hair.

  We remain quiet, enjoying being with each other. I think Bria is almost asleep until my stomach growls, and she laughs.

  “Guess your appetite hasn’t been quenched, huh?”

  I roll her onto her back and pin her hands to the bed, quickly hardening inside her again.

  “Angel, when it comes to you I’ll never have enough.”

  I’m starving but nothing comes before me loving my woman.

  By the time we’ve finished for the second time, I’m practically ravenous.

  I go into the bathroom and get a cloth to clean her up. I love doing this for her, and that she lets me do it.

  I throw the cloth back into the bathroom and sit next to her on the bed. Running my hand over her hair, I ask, “How are you feeling? How’s your leg?”