Undeniable Rush

by Stephens, S. C.

  I looked over my shoulder to see Hayden, dressed in his workout clothes, heading our way. “Hey, Hayden. This is Dex…our new mechanic. I’m just showing him around. Dex, this is Hayden Hayes.”

  Hayden walked right up to my side and put his arm around my shoulders. It was so obvious, he might as well have spray-painted She’s mine on my forehead. Dex extended a hand to him, but Hayden didn’t take it. Dex dropped his hand, a knowing smile on his face. Pointing at the two of us, he said, “I take it you two are a couple.”

  Hayden nodded. “Most definitely.”

  With a sigh, I ducked to escape Hayden’s embrace. “Yes, but while Hayden and I are a couple…and Myles and Nikki are—”

  “Are friends,” Nikki quickly interrupted.

  “Are something…there’s still a certain decorum I expect from my employees while they are on the premises.”

  Dex pursed his lips. “You don’t want me to call you beautiful anymore, do you?”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t.”

  “So would I,” Hayden muttered.

  Dex held up his hands. “Sorry, natural flirt. I can’t help it.” I raised an eyebrow at him, and he added, “But I will try. I swear. I understand I’m not at school anymore. This is a job. A professional job. I got it.”

  His earnestness made me smile, and then his eyes flicked over my face. “I just never expected my new boss to be so…” Clearing his throat, he shook his head. “Total professional here. No worries.”

  Shaking my head at him, I nodded toward the stairs. “Come on, let’s go check out the fun stuff—the bikes.”

  I started leading Dex over to the stairs. Nikki followed. And so did Hayden. I wanted to roll my eyes and tell them both to get back to work, but I kind of understood. Change was hard.

  Myles was coming up the stairs. He paused, taking us all in. Nikki ducked behind me, like she’d be invisible if I were partly hiding her. “What’s, uh…going on?” he asked. His eyes kept drifting to Nikki, and an odd tension built up.

  “This is Dex, he’s our new mechanic. I’m just showing him around.” I glanced back at my shadows. “Why Nikki and Hayden are following us, I’m not entirely sure.” Hayden frowned at me, and Nikki poked me in the back. Sorry, guys, but you’re both overreacting.

  Myles’s expression didn’t change. “Oh…” Tilting his head, he tried to get Nikki’s attention. “Hey, Nik, can I talk to you…alone?”

  From behind me, I heard, “Sorry, Myles, can’t. I’m following Kenzie, because Dex needs to learn my job, and who better to teach him than me?”

  She leaned out a little, so she could glare at me. Dex took in the exchange with a confused expression on his face. Then he snapped his fingers and pointed at Myles. “It’s your baby!”

  We all shifted to look at him, and he cringed. “Sorry, I also tend to blurt out the obvious, even when it’s an unnecessary, unwanted observation.” Miming a zipper, he zipped his lips closed.

  Turning my head, I looked back at Nikki. “I’m just showing him around today. You can show him the ropes tomorrow. Go talk to Myles. Your friend.”

  Nikki was evaporating me in her mind, but this was for her own good. Nikki and Myles had avoided each other for way too long the first time, and Myles seemed willing, even eager to have a conversation about it. The least Nikki could do was listen to what he had to say.

  Nikki tried to win the argument by having a staring contest with me, but that wasn’t going to be enough this time. With a huff, she finally gave up and said, “Fine.” Then she started walking back up the stairs. Or more accurately, stomping up the stairs.

  Myles gave me a grateful smile, then threaded through us to follow her. Dex watched them leave with an amused smile on his face. “Never a dull moment around here, huh?” he commented.

  Looking back at him, I shook my head. “It’s not usually like this. We’re pretty mellow around here.”

  Hayden suddenly grabbed my hand, pulling me toward him, and Dex’s grin grew. “Uh-huh,” he said, his bright eyes sparkling with delight.

  “Come on,” I said, indicating downstairs.

  Once we were in the shop, I introduced Dex to Eli, Ralph, and Kevin. While he was questioning Kevin about the thrills of working the pit during an event, I turned to Hayden. “You can let go of my hand now,” I discretely told him. “Dex knows I’m off the market. You’ve done your job.”

  Hayden glared over at Dex. “I don’t know about this, Kenzie. There’s something about him that rubs me the wrong way.”

  Reaching up, I grabbed his cheek. “The only problem here is that another man is testing the waters with me, and it’s making you uncomfortable. But Hayden, he can test all he wants, it doesn’t change how I feel about you, how I feel about us.”

  Hayden sighed, his expression worried. “Are you sure, Kenzie? I can’t help but think that…”

  “That what?” I asked, searching his face.

  “That he’s…new. No pain, no history. He’s never hurt you.” His gaze drifted to the floor and I sighed.

  “That’s completely true.” Hayden’s eyes snapped up to mine, and there was heat in them. Hot, steamy, he’s-not-getting-you-without-a-fight heat. Seeing it made my heart surge, made me want to call it a day and take him home. Smiling, I drew my finger over his lips. “But what you’re forgetting is the fact that I don’t want new. I want you. Scars and all…”

  I briefly traced the scar in his eyebrow, then leaned forward and kissed him. We were interrupted by an amused Dex, clearing his throat. “I’d love to see your bikes now…if you’re not busy.”

  Hayden scratched his head, then gave me a pained look. “I’m gonna go upstairs…get started on my workout. See you…later.”

  He was clearly reluctant to leave me with another man. I understood that. But just like I had to trust him, he had to trust me. And by walking away, he was trusting me. I was very proud of him.

  After showing Dex everything there was at Cox Racing, including the track outside, that he would never really have a reason to use, I sent him to John to fill out paperwork. Then I trudged back to my office to try to get something done today.

  Myles was waiting for me when I got there, and I almost cried. I have so much to do. “Hey, Myles,” I made myself say. “How did it go with Nikki?”

  He ran his hands back through his thick hair. “I’m assuming she told you what happened New Year’s Eve?”

  Wrinkling my nose, I nodded. “Yeah, she told me you guys…yeah, she, uh, mentioned it.”

  He fell into the chair in front of my desk. A chair that was beginning to feel like a therapist’s couch. “She didn’t want to get into it. She just kept saying it was no big deal, and we had nothing to talk about. Nothing.” He shook his head, disbelieving, while I moved to my chair and sat down. “I just don’t understand her,” he said, looking dejected.

  A really weird feeling washed over me. I knew exactly why Nikki wanted to sweep it under the rug, and I could tell Myles, make him partly understand her. And in so doing, I’d betray my best friend’s confidence. I was the monkey in the middle, and it sucked.

  “Myles, I can’t…” Folding my hands on my lap, I told him, “I want to help you, I want to help both of you, but it’s really not my place. I’m her friend, I’m your friend, and… I’m your boss, both of you.”

  Myles nodded, then looked down. He seemed so lost, I truly wished I could ease his pain. “Can I ask you a question?” I said.

  He peeked up at me with a wry smile. “Isn’t that going against what you just said?”

  With a sigh, I shrugged. “Yeah, but can I ask anyway?” He looked down again, then nodded. “Do you like her?” I asked.

  He closed his eyes before looking up at me. “Of course, I like her. We’re best friends.”

  I pursed my lips at his avoidance. “You know what I mean, Myles. Do you like her as more than a friend?”

  His gaze was unblinking as he stared at me. Then, finally, he nodde
d. “Yeah… I do. But that doesn’t matter.”

  Now I was confused. “That seems like the only thing that matters.”

  He shook his head, his face melancholy. “She doesn’t want to be with me. That’s why she’s avoiding this. She doesn’t want to risk our friendship on something…that could go either way. So really, how I feel…doesn’t mean shit. And you know it, don’t you?”

  Looking at him, seeing his pain…it was too much. My eyes watered, betraying my knowledge. Myles smirked, then nodded. “Yeah… I thought so.”

  “I’m so sorry, Myles. I truly am.”

  Standing, he nodded at me. “I know. But hey, it could be worse. She could want to date that hot new mechanic you hired.” He raised an eyebrow at me, his voice dripping sarcasm. “Thanks for that, by the way. Just what I needed right now…competition.”

  Digging my hands into my palms, I closed my eyes. I hadn’t thought Myles had really noticed Dex, but apparently, even in his state of extreme concentration, he’d spotted the exotic man who was going to be hanging around the garage every day. Myles could probably strengthen his bond with Hayden by bitching about it to him.

  “It wasn’t intentional, Myles, and technically, I’m not the one who hired him. John did.” I opened my eyes to punctuate my point, but it didn’t matter. Myles was gone. With a groan of defeat, I let my head drop with a thud to my desk. So much for the new year being less stressful.

  CHAPTER 10

  Dex coming onto the team was both a blessing and a curse. It was great, because we needed him. Nikki could deny her situation as much as she wanted, but every day she was getting bigger and bigger—like it or not, the baby was coming. It was bad because having Dex around seemed to add to my workload, not ease it, like I’d originally thought it would.

  It wasn’t that Dex was bad at his job—far from it. He was already showing himself to be both capable and talented. No, the problem was coming from my staff, who was either opposed to someone new on the team, or resentful of Dex taking Nikki’s place. None of them seemed to believe it was temporary. And of course, Dex’s good looks had all of them puffing up their chest, trying to prove they were top dog around here. Especially Hayden and Myles. Those two in particular, were driving me absolutely nuts.

  “What are you doing?” I snapped, grabbing a can of shaving cream from Myles’s hand.

  He gave me a smile that oozed innocence. “What does it look like? I’m shaving. Wouldn’t want Cox Racing to look like it was being represented by someone who didn’t care about their appearance.” His smile slipped. “Because appearance matters, as you know.”

  He was still annoyed that I’d hired a man who looked like a model to closely work with Nikki for the next few months. And it didn’t help anything that Nikki seemed to be the only one on the team who had adjusted to Dex. She constantly told me that looking at his ass made the fact that she was leaving a lot more bearable. I reprimanded her for it every time she said it, but deep down I had to admit, she was right, he did have a nice backside. Not as nice as Hayden’s of course, but still…

  My lips quirked into a small smile, but there was no humor in my eyes. “As I’ve told you a thousand times by now, I didn’t hire him, John did, so you can stop accusing me of hiring him for his looks. It’s incorrect, and disrespectful of my relationship with Hayden—my boyfriend.”

  Myles cringed, and genuinely looked chagrined. Dex had been on the team for a couple of months now, and I’d heard that remark from Myles damn-near daily. It was time for it to stop. Time for a lot of things to stop.

  Lifting the can of shaving cream, I sternly told him, “As for your ‘story’…one, you’re in the locker room, not the bathroom. Two, this is Dex’s locker, not yours. And three, you have the nozzle facing the wrong way, and you’ve gotten it all over the locker while completely missing you.” I indicated the inside of Dex’s locker, which was now coated in mint-scented foam. “How is that shaving?”

  Myles sniffed, then shrugged. “I’m clumsy? I apologize.”

  Letting out a frustrated groan, I tossed him a towel. “Just clean it up before Dex gets here.” I did not have time to babysit my employees. Daytona was just around the corner.

  Myles rolled his eyes as he caught the towel. “And just when is he getting here? He’s been late almost every single day.”

  Chewing on my lip, I glanced at the clock on the wall. “Yeah, I know. Guess he’s Nikki’s replacement in more ways than one.” Up until Nikki had started living with Hayden, she had been perpetually tardy. It used to drive my dad crazy, and now I understood why. There were better things I could be doing than watching a clock.

  From behind me, I heard Myles grumble, “Dude should be fired, if you ask me. He’s still on a probationary status, right? Three months to see if he’s a good fit with the team, right?”

  Part of me agreed with him, part of me disagreed with him. I scrubbed my eyes and wished I could go back to bed. Lack of sleep from night racing with Hayden was starting to catch up with me. “Maybe, but Daytona is in two weeks, we don’t have time to—”

  Just then, Dex walked into the locker room. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he said, immediately holding up his hands when he saw me.

  A weary smile on my face, I told him, “It’s starting to become a habit. A bad one. Fix it, please?”

  He crossed an X over his heart. “I’ll do my best.” The apologetic expression on his face shifted into a frown when he realized what Myles had done to his locker. “What happened?”

  Myles shrugged. “Weirdest thing…the can just exploded as I was walking by.”

  Dex crossed his arms over his chest. “Really? The can exploded for no reason, and the shaving cream managed to only get inside my locker? Why was my locker even open?”

  Face completely serious, Myles said, “I told you it was weird, and as for your locker, well, you’re the one who’s supposed to shut it tight. You must have forgotten.”

  Dex gave him a humorless smile. “Yeah…must have.”

  Myles let out a sigh, then shook his head and handed Dex the towel. “I did what I could, but I gotta get to work now.”

  He immediately started walking away, but not before I saw a smile stretch over his lips. “Myles,” I warned.

  He turned his head but didn’t stop walking. “Sorry, Kenzie. I gotta get out on the track. Work on my times and stuff.” He had the nerve to laugh after he said it. Kelley, you’re gonna pay for this later.

  Grabbing another towel, I turned to face Dex. “I’m sorry about that. I’ll help you clean it up.”

  Dex gave me a warm smile. “Thanks. I appreciate it, and I promise, I will try to be more or less on time. Maybe then, stuff like this won’t happen. And my tools won’t be hidden around the shop, my lunch won’t be replaced with garbage, and my notes won’t be covered in penis doodles.”

  My eyes widened at hearing all of the offenses my employees had caused him. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. It will stop, I promise.”

  Dex blew off my concern with a wave of his hand. “Don’t worry about it, Kenzie. You can’t come onto a fully staffed team and not expect a little hazing. They’re just testing me, seeing if I’ll break. I won’t,” he said with a wink.

  “Maybe so, but you shouldn’t have to endure it. I’ll talk to Myles.” Again.

  Dex shook his head. “Getting the guys in trouble with Mom won’t help my case any. I’ll be fine. Don’t you worry about me.”

  I started to tell him that I wasn’t worried, but I shut my mouth. Maybe I was. Just a little. But that was because we needed him. It had taken John months to find this guy—we couldn’t afford for him to get fed up and walk away.

  Forcing a smile to my face, I said, “Okay, fine. Mom won’t interfere.” Saying that made me laugh. I’d considered myself a lot of things over the years, but Mom was never one of them.

  Dex tilted his head as he stared at me, and those pale eyes of his seemed to bore all the way into my soul. “You have a wonderful laugh, you should us
e it more.”

  While it was true that I did seem to have trouble finding the humor in things lately, the way he’d put it, the look on his face…he shouldn’t talk to me like that. Like he could sense what I was about to say by reading my expression, he held up his hands again. “Not flirting, just an observation. You seem…overly tense for a person your age.”

  A long sigh escaped me. “Most people my age aren’t trying to get an extremely expensive business up and running. Most people my age aren’t trying to swim against the current, with rapids, rocks, and whirlpools trying to suck them under at every opportunity.”

  His brows furrowed at hearing my overly-dramatic comment. I waved off his concern with my towel. “My problems can wait. First, let’s take care of yours.”

  “Everything is fine,” he insisted.

  I ran my towel down the gooey slime coating his locker. “No, it’s not. But I think there’s a way it could be okay. A way that won’t get anyone in trouble.” Smiling, I told him, “I think it would help everyone adjust if we all went all out together. Did something fun, something…unthreatening. Are you free tonight?”

  The smile on his face was oddly affectionate. “Yes, I’m free…”

  I felt like there was an innuendo there, but I’d told him I was a no-go, so it must be something else. It had to be, I didn’t need him fawning over me. Hopefully, he was just touched that I was truly going to put a stop to the hazing. A plan firmed in my mind as I nodded. “Great. I’ll let everyone know we’re having a mandatory meeting at Oysters, six o’clock. Don’t be late,” I said, smiling.

  Hayden walked into the locker room then. His eyes were stony as they darted between Dex and me. I shifted my smile to him, showing him that he had nothing to worry about. Still looking between us, he asked, “Everything…okay?” His voice was cautious, wary.

  My warm smile turned into a frown. “I was just helping Dex clean up his locker, since Myles decided to give it a shaving cream bath.”