Full Throttle

by Lizzie Hart Stevens

  “Coen.” She grabs my arm as I turn to leave and stops me so I turn around to face her. “Did you mean it?”

  “Mean what, babe?”

  “When you said you love me.”

  I smirk before devouring her in a deep, passionate kiss.

  “Baby cakes, you are the spark plugs to my ignition. You are my piston princess, and I never ever say those three words to someone unless I mean them.”

  Lexi giggles. God, that’s a beautiful sound.

  “I love you too, Coen. Please be careful”

  When I get to the track, Patrick is waiting at the starting line next to his Porsche. I’m so taking him down.

  “What’s up, cousin? Did you decide you want to kiss and make up? I mean, we’re kinda even now, don’t you think? You stole my girl, I stole your aunt—or should I say, my mom.” He starts laughing hysterically, and he reeks of alcohol.

  I don’t have time for this shit. I’m ready to get this all over with.

  “Here’s the deal, ass hat. You and I are going to race. Whoever loses will leave town and never contact Lexi ever again.”

  His evil grin turns solemn as he looks at my car and back to his, eyeing up his competition. He’s probably never raced once in his entire life. This is going to be a piece of cake.

  “Deal,” he says a few moments later.

  “May the best man win.”

  We both get inside our cars and strap on our helmets and seatbelts and slowly start easing our way up to the starting line to trigger the Christmas tree lights. A split second before the green light goes, Patrick jumps the start, resulting in an automatic loss, which is confirmed by the bright red light I catch out of the corner of my eye. I might as well make the run and show him what a real car can do.

  We circle back around to the pits and exit our cars. Patrick slams his door and strides over to get right up in my face. His nostrils are flaring and his fists and teeth are clenched.

  “I want a fucking do-over. My damn foot slipped. I wasn’t ready!” He spits in my face as he talks, and I snarl. I want to shove my fist into his gut right now, but I hold back. If he throws the first punch this will be self-defense, so instead of punching him, I laugh in his face.

  “Rules are rules and a deal is a deal, cousin. I’ll be nice and give you twenty-four hours to pack your shit and get lost. For good.”

  “Who in the fuck do you think you are?” He shoves my chest and tries to push me backward into my car, but I don’t move a muscle.

  “You want to know who I am?” My lip curls in anger and I stare right into his cold, gray eyes. “I’m the man that is going to treat Lexi the way she deserves to be treated and needs to be treated and worshipped. I’m the man that is going to do every possible fucking thing in his power to protect her and keep her safe from fucking losers like you.” It takes everything in me to not shove him back, but he needs to make the first move. I don’t want to give the cops any reason to think that I’ve done anything wrong.

  He takes a swing at me but I dodge it, causing him to land on his face, which just pisses him off even more. He quickly jumps to his feet and charges at me; his shoulder slams into my rib cage so hard that it knocks the air out of me momentarily. I cough hard and fight to gain control of my breathing again.

  “You think you’re so fucking tough, running Sulley’s Raceway, leading the wins on the quarter-mile on the streets, stealing another man’s girl? You think I’m going to agree to leave town quietly because I lost a race on a technicality to you?” Patrick shoves his finger into my chest.

  After a few minutes, I’m finally starting to breathe properly again. Rage and anger are coursing through my veins like a burst of nitro racing through an intake manifold. I let out a yell similar to a Viking charging into battle as the adrenaline takes over. I retaliate with the same move he just pulled on me; only my shoulder is much bigger than his. I slam him into his car so hard that his elbow breaks through his window. Blood is now dripping down the door of his precious Porsche, and I’m pretty sure if humans could breathe fire like dragons, he would be right now.

  Good. Bring it on, fucker.

  I look over toward the gate; Derek’s not there. That’s when I hear Lexi screaming my name. “Coen, stop! It’s gone far enough! He’s not worth it!”

  No, but you are.

  Derek is trying to hold her back. “Lex, don’t go over there. Coen can handle him.”

  The brief moment I had my attention off Patrick was enough for him to catch me off guard. I expected a good fist fight out of him, but I didn’t think he had the balls for this. I feel cold, hard steel pressed against my back.

  “This ends now, asshole,” Patrick grits through his teeth, close to my ear. “I’m going to fill you in on a little secret before I blow your brains out in front of our little slut over there. I hate to disappoint you, but I’m not your cousin after all.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about? Sarah said—”

  “Sarah doesn’t know.” He cuts me off. “My real mom is in Sarah’s little book club and I overheard my parents talking one night about how Sarah was looking for her son she had put up for adoption years ago. And that she has a nephew named Coen who she was forced to raise when her sister and brother-in-law died. I thought to myself, this is the perfect opportunity to ruin your life, like you’ve ruined mine. All I had to do was make a phone call. You see, Coen, not all of my ex-girlfriends hate me. The girl I was with before Lexi just happens to work for the adoption agency in this lovely small city of ours, and when I explained to her what I needed and why, she was more than happy to help.”

  I can’t listen to this shit anymore. I can feel the warm breath from him on my neck, so I know he’s right behind me. I slam my head back, crashing mine into Patrick’s. He sweeps his leg under mine knocking me on my ass. Punches are thrown. And then it happens. The dumbass remembers he has a gun. I reach for his hand to try and knock it away, but I’m too late.

  Suddenly it feels as though time is standing still. The shot is too close. My ears are ringing and the right side of my chest is excruciatingly hot and wet as the crimson fluid pours from my body. Everything is in slow motion as I fall back onto the ground. My head falls to the side and I just want to close my eyes. The last thing I see is Derek and the cops charging at Patrick. The blackness starts to swallow me whole as I smell Lexi’s perfume as she kneels down, screaming in tears beside me.

  ***

  When I come to, the smell of anesthetic and bandages fills my senses. Lexi is there, sitting beside me on the bed. Her beautiful freckle-dusted cheeks are tear-stained and she looks exhausted, but still just as gorgeous as the day I met her.

  “Hey, Sweet Cheeks.” I clear my throat. “Are you okay? Where’s the asshole? Where’s Derek?”

  She slugs me in my good arm.

  “What the hell, woman? I’m injured here.”

  “You could have gotten killed, Coen!”

  I place my finger under her chin and urge her closer to me, gently pulling her into a kiss.

  “I didn’t think he would have a gun, Lex. I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

  She sighs.

  “I’m fine now that I know you’re okay. Derek went to get us some food.” She places her hand on my cheek for a brief moment and then runs her hand through my hair and places a kiss on my forehead. Her caresses are better than any modern medicine. This girl is my drug. “Derek called the cops the moment we saw the gun. They pulled in and caught Patrick as he was trying to escape the scene after shooting you. He’ll be gone for a while with all the charges pressed against him.”

  Lexi gets up and walks over to the window. It’s dark out now, the city lights shine off in the distance, and I hear her sniffle.

  “Lexi, I’m okay.”

  “I know. I was just so scared that I lost you. I don’t want to go back to a life without you, Coen.”

  “Marry me and you’ll never have to.”

  She turns to look at me with tear-filled eyes.


  “You’re on pain meds, you don’t know what you’re saying right now. We’ve only known each other a little over a week.”

  I laugh. “I’m serious, Lexi. I don’t want to go back to a life without you, either. I obviously don’t have a ring right now, and I know we haven’t known each other long, but I will ask you one day. I love you, Sweet Cheeks.”

  She hops up onto the bed and straddles me; being mindful of the tubes and wires I’m hooked up to, and devours me in a deep kiss.

  “I love you too, Coen Walker.”

  Epilogue

  Lexi

  Derek went to Sarah’s house the day after Coen was shot and explained everything to her—about how Patrick lied about being her son, and everything that he put Coen and me through. She immediately came to the hospital and apologized. They’ve both decided that the past is just that and they are both ready to move forward. Their relationship still isn’t perfect, but it’s definitely a lot better than it was before all of the craziness with Patrick.

  We even helped her track down her real son who was put up for adoption. His name is Tyler. He is a couple years older than Coen and he is a dentist in the city about an hour away from here. He and Coen share a love for fast cars and tattoos. Tyler has a wife named Gwen and she is pregnant with their first child. Coen is so excited about meeting that baby; he’s already started talking about giving it driving lessons.

  We’ve been seeing each other for about four months now. In fact, he and I have been inseparable. The days when we do stay at our own places are spent falling asleep on video chat with each other. Some people would say that’s clingy, but when you find the other half of your heart, it’s difficult and even painful to let it slip too far away for fear of losing it again.

  I’m sitting here in the parking lot of the Stoplight Diner where he told me to meet him, but I don’t see his car anywhere. I decide to go inside anyway. Maybe he took a cab. When I walk in the door, Brea is there, sitting at the same table we were sitting at the first time I saw Coen.

  I walk over and give her a hug.

  “What a nice surprise! I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” I say as I sit down across from her. “Have you seen Coen? I’m supposed to be meeting him here for dinner.”

  “Nope, sure haven’t,” she chimes with a silly grin on her face.

  I grab my phone and start to text Coen to find out where he is when the waitress arrives at our table with a huge bouquet. It’s filled with a dozen red roses, brand new, shiny chrome springs, and new spark plugs decorated to look like flowers. Most girls would find this strange, but to me, it’s absolutely perfect.

  “Open the card!” Brea’s bouncing up and down in her seat.

  It reads: A perfect blend of flowers and engine parts for my Piston Princess. I’m sorry, Sweet Cheeks, something came up and I can’t make it to dinner. Brea should be there in my place to keep you company. I love you, and I’ll see you soon.

  “That’s odd.” My brow furrows and I bite the inside of my cheek. “Did Coen tell you why he couldn’t make it to dinner?”

  “I don’t know, girl. He asked me to have dinner with you in his place and that he would text you as soon as he could. I haven’t seen you in a little over a week with the way you two are so wrapped up in each other, so I was excited when he asked. Aren’t you?”

  “Aren’t I what?” I stare out the window in a daydream, wondering what on earth has him tied up.

  “Lex.” Brea sticks out her bottom lip and fakes a pout. “Aren’t you excited to see me?”

  “I’m sorry, Brea, yes of course I’m happy to see you. It’s just odd of Coen to miss an opportunity for cheese fries.” We both giggle.

  Brea and I catch up on what’s been going on in each other’s lives lately while we have dinner. We have our usual cheeseburgers and cheese fries. No sooner than I take the last bite of my burger when my text alert dings. It’s Coen.

  Meet me at Diamond Tattoo, please. I have something I want to show you.

  I read Brea the text and she looks just as clueless as I do. We pay for our food and head over to the tattoo studio where my friend, Josh, works. When we get there, Derek’s truck is parked out front.

  “What are those two up to now?” I wonder out loud.

  Brea shrugs. “Who knows?”

  When we walk in the door, Derek and Coen are standing in front of the mirror. Coen has his shirt off checking out some fresh ink he just got. He hears the door chime and turns around to face Brea and me.

  “Hi, Lex. Hi, Brea.” Derek smiles sweetly at Brea and gives me a quick hug as he walks past us to sit in the waiting area.

  “Hi, Derek.” We both answer back at almost the same time. Coen starts walking over to us.

  “I just remembered something I wanted to tell Derek.” Brea says and goes to sit with him.

  Why is everyone acting so strange?

  “Hey, beautiful.” Coen kisses me slow and sweet.

  “Hey, you. You ditched me and cheese fries to get touch-ups with Derek?” I lift an eyebrow at him in confusion. “Thank you for the beautiful flowers, by the way. They’re in my car.”

  “You’re welcome, my love. And no, actually it’s Havoc who wants to show you something.” He whistles and calls Havoc, Josh’s pit bull, and she and Josh come out of the back room.

  “Hey, Lex.”

  “Hey, Josh. Hoggin’ my man for your own torturing pleasure, I see?”

  He laughs. “I have to make sure he’s treatin’ my girl right.” Josh winks and hops up to sit on the tattoo table.

  I lean down to give Havoc a pat as she’s nudging her head against my leg for attention.

  “Hey, Havoc.” I give her a scratch behind the ear. “Did you get some new bling?”

  I squat down to get a closer look and the room goes silent. My hand makes a popping sound as I cover my mouth and stand back up. Coen reaches over and unties the ring from Havoc’s collar. “Good girl, Hav,” he whispers and pats her on the rear, motioning for her to go back to Josh’s side. Then it happens.

  Coen gets down on one knee and takes my left hand in his.

  “Lexi Taylor, from the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you would be mine. What I didn’t know was that you would fully capture my heart, my mind, my body, and my soul. I didn’t know what living was until I met you and I know I don’t want to go back to what it was like living without you. Sweet Cheeks, you are the other half of my heart and my entire world. I love you with every fiber of my being. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  Tears fill my eyes as I look around the room to take in my surroundings. Everyone in this room cares about me and wants to see me happy. Running into this gorgeous, amazing man three times in one day was the best thing that has ever happened to me. He has saved me in more ways than one, and I truly believe fate has brought us together.

  “Yes, Coen Walker. Yes, I will marry you!” I throw my arms around his neck and he picks me up and engulfs me in a toe-curling, magical kiss. Everyone else in the tattoo studio claps and cheers.

  My knight in tattooed armor.

  Full Throttle

  Bonus Chapters

  One

  Lexi

  “Hey, Ty.” Coen nods in Tyler’s direction and reaches his hand out across the dinner table. “Pass the potatoes?”

  Coen’s Aunt Sarah gives him a light slap on the back of his head.

  “Where are your manners, Coen? I raised you better than that.” She dabs the corner of her mouth with her napkin and places it back in her lap.

  “Please.” He exaggerates the word.

  Tyler snickers and almost chokes on his food as he passes the bowl of mashed potatoes to his cousin. Sarah’s brow furrows.

  “Goodness, you two. Behave yourselves. Set an example for my grandson.” Sarah smiles at Gwen, Tyler’s wife, who is holding one-month old baby, Alex.

  If you would have told me six months ago that I would be sitting at Coen’s Aunt Sarah’s house having a family dinner (where ever
yone was happy and not throwing eye daggers at each other), I probably would have laughed in your face.

  While it’s sad that it took Coen almost losing his life to bring this family together, it feels as though it was meant to be. This feels right. I feel like we’re all right where we belong. Life is so strange sometimes.

  “So, Lexi,” Gwen says, placing the baby in his bouncy seat on the floor. “How are things at the diner?”

  Oh, great. Here we go.

  I swallow my food and clear my throat.

  “Actually, I’m not working at the restaurant anymore.”

  “Oh? What are you doing for work then?”

  Everyone, aside from Coen, stops eating and waits for me to answer.

  “I’m working at the track now, with Coen.”

  Gwen raises one eyebrow and looks at Sarah.

  “What ever could you be doing at the track, dear?” Sarah guffaws. It’s as though she thinks I’m joking.

  Coen squeezes my legs under the table, silently letting me know he’s going to handle their snobby attitudes, although I don’t need him to. This is nothing new for me. Growing up a tomboy, I’m used to the stuck-up remarks when other women find out I’d rather hang with the guys than go shopping or get a manicure.

  “She’s doing an amazing job as our publicist and event organizer. The track is the busiest it’s been in years. And she knows her way around the garage when needed, too,” Coen boasts proudly.

  Sarah and Gwen roll their eyes at each other, as if they think I don’t notice. It takes everything I have to bite my tongue and not put them in their places.

  Sarah takes a bite of food.

  The silence in the room is suddenly deafening. She takes a drink and clears her throat.

  “Lexi, darling, how could you possibly enjoy doing a man’s job? I mean, why would a young lady want to spend her days working around cars, dirty engines and sweaty grease monkeys?” She pauses for a beat and looks at a now very agitated Coen. “Oh. No offense, dear.”

  She reaches over to pat Coen’s arm. He quickly pulls his hand away and drops his fork onto his plate.