Ride: A Driven World Novel

by Heather Guimond

  I quieted as he wrapped his long, muscular arms around my middle, drawing my back flush with his impeccable chest.

  “I don’t want you to feel pressured to do anything you don’t want to do.” Plucking a large sea sponge from the side of the tub, he submerged it in the water. “I only want to love you.”

  I sank into myself as he slowly squeezed the water from the sponge over each of my arms, the warm water a soothing caress made luxurious by the touch of his lips on my bare shoulder. I was seconds away from surrendering, giving up, and letting myself disappear as though I’d never existed at all.

  “Will you?” he repeated, the sound echoing against the tile of the bathroom.

  “Will I what?” I was confused as he gently turned my face to his with just a fingertip under my chin.

  “Will you let me love you? You’ve spent all this time keeping me at arm’s length, never truly letting me in. Now I know why, and I only want to love you more. I want to fight your demons and kiss away your tears.” He emphasized his words with tiny kisses under each of my eyes. “I want to be the reason you smile in the morning and the last person you think of at night. Now, will you let me?”

  I felt dizzy as his words seeped into my mind. He wanted to what? After everything I’d done, everything he’d seen, he wanted to love me? Me? The girl all those important people saw going down on one of the auctionees. For all they knew, it had just happened backstage.

  “Kenni,” Finn prompted, dragging me out of the spiral threatening to tow me under.

  “D-Do you?” I stuttered, completely disbelieving as I twisted in the bath to look directly at his handsome face—those eyes, that chiseled jaw, the rich brown hair that never laid perfectly in place. I was on pins and needles, holding my breath as I waited for his response.

  I lifted a tendril of damp hair from her shoulder, twirling it around my index finger. Swallowing hard, I nodded slowly.

  “I do. I love you, Kenni Michaels, but you need to answer my question.” The sound of her soft giggle was music to my ears. I’d feared Simmons had stolen her smile for the foreseeable future, but my girl was stronger than she knew. She leaned forward and pressed her full, sensual lips to mine.

  “If you think you’re up to the job, Hawk, I’m all yours.” She’d surprised me, but then her face grew serious, and she bit her lip. “Just... be gentle, okay?”

  “Babygirl, you’ll never have to be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you.” I drew her closer to my chest as I made my vow. “You’re mine to protect.”

  Kenni launched herself at me so hard and fast, she nearly splashed half the water in the tub all over the floor.

  My lips were hard and unyielding as my careful façade of patience and restraint crumbled in the hands of the angel in front of me. I lifted her out of the tepid water, my desire to pamper her and treat her like glass after such a brutal night scattered in the wind like my self-control. I stepped out behind her, grabbing one of the large, fluffy sage bath sheets and wrapping her up tightly. I didn’t bother to dry myself, simply lifted her into my arms once again, carrying her to the one place she belonged, now and forever—my bed.

  “I’ve got you, Kenni,” I whispered urgently, laying her in the center of my bed before stripping off my wet shorts, then climbing next to her and pulling her close. She had to know how I felt—the need to show her bore down on me like a physical ache in my heart.

  Our kisses blazed with the intensity of an inferno, our hands reckless as they roamed each other’s body—touching, squeezing, stroking. My hand drew a path from the soft skin of her cheek, down her neck, and over her chest to wrap snugly around the swell of one firm breast. I slid my tongue along the interior of her mouth, plundering its sweetness as my need swelled out of control. I was sinking—drowning—in her, helpless to stop myself from diving deeper and deeper.

  I felt the pull of her fingers as she tangled them in my hair, giving back kisses as good as she was getting. We were inhaling each other, every breath fusing our souls together. I hovered over her, looming above her slender, athletic figure as I settled my hips between the thighs she parted so readily. I let a hand glide over her silken skin, from her shoulder to her hipbone, until my fingertips lit upon the soft, warm petals of her sex. I felt the wetness seeping from her cleft, gently rubbing it over her nether lips with my thumb. Balancing one arm against Kenni’s hip, I stared down at her in the dim light, bringing my sugar-coated thumb to my lower lip and gliding it across. I moved in to kiss her, both of us moaning as the flavor of her essence exploded in our mouths, my hunger for her rocketing into the stratosphere. I returned to kissing and nibbling her neck before making my way down between her breasts, trailing my tongue down her abdomen and lower until my lips were mere millimeters from her waiting heaven.

  “Now’s your chance to stop me, Kenni. I only meant to hold you, to help ease your mind tonight, but I’m addicted to your body. One word from you and I’ll pull back. We can get dressed and snuggle the rest of the night. I warn you, though, the moment the tip of my tongue parts the sweet lips of your delicate pussy, there’s no turning back.” The husky sound of my voice sounded foreign to my own ears, filled with so much urgency and desire, I didn’t recognize it.

  “Don’t stop, Finn. I need it… I need you… now more than ever,” she gasped as her chest rose and fell rapidly. “Don’t make me wait.”

  No other words were necessary as I pressed my lips to the velvety smoothness of her mons. I tickled the tiny bud barely peeking from between the folds of her pussy with my tongue, grinning to myself when she whimpered and squirmed beneath me. Throwing her legs over my shoulders, I buried my face deep in her sex and went to work teasing, tantalizing, tormenting her body with wild, sheer delight. I feasted on the succulent, pink flesh laid bare before me as I spread her wide open and lazily trailed my tongue along her the tender tissue within.

  “Finn!” she cried as I made my way back to the tiny bundle of nerves, lightly fluttering my tongue over it, again and again, before sliding two thick fingers into the hot depths of her pussy. Her back arched as I pushed in deep, beginning a lazy rhythm, rocking my fingers in and out. She writhed in time with my thrusts, assisting me in my efforts to shower her with pleasure, seeking that pinnacle all on her own. I stilled with the press of my hands on her hips.

  “You’re not running this show, angel, I am. Just lay back and feel what it’s like to be worshiped.”

  “I can’t... I can’t...” she moaned helplessly as she started twisting harder beneath me. The speed with which she rocked against my mouth and hands had me holding on to her bucking hips as tightly as I could. She came alive, all sparking electricity and fire, struggling to lean on her hands, her face dotted with perspiration as she looked down at me, feasting on her. “Oh my God... I’m...”

  She exploded, falling to her back, and fisting my hair tightly in her hands as she ground herself against me wantonly. I licked, slurped, sucked, and drank from ecstacy I’d unleashed on her. I sealed my mouth over her clit, drawing it between my teeth gently before giving it one last fluttering lick, wringing that last drop of pleasure from her core.

  When she finally collapsed, I rolled us both to our sides, my bigger body curling around her smaller one, fitting perfectly to each other. I rested my head on one hand as I stroked her hair with the other.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” I asked, desperately curious to know what she was thinking. Her face was peaceful, but she still held a far-off quality in her gaze.

  “Seriously?” she murmured.

  “Of course.” I nodded. “You have me dangling off the edge of the cliff, Kenni.” I moved my hand lower to caress the hollow valley of her abdomen.

  “In that case, rest easy. I love you, too,” she breathed as she twisted to look at me. “I hope you’re ready for me.”

  “I’ve been ready for you all my life, beautiful,” I whispered, dipping my head to take one last sip from her mouth as my heart threatened to burst in my chest. I had felt a se
nse of rightness I’d never known before. “Sleep. I’m sure your brother will be around first thing in the morning.”

  “Oh my God!” Kenni stiffened in my grasp. “Matt! Where is he? Is he okay? I can’t believe I totally forgot about him.”

  “Everyone’s fine, babygirl. Even that shithead Simmons, except he’s spending the night in the slammer while the cops try to find something to charge him with. Rest.”

  She settled back down, tucking her head into the crook of my neck, and closing her eyes. It wasn’t long before her breath evened out, and she was snoring softly in my arms. I drifted off just as easily, all the pieces of my life firmly in place for once.

  “Hawkins!”

  I was jolted awake to the sound of someone shouting my name as they pounded on my front door as if they were the fucking police. Making sure Kenni was still sleeping soundly, I wrapped the sheet around my waist and bolted for the front door.

  “Keep it down, Matt. She’s still sleeping,” I grumbled, squinting into the early morning sunshine beating down on us. “Come in. I’ll make coffee.” I stood back, allowing Kenni’s brother to enter, tightening my hold on the sheet trailing on the floor.

  “Let me get some clothes on first, then I’ll make the coffee,” I said, waving my arm toward my sofa. “Make yourself comfortable while you wait.”

  I trudged back to my room, shaking my head and muttering. It wasn’t even seven o’clock in the morning after what was probably the second most traumatizing event in his sister’s life. One would think he’d show a little more respect and give her some time—not that I had.

  When I returned, wearing my favorite Local Motion t-shirt and a pair of cargo shorts, Matt was sitting in my armchair, the TV remote in his hand, impatiently flipping channels. He stood as soon as I entered the room.

  “Where is she?” he asked urgently, coming toward me as if I was going to lead him to his sister.

  “Sit back down,” I admonished him, gently pushing him back toward his seat. “I told you, she’s asleep. Let her rest, okay, man?”

  “I’m just worried about her. I caught a glimpse of her face when she fled the room. I should have gone after her, been there for her, not trying to rough up that little shit with you guys,” Matt said miserably as he sank back down into my recliner. “We’re twins. We have a bond I don’t expect you to understand.”

  “I get it, man, but you need to accept I have a bond of my own with her. I’m not leaving her life anytime soon.”

  “Now that you’re in it, you better not leave until she tells you to go,” Matt tossed back in warning. “I’m not sold on you as she is, and after what she just went through, I have half a mind to put my boot in your back and tell you to be gone by sunrise.”

  “But?” I asked, widening my stance and crossing my arms over my chest. Not the smartest idea if he was planning to take a swing at me, but I didn’t want to escalate any tension he might have simmering.

  “But she likes you, and I think she’s suffered enough. But if you do one thing to hurt her, embarrass her, or hell even piss her off in any way, you’ll answer to me,” he said, standing and pointing at my chest.

  “I can’t guarantee I won’t piss her off, but if I do, I fully expect you to tell me ninety-nine different ways why I’m wrong and should apologize.”

  “You’ll be lucky if that’s all I do,” he grumbled, sitting down again, his entire body deflating, leaving his shoulders sagging. It was then I noticed how bloodshot his eyes were, watching as he scrubbed his hands over his tired face. I remained silent as I spooned coffee grounds into the basket of my coffee maker, through the entire brewing process, and while I poured a large mug of unsweetened black coffee.

  “Here, drink this,” I said, handing him the oversized cup. “I’ll check on her in a bit to see if she’s stirred. She was pretty torn up last night. I just want her to have some peace for just a little while longer.”

  “Yeah, okay,” Matt replied roughly as he accepted the coffee with unconcealed addiction. “I want the same for her. I just want to see with my own eyes that my sister is okay.”

  “She is. Not great, but with some time, she’ll be alright. We just need her to get her strength up, so she’s ready for the battle ahead.”

  “Do you really want to blow everything up again?” Matt looked at me carefully. I wasn’t sure which answer he wanted to hear, but I jumped in with both feet.

  “I want justice for her, Matt. Surely you want the same?”

  “Are you trying to say I don’t?” He climbed to his feet again, pulling himself to his full height, so we stood eye to eye.

  “Dude, I’m not saying anything of the sort,” I replied, unmoving. I didn’t want to start a fight, but I wouldn’t cower or back down, especially not in my own house and not when it came to my girl.

  I turned over in bed, the soft down comforter tangling around my feet. I huffed as I sleepily tried to unwrap myself, somehow only managing to get the sheet mixed up in the fray.

  “Urgh!” The frustrated sound was somewhere between a gurgle and a shout. I slapped my hands on the mattress, giving up. My hair was a knotted mess, flopping messily in front of my face as I blew out a long, loud breath.

  My gaze fell on the door to the bathroom, still slightly ajar from our bath last night, bringing a giant smile to my face. I was nearly panting when the memory of Finn playing my body like a Stradivarius flooded back in. I ran my hands over the goosebumps that began to dot my skin, shivering in remembered pleasure. Finally breaking free from my blanket prison, I slid free, looking around the room for Finn.

  The low hum of voices drifted through the door warned me my brother had shown up bright and early, just as Finn predicted. When I heard his voice rise in warning, a familiar tone that dated back to my childhood, everything else from the night before came rushing at me.

  It was all over. Matt’s reputation—his career—was smashed forever. I couldn’t undo it. Me? I could find a simple mechanic job anywhere. Maybe not on any racing crews, but I had options my brother didn’t.

  And what of Finn? My heart whispered quietly, already panicking that the memory of last night was the culmination of our relationship. He said the video didn’t make a difference to him, but he’d yet to face the other riders, knowing they’d all seen in vivid color what I did. I doubted Dalton was bluffing when he suggested it would go viral.

  I hurriedly dressed in one of Finn’s t-shirts and a pair of boxers since all my stuff was still in the guest room. I’d never bothered to move them down the hall to Finn’s room after that night we pretended we could be just roommates. The voices outside the door grew louder, and the men drew closer.

  “Enough wasting time,” I heard Matt mutter before his loud rap came at the door. “Kenni, let me in.”

  I twisted the knob readily, my brother’s bleary eyes the first thing I noticed when the door opened. The whole affair had to have hurt him more than it did me.

  “Matt, I’m so sorry.” I sniffed as I rushed into his outstretched arms. “I never meant to embarrass you or have anything blow back on you.”

  “You don’t have anything to apologize for. If anything, Simmons did us all a favor. Me, Hawkins, even you.”

  “You aren’t making any sense.” My brow ached as it furrowed tightly in confusion and disbelief. How could any good come from the shit show that happened last night?

  Matt glanced at Finn, who’d been looming over us like a sentry, then back to me, our silent twin language in effect once again.

  “Finn, can you give us a few minutes alone, please?” I asked in a voice far more confident than I was. I hoped like hell he wouldn’t object because I didn’t have it in me to put up a real fight, despite my bravado. Fortunately for me, he nodded stiffly, glaring at my brother before returning to the front room of the house.

  “Kenni,” Matt began as he urged me back into Finn’s bedroom. “This is my fault, not yours. I should have just given Dalton the full thirty grand.”

  “No, y
ou shouldn’t have given him a dime. Don’t you see, Matt? He was always going to do this, whether he’d still have done it yesterday or if he waited for a larger payday in a few years. We were never safe. How could we be?”

  “I don’t know... in fact, the only thing I do know is last night was fucked up. Are you alright? You didn’t get hurt?” Matt asked, finally standing back and taking a long look at me, wrinkling his nose when he finally realized I was clad in his rival’s underwear.

  “Not physically, though I scraped the bottoms of my feet up pretty good running down the street in just my stockings,” I muttered, wishing I’d had the poise to simply hold my head up high and endure the embarrassment. “Let’s go out to the living room with Finn. Maybe together, the three of us can come up with a plan for getting through the racing finals tomorrow.”

  “We still need to brief you on Simmons. I should tell you, he’s already made bail and has been very vocal about how he intends to race tomorrow.”

  “There’s nothing he can do to me now. That’s his new problem. He no longer has any power over us.” We entered the main room where Finn was prowling back and forth in front of the large picture window that stretched across the front of the house. He was instantly at my side, leading me to the sofa as if I was made of glass. Perhaps it was understandable, considering the state I was in the night before, but after a good night’s rest—thanks to him—I was ready to get back in the fight.

  “So, tell me everything that happened with Dalton,” I insisted, taking a seat on the sofa and looking expectantly at the two men in my life.

  Finn took the seat next to me, and my hand along with it. My brother perched on the edge of the armchair, eagerly leaning in, and gesturing wildly as he always did when he told a story.

  It seems the police were interested in the part of the video where Finn said I said no. I didn’t have a strong recollection of the video, so I’d never assumed it was anything other than a mean thing to do to your girlfriend when she was drunk. Dalton had been charged with extortion, public intoxication, and public nuisance. According to my brother, he was as free as a bird at the moment.