Alluring Aiden (Team Loco Book 2)

by Amy Sparling

  I stop and turn to face him. “What are talking about?”

  “I saw the way she was looking at you,” he says, a grimace permanently etched on his features. “She still wants you.”

  “Jenn’s life is none of your concern. You keep stalking her like that and I’m sure you’ll have a restraining order on your hands.”

  “She’ll be begging me to come comfort her when she learns what you did.”

  “I haven’t done shit,” I say. And it’s true. All I’ve done is fall for the girl.

  He snickers. “Guess who took a picture of you and Miranda walking back to her apartment?”

  For a split second, a sliver of fear crawls up my spine. But I remember that night. I might have had my hand on her back so she wouldn’t trip and fall, but I didn’t do anything. It’s not like he has photographic evidence of us making out, because that never happened.

  “Has your life always been this pathetic or is it a new development?” I ask.

  “Maybe I’ll go text it to her right now,” he sneers. “I’ll tell her that her precious new boy toy also left her for the town slut.”

  I don’t want him to text Jenn—not because of the photo, because I’m not worried about that. I don’t want him to text her at all. She hates him. He’s scum. The last thing she needs is to keep getting bothered by his dumb ass. Thoughts of finding his phone and smashing it run across my mind, but of course he’d just get a new one. Jay stares at me with this pathetic grin like he thinks he’s won this round. He thinks he’s scared me.

  I’m not going to let him think anything of the sort.

  “Jenn doesn’t give a shit about you, and she already knows about the time I helped your drunk new girlfriend get back home. Oh, and just because a girl slept with you doesn’t make her a slut. Stupid, maybe, but not a slut.”

  “Like I believe that,” he spits. “You didn’t tell Jenn shit.”

  “I tell her everything,” I say. “Because I’m a real man. Not a cheater. Not a pathetic small town douche.”

  “Oh, you think you won her over?” he says, getting close enough for me to see the bulging vein in his forehead. “You think she’s your girl now?”

  I shrug as the pain of losing Jenn hits me all over again. “Doesn’t matter. I’m leaving soon. Because I’m a real racer, not just a local champion.”

  My insult cuts deep—I can tell by the flinch he doesn’t hide very well.

  “You think you’re better than me?” Jay spits.

  “It’s not a thought, brother. It’s a fact.”

  “Bullshit. I’m faster than you’ll ever be.”

  “Mmhmm,” I say with a snort. “And that’s why I have the sponsorship and you have a shitty small town track.”

  “Is that so?” Jay snaps. “Race me tomorrow. 250 Pro class.”

  I shrug. “Perfect.”

  Satisfied, Jay turns and walks away finally. I turn back to my team but they’re still talking to fans and most likely haven’t seen the shit that just went down. Good. Because I need to find a way to tell them I’m going to sign up for the races tomorrow.

  I walk back into the group and smile big and shake hands and take some photos. I answer a ton of questions about my wrist, and assure the little kids that it doesn’t hurt too bad. Clay and Zach crank up their bikes and go for a ride on the track. I notice that just about everyone gets off the track to watch them. It’s a big deal, having two professional racers on a small town track.

  I sit on Jett’s tailgate next to him and watch our friends ride.

  “So what was up with that guy?” Jett asks.

  Damn, I guess he saw. I shrug. “He’s the ex-boyfriend of my friend.”

  “Friend?” Jett says. The inflection in his voice tells me all I need to know.

  I nod, ignoring his insinuation. “He’s a little bitter about it. He wants her back but it’s not happening. She’s smarter than that.”

  “Is she smart enough to stay away from you?” Jett says, a smile in his words.

  I chuckle, even though it’s not a joke. “I hope so. I wish I could be with her but—you know how it is.”

  “Yeah, I do know how it is,” Jett says. “You think I don’t miss the hell out of Keanna right now? But I told her we wanted to go see you for a couple of days and she got excited for me and urged me to go. That’s how relationships work. You make sacrifices for each other’s happiness. She would have come if she could, but she’s helping take care of the kids this weekend while my parents put on this massive race.”

  The kids he’s referring to are his little sister and Keanna’s little brother. Jett’s parents and Keanna’s parents run a pretty badass track in Texas. They’re also neighbors.

  “Your relationship works out because even though you travel a lot, you always come home to Keanna. You live right next to her.”

  He exhales. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. But still—if you like this girl don’t let something stupid like distance keep you apart. Besides… your grandma lives here. Maybe this place could be your home?”

  I consider his words. He has a point. Breaux Valley is my sister’s home, my grandma’s home. Grandma has told me I have a bed at her place any time I want. What if I just settled down here in the off seasons? Could things with Jenn and me really work out?

  Jett slides off the tailgate and tosses a helmet at me. “Let’s go,” he says. “Get on the bike and work out your thoughts.”

  I strap on the helmet and pull on the gloves I borrowed from Jett. It’s a good thing we’re the same size. I walk over to one of the practice bikes. It’s decked out in Team Loco graphics but there’s no number since it’s not used for racing. I climb on and crank the engine, loving the way the bike sounds. I close my eyes and rev the throttle. God, I missed this. So much.

  I drop it into first gear and slowly drive forward. I ride past Jenn’s truck and see her sitting on her tailgate, watching me. I point at her as I drive by.

  She smiles.

  It makes me feel giddy—her smile mixed with the feeling of being on the bike again after all this time.

  I turn onto the track and kick it up into second gear, and then third, my right hand pinning back the throttle. I feel good. Alive. Exhilarated.

  I’m supposed to take it slow, and I do for the most part, but I’m still soaring past everyone else on the track. I feel amazing on the first lap. I feel like I’m all the way back to normal. And then I go a little faster and my wrist starts to ache. I slow down a bit and shrug my shoulders. I flex my fingers. Get it together, Aiden. You’ve got this.

  I approach a large jump and pin the throttle. My bike soars over it, through the air probably about fifty feet. It feels amazing, like I’ve flown straight into heaven. I missed this so much.

  And then I land. It’s a smooth landing, precise and even, but it jars the hell out of my wrist. A searing ache goes through my arm, shooting up to my shoulder socket.

  Fuck.

  I slow down and pull off the track, wringing out my arm. This is not what I imagined. I was hoping I was better. That maybe the doctors were just taking extra precautions. But obviously I’m not ready to ride right now.

  Why did I agree to race that jackass tomorrow? Fuck.

  There’s no way I’ll let him win. But even if I tried to ride another lap right now, I know I wouldn’t be able to. The pain is too much. I pull off the track and ride slowly through the pits.

  When I see Jenn standing next to her truck, all of my pain seems to fade into the distance. I think about my talk with Jett. The idea of living here between races. The possibility that brings. Is there any hope in redeeming myself with this girl?

  She watches me as I ride up to her truck. I stop, my feet dropping to the ground to hold the bike up. I pull off my helmet and she rushes over to me.

  “How do you feel?” she asks.

  I know she’s talking about the wrist. But I answer a different question.

  “I feel like making you my girlfriend.”

  Her
eyes widen. “Aiden,” she says, her gaze dropping to my gloved hand and then back up to me. “What are you talking about?”

  I reach out and grab her with my good hand, pulling her closer while I sit on my bike. She looks so fucking sexy in riding gear. Like a badass motocross princess. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail that’s all messy from having taken off her helmet. It’s the hottest I’ve ever seen her.

  “I’m going to kiss you now,” I say, looking into her eyes for approval.

  But she doesn’t answer. She just leans against me and presses her lips to mine.

  Chapter 22

  What am I doing?

  I am kissing Aiden Strauss.

  This goes against everything I’ve been telling myself for four weeks. But instead of panicking about how terribly wrong this is, I’m instead thinking about how much I’ve wanted this again. His touch. His smell. Aiden’s lips on mine.

  I step closer to him. It’s a little awkward because he’s still straddling his dirt bike and I’m standing next to him, so we can’t get as close as I’d like.

  Then, he leans back and smiles at me. “Come here,” he says.

  He slides back on the bike seat and then pulls me to him, lifting me off the ground with the help of his newly healed wrist. Now I’m straddling the bike too, only I’m facing him, my legs going on top of his.

  I wrap my arms around his neck. “People are watching us,” I say softly.

  “Good,” he says, kissing me. “Let them stare.”

  I feel his strong hands hold me tightly to him and I wrap my feet around his back. I could sit like this forever, but I know the moment will end eventually, so I soak it up as long as I can.

  “What are we doing?” I ask softly.

  “I’m not sure what you’re doing,” he says, kissing me on the nose. “I’m just following my heart.”

  I glance back at the Team Loco truck that’s several yards away. “Is this fake? Is there someone over there you’re trying to trick the way we tricked Jay?”

  His face falls. “No… It’s just me and you, Jenn. I’m crazy about you. So terribly crazy about you. I can’t stop thinking about you. I want you. I only want you.”

  My breath catches. Isn’t this what I’ve wanted to hear, even if I tried to deny it?

  “How do you want me?” I ask. Heat rises in my chest. I know I’m opening him up to an easy answer. He could say it’s just sex. He could be like most guys and just say he wants me for an easy hook up.

  He doesn’t even hesitate before answering me.

  “I want all of you. I don’t want a fake version of you. I want the real you.”

  All around us, the sound of bikes zoom past, the heat of the day pelts down on my skin, and I’m acutely aware of all the people who are watching us. We must make quite the spectacle here, Aiden on his bike holding it up with his feet on the ground while I sit in his lap, my back against the handlebars. I try not to think about the onlookers. They don’t matter. All that matters is me, and Aiden, and what happens next.

  “But you were only here for six weeks,” I say, looking up into his eyes. “How can we have something real if you’re just going to leave?”

  “It’s six weeks,” he says with a nod. “Or forever. You choose.”

  I feel a flush creep up my cheeks from the intensity of his gaze. There’s something in his eyes I’ve never seen before, not even that time we made love. He’s serious. He’s fully present in the moment. He’s probably not even aware of the sounds or the onlookers or the fact that it’s getting really hot wearing all this riding gear and having our bodies pressed so close together. He’s only looking at me. He’s only thinking about me.

  I swallow. “You would want a relationship with me even though you have a busy career?”

  Aiden grins. “I’m all in, babe. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you, starting with making Breaux Valley my home.”

  I blink. “You’re going to move here?”

  He nods. “My grandma won’t mind if I stay. I want to be with my sister and with you. Maybe I’ll buy a house here one day, or once you graduate school we could move away somewhere more exciting together.”

  My eyes widen. “You’ve thought this through…”

  His grin is so cute it makes me smile, too. He pulls me to him and kisses me on the lips. “Baby, it’s all I’ve thought about. Every second we were faking a relationship, I was wishing it was real.”

  Happiness explodes inside of me. My whole body feels lighter, giddy. I bite my bottom lip and then nod. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

  “Yeah?” he says, his eyes dancing with excitement.

  “Yeah.” I grab his cheeks and pull him down for another kiss.

  The next morning is a challenge to make myself get out of bed and go to work. After riding at the track all day with Aiden, I’d kind of fallen asleep next to him in my bed. We had showered—separately—and then passed out. There was barely any time for making out because we were both so exhausted. I wake up and see him laying there, shirtless and looking sexy as hell with his messy hair, and it’s all I can do not to snuggle up next to him and fall back asleep. There’s so much more of him that I want to experience. I don’t want to leave him, even if it is just for a few hours of work.

  But I promised my dad I’d be at work today, and I’m not about to call in sick and risk having my dad find out who I brought home last night. That would just be awkward all around. This thing with Aiden is new, and it’s real, but I don’t want everyone to know just yet.

  I slide out of bed softly, making sure Aiden doesn’t wake up, and then I brush my teeth and get dressed for the day. We’d come back to my place last night after having an amazing day together. I hadn’t even hesitated to invite him over. It’s like now that we’ve moved past all of the fake stuff, we can be real with each other. I can tell him what I want and not worry about it.

  I got to meet all of the guys in Team Loco and they were cool and they all seemed excited and approving of my newfound relationship with their teammate. Aiden didn’t ride much because he was taking it easy on his wrist, but I rode my heart out. I went through a tank and a half of gas. I couldn’t help it. It felt so good to finally be back on the bike after all these weeks of avoiding it. Eventually, Jay left and he knew better than to start any more shit with us, so that was good.

  Then we all went out to dinner together and Aiden held my hand and bought my food and it dawned on me that getting dinner with his friends was our first official date. It was even better than our fake dates, which I hadn’t thought possible.

  I don’t know how this thing with Aiden is going to work out, but I can’t wait to see how it unfolds. It feels like I’m starting my life over again. Better than it ever was. I hope we can make the long distance work. I hope he doesn’t get bored with me. I hope it works out.

  But as I put on my socks and shoes, I remember something Jett Adams had told me last night.

  “Just don’t lose faith in him,” he said. We were at the track, and it was one of the short times Aiden took his bike out to ride. Jett had sat next to me on the bleachers and told me he was happy for me and Aiden and all I had to do was make sure I didn’t lose faith in him.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Professional motocross is hard,” he explained. “It takes a lot out of us. But that doesn’t mean he’s forgotten you or he doesn’t care about you anymore. So just don’t lose faith in him. Be there, and be understanding. You’ll find a way to make it work. I can tell that you two are perfect for each other.”

  “Thanks,” I said, not really understanding it all.

  But only now, this morning, does the weight of his words start to sink in. I am now officially dating a professional motocross racer. They have races in different cities almost every weekend. They do get a few months off between seasons, but still. It’s hard. I won’t see him all the time. But I’ll just have to keep the faith that this can work out. If we both want it to, then it will.

  A
t least that’s what Jett had told me.

  My phone lights up and I take it off the charger. I have a new message from a number I don’t know.

  Hi! It’s Keanna! I hope it’s okay that Jett gave me your number. :)

  I smile. Last night, Jett had told me that his girlfriend really wanted to meet me. I told him I’d like to meet her, too. He said she’d be able to give me advice about being a motocross girlfriend, and I thought that was cool. I didn’t know I’d hear from her so quickly.

  I reply:

  Hi there! It’s nice meeting you!

  And then I save her number into my phone.

  Keanna: I wish I could have been there this weekend but I’m busy at home. But I hope to meet you in person soon! I just had a girl’s weekend with Bree, who is dating Zach and she totally wants to meet you too.

  Me: That would be fun!

  Keanna: Us motocross girlfriends need to stick together :) Call me if you ever need anything

  I smile and thank her, and then I glance back into my room and find Aiden still sleeping. We hadn’t done anything last night—besides a pretty romantic make out session—because we’d been too tired once we finally got back to my place. Now I want to crawl back into bed next to him and rekindle what we started last night, but I have to get to work.

  I lean over and brush his hair away from his face. “Aiden?” I whisper.

  His eyes flicker open. “Hi, beautiful,” he says sleepily.

  “I have to go to work, but you can stay here as long as you want.”

  He grins. “I’ll miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you more,” I say. And then I kiss him on the cheek and head to work wearing a big ass grin on my face.

  I wish I could stay, just crawl back into bed with him and never leave. But today is a race day at the local track, which means work is going to be extremely busy. I guess this will be the first of many times I have to say goodbye to Aiden when I wish I didn’t.

  Such is the life of a motocross girlfriend.