Mason
I cut through the crowd and drew eyes as I went. People were recognizing me and bowing their heads together in whispers they probably thought I couldn't hear.
“Holy shit. Is that Mason Thomas?”
“Who’s Mason Thomas?”
“That’s the guy who won The Streets five years in a row. The one with the beef with Mark Denning.”
“Hey, look. That’s Mason Thomas!”
“He’s the one who married Evelyn Thomas.”
“He’s the Street King.”
I kept my attention straight ahead and ignored the attention. When I made it back to my car, Rick was there with another guy. They shook hands and bumped shoulders as I came around the hood. It was Benji, my best friend, and he threw an arm around my shoulders.
“Mason! Shit, man, it’s good to see you. A little weird to be back, huh?”
“A little bit,” I said, jabbing him in the ribs with my elbow to get him to release me.
He grunted and rubbed at his side as his arm fell from my shoulders. “You register already?”
“Yes.”
“Did Harley try to put her moves on you?”
“Of course she did,” I said.
Benji scowled. “What I wouldn’t give to have that woman look at me the way she looks at you. It’s bullshit, man.”
Rick raked his fingers through his wet, blond hair. The rain was picking up. “Harley would eat you up for breakfast, Benji. Be realistic. She’s a serpent. You’re a mouse.”
“Get bent, Rick.”
My brother laughed and nodded at me. “Bump into anyone you know out there besides Harley?”
“No,” I said.
“Maybe we lucked out. Maybe Mark and Sid aren’t here tonight.”
“I don’t think we’re that lucky,” I said. “They’ll be here.”
Benji scratched the back of his neck. “I was hoping they wouldn’t be. I’m not keen on racing against them tonight.”
“You’re driving tonight?” I asked.
My friend nodded. “Yeah. Got a souped-up coupe parked just over there. I’d have a shot of placing high if Mark and Sid don’t show.”
“The night is still young,” Rick said.
Two young women burst free of the crowd as we discussed Benji’s chances of finishing the race in the top five. I recognized the beautiful brunette immediately. Laina, Benji’s sister, skidded to a stop beside the car and swept her mane of dark wet hair over her shoulder. She smiled at Rick in greeting, and then her big blue eyes slid over to meet mine.
“Mason,” she breathed, “it’s good to see you.”
She closed the distance between us in two strides and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. I hugged her back and caught Benji eyeing me. I was mindful of where I put my hands on her back. Not too low. Although that ass of hers looked phenomenal in her leather leggings.
She pulled away and nodded at the girl beside her. “This is my best friend Ginny. I think you guys met a while back at some of the old races.”
“I remember,” I said. “Nice to see you, Ginny.”
“You too,” she said. Her cheeks were bright pink. She was a cute little package with short brown hair, fair skin, and more freckles than a man could count. She looked everywhere but at me as I turned to Laina.
Laina Harris. Damn. I’d never seen her looking like this before. The last time I saw her, she was wearing blue jeans and tennis shoes. Now she was dressed like a vixen with heeled boots and a crop top that showed off a lean stomach and a bit of perky cleavage.
“Hey, Mason,” Benji said, “stop checking out my sister.”
I laughed. So did Laina. The sound of her giggles was like water bubbling out of a fountain. Youthful and free. She slapped her brother’s arm. “Leave him alone, Benji. I’m the flag girl. I’m here to be ogled, aren’t I?”
“Flag girl?” I asked.
Laina nodded and put her hands on her hips. “Yep. What do you think? Do I look the part?”
“Definitely.” I nodded.
Benji sighed. “He’s going to start drooling soon, Laina. Knock that shit out. Do your jacket up.”
Laina stuck her tongue out at her brother and then flashed me a sexy smile.When had Benji’s little sister become such a babe?
LainaThere was something about the way Mason looked at me that had me getting wetter by the second—and it wasn’t from the rain. His electric blue eyes lingered at my hips and tits and at the bare strip of skin between my crop top and leggings. I didn’t want to cover myself up. I wanted him to look. I was shocked by how much I wanted him to look. Had my brother not been there, I might have taken my jacket off and fallen into his arms and begged him to fuck me in the back seat of his car. The windows were tinted. It would be fine. Right? I shook my head. Get a grip, Laina. You’re not that kind of girl. You’re the kind of girl a man takes home to his family. The kind of girl who makes soup on Sundays and prefers jeans over dresses. But Mason was a whole other level of sexy. His blue eyes were just the start. He had sharp, square, masculine features and the beginnings of a five o’clock shadow forming along his jaw and neck. His
Laina “Yes.” “Good. Nice lipstick, by the way.” “Thank you,” I said, blushing a bit. Harley was the type of woman all men wanted and every girl wanted to be. She was hot as hell, and you didn’t mess with her. Her word was law, especially here, and any man or woman who opposed her had another thing coming. “Who are you pulling for?” Harley asked me. She didn’t look at me. Her eyes were trained on the cars pulling into their starting positions. I glanced over at the lineup. Mason had rolled his green Mustang into his place. Benji was coming up behind him in his coupe. I shrugged one shoulder. “My brother is racing. Aren’t I obligated to pull for him?” Harley looked at me out of the corner of her eye. “There are no obligations here.” “Who do you think will win then?” “Oh, sweet girl. Is that a question worth asking?” I smiled. We both knew who was winning this race. Mason Thomas.
MasonMy teeth were clenched, and I was white-knuckling the steering wheel when we took the first corner after we went beneath the overpass. I’d been a tad bit trigger happy watching Laina, and as soon as that flag went down, I was ready. The damn car in front of me had held me up a quarter of a second. He was weaving across the road and leading the pack, being an ass and not letting any of us past him. I guess that was the name of the game. But I was itching to get around him to really see how this car of mine could perform. I knew there was a hell of a lot of power in her than what I was currently riding her at, and the only way I could let her fly was to get out in front. The car in front was a yellow Mitsubishi Lancer. A typical ride for this scene. The paint was broken up by a royal blue stripe from the front of the hood down to the rear bumper. As it swerved from left to right, another car pulled up beside me. A red Nissan. Low to the ground w
Mason Sid swerved all over the place to block me. He took the last corner tight, forcing me to the outside. I lost more ground on him. We straightened out to take the final straightaway. The finish line was a speck in the distance. I had about a mile and a half to catch him and take the lead. “Come on,” I yelled, slamming my hand on the steering wheel. “Come on!” I came up on his right side. It was my best chance. I had a bit more space as we barreled toward the finish line. I drove hard and opened the Mustang up all the way. The engine roared. Everything thrummed with power. She crept ahead, inch by inch, until my front end was in line with Sid’s. He jerked his car to the right. I retreated and anticipated his next move. He would do anything to guarantee his win, and there was still plenty of time for me to pass him. I knew he’d try again, and I’d be ready. I rode in his blind spot an
LainaI licked the rain from my lips as I looked back and forth between the two men who were staring each other down. I felt like I was on the brink of seeing something I could never unsee. I wasn’t sure if I should be curious or frightened. Ginny had her left shoulder pressed tightly against my right. She was shivering a bit from the cold and looked from Mason to me before muttering, “Isn’t that the guy you told me to stay away from?” I nodded. “Yeah. Sid Paul. He’s not a good guy.” Sid took a couple of steps forward, moving from the rear end of the Mustang to stop at the driver’s side door. Mason stood at the front of the car with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked like the last person I would want to pick a fight with. But Sid was crazy. Always had been. And he had Mark Denning at his right side, hovering over his shoulder like any respectable villain’s henchman. Had I not known how mean Sid really was, I might have found the whole thing
Laina The tension in the crowd evaporated, and soon they all dispersed, going their own ways and talking about the excitement of the race. We were left standing near Mason’s car with hammering hearts and goose bumps rising to attention on our wet skin. Benji finally released my arm. I ran my fingers through my hair and shook it out as Ginny deflated like a balloon beside me. “That was tense,” she breathed. “Tell me about it,” I said grimly. Mason looked over at me. “You all right, Laina?” “Me?” He nodded. I blushed and tried to look like the tough girl in the crowd. The girl who didn’t get her feathers ruffled by a guy like Sid. “Yeah. I’m fine. I can handle a loser like Sid Paul in my sleep.” Mason smiled, but I wasn’t sure if he bought it or not. His jaw flexed as Rick threw an arm over his shoulder. “I thought fists were going to fly.” “For a minute, so did I,” Ma
MasonTaps was a pub not far from the docks that my old racing team and I used to frequent back in the day. It was in an old rundown apartment that had been converted into an office building, and the pub consumed the entire bottom level. It also had a set of stairs right in the middle of the place leading down into a basement that was riddled with high tables and chairs. The walls were the original brick from nearly a hundred years ago, and although it smelled a bit musky down there, it was a perfect place to sit and have a couple of beers. It was open late on weekends, so when we showed up, we knew we still had a good few hours left before we’d have to clear out. We went straight downstairs because that’s where the dance floor was, and the girls found us a table while Benji, Rick, and I went to the bar and ordered drinks. I paid the tab and ordered everyone two shots of tequila along with some drinks packed with liquor sure to get us feeling good in no time. It was a cele
Mason I left the table and went back up to the bar to order us another round of drinks. I bought some shots that weren’t tequila so Ginny could partake and returned with a tray of liquor. I passed them around and caught Laina smiling at me. I winked at her. She scooped up a dark purple shot and smelled it. She seemed to approve because she held onto it as everyone else claimed their drinks. I offered my brother some, but he shook his head. He would stay sober. One of us had to get the Mustang home, and he told me I deserved the celebration. I accepted his offer, and like we were all goofy teenagers, we tossed back two or three shots each, washed them down with a beer, and let our drunken stupors take hold. The music doubled in loudness, and Laina danced in her seat. Ginny leaned into Rick, who was watching her with amusement as she told him a nearly incoherent story about something that happened to her earlier in the week. She was laying