Laina
There 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 hair was short and blond and slicked back off his forehead from the rain. A bead of water formed at the tip of his nose and fell as if in slow motion to the pavement.
I watched him as he chatted with my brother and Rick. They were laughing. I couldn’t look away from his Adam’s apple or his mouth. Good lord. What was wrong with me? I’d seen him plenty of times before, but I’d never been drawn to him like this. This was… madness.
A loud whistle cut through the crowd. Mason fell silent and turned, putting his back to me, as everyone faced the direction of registration. Harriott Cross, known as Harley by the drivers, was standing on top of her table with her hands cupped to her mouth. She announced that it was quarter to midnight and drivers should be bringing their cars to their starting places.
Mason shrugged out of his jacket, and I had a hard time keeping from drooling as I stared at his back.
His shoulders were broad, and his waist tapered in but not dramatically so. His shirt was navy blue and thin enough to show every rippling muscle beneath the fabric as he moved. His shoulder blades were prominent, and I let my gaze wander down his arms, which were thick with muscle and lined with veins that disappeared beneath the sleeves of his shirt.
Ginny nudged me. “Put your tongue back in your mouth, girl.”
I slapped my mouth closed and felt my cheeks begin to burn. Horrified that I’d been so unaware of myself, I thanked her for sparing me the embarrassment.
“Don’t worry,” Ginny muttered as she looked around. “You’re not the only girl suffering right now. Look around.”
I did. There were dozens of women nearby who were all watching Mason as he opened the passenger door of the Mustang and tossed his jacket on the seat. He slammed it closed, raked his fingers through his wet hair, and flashed a smile at Rick.
“Wish me luck, brother,” he said, and the two clasped hands.
Rick shook his head. “You don’t need luck. You’ve got this in the bag. Just don’t fuck up the damn car. She’s too pretty.”
Mason released Rick’s hand and patted the roof of the Mustang as he walked around to the driver’s door. “She’s in good hands. I’ll see you when it’s over.”
Rick nodded, and Mason got into the car.
We all stepped aside as he drove off through the crowd, which was thinning by the second as everyone went to claim a spot on the sidelines. I fell into step behind the Mustang and followed the path it carved down to the track. Benji, Rick, and Ginny walked with me, and Benji and Rick were talking about Mason’s odds.
“He’s a shoo-in,” Benji said.
“Depends who else is racing,” Rick said.
“Doesn’t matter. He’s not going to lose. Didn’t you see the look in his eye? It was like the old Mason was back.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Rick warned. “He’s here to win, sure. But it’s been a long time. There are a lot of triggers here. I’m just glad we haven’t run into Mark or Sid. Or Evelyn. Fuck, that would be bad.”
“Guess they’re not here tonight,” Benji said.
I cleared my throat. “Sid Paul is here. I saw him milling around while Ginny and I were taking a lap to look at the cars.”
“Did he have a yellow sticker?” Rick asked.
I nodded. “He’s racing.”
“Fuck.”
“It’ll be fine,” Benji said. “Mason has everything under control. He won’t let Sid Paul fuck this up for him. Give the guy some credit.”
“He’s my brother. I have grounds to be concerned.”
I put my hand on Benji’s shoulder. “Arguing about it now won’t help anything. Mason is racing. Sid is here. Shit happens. Let’s just put our big girl panties on and handle it, okay?”
Benji shrugged out from under my hand. “Shouldn’t you be going to get your flag? Harley is probably chomping at the bit waiting for you.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re so dramatic, Benji. I’m on my way now. Good luck, okay? Don’t get run off the road.”
Benji smirked as he cut to the left to get his car. “Never.”
Ginny waved at me as I slipped into the thinning crowd and made my way to the front of the race. I found Harley standing with her arms crossed beneath her large breasts. She was standing beside the chair that still had the flag on it. When I arrived, she looked me over. “You’re taking the jacket off, right?”
I nodded. “Absolutely. I knew it was going to rain.”
“Good girl. Once all twenty cars are at their marks, you take to the road. See the X on the pavement there?” She pointed one long, black-painted fingernail at the red mark on the asphalt.
I nodded. “Yep.”
“That’s for you. You stand there and don’t move an inch. Those cars will launch off the line with the gas pedals down on the floor. You stay put until they’re all past you. Yes?”
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
LainaMason and I finally spilled out onto the sidewalk. I was dizzy with lust and feeling good from the booze. Light. Free. Mason cut to the curb and threw his hand in the air to flag down the first cab that drove by. Unfortunately, it was full, and we ended up having to walk a couple blocks down the street to get away from the pub district. There were too many people also in need of cabs at this hour, and both of us were itching to get somewhere private. We made our way down a less busy street, and I leaned against the side of a shop front as Mason looked both ways, watching for a cab. He glanced over his shoulder at me as I ran both hands through my hair. I paused, catching the way he was eyeing the lines of my body, and stood there with my fingers in my hair and my shoulder blades pressed to the shop at my back. He licked his lips and turned from the road to come to me. I stayed where I was, my breath catching in my throat when he pl