BenjiI had two goals for my date with Charlie later tonight—make her laugh and keep her laughing.In a way I was being selfish because the laughter was for me. Being busy at work over the last week meant I hadn’t seen or heard from her in days and I missed the sound and the way her face lit up when she found something funny. I also missed the way she smelled; like a bouquet of fresh cut summer flowers.Our last date had been terribly fancy and not our speed at all. The waiter and all the other paying customers made us both feel out of place, so I thought it would be more fitting to take her somewhere a little more relaxed for dinner before we moved along to the next portion of the date.I picked her up shortly after six o’clock outside her apartment building.Her hair was up in a ponytail, and it swished back and forth along her back as she jogged down the stairs in front of her building to cross the sidewalk and slide into the passenger seat of my truck. She hadn’t even given me a c

CharlieI shook my head as I slid the key into my front door. “No. I definitely would have won if you hadn’t snuck past me in that corner. I’m sure of it.”“Uh huh,” Benji said, as I pushed the door to my apartment open. Stepping into the darkness within, I flipped on the light on the inside wall. The foyer lit up and I opened the closet to hang my leather jacket up. Then I took Benji’s jacket and did the same before stepping out of my sneakers and tucking them neatly off to the side.Benji slid his boots off and nudged them over to where I’d tucked my shoes.I raked my fingers through my hair and walked down the hallway into my open concept unit. Benji followed and stopped in the living room, pausing to admire the south wall which was all exposed red brick.“Your place is cool,” he said.“Thanks,” I said, as I padded along in my socks, heading for the kitchen. I left all the lights off save for the dim one that glowed above the stove. “Want a glass of wine?”“Sure.”“Red or white?”“

BenjiSaturday evening rolled around quickly, and with it came the final race in The Streets. After my date with Charlie last night, and our time together in her bed all night into the early hours of the morning, I was a little more tired than I wanted to be.But it was definitely worth it. Every second. Every kiss. Every mind bending, toe curling, heart stopping orgasm. Every confession of fear from her that I eased with more kisses.She and I arrived at the race location together. It had been a four and a half hour drive to find the place out in the middle of nowhere. It was farm country—the roads were narrow and dark, and flanked on either side by orchards and dairy farms alike. The perfect place for the final race. No cops, no citizen traffic, and no pedestrians. Harley had outdone herself this time.It felt good to get out of my truck and open Charlie’s door for her, only to have her jump out of the lifted vehicle into my arms right in front of everyone. I wasn’t sure what it was

CharlieI wrung my hands anxiously and stretched up to the tips of my toes to peer over the shoulders of the crowd in front of us. There were so many more people at this race than all the others. I suppose it made sense. It was the final race in the series and the victor would be rewarded tonight. The celebrations would be huge, I imagined, and I prayed it was Benji who crossed the line first. His heart was in this thing one hundred percent and his intentions were so kind and pure.He deserved it more than anyone else. I was sure of it.Rick stood beside me with his arms crossed over his chest. I caught him glancing at me every now and then but I couldn’t read his cool expression. After a good ten or so minutes he gently nudged me with his elbow. “Try not to stress, Charlie. He’s got this. His car is the fastest out of all of them and he’s no rookie.”“I know,” I muttered. I continued wringing my hands.“Put your hands in your pockets.”“What? Why?”“Nervous fidgeting only makes you m

BenjiA raindrop landed in the middle of my windshield when I came around that final bend in the road and the finish line came into view. Another drop of water struck, and then another and another, and I slammed my foot down on the gas to charge forward as the Lancer, all beat up on the one side from where he drove into me, screamed along beside me.We were neck and neck.I wouldn’t give him any ground. No fucking way.I dropped down a gear and pressed the gas pedal all the way to the floor. The front end of the Hellcat shot upward and I gained a good couple of feet on the Lancer. I shifted up into top gear and the car roared forward. The Lancer was no match for me and there was nothing he could do to catch up—unless he had other tricks up his sleeve.But as we closed in on the finish line it became clear that he did not.He was going to lose.The crowd was moving like a giant wave as everyone on either side of the road jumped up and down and cheered. I tried to spot Charlie and the o