HarleyI was feeling the effects of the wine when we got back to my apartment. I flicked on the lights and poured myself a glass of water from the tap while Rick shrugged out of his jacket and hung it on the coatrack by the door.Then he rolled up the sleeves of his button-up shirt, revealing his forearms which were corded with muscle and lined with a thick vein that, for some reason, always made me feel like a damsel in distress at the sight of them.“Do you still want to crack open that bottle of wine?” he asked.I nodded and set my empty water glass on the counter beside the sink. “Absolutely. It’s on the wine rack at the end of the island.”Rick went to the kitchen island and bent down to look at the selection on the wine rack, which was not much. A bottle of red and two bottles of champagne people had given me as gifts that I intended to save for special occasions.He popped the cork on the red while I fetched us two wine glasses. Within a couple of minutes, we found ourselves dr

RickThe week had been a long one.I should have spent more time prepping for the race and less time pining after Harley. When it came time to leave my place and head down to the race location, I was only somewhat prepared for tonight’s race.Harley was already there and had been for the last hour or so. She’d gone with Laina, Charlie, and Benji, who offered to help her set up and run registration. I had to hang back, check all my fluid levels, and do a few last-minute things to get the car in tiptop shape for the race.Now I was ready. At least, I was as ready as I could be.Torq would be there. His presence threw a wrench in all of my preparedness. I had no idea what to expect where he was involved, but it had always been that way since I first met him in LA. He was the sort of guy who liked to keep everyone around him on their toes at all times. He was unpredictable. Dangerous.The fact that he hadn’t tried any slick moves at the last race surprised me. I’d only ever raced him in L

HarleyI was on cloud nine from the minute Rick’s car crossed the finish line in first place to the point where we pulled up to Charlie’s club, Ascension.Rick looked over at me from the driver’s seat and spoiled me with a big bright smile. “You ready to dance that sexy little ass of yours off?”I took my seatbelt off. “As long as you’re dancing with me.”“Who else would I want to dance with?”“Benji?” I teased.Rick waggled his eyebrows at me. “You know me so well.”Laughing, we got out of the car and left it parked at the curb in front of the high rise where Ascension was located on the top floor. Everyone else was already there and waiting for us in the club. Rick and I had hung back at the race and made sure everything was packed up in his Jeep, which Benji had driven down earlier. I drove his Jeep back to his place, and he followed in the Saleen. Then we reconvened, left his Jeep in the garage, and made our way to the club together.Rick held my hand as we walked up the front sta

RickMason sighed. “This guy Torq sounds like bad news. And when you look at it objectively, he’s a bit insane, no? He followed you all the way from LA for months to settle a score. And all of that anger he has built up against you is going to come to a pinpoint focus on Saturday night.”“And?” I asked.“And he’s the sort of guy who will use his car as a weapon,” Benji finished for my brother.I scratched the back of my neck. “Listen. I get where you guys are coming from, but I’m not backing down. I can win this, and I know him better than you do. I can predict what he’s going to do and—”Mason looked genuinely concerned. “Nobody is completely predictable, Rick. Maybe he’s relying on that. Maybe he’s been planning this for months.”“I’m not backing down,” I growled.“Told you he wouldn’t listen,” Benji muttered under his breath to Mason.My brother scratched his chin. “We just don’t want you getting hurt, Rick. You finally have everything you’ve always wanted. You have Harley, for fuc

HarleyI looked up to find Troy Quimby standing at the front of the registration line.My features tightened into a scowl. I found his paperwork, signed him in, and without looking up at him, I said, “You’re in second position.”“Aren’t you going to wish me luck, doll face?”I lifted my gaze to stare up at him as he stepped toward the table. His smirk was cocky and cruel. “I hope you don’t try to kill anyone out there,” I said. “And if someone gets hurt, I hope it’s you.”He laughed. It was a sharp, barking sound that made me flinch. “Oh, baby cakes. I like you. So much fire and fight. Are you the one who skewered poor Matthew’s hand with the heel of your shoe the other week?”“Put your hand on the ground, and we’ll see if the holes match,” I challenged.Charlie remained silent beside me.Troy grinned and leaned forward, planting his hands on the table and splaying his fingers wide. “You’re a cat, aren’t you? Quick and sly. And a little mean. I like that in a woman. I hope you’re the