The girl holds a handkerchief above her head and laughter quickly bubbles out of me.
This means business.
“You got this?” Nate questions.
“Got it,” I announce confidently.
“Then let’s do this.”
The girl drops the handkerchief and I hit the gas.
I take off like a bat out of hell and my R8 lurches forward, speeding off down the track and gripping to the road in a way I wasn’t expecting, giving me the confidence to push even harder.
The first corner comes up and Nate tries to talk me through it, but honestly, I don’t think I’m hearing a single word he’s saying. My concentration is right up and although he means well, I don’t want to get distracted.
I turn the steering wheel and my car sails around the corner as though it has done it a million times. Coming out of the corner, I push myself out in front of the smirking bitch and get a proud, “good,” from Nate.
We keep going and I make sure to watch the girl in my mirror. She does well to stay right up behind me, but not once do I let her take the lead, no matter how hard she’s trying. I bet if I took just a second to concentrate on her face through the mirror, I’d see nothing but a scowl, but she’s going to have to face the facts, she’s not getting past me. Not today. Not ever.
Nate continues educating me on the track and I continue ignoring him, all the while he thinks I’m taking in every little detail. Instead, I listen to the beat of the music as the adrenaline pumps through my veins.
I take the next few corners and squeeze down on the steering wheel when I nearly lose control on a sharp bend. Nate keeps me going and I manage to remain in the lead, despite how my heart is hammering away in my chest.
I see the finish line approaching but I don’t want to just win, I want to kill it. My eyes flick across to Nate’s for the briefest second and as if reading my mind, he nods.
I shift gears and hit the gas, pushing my R8 faster than it’s ever gone before. I hit the last stretch and I look up into the mirror once more. The girl tries to do the same but I’ve hit it a lot faster than she has, propelling me further down the track and creating an even bigger divide between our two cars.
“Yeah, babe,” Nate laughs, slamming his fist down on the dashboard in excitement.
I cross the finish line a second later and I barely manage to keep still. I unbuckle myself and throw my body across my car and into Nate’s waiting arms.
The first time I raced was scary as hell at the same time as being one of the most incredible things I’ve ever done, but this was so much better than that. Having Nate by my side the whole time, knowing I had his approval and encouragement meant the absolute world to me.
I don’t know how he does it, but Nathaniel Ryder just keeps giving me things that I never knew I needed.
I crush my lips down on his and within an instant he’s taking over control, showing me that even though I just dominated that race, he has the power to dominate over my body.
Chapter 19
“Hit me with it,” Maxen says from his position on my couch as he waits for Brooke to do whatever the hell she’s doing.
“What do you mean?” I ask, reaching for my textbook on the coffee table and placing it on top of the nice little pile of textbooks that I need for tomorrow’s classes. I turn to face him, waiting for his answer.
“I’m not an idiot,” he says, earning himself a scoff from me. He rolls his eyes and continues. “I know you have questions and concerns about me, so go ahead. Ask them.”
I raise an eyebrow, wondering if this guy is for real. I mean, he must not understand what kind of questions I need answered. “You sure you want to go there?” I ask him, studying his response.
He nods his head. Firm and confident. “Like I said, hit me with it.”
My eyebrow remains propped. The idiot asked for it, so why not give him what he wants? “Why the hell are you sneaking your slimly little ass back into Brooke’s life?”
“Because I love her.”
“As simple as that, huh” I scoff. “I’m sorry, but I’m not buying it. Someone who loves another does not cheat on them and treat them the way you did during senior year.”
“I know,” he tells me. “I was an ass and I made the biggest mistake of my life. I had a great thing going with Brooke and I messed around on her. That’s something I’ll have to deal with for the rest of my life. At the time, I didn’t think twice about it, but now, I regret it wholeheartedly. I threw away the best thing that ever happened to me.”