“Maybe?” I shrug, but I’m not actually in the mood. I want something exciting, more than drugs, booze, or boys. I need to feel alive. She nods like she knows what I’m thinking, which wouldn’t be a surprise.
When we are done and have washed our hands, ignoring the dirty stares of the drunk girls doing their makeup, we head inside. We make our way through the crowd, talking to people we know. Well, Faye does... I’m bored.
That’s not something I’m used to. I have everything I need here, but I want more. I need to forget, to feel my heart race. I don’t want this... drunken laughter with people we won’t remember tomorrow, or the touch of a stranger that will make me feel worse after.
That’s when I see them.
They make my heart skip a beat. Asher is sitting on a table, laughing with Bray, and not two moments later, Cyrus comes downstairs. His hair is messy, his face is slightly red, and he’s tightening his belt, making it obvious what he was just doing. He stops by his brothers, who joke with him while he rolls his eyes.
Faye follows my gaze. “Oh God, you have a death wish.”
I grin but don’t pull my eyes away as the same blonde from the party comes trotting down after Cyrus. Her face is flushed, she has freshly fucked hair, and her dress is wrinkled. She’s a mess, with her mascara and lipstick smeared.
I have a slight twinge of envy before I push it down. She’s nothing, he’s nothing. But then their eyes turn to me like they can feel my gaze. Asher smiles and waves, Bray winks, and Cyrus glares at me, hateful and angry.
For some reason, it makes my heart race. I want to prove to him who I am. I want to watch his eyes change and see that smile directed at me, and I don’t know why. I want to shock him, to keep his attention on me. It’s stupid, and I don’t have a fucking sane reason why, apart from the fact that they make me feel... something.
Anything.
They are my entertainment, but he turns away, looking at the girl in his arms. Swallowing, I do what I always do—something crazy, toxic, insane. Faye cheers me on as usual. Strutting towards them, I wink at Bray. “Looking good, brother.”
“You too, sexy. Did you change your mind and decide you want to feel a real man?” he jokes, his eyes alight with booze.
“Bray…” Asher sighs and smiles at me. “Sorry.”
“Maybe.” I grin, and they sit up. “Or maybe I’m just wondering if the rumours are true.”
“What rumours are those?” Cyrus snaps, looking at me now, and a thrill goes down my spine as those dark, dangerous eyes focus on me.
“They say you’re the fastest, most reckless guys in town, but I think I have you beat.”
Cyrus snorts and looks away, even as Bray grins and stands. “Yeah, how about you prove it, baby?”
Prove it? Oh, they are playing with fire.
Cyrus is still looking at the girl, so I do the only thing I can think of to get his attention. I step around the table, grab the girl’s hair, and turn her head. Her eyes widen as I press my lips to hers, tasting him on her before pulling back as she gapes. I see interest bloom in those depths.
Interesting.
I wink at Cyrus as I pull away from his girl. “I’ll be in my car if you think you can race me, brother,” I purr and then walk my ass out of the party. I feel their eyes on me as the others who heard cheer them on, oohing and aahing. They can’t back down. They are supposed to run this town, and I just challenged that.
I called them out, so they have to accept. Faye follows me outside, shaking her head, but she stands with the crowd as I get into my car and turn it on. The lights hit the crowd as I rev my engine, and two seconds later, there are my new stepbrothers. Cyrus gets on his bike while the others watch.
Smirking, I look over my shoulder and reverse, spinning to face the road, and he pulls up next to me with his helmet in place. He lifts the visor as I drop my window down. “First to the end and back wins.”
“Wins what?” he demands, and his lips tip up in excitement. Mine mirror his as I rev the engine again.
Leaning out, I drag my hand up his thigh. “Whatever you want,” I flirt, and then leaning back in my car, I gun it.
I hear his bike rev as I laugh and he chases me. I speed up, taking the corner almost too fast as I change gears and hit the straight part. I glance in my rear-view mirror and see his bike right on my tail. He moves left, and I block him, but then he circles right, pulling up next to me. I blow him a kiss and then move ahead. His bike revs harder, and he manages to get past me as we turn the corner on the winding road, the lake sparkling next to us. Fuck. I speed up, almost hitting him, but he swerves and blocks me.
It continues like this through the next two turns with me trying to get past him, but he blocks until he has to turn to get back at the roundabout. I change to a lower gear and accelerate, not using the roundabout. No, I’m heading straight for the ramp that leads to the middle of it.
My heart slams and adrenaline surges through me, chasing away the memories. This is it, this is when I feel alive. I speed up and hit the ramp, flying over the other side of the roundabout. For a moment, I’m weightless, lifting from my seat, and then I crash down, spin, and race back around and up the road.
I glance back to see him trying to catch me. I change gears and speed up, almost taking off around the corner as I drift around the banked road. He’s on my tail the whole time, and just as we hit the straight stretch to the house, he manages to get next to me. We see the crowd waiting, and someone has a mic, cheering us on.
I gun it harder, and we pull through the gate at the same time. I slam on my breaks and do a donut, my tires squealing as I drop the clutch and stop, smoke billowing around me as I get out.
I hear the cheers and screams, but I ignore them. All that matters is him and the racing of my heart. I finally have someone who can keep up with me. He lifts the visor, wearing a smirk on his face. “That was a draw.”
“Guess we’ll have to have a rematch,” I murmur, just as the blonde rushes over with Bray and Asher, who smack him on the back. He doesn’t take his dark eyes off me, and I see respect glinting back at me from those depths.
“Guess we will,” he murmurs.
I look over at Faye and grin. “Let’s go, hottie. We’ve got places to be.” I glance at the blonde and wink, licking my lips. “You taste like cum and strawberries.” I get back in my car, flicking on my music and revving the engine as Faye slides in, and with them all watching...
I drive away.