Twelve
Jarrett
“Yeah, Dad, I’ll be heading for the track tomorrow. What time do you think you’ll be rolling in?” My dad is meticulous with race weekend schedules. If you’re under Marcus Dean’s regime, even if you’re his only son and number one driver, you shut the hell up and respond yes sir. “All right, I’ll see you in Atlanta tomorrow evening.”
I’m relieved he doesn’t want me there earlier, as I’ve got plans to take Gin out tonight on a date. The presumptuous side of me even went so far as to get a hotel room. If that’s where this night leads us, I want to be somewhere we can stay naked until the bellboy kicks us out.
I check my watch then head to get my bike out of the big garage. I check the side bag, and everything I need for the night is in there. I fire up the engine, and just like every time I’m sitting on a fast motor, I let the vibrations run through me and know that life is good. Georgia is a helmet state, so I put mine on and try to look at the bright side of wearing the skull bucket. At least I’ll be able to talk to Gin while we ride.
I pull up to Sway’s, and before I even get the engine turned off, she’s bustin’ ass out of the salon.
“You’re taking me out on the Harley?” Excitement fills her words as I swing my leg over the seat, anxious to get her ready.
Sway is out the front door faster than I can grab her things. “Holy mother of chrome.” He fans his face. “Can Sway have a ride?”
“No!” Gin snaps, making his jaw flop open. “Stay away from my date. He’s mine.”
I know she’s just horsing around with him, but hearing her call me that has my adrenaline running on full steam. I pull out the leather jacket and chaps I bought earlier, and her hazel eyes flare.
“What the hell is that?” she asks.
I smirk, knowing my expression is laced with filth. “You need to protect that body.”
“What the…” She looks as though she wants to argue but has no idea what to say. “Are we going on a long trip?”
“If you’re on the back of my bike, you’re under my protection,” is all I give her as I hold the chaps out for her to step into. I’m shocked when she steps into them without argument.
“I think Georgia is having a heat wave. Sway needs to go cool off.” He heads back into the salon as I finish hooking the belt for her.
I use the second we have alone to give her a proper hello and kiss her softly. “Hey, Gin.”
“Hey, Juice.” After I help her into her jacket, she quickly braids her long dark hair and tucks it in before zipping it.
“Jarrett fucking Dean, is that you?” Nate Reid stops in front of Corps Security and detours our way. “Wasn’t sure if I would see you before the weekend. Thanks for the tickets, man. We’re all looking forward to the race.”
“No problem. Glad the entire crew can make it.” I give him a fist bump then look at my girl. “Nate Reid, I’d like you to meet my girl, Gineva Derosa.”
“Speedy Gonzales!” is belted from where Nate just came, then Greg Cage hollers back through the open door. “Everybody get your ass out here. Jarrett’s out front.” He summons everyone from the security office, and even though I’m anxious to get going, I’m excited to say hey to the guys.
Beck comes out right behind him. “How come I find out from the local PD that you’re in town before you stop by to say hi?” His son, Liam, must have told him about our roadside showdown.
“Sorry, man, I meant to stop by and see you guys but I’ve been a little—”
“Distracted?” Beck looks at Gin in her full leather get-up then back at me with a knowing smirk.
“Have we met before?” Nate studies Gin for longer than necessary, raking his eyes up and down her as though she’s a science project.
“Eyes off, motherfucker.”
Gin lets out a little squeak beside me. Her cheeks burning bright and chin tucked a little, almost hiding her amusement.
Nate laughs. “Damn, loverboy.”
The other men also laugh at my expense. “Let the poor puppy go. He’s pulling at his leash.”
“Very funny.” But true. “It really was nice to see you assholes, but as you can see, I’ve got more pressing matters at hand.” I give them all a chin lift and ignore the raised eyebrows and shit-eatin’ grins. I put Gin’s helmet on her head, her cheeks still bright pink. “I’ll see you guys after the race Saturday.”
I got them all VIP tickets for the private suite this time, so they could bring their families. The boys never miss a race when I’m in Atlanta, and I’m not only grateful to have my cousin there to watch, but the extended family he has brought me into as well.
I get on my bike and pull the kickstand before Gin hops on right behind me. I turn on the Bluetooth and test out the system. “If you can hear me, baby, hold on tight. We’re ready to go.”
She wraps her body around mine, and we pull out of the lot with a blaring roar. “Juice.” Her hands lock together at my ribs, and I’m momentarily thrown back to the memory of us sledding as teenagers. The day I realized that my love for her was so much more than just friendship. Her laughter hits my ears and fills my heart with everything that’s been missing for the last nine years.
I can’t keep letting my mind go back there. To that night when we had everything for a short time. It’s too painful and it’s unchangeable. I need to put my focus forward and figure out how we can try to make something between us work. Because after just the little bit of time we’ve had together, even when we’re fighting, I can’t imagine ever spending another day without her.
I take her on a long ride through the hills and follow the lake line. The view is breathtaking, and I could totally see myself settling down here. Not just for the view and the serenity of the small town, but for the people who come with the package.
I slow down and turn onto the dirt trail that Caleb and I run when I’m here. I find the perfect spot down by the water to park my bike and help her off. No sooner do we remove our helmets than my lips are on hers. Her warm mouth accepts my seeking tongue in a kiss I’ve been thinking about since that last time I touched her. Her palms run up and down the sides of my beard, and it both comforts me and turns my dick to granite. I force myself to pull away and remind myself that I’m not going to have our first time back together be on the hard ground. Despite the fact that both of our bodies are primed and ready, I want to spend a few hours with my friend before I spend the night with my lover.
I grab the “date kit,” as Honor called it, out of my saddle bags and spread the blanket out by the water. By the time I have everything set up, Gin is out of all the leather I put her in and pulling the braid from her long dark hair.
I groan at the loss of her in the chaps. “You took the leather off?”
“It’s, like, a hundred degrees outside, you perv.” Her hazel eyes dance with humor. “I’ll leave it on sometime in February.”
I know she’s just making a weather reference, but the thought of still seeing her in six months has my chest tightening. I guide her to the blanket and pull out the food.
“I’m impressed. This is like a dream date.” She grabs all the perfectly prepped containers and sees Honor’s Kitchen stamped on the plastic and the logo stickers that hold the sandwich wrap together. Excitement fills the air when she realizes where the food came from. “You got all this from Honor’s?”
“You don’t think less of me for not making it myself?” I pull out the two bottles of Mtn Dew. “Though I did pack our beverage of choice.”
“I can’t believe you still drink that! Does it still make you bounce off the walls?” She’s completely taken over unpacking all the food. “Cookies! Oh, sweet Jesus, no… I’m not upset you didn’t make this yourself. I would have been upset if you did.” She takes a bite of the chocolate chip confection and moans shamelessly.
I’ve never been jealous of a cookie before. Suppose there’s a first time for everything. I snatch it away and set it back down.
“Hey!”
“You’re such a kid. That’s dessert.”
“Oh… I thought you were dessert.” She levels me with a seductive stare and fights back a laugh.
“You’re shameless to use seduction to get a cookie, baby.” I scoot in closer, wrap my leg behind her, and offer up the cookie. “You want the cookie. I want to talk. Let’s make a deal. Every question you answer will earn a bite.”
The wind softly blows her dark hair across her face, and I tuck the strands behind her ear then kiss her nose.
“Deal.” She tries to sneak a bite right from my hand, but I’m quicker.
I need every bit of information I can get from her. We have so much to catch up on. “Are you still living in Ohio?”
“Yes.” She eyes the cookie. “Where’s my bite?”
“That’s a shit answer. Elaborate or you aren’t getting any.”
Her eyes flare and her full pink lips purse in disappointment. “Fine.” She sighs dramatically. “I live in an apartment not far from Lu. Mom and Dad have become snow birds, so they’re only home during the warm months. Still in the same house I grew up in.” She opens her mouth wide in a dramatic fashion and I lean in for a kiss. “Hell no, Juice. I want a bite of that cookie.”
“But—”
“You can get a kiss when you answer my questions, since I have no food to bribe you with.”
“Deal,” flies from my mouth faster than I thought possible.
I break off the tiniest corner and place it on her tongue. Her soft lips lock down around my fingers as she sucks more than just the cookie. The blood is leaving my brain and heading south quickly.
“Fight fair,” I whisper.
She shakes her head. “That was the smallest bite in the history of time. I had to get every bit.” Her cheeks flush pink. “Where do you call home now?”
“Las Vegas. Dad and I moved there a while back. He actually remarried and is happier than ever.”
“What about you? Are you happy there?”
“I like it there.” I lean in for my kiss, and she pulls back. “Racing is my lifeline, it’s what I live for, but there’s always been something missing from my life.” I drive my fingers into her hair and let the touch of our lips finish my thought. My pulse hammers in my head as fire ignites my veins.
“What’s that?” Her lips never leave mine.
“My best friend.”
I lay her back on the blanket and get lost in her taste, the sweetness on her tongue, and the warmth of her body against mine. I somehow find the strength to stop the kiss, knowing I don’t want things to go too fast. We lay nose to nose.
“You haven’t had any serious relationships?” she asks.
“Serious? No. I’ve had a couple of girlfriends over the years, but nothing I would call serious. I’ve always drowned myself in the track. Speed has been my only love since I left Ohio.” I let the declaration settle between us. “I figured if the perfect girl was out there and fell into my lap, I would know.”
“You think it’s that simple?”
“Absolutely.”
We spend the next hour eating and catching up. She fills me in on the way her travel schedule works and how her job takes her all over the country, though it sounds as though she’s able to have her home base just about anywhere. I let the idea settle in my gut that if we can somehow get back on track, we could actually have a shot at a real relationship. My mind is in complete fast forward, knowing that the foundation of us is there. I feel it as strongly as I did all those years ago. This girl was made for me, and I pray I can prove to her that I was made for her too.