Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 135792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Dex glanced at his nails and shrugged. “I’m a gentleman, I don’t interrupt if I don’t have to.”
Knox shook his head. “That’s fucked up.” Then again, it wasn’t like Dex would have seen much from the other side of the car.
They faced the uninvited guest⸺or, sponsor, as he’d called himself before⸺but Dex’s gaze wandered down Knox’s body, and he whistled.
“The mark of a pro.”
Knox glanced down to his soaked jeans. Fuck. It didn’t help that he was still hard and horny. But, at the end of the day, was he really embarrassed of giving head in front of Dex, a guy who had a shameless sex story for every occasion?
“You’d know.”
Dex grinned and pulled his neon green hat lower on his forehead. “This one time—”
“I do have to go,” Liv butted in, taking off his scarf.
Dex nodded. “Yeah, yeah, let’s go. Everyone else left while Knox played your flute,” he said, making a broad gesture at the empty space around their vehicle.
Liv shook his head and put the scarf around Knox’s neck, tying it into a knot at the front. “Gotta take care of a throat this golden,” he whispered, winking as if he wasn’t afraid of what was to come at all.
“Just… be careful,” Knox said, touching his fingers. But he knew there was no way to be careful and win. He could only hope that, despite the bravado that always drew him in like a moth to the flame, Liv would know when to stop.
Liv’s gaze settled on him, and he gave Knox the softest of kisses, barely touching his lips. “This is what I’m good at. Don’t worry. I’ll be back.”
And with that, Liv got into the car. He kissed the hot rod keychain Knox had given him so many years ago, and was off with a roar of the engine.
With his heart in his throat, Knox followed him on foot.
Chapter 37
Liv
The asphalt trembled with the buzz of several powerful engines, and Liv was already high on fumes of gas as he looked ahead, his attention focused on the task before him. Working at the compound for the past weeks had been a blessing. Every curve, every bump was etched in his memory. He’d driven the track many times, often at night, after work or early in the morning, all to make each movement automatic so he could dedicate his conscious thoughts to wild cards—the other drivers.
He’d seen some of them train for the competition, so he had a decent idea about their capabilities and was in fact convinced of being the most skilled of them. Blizzard was the exception, of course, but Liv had never faced him. While his near-celebrity status and reputation painted the picture of a tough opponent, this guy was only here for fun and clout. Liv was participating to save Knox. For their future. And he would not back down just because Blizzard was a racing whizz with more experience than him.
The one thing that did worry him was the slippery surface, because he’d only had a few days to practice dealing with it. But he’d promised Knox that he’d come back to him, and he would. Even if it cost him the winnings.
The electronic clock attached to a lamppost close to the starting line counted down the last minute before the start of the competition, and while he ought to focus on the road and plan his every move, his gaze drifted to the audience, searching for the familiar shades of green and blue. Knox was at the very front, with Frank standing behind him like a wall to stop others from pushing him forward. Shane, Ros, and Ezra were there too, and they all waved at him when Knox pointed at Liv’s car.
Good. Regardless of how things would go, this would be a terrifying ten minutes for Knox, and the fact that even Frank, who’d been so against Liv taking part in this competition, ended up coming made his heart swell.
It would be all right.
A blonde bombshell dressed in a tiny black dress and nothing else, stepped onto the asphalt with two flags in her hands. Each of her exhales released a cloud of vapor as she neared the middle of the track while the countdown reached its teens.
Nineteen seconds.
Eighteen.
Seventeen.
Taking a deep inhale, Liv met Knox’s gaze, and when he was certain his boyfriend could see him well, he patted his chest to remind him why he was doing this.
The old Liv might have raced for pride or to show off, but there were more important things in his life now. Things truly worth fighting for.
Knox’s features twitched, as if he were holding back emotion, but it was time to mentally retreat behind the wheel.
Tension settled over the cars like fog, but Liv paid them no mind. Not right now, when the starting position could change so fucking much about the result.