Chrome: With a Heart Forged in Steele (Carolina Bad #4) (12 page)

Racing Rayce

NEW YEAR’S DAY WAS a series of bad hangovers and big mistakes for a lot of the MC crew. Not me, though. I was one smug bastard. So what if Rayce hadn’t come home with me? I’d still gotten my kiss.

Even though hell-fucking-yeah I’d been looking forward to some New Year’s nookie, the slow burn was a good one.

Midmorning, January fifth, I busied myself in my office at Chrome and Steele. It was getting to be tax time, and that was always a fun job.

My iPhone gave its little chime. The screen lit up with a pic of Rayce.

Hey
. She texted.

I instantly perked up. I liked her initiating contact. Hell, she could chase me all over Mt. Pleasant if she wanted to, and I wouldn’t put up a fight.

Wanna see me in action?
She asked.

Insta-erection.

That was a no brainer.

I got up and shut my door with a loud bang. Didn’t need busybodies number one and two interfering with my dirty texting session.

You talkin’ about what I think you’re talkin’ about? Cuz the answer 2 that is always yes.
I hit reply.

LMFAO. Don’t think we’re talkin’ about the same thing.

Kicking back my chair, I rapidly typed:
I could show u me in action.

Sexting. Fuck yeah. Why not?

You’d get that thick long cock out for me and stroke it?

Slapping my palm down on the desk with a groan, I almost dropped the phone:
Yeah.

Ur making me hot.
She messaged.

Good.

I’m in the middle of Stone’s. Not good.

I grinned.

Ok. What kind of action u talking about?

****

I found out all about Rayce’s action the following Saturday. Motocross action, not sucking my cock fun times.

The day dawned crisp and cold and bright blue. A perfect early January day for a run out to Walterboro and the MX track. Both Sadie and Rayce were gearing up to qualify for a huge national event.

After feeding myself and Shitlock, in reverse order because he was way more needy than me, I pulled on the leathers, rolled my Black Shadow out of the garage, and gunned it hard down 17 South.

It only took thirty minutes of dodging around slow cars, monster trucks, and slipstreaming between mud-splattered pickups to land at the race track. I made record time on the black beast of my vintage bike, but the parking lot was already jam-packed with more hardcore trucks, mighty mudrunners, and a multitude of motorcycles.

I parked my ride, paid for my ticket, and walked into the MX Thunderdome of South Carolina. Dirt bikers got their exhibition on, popping wheelies, spinning out mud, streamlining over jumps no-handed.

This was one hell of a downhome event, and Rayce had told me qualifiers could eventually get to the Women’s National Motocross Championship.

I spotted big Kinkaid in the crowd, his white-blond hair nothing short of a beacon.

“What up?” I pumped his hand.

“Sadie’s on the track today, too.”

“I know. The same Sadie who handed you your ass last weekend?”

“We made up.”

“You mean you made out.” Out of the blue, Tail swaggered toward us with twin cherries—
no really
, identical twins—on his arms.

Suddenly Kinkaid and Sadie’s weird blow out on NYE made total sense. The dude had it bad for his best friend. No wonder he’d lost his usual cool and busted up the no-name Nomad biker’s face when he dared to lay a hand on his woman.

“So you fixed things with your girl?” I asked.

Kaid hit me with the kind of goofy grin that only someone completely in love could pull off without becoming the butt of jokes.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Settling next to him by the railing, I slanted my eyes his way. “You been to one of these things before?”

“Oh yeah. Sadie’s kind of a career biker.”

“And you’re her bitch cheerleader.” Brodie slid up on the other side of Kinkaid while Tail
entertained
his twin bombshells behind us.

“How the hell’d you know about this?” I craned around Kinkaid, glaring at Brodie.

“Dude. I got your phone tapped.”

“The fuck you do.”

“Remember. I’m sleeping with the po-lice?”

“Yeah? You better be sleeping with a shotgun under your pillow, dickbreath.”

“Easy, killer.” Brodie chuckled. “New Probie here told me. Thought we could make it a family outing.”

Aaaand
then the rest of the clowns arrived. Cole, Tuck, Handsome, Hunter.

“Ain’t nuthin’ on the DL at the MC. And since it’s
your
goddamn MC you oughtta be used to it by now, son.” Grandfather Retribution tucked
his arms across his barrel-belly.

Any smartass comeback I might’ve had got swallowed by the sudden high-pitched scream of two- and four-stroke engines.

“Damn. Looks like we got here just in time.” Tail’s breath turned to white fog in the cold winter air.

What it looked like was something out of my worst nightmares. Dozens and dozens of female motocross racers about to take to the dirt track that spread across a huge area surrounded by dense forest. Treacherous twists and turns. Bumps, jumps, hills. And Rayce would be in the middle of it.

Fuck. I did not like this. I still woke up—sweating, silently screaming—from night terrors about the car accident that had killed my parents.

Scanning the riders getting into formation at the starting gate, I finally spied Rayce. Number 94. She lifted her head in my direction with a little wave. Then she puckered up and blew me a kiss.

Despite the terror clutching my heart, I grinned.

“Look at you. Got your very own dirt bike sweetheart.” Tail punched my arm.

I was not disputing that fact.

Rayce straddled the trial bike in a white mesh, long-sleeved shirt that did nothing to conceal her filled-to-the-max sports bra. She covered up with a dark red chest plate to my sigh of relief. Added to her protective gear were thick nylon pants and riding boots buckled up the sides with steel-toed caps. She tucked her head inside the full-face helmet with a streamlined fin on the back.

Next to her stood Sadie, and they both worked the throttles, holding their demon bikes at bay as high-octane shrieks tore from their pipes.

“Care to make this more interesting?” After skinning back his long black hair, Tail aimed a finger at me.

“What’d you have in mind?” I asked.

“Rayce versus Sadie.”

“My money’s on Rayce.” No brainer.

“Hear that, Kinkaid?” Tail slapped him on the shoulder. “What do you say?”

He snorted. “My motto is never bet against the boss. But Sadie’s gonna trounce her.”

“Well, shit. I guess I better man up then. How much is the wager?” Tail pulled out his wallet, ticking off dollar bills.

“Not
how much
.” I had an evil idea brewing. “But
what
.”

“Well?”

“Loser has to ride a moped back to Charleston.”

Brodie hooted with laughter when he heard that one.

“You won’t get it here in time,” Tail challenged.

“Wanna bet? Again?” I immediately got on my phone. I had connections
alllll
the fuck
over the place.

The deal sealed, I turned back to the track just in time to hear the starting gun.

The next moments were terrifying. The gate opened. The racers ripped onto the track with an air-splitting wail of engines.

Dangerous.

High speeds.

Rayce’s motocross habit was gonna make me mental.

I gripped the railing in tight fists, leaning closer, keeping my gaze locked on her.

She sailed over the first jump and landed low and sweet.

Dirt flew from beneath her tires as she maneuvered around turn after hairpin turn.

Shouting from the crowd joined the banshee shriek of the bikes.

Fuck, Rayce was good.

That didn’t make me feel any better.

Easily in the lead with Sadie gaining ground, the two women distanced themselves from the pack.

I glanced at Kinkaid. He didn’t look nearly as freaked out as I felt.

Grinding my teeth together, I willed the race to be over.

Rayce’s cutting-edge bike whined as she took another jump, lofting so high in the air I wondered if she’d ever land again.

When she made impact with the track, her tires wobbled. My pulse took up a frantic beat.

On the next turn, she wiped out. A fountain of dirt fanned from the whizzing wheels, and the engine let out a high whine.

Rayce lay half on and half off the track, racers swerving around her.

“Holy shit!” I was ready to jump the fence to get to her.

It happened so goddamn fast, one minute she was spinning dirt, the next she was eating dust.

Kinkaid clamped down on my shoulder. “Hang on a sec.”

I wheeled on him. “Are you fucking kidding me? She just bit it out there. I’m not gonna—”

He released me and hooked his thumb over my shoulder. “Check it.”

Maybe ten seconds had elapsed . . . and Rayce was already up and back on her dirt bike, powering through it.

“Fuck.” I took several deep breaths as she hit the track again.

Brodie sidled over. “Shit, bro. You turned white there for a moment. Sure you wanna watch the rest of this?” he asked quietly.

He knew exactly what had me all shook up.

My fingers balled into fists. My voice strained. “Yeah. I’d rather watch than not know . . .”

I flinched as another biker got way too close to Rayce.

She’d lost four places while she’d been getting her ride upright and moving again. At that point I just wanted it to be over. Didn’t care if she won or not. Even if her losing meant I had to ride the freakin’ moped.

I wanted to know she was safe.

By the time she neared the end of the final lap, I was about ready to jump out of my own skin. She banked berms. She shot her leg out to take those hairpin turns. She swooped over the
whoops
bumps that made me wonder if that sports bra I’d spied earlier could hold her puppies in.

Rayce just had to outgun Sadie, and she was so fucking close.

At the last second Rayce hit an extra spurt of speed, bursting across the finish line like a motherfucking rockstar.

The entire crowd erupted, but no one was as loud as my crew and me.

I vaulted over the railing and sprinted down to the winner’s circle where she and Sadie hugged and laughed.

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her, too. Half of me wanted to shake some damn sense into her.
Yeah, sure
I rode a big bad motorcycle and I liked extreme speeds, but this? Her?

Wearing minimal protection against inevitable pile-ups. Scrapes, bruises . . . fucking racing like a bat out of hell?

I’d be happy to keep her in a padded room.

“You okay?” I asked when she and Sadie broke apart.

Taking her helmet from her, I looked her over from head to toe.

“Just a little crash.” She smirked.

Groan.

Her hair stood up like black and blue feathers from where she’d dragged her hands through it. Her cheeks flushed pink. Her hazel eyes glowed. Excitement rolled off her like tidal waves—and the undercurrents between us pulled me closer.

“You were hot out there.” I looped my arms around her.

“Yeah. Except for the part when I burned out.”

I didn’t want to be
the heavy
with her, but man, she was taking the burnout way too lightly for my liking. I stomped down the control freak in me and let her excitement carry me away.

“Gimme a kiss.” I tilted her face to mine.

Reaching up, Rayce twined her hands behind my neck.

Our lips met, and the heat was immediate. Arousal like an unexpected backdraft flared through me. Hauling her tighter against me, I coiled my tongue around hers. Stroking, licking, nibbling and sucking until the hungry kiss became too hot to handle.

With a deep groan, I jerked my head back. “Fucking hell, Rayce.”

Her forehead rested against my chin, her warm breaths heating my skin. “I don’t know how you do that to me.”

“Feeling’s mutual.” A solid iron-hard bar in my pants, my cock thumped with each of my heartbeats.

“Break it up, break it up, kids!” Brodie and the other goons arrived on the scene.

More madness ensued as the guys congratulated both Rayce and Sadie.