Lennox (14 page)

“No one’s home right now,” Elena whispers. The
huskiness in her tone is driving me wild. God, I love turning her on.
“If you . . . if you wanted to . . .”

“You’re sure it’s all right?” I ask. “I
don’t want to get you in trouble.”

She laughs throatily. “Oh, Lennox, you’re nothing but
trouble. But yes. I’m sure.” And then she closes her hand
around the outline of my erection. I groan, desperate. “I want
you. All of you.”

“I want you, too.”

We scramble out of the car. Elena wraps her fingers around my wrist
and leads me through the shadows of her hillside neighborhood,
glancing over her shoulder at me from time to time with a sly grin.
Her uncle’s house must have been a nice homestead for a
Ridgecrest miner once upon a time, but it’s in disrepair now,
the front porch posts leaning dangerously to one side and the white
clapboard flaking. Elena’s face gleams in the moonlight as she
beckons for me to wait at the bottom of the porch steps.

I don’t mind waiting. Gives me a better view of that perky ass
of hers as she bounces up the stairs.

“Okay. We’re clear.”

I follow her through the front door. The sight of Drazic’s
living room hits me with the full force of a thousand memories. Some
of the furniture’s been changed out, or moved around, but I
still recognize the painting over the fireplace, the same crappy TV
Drazic refused to upgrade . . . and then, in the
kitchen, the rickety wooden kitchen table. How many times did I have
to stop myself from fantasizing about Elena sitting on that table,
wrapping her legs around my waist? And now it’s happening for
real.

“Imagine.” I wrap my arms around her from behind and
nestle my mouth against her ear. “I could take you right here.
Bend you over and feel that tight, hot pussy of yours—”

“Oh, my god.” She laughs and squirms against me. “Please.
I
eat
here.”

I laugh and nip at her neck. “Maybe next time, then.”

The stairs groan underfoot as I follow her to the second floor. Her
bedroom has changed—fewer boy band posters and silly high
school snapshots—but it’s still fundamentally her:
diagrams of engines, stacks of books, and an unassuming bed. I catch
sight of a framed photograph of her and Nash turned away from the
bed, and jealousy flashes through me. But Nash had his chance with
her. He let her walk away, and into my arms. She chose me. I smile.
Elena Drazic
chose
me.

She grabs me by the belt again and tugs me toward the bed.

I kneel down before her, kissing her on the soft ridges of her throat
and collarbone, savoring the contented sighs she makes. I don’t
waste my time slipping my hands under her dress this time. She’s
so soft and wet for me, and it only makes my erection throb more
painfully. I tease her open and guide my finger around her clit in an
easy, slow circle, until she bites down hard on my lip and groans.

“Shit.” I shiver from her bite and lean back. “You
drive me fucking crazy.”

“Good.” She grins and runs her hand against the length of
my shaft through my jeans.

I lock my eyes on hers and stand up, then slowly, agonizingly
unfasten my belt and the front of my jeans. I grab hold of her right
hand and, asking permission with a raised eyebrow, curl her fingers
around my cock. It’s straining at the front of my boxer briefs,
and as soon as her hand closes around it, a shudder wracks through
me. She grins darkly and strokes me, firmer now, driving me wild. I
have to be inside of her. I’m afraid I’ll lose control
otherwise.

“Undress for me,” I growl. “Let me get a good look
at you this time.”

Elena nods, her dark eyes wide, and stands up. She shimmies her dress
up over those perfect hips, that narrow waist, those sumptuous
breasts. I step toward her and cup her breasts in my hands, caressing
them, before reaching around her to unfasten her bra. We kiss again,
lips tangling together, until I can’t stand it any longer. I
shrug out of my shirt and jeans and stagger backward onto the bed.

“Mm, now this is more how I pictured it.” Elena slides
out of her panties, completely naked and flawless before me, then
drapes her arms around my shoulders. “Lennox Solt, helpless
beneath me . . .”

“Yeah, you tend to have that effect on me.”

She grins and straddles my lap. I suck in my breath. We’re so
close, so torturously close. I pull her in for another kiss, then
look her square in the eye.

“Do you want this?” I ask. “Because I do. I’m
completely yours.”

Elena smiles wide. “I want this. Always. I’ve
been
wanting this.”

I grip her hip in one hand, and with the other, guide myself into
her.

Oh, my fucking god, she feels like a velvet fist clenching me tight.
I lean back on the bed with a grunt as I thrust fully into her. She
cries out in return, then lifts herself up before sinking back down
onto me. “
Fuck
,” I whisper. She’s so
incredible, on top of me, breasts bouncing as I thrust into her once
more.

Her cries grow steadily as I grind my hips up to meet hers. Pressure
is building inside me, and I’m about ready to explode. It’s
too intense. All my fantasies colliding into this one moment, all my
dreams, and now it’s reality. Elena Drazic is mine.

I slip one hand between us and massage her clit. I want her to share
this with me. I want to hear that gorgeous gasp for breath of hers as
she comes. “Oh, shit,” she cries out. Her nails rake
across my chest, a badge of honor I’ll gladly wear. “Oh,
shit, Lennox. I’m gonna come—”

I buck up to meet her as she throbs and tenses wildly around me, and
let go. Release into her, all heat and blinding white light washing
over me. All I can see is the angel perched on top of me. “Elena,”
I whisper. “Elena.” It takes seemingly forever for the
room to stop spinning, for the eruption within me to subside.

She sinks down beside me, gasping for breath, same as me. I twist my
head toward her and run one finger down the side of my face. I can’t
stop grinning. She laughs, and it’s so infectious. I want to
laugh and laugh, too.

“I’m sorry about before,” I tell her, then plant
another kiss on the tip of her nose. I feel like a real asshole,
letting my stubbornness and my convictions get in the way. I want to
make Elena happy—nothing else matters.

“As long as you want me, then we can make everything else
work.” Her eyelashes flutter against her cheeks.

I kiss her eyelids. She’s so perfect—I couldn’t
bear it if I hurt her in any way. But she’s right, of course.
I’ll find a way to get out from under the McManuses’
thumbs. To make amends with Drazic’s crew. “I do want
you. And I’ll do whatever it takes to deserve you. To keep you
safe.”

She snuggles against me, spent and content. “Don’t worry.
I know you will.”

I hope she’s right.

Elena

I wake up tangled in Lennox’s arms, lean and strong, holding me
firmly against him. Warm memories of last night flutter against my
skin as I settle into his embrace. I’m sore in all the right
places. His skin presses so warm against mine, and I wonder if it
would be so bad to just stay like this all day.

Well, okay. Maybe not
quite
like this. But stay in bed with
him all day? Definitely.

Lennox’s soft, boyish dark lashes flutter open. We lock eyes
with each other and a smile spreads across his face. “Well,
hello, gorgeous,” he murmurs, his voice thick with sleep.

“Hello, handsome.” I nestle deeper into his arms and kiss
his cheek.

“Mm.” His grin widens. “I’m not making you
late for work, am I?”

“Please. I’m always the first into the shop. They can
live without me for once.”

“Good.” He trails one fingertip against my cheek. “In
that case, I was thinking . . . how about we grab
breakfast over at Peg’s diner? And then we can head out to the
raceway and work on your circuit racing technique. If you’re
still interested in learning the moves.”

I run my hand down the length of his abdomen, savoring each firm
ridge as I go. “I dunno . . . I was thinking
about learning a few other moves with you . . .”

The sound of Uncle D’s heavy front door slamming startles us
both. Lennox freezes; I lean back, pulling myself out of his arms.
Then I immediately feel ashamed. I shouldn’t be afraid who sees
me with Lennox. I shouldn’t care. But I know that if Uncle D
were to walk in on us right now, there’d be hell to pay.

“Elena?”

No. It’s even worse. That’s Nash’s voice calling
for me.

“Elena? I know you’re home!”

Shit! I scramble out of bed and start digging around for my clothes,
and Lennox crawls out of the other side of bed to do the same.
There’s my panties and my bra . . . but I can’t
put my dress back on . . . I toss it into the laundry
basket and tear the first T-shirt out of my drawers that I can find.
Ridgecrest High School. Great. It squashes my boobs up against my
throat, it’s so tight, but I have no other choice.

“Just a minute!” I shout, and look toward Lennox.

Nash’s footsteps pound up the staircase. Lennox grabs his
T-shirt—he’s managed to pull his jeans on, at least—and
dives under my bed, the dust ruffle mostly concealing him. I kick his
sneakers under the bed with him right as Nash pounds on my bedroom
door.

I plant one hand on my hip and crack the door open. “
What?
”

Nash stands before me, the picture of contrition: he’s
clutching a bouquet of carnations in all colors, and his head is cast
downward. My stomach sinks. Oh, no. He thinks we’re getting
back together. No.

“Listen, Elena . . .” He glances up at me
and runs a nervous hand through his blonde hair. “I know I’ve
been a wreck lately. And I haven’t been fair to you about it,
either.”

“Nash, I understand . . .” I swallow,
hard. I can’t imagine what Lennox is thinking about all this.
God, I just want Nash to go away. But I at least owe him the courtesy
of hearing him out.

“No. You shouldn’t have to.” He sighs. “You
were just trying to protect me—because you care. I couldn’t
see it at the time, but I see it now.”

I stagger backward and sink onto the edge of my bed. The mattress
sags enough that I can feel the hard lump of Lennox beneath me. Oh,
god, this is so awkward. I want Nash to be happy, and I genuinely
appreciate him apologizing to me, but it’s not exactly the sort
of thing I want Lennox to overhear. And if Nash knew that Lennox, of
all people, were listening in—if he knew what we’d just
done—

“I didn’t want you to do anything to hurt yourself, or
anyone else,” I tell Nash. “And I really don’t
think you’ve been fair to Lennox through all of this, either.”
Finally. I’m standing up for myself and what I believe in, and
it feels fucking wonderful. Lennox deserves this. And I deserve it,
too.

Nash works his jaw. “El . . .”

“No, Nash, listen to me. Lennox was like your brother, too.”

“Don’t fucking say that,” Nash says. His fist
tightens around the bouquet.

“And come on. It isn’t like the rest of you haven’t
screwed up before.” I shake my head. “Aren’t still
screwing up.”

Because I know exactly what they were doing last night while I was
off with Lennox, the supposed bad boy. My uncle and his friends were
stealing spare car parts. Cherrypicking the best of the best from
parking garages and wealthy neighborhoods downstate. No one wants to
acknowledge it, but we all know it’s true. They think they can
protect me. But I can take care of myself.

Nash forces his fists down to his sides and takes a deep breath, like
he’s swallowing down his rage. Well, that’s an
improvement, at least. “That’s not my point, El. This
isn’t about—Lennox.” He practically spits the name.

“Fine. Then what is it about?”

“I just . . . wanted to apologize.” He
holds out the flowers to me. “I was unfair to you, and I want
to set things right.”

I look at the flowers, tears welling up in my eyes. I missed Nash,
but the way I might miss a jacket during the first cold of autumn. We
were never the fairy tale I’d imagined. I was always a trophy
he’d won, and he was an obsession for me to throw myself into
after part of my family was ripped away.

“I miss you,” Nash says, his tone pinched. “I want
to make it up to you.” He cocks a shy smile. “Can we do
that?”

Uncertainty presses against my chest. I’m afraid to say no—I
don’t want to set him of all over again. But I really can’t
say yes. Even if the crew, my family, never approves of Lennox
again—I want to make things work with him. I’d leave them
behind, if it meant we could build our life together. Eventually.

I’m just not sure I’m ready for that yet.

“Let’s take it one day at a time,” I say. Enough
time to figure out whether Lennox can ever, in their eyes, be
redeemed. And if not—forget them.

Nash’s lip curls up, and for a moment, I’m terrified I’ve
set him off anyway. But then he draws his shoulders back and gives me
a stiff nod. “Yeah. Okay,” he says. “That’s
fair.” He sets the flowers on top of my dresser. “I’ll
see you at the circuit downstate tomorrow night?”

“I’ll be there.”

“Cool.” He smiles and stuffs his hands in his pockets.
“Cool.”

As soon as he shuts the door behind him, I exhale with relief. If
he’d seen Lennox under the bed, or was even a little more
observant about my messed-up hair or the hickey surely forming on my
neck . . . But we’re safe. For now, at least.

I press in the lock on my bedroom door, just in case Uncle D or
anyone else comes by, and sink down to the floor, lying next to the
bed. My skin feels prickly with shame. I really didn’t want
Lennox to get drawn into my drama with Nash. I wish I’d had the
courage to tell Nash off right then and there. But he has to
understand the situation. He said himself how much he hates that he’s
putting me in this position—choosing between him and my family.