Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 39421 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 197(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39421 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 197(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
I pressed my fingers to my lips, heart thundering. “That wasn’t a fluke.”
“Nope,” Kane said grimly. “It was a failed ambush.”
More cars pushed in, one after the next—testing, feinting, trying to crowd him out. But I saw it. I saw the pattern.
“His backup,” I whispered.
A familiar car clipped another that got too close to Jude. A second redirected the heat off him with a deliberate drift. The other teams had come through for us.
The next few laps were brutal.
Every time Jude tried to pull ahead, someone blocked him. One of our allies clipped another driver’s tail just long enough to open a gap, but it didn’t last.
Then one of Dez’s drivers broke through the line.
I saw it coming a split second before it happened—too fast to scream, too slow to stop. The other car slammed into Jude’s side with vicious intent, and his Charger spun.
My breath lodged in my throat.
The whole track seemed to tilt as his car whirled, tires screaming, smoke pluming from the pavement. I fisted my hands at my sides, heart pounding against my ribs like it was trying to escape.
Don’t crash. Please, don’t crash.
But Jude didn’t lose control. He never did.
With a move so fast it was almost invisible, he corrected the angle, straightened the frame, and hit the gas. The other driver was still recovering when Jude swung wide and plowed into his side with a punishing force.
The crowd roared as the car veered off track and crashed into the barricade.
Jude didn’t look back. He shot down the straightaway like a man possessed.
I didn’t breathe again until he crossed the finish line. In first place, just as we’d planned. Dez Franklin had fallen into our trap and was now royally screwed. I was thrilled, although a part of me still wanted to see him pay even more for what he’d done to my brother.
The owner’s box erupted in cheers behind me, but I barely registered them. All I wanted was to get to Jude.
I whirled toward the door and made it three steps before one of Mason’s club brothers and one of Jude’s blocked the way.
“Move,” I demanded.
“Can’t.” Blitz shook his head. “Racer said he’d break all our legs if we let you out.”
My jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”
“Dead,” Maverick replied. “Said he’d start with the knees.”
I gaped at them, but Kane didn’t even look up from his phone.
“Love you like a sister, Em, but I’m not taking a bullet for you,” he muttered. “After what he just pulled off, he’s earned the right to be a possessive asshole for five minutes.”
I huffed and crossed my arms.
“I can’t wait until it’s your turn,” I growled.
Kane finally looked up and rolled his eyes. “Don’t hold your breath while you wait.”
I started pacing again, frustration and adrenaline buzzing through every nerve. I wasn’t going to be calm until I saw Jude with my own eyes. Then I was going to kill him for scaring me like that. Right after I kissed the hell out of him.
The door slammed open so hard it bounced off the stopper. Jude stalked into the owner’s box, helmet in one hand, the other clenched at his side. He was still in full racing gear—sweat-slicked, flushed, and brimming with adrenaline-fueled fury and triumph.
I didn’t hesitate.
I launched across the room, running full tilt until I collided with him. His arms caught me mid-sprint, wrapping around my waist and lifting me clean off the ground. Then he spun me once with a sharp exhale, as though he needed proof that I was safe, even though I hadn’t been the one in danger.
My legs clung to his hips, my arms locked around his neck, and my face buried in his shoulder. For one perfect second, the world disappeared.
Then I yanked back just enough to glare at him.
“You’re not allowed to do that again,” I snapped, jabbing a finger against his chest. “My heart can’t take it.”
His smirk was maddening. “That your way of saying you love me?”
I tried to pout, but it crumpled the second I looked at him.
“Yeah,” I muttered, dropping my forehead to his. “I love you, you big jerk.”
“Big jerk?” he echoed, his grin widening.
“You totally turned every club brother against me,” I complained.
He quirked a brow. “Only because I know you so well. You never would’ve known if you hadn’t tried to leave the owner’s box—like I told you not to.”
“Whatever,” I mumbled, since I couldn’t argue with his logic.
Pressing his finger under my chin, he tilted my head up to meet his gaze. His smirk vanished, replaced by something raw and reverent. “I love you too, baby.”
Jude showed me how he felt every single day, but hearing those words from him settled something deep inside me. My heart felt full to bursting as his mouth found mine in a kiss that wasn’t soft or slow. It was everything that had built between us—weeks of tension, fear, wanting, and relief—all crashing into one moment.