Rival

  When my mother didn’t budge, Jax held his phone out in front of her.

  “You do not want this video leaving this table. Did you know that the state can press charges even if I don’t?”

  Her lips pursed in anger, and she looked from side to side as if there was a way out somewhere. But she knew better. She picked up the pen and signed where the tabs indicated.

  “And here.” Jax turned the page, pointing.

  “And here,” he said, flipping another page.

  In all of two seconds, he’d snatched the pen back, folded the paperwork, and stood up.

  He looked to Jason. “The check?”

  I looked at Jason and almost laughed when he actually shook his head for about a second as if to figure out if that had really just happened.

  Taking an envelope out of the inside of his jacket, he handed it to Jax.

  Jax handed what I would assume was her settlement money to my mom and smiled his bright, white smile. “Congrats. You’re divorced.” And looking back at Jason. “Now, the house?”

  Jason tossed him more papers to which Jax threw the folded bit across the table to us.

  “Homeowners.” He nodded. “Is everyone happy?”

  Madoc and I opened up the packet, and I covered my mouth with my hand, seeing that it was the deed to the house.

  In our names.

  “Jax,” I barely whispered, my throat too tight.

  “What about the video?” My mother was more scared than I’d ever seen her. She was practically shaking as she looked up at him.

  He leaned down into her face, speaking to her like she was a child. “Your only concern right now is never pissing me off again. You behave, and so will I.”

  He took the payoff check off the table, shoved it into her chest, and stood up. “Leave.”

  Clutching the envelope, she didn’t even look back at me as she walked out of the ballroom. I felt Madoc squeeze my left hand, and my father took my right.

  My husband.

  My home.

  And I looked around the table . . . my family.

  My chest shook with silent hysterical laughter.

  “This is so surreal.” Jason wiped his hand over his face as the waiters started clearing the bowls. “I’m not sure how I should feel about all of this,” he mumbled as he stood back up and held out his hand. “Jaxon, thank you. I don’t know what to . . .”

  Jax swung and clocked Madoc’s dad right across the jaw, sending him reeling to the ground as everyone straightened in their chair and Katherine yelped.

  Silverware clattered and all conversation in the room stopped. Everyone that hadn’t realized what was happening at our table saw us now.

  Jason lay on his back, head up off the ground and holding his jaw.

  “Jaxon!” Katherine screeched, jumping out of her chair along with Jared and Madoc.

  Jax stood by her side, looking down on Madoc’s dad. “You should’ve married her years ago,” he scolded.

  He gave Katherine a peck on the cheek and turned, walking away.

  Jared, Tate, Madoc, and I took no time leaving the table and running after him. Katherine was getting Jason seated back at the table, and the room was still filled with broken conversation.

  “Jax, stop!” Jared yelled.

  He pulled to a stop in the foyer, turning around to face us. But I wasn’t going to let Jared yell at him.

  “Jax, thank you.” I stepped in. “You shouldn’t have put yourself in that situation for us.” I held the deed with both hands to my chest.

  “Don’t sweat it.” He stuck his hands in his pockets, looking very much like the boy I knew and not the threatening presence he had proven himself to be.

  I shook my head, tears welling. “I would never want you to . . .”

  “It’s fine, Fallon,” he cut me off. “You’re happy, Katherine is happy, and that makes me happy.” He took a deep breath and slapped Madoc on the arm. “See you tomorrow night for the race.”

  I saw him jerk his chin at Jared, and he and Tate followed Jax out of the room.

  Madoc wrapped his big arms around me, and I looked up him through blurry eyes.

  “We’re free,” I whispered.

  He took my ass in his hands and lifted me off the ground, slipping his tongue past my lips and kissing me so hard that I had to hold on to his neck.

  “No one stops us,” he breathed huskily into my mouth.

  No one.

  A throat cleared, and I snapped my eyes open as Madoc set me back on the ground.

  My father stood there, probably wishing he hadn’t just seen that.

  “I’m heading out,” he told me.

  Madoc let me go and cleared his throat. “I’ll go check on my dad.”

  I smiled to myself and watched him walk away, giving my father and me some space.

  I took my father in a hug, instantly cozy and reveling in the smell of leather and Ralph Lauren.

  “I’m going to Shelburne Falls for the weekend, but I’ll be back Monday. Will you be in Chicago?”

  “Yes,” he answered. “I’ll call you for lunch. Both of you,” he added.

  I gave him a grateful smile as he started to walk away but then stopped. “Fallon?” He turned back around. “Who is that kid exactly?” He gestured to Jax talking to Jared and Tate just outside the doors.

  “Jaxon Trent. He’s Madoc’s friend.”

  “What do you know about him?” he asked, still watching Jax.

  Not much, unfortunately.

  “Um, well, he lives with his half brother’s mother. Dad’s in jail, and his real mom split a long time ago. He’s in his last year of high school. Why?”

  He spoke low as if thinking out loud. “He’s a very impressive young man.”

  CHAPTER 33

  MADOC

  “So what is the Loop exactly?” Fallon pulled her baseball cap down over her eyes and lay her head back on the headrest.

  “Tate didn’t tell you?”

  “I know it’s a race,” she yawned. “But is it a real track or what?”

  “You didn’t have to come tonight. I know you’re beat.” I leaned over and rubbed her leg.

  “I’m okay.” She tried to sound peppy, even with her eyes closed.

  She certainly hadn’t had it easy this week. Aside from the nonstop fun last night of dealing with her mother, her father, and then Jax showing up, she’d gotten married this week and between studying and me keeping her up half the night, her body was crashing. Hard.

  We hadn’t gotten to bed until three this morning, and then we woke up early to look at an apartment before driving back to Shelburne Falls. When we got here, we started reorganizing my bedroom to make space for her and her things here.

  Even though we liked Chicago, we loved it here more. This is where we’d raise our kids.

  Not that I’d talked to her about that yet, but she was getting knocked up as soon as college was over.

  She’d agree, of course. No one could say no to me.

  “We’re here,” I announced, pulling to the end of the driveway that came up on the Loop. The rounded-square track split to the left and right ahead of us, and I turned off to the right, pulling off the side and backing into a space in the grass.

  My blood rushed through my body like running rapids, filling me with energy so fast I felt high.

  Damn, it felt good to be back here.

  I wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but I was a little apprehensive about the new crop of drivers coming in this school year. While college kids like Jared, Tate, and I came back once in a while, this was mostly a high school scene.

  But getting out of the car, I already saw at least ten people I knew, so I was home. Jared and Tate were already in place up on the track and had a crowd of people around them, including K.C., who must’ve come back from her school in Arizona for the weekend.

  Looking around, I also spotted her boyfriend, Liam, and some of Jared’s and my friends that had stayed close to home as well this year.

/>   Jax hung back, sitting on the hood of his car with his headphones on and staring into the crowd. He never raced. Although he came to the events, I got the impression that it bored him, even though I suggested that actually racing was a hell of a lot more fun than watching. He said he was working on something new for the Loop, but he wouldn’t tell us what. Knowing him, I was afraid to ask.

  Fallon climbed out of my GTO, and I took her hand, pulling her up onto the track. We made our way through the thick crowd, ignoring calls and congratulations on our marriage. I knew they were all laughing behind my back.

  Madoc got married? Yeah, right.

  I took a page from my father. Don’t give them attention, and they won’t give us attention. Only those close to Fallon and me understood, and we were not explaining ourselves to others. I’m sure most of them thought I’d gotten her pregnant.

  “Hey, man,” I greeted Jared, who turned away from Sam, grinning. He had Disturbed’s “Inside the Fire” blasting out of his car stereo, and it felt like old times.

  Fallon went and talked to Tate, who stood leaning against her car, talking to K.C.

  “You’re smiling,” I observed flatly, eyeing Jared. “That’s weird.”

  He stuck his hands into the front pocket of his black hoodie and shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I be smiling? Even if I lose—which is a huge if—Tate will stop with her antics, and I can stop sleeping alone. It’s her birthday tomorrow and our anniversary. I’ve got plans.”

  I laughed to myself, shaking my head. “I really wanted to see you ballroom dance.” I narrowed my eyes, thinking. “In fact . . .”

  I twisted my head to see Tate, Fallon, and K.C. chatting. “Tate!” I called. “Come here.”

  She shot me an annoyed look and walked over, followed by the other two.

  “I’m riding shotgun,” I told her.

  “Whyyyy?” she drawled out.

  “Just in case you need advice. I want you to win.”

  I grinned at Jared, seeing his quirked eyebrow.

  “I have raced before,” Tate said as if I thought she was inexperienced. Her hair danced in the light wind and kept blowing into her face.

  I wrapped my arm around Fallon’s waist and brought her into my side. “You haven’t raced Jared,” I pointed out to Tate. “I’m coming with you. That’s the end of it. Will you come?” I looked to Fallon.

  “Oh, no.” Jared jumped in. “You take my chick, I’m taking yours.” He hooked the collar of Fallon’s T-shirt and pulled her over to his side. “But not for help. She’s a hostage.”

  “No way!” Fallon burst out. “Like I want to be killed or seriously injured in an illegal racing ring, protected by shady law enforcement and a crowd of drunk teenagers.”

  “Yeah.” I brushed it off. “She’d be scared.”

  Her green eyes stung like bullets. “Bite me,” she barked, folding her arms over her chest. “You’re going down.”

  “Fallon!” Tate fumed. “You’re my friend!”

  “No worries.” I looked down at Tate and took out my iPod from my coat pocket. “We’ve got MC Hammer,” I bragged to Jared and Fallon, motioning between Tate and me. “You can’t touch this.”

  Tate immediately lost it. She doubled over, holding her stomach and laughing her ass off at my play on MC Hammer’s song. “You are not putting that shit in my stereo!” she choked out through her laughter.

  “Oh, yeah,” I threatened.

  But just then, we all straightened up. Zack the Racemaster came up between the two racers—or teams—and cleared his throat.

  Putting his hands around his mouth to form a circle, he bellowed into the night air, “Let. The. Games. Begin!”

  Fallon and I smiled at each other.

  And let them never end.

  • • •

  A crack of thunder exploded through the midnight sky, and I opened my eyes as it bellowed over the house. As it slowly traveled away, I blinked against the flashes of lightning coming through the window.

  Flipping my head to the side, I saw Fallon still sleeping peacefully in her green T-shirt and panties. She’d kicked her side of the blankets off, and that was one thing I’d noticed we had in common. We both overheated when we slept.

  There were lots of quirks about her that I’d found out, and I hoped mine didn’t annoy her too much.

  Her neck glowed with a thin layer of sweat, and her lips opened and closed barely enough to even notice. A slice of her stomach peeked out, and her innocent face looked absolutely beautiful.

  Just looking at her, I felt myself harden with want. We’d already attacked each other after the race. In fact, Jared and Tate and Fallon and I all came straight here after the race, skipping the bonfire altogether. They went to their room, and we came to ours.

  She’d slug me if I woke her up for sex, though. Not that I would. She was exhausted.

  Taking a deep breath, I threw off my blankets and got out of bed, pulling on my pajama pants and leaving as quickly as possible. The harder I got, the more I didn’t want to be honorable.

  So I left.

  I went down to the basement, rubbing my thumb across my fingers the entire way. It’d been months since I played, and I felt the hum in my hands. The cool keys under my fingertips.

  Playing wasn’t an obsession or something that I needed to do. I just appreciated having the skill to play, though. Everyone should have a way of expressing themselves, letting the stress out—even if it was just sexual frustration for me right now.

  Pulling out the bench, I sat down at my family’s completely restored 1921 Steinway grand piano and sifted through the music, picking a Dvorˇák piece.

  Placing my fingers on the keys, I started playing the same notes I’d been practicing off and on for years. I didn’t change up my music a lot, preferring to master a piece before I moved on to something else, but as I got more comfortable with the music, I’d find myself adding my own flavor. Speeding up, slowing down, softer, harder . . . A single composition can have so many meanings depending on the person playing.

  I liked the freedom to explore and take risks.

  The same could be said for Fallon’s skateboarding. She enjoyed it but only so much as she was left alone to own it.

  Cool skin touched my bare shoulders, and I straightened, taking my hands off the keys.

  “Addie said you came down here to play at night.” Fallon set her chin on top of my head. “Why don’t you just have the piano moved upstairs?”

  I reached up and took her hands. “It’s something I would rather do alone.”

  “Oh,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry.” And she pulled away.

  “No, I don’t mean that.” I turned around and yanked her back to me, pulling her into my lap. “I mean without my father around. I like to play. I just don’t want to be forced.”

  She leaned back against me, straddling my legs and facing the keys. “It was a sad tune.”

  “The best music is,” I said into her ear. “I’m happy, though.”

  She ran a delicate hand over the keys, leaning her head back on my shoulder. “I think we should do the dancing lessons with Jared and Tate. It would be fun.” She inched up, kissing my jaw. “I still can’t believe he lost.”

  My chest shook. “He threw that race. You know that, right?”

  “He did not,” she maintained. “Tate was awesome. And . . .”

  I sunk my teeth into her neck, and she groaned, cutting off her own thought before it even got out. I sucked on her neck, my whole body twisting with need at the smell of her. Wrapping my arm around her stomach, I shifted my legs further apart. Since her thighs were outside of mine, she stretched wide. Keeping my mouth on her neck and my arm around her, I slipped my other hand inside of the front of her sleep shorts.

  “Always ready for me,” I breathed out, feeling how wet she was between her legs. I moved my mouth up the side of her face and over to her ear. The heat on my fingers shot right to my dick, and I circled her clit, feeling it get harder between my
fingers.

  She reached behind her and grabbed the back of my head. “After we get back from hiking tomorrow,” she started, breathing hard, “we should come home and try to get this piano moved up to the main floor again. Maybe get some of your friends over here to help.”

  Was she seriously trying to talk to me about this now? We were taking Lucas hiking tomorrow, and I didn’t feel like thinking about anything else but her right at this moment.

  When I didn’t stop kissing her to answer, she pleaded, “Please?”

  My hand around her waist slid up into her shirt. “On one condition.” I snatched her lips in short, devouring kisses. “Your half-pipe comes upstairs, too.”

  She started rolling her hips back onto me, and I closed my eyes with the wave that washed over me.

  “I don’t think Jason and Katherine will appreciate that thing in the living room.” She sounded so weak. It was turning me on.

  “Awesome,” I joked. “Because it’s not their living room. This is our house, remember?”

  “Yeah, but they still live here.”

  She was right, of course. Nothing had changed in the living arrangements. Katherine was moving in after Jax graduated next spring. It was our house in name, though, so I didn’t care.

  She was still rubbing herself slowly over my cock, and I slipped my fingers inside of her.

  “All right.” She gave in. “Half-pipe comes, too. Everyone will love that,” she added sarcastically.

  I took my hand out of her shorts and lifted her shirt. “This would be so much more fun for me if you were topless,” I said, pulling it over her head with no resistance.

  Reaching over and grabbing the insides of her thighs, I pulled her ass into me and nudged her upper body forward to lean over the keys.

  Bending down, I swiped her hair to the side and dragged my tongue up her back, breaking every once in a while to sink my teeth in softly and kiss her.

  God, I loved her. There was never anything or anyone I wanted more, and she was mine. When we were fourteen years old she came into my life on the heels of a cruel and self-serving woman, but I would do it all again. Every minute. Every ounce of pain. I would go through it all again to get to her.