I nod, letting my hands slide to her waist. “Yeah. I haveyou. And Mason just told me he’s fine with me havingbothof you.”
Her mouth curves. “I’m so happy for you.” She rises on her toes and kisses me, and when she pulls back, her eyes are gleaming. “Now go. Show Payne how the Flying Frenchman does it.”
I laugh and swing onto the bike. “Oh,bébé. You’re about to witness art.”
Throttle. Kick. Dirt spits behind me as I shoot forward, the bike vibrating beneath me as I fly over the first bump, carve into a turn, and hit the straight like I’ve got rockets strapped to my ass.
Mason joins me halfway down the track, matching my speed. We exchange a glance—half-challenge, half-grin—and then he punches it and overtakes me by a hair.
Oh, it’s on.
We race like kids with no brakes and nothing to lose. I pull a wheelie, just because I can, and Mason cackles beside me before dipping into the next corner. I keep pace, lean in harder, get dirty and reckless with it, and every time we scream past the starting point, Alaina is there, yelling and clapping, her voice bouncing off the trees.
“Faster, you slowpokes!”
The joy. The lightness. Therightnessof it all.
I land the last jump harder than I mean to. Breath punches out of me in a sharp exhale, and the bike skids a little as I coast to a stop near the far edge of the track.
Mason rolls up beside me, engine rumbling low before he cuts it. “You having fun?”
I pull off my helmet and wipe my forearm across my forehead, sweat and dust mixing. “Yeah.” I pant. “Thisis the best fucking day of my life.”
He snorts. “You’ve won three World Cup overalls, andthisis the best day of your life?”
His goggles still hide his eyes, but the shape of his mouth behind the mouthguard is familiar now, the way it twitches when he thinks he’s caught me being dramatic.
I reach out, grab his gloved hand, and link our fingers. “Yeah. It is. With a lot to spare.”
There’s a pause, then that mouth twitches again, this time into a full smile. I can see it even with half of his face covered.
And fuck, he’s devastating when he smiles.
We both turn toward Alaina and see that she’s sprawled in the grass like she belongs among the wildflowers, legs stretched out, hair a mess of helmet-wrecked curls and sun.
Mason watches her for a beat. “We should get back to her, so she doesn’t feel left out.”
I snort. “She couldneverfeel left out.”
She’s the fucking center ofeverything.
“Still.” He shrugs. “I don’t want to risk it. If we want to make this work, we have to make sure everybody’s happy and nobody’s feelings get hurt. I can’t have you for myself all the time.”
I glance over and lift an eyebrow. “Yeah, but… you can be a little selfish sometimes. That’s okay. I mean, if you want to spend time with her alone, I get it.”
“Why would I want to spend time alone withher? I mean, we’re friends and everything, but?—”
“Do youlikeher?”
He huffs. “Of course, I like her. She’s cool.”
“She’s more than cool.”
“I know,” he mutters. “Just…”
He trails off, and that alone tells me all I need to know.
“If you want to spend time with her alone, it’s fine with me,” I say again sincerely.
