He claps Kai on the shoulder hard enough to rock him. “Can you believe it? Blaze's big debut.”
Kai pulls him into a hug. “Couldn't miss it.”
“It's incredible, Logan,” I say.
He smiles, but his eyes flicker toward the track. “Come on, let me show you the garage. You need to meet the guys.”
The pit is organized chaos. Mechanics in choreographed bursts, tools swinging, headsets crackling. Motor oil and hot rubber thick in the air.
Logan walks us into Team Blaze's section. The bikes are lined up, gleaming. All sharp angles and polished chrome.
I run my hand along the chassis of the nearest one.
“They're beautiful,” I say.
Kai grins. “Bikes have been growing on you.”
“Exposure therapy,” I correct. “There's a difference.”
Logan chuckles and gestures toward two men in sleek racing suits. “Emma, meet our champions. Maxime Marchand and Gabriel Lopez.”
Ridiculously good-looking, both of them. Tall, carrying that quiet intensity of professional athletes who know exactly what they're about to do.
Maxime's smirk is mischievous. Gabriel answers with a sharp nod.
“Gentlemen, this is Emma Sinclair, the marketing mastermind behind our launch campaign.”
“And my girlfriend.” Kai's arm around my shoulders tightens.
Logan winks at me. “No one here is stealing your girl, chill.”
Kai grumbles something that sounds like, “They can try.” Logan ignores him.
The riders offer warmer smiles, but their minds are already on the track.
A horn blares across the paddock.
Logan straightens, and the grin drops.”That's our cue. See you later.” He disappears into the controlled frenzy of pre-race preparations without a backward glance.
Kai turns to me. “Ready for some heart-stopping action?”
“Let's see what this team can do.”
We find our seats in the VIP box. Kai places a pair of bulky headphones over my head, adjusts them gently.
Ethan snorts from his seat beside us. “Where are my earmuffs, lover boy?”
Kai flips him off.
Then the engines roar to life.
The countdown. Lights flashing.
Green.
The bikes explode off the line in a blur of color and sound. Even through the headphones, it's deafening. I grip Kai's hand as Team Blaze surges forward.
The riders lean into the first turn, bodies inches from the asphalt. My breath catches.
