His tone is soft but certain. “I’m going to be fine. I’ll bunk with Ares like in the old days. Whenever I had a bad dream as a kid, Ares and Atlas let me stay with them. They used to share a room back then and had bunk beds, which to me was the coolest thing ever. Atlas was usually the one who said I could stay intheir room, but I ended up sleeping in Ares’s bed every time because Atlas flipped around in bed like a fish out of water and always kicked me more often than not. Lev never had anyone unless he was sleeping over at our house.”
“Are you sure?” I ask.
“I know you love me, baby. I can feel it every day, and I can see it in your eyes.” He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear. “When Lev and I told you that we were happy with you not choosing between us, we meant it. I have Ares keeping me safe, so go to Lev and make sure he keeps that ice pack on.”
Chapter 16
I Care
LEV
The luxury hotel’s bed is comfortable, but I can’t find a position that will ease the pain in my shoulder.
No matter how I turn, my shoulder is throbbing, and if I lean on it even a little, pain shoots all the way down my arm.
That Coach Harrison isn’t going to be happy is the understatement of the century.
Maybe chasing that dirt bike wasn’t my finest moment, but if I had caught up with it, I wouldn’t be feeling so stupid.
When I saw it coming onto the racetrack in my peripheral vision, I didn’t think about the consequences.
That driver is the same guy who hit Atlas while trying to hit JJ Smith, and if I had caught him, I would’ve answered the question that has tormented me and my friends for two years.
I can’t fight the feeling that there’s something, a vital detail, that’s there for me to analyze but it’s eluding me no matter how hard I try.
I mean, it must be the same person who hit Atlas, right? And since the only person who has a reason to hold a grudge against Zara is her ex, the person driving that dirt bike must be someone doing Fox’s dirty work.
Unless… I can’t believe that I’m even considering the possibility that Fox could have been telling the truth when he said that he had nothing to do with the incident in Bridgeport and that his bike was stolen and then used to illegally invade the racetrack.
If that were true, where does that leave us? Zara has been racking her head thinking about who could hate her so much that they followed her to Bridgeport and then bided their time until now.
The door opens, and I’m pleasantly surprised when my girlfriend walks into the room carrying an ice pack and a glass of water.
“Hey Zee,” I smile. “You’re a sight for sore eyes. I expected Ares to bring me the ice pack. But thank you for coming to see me and wish me good night.”
Zara sets the glass on the nightstand and opens her hand, showing me two white pills on her palm. “Here, take some ibuprofen and then get comfortable, and we’ll ice that shoulder. And I’m not here to wish you good night. I’m here to stay. Unless you’d rather have the bed to yourself.”
I look at the huge bed in the Country Club suite. “No, of course not. There’s more than enough room for both of us. And you know I would never say no to having you in my bed. I just assumed that you’d want to be with Chance tonight and that Ares would come to bunk with me.”
She rolls her eyes, chuckling softly as I take the painkillers she’s offering me. “If I had my way, Chance would have joined us, but he thought you’d need all the space you can get to sleep comfortably tonight.”
“I hate it when he’s right.” I laugh, because it’s not even close to being true. “But seriously, Zee. I’m not trying to kick you out, but Chance had a really rough night, so I thought you’d want to be with him.”
Zara encourages me to settle against the pile of pillows she arranges under my shoulders and then places an ice pack wrapped in one of the hotel’s luxury hand towels on my injured shoulder.
“Fuck.” I hiss, flinching away from the contact with the cold but sighing with relief after a few moments when the icy compress begins to numb the pain.
“I was worried about both of you.” She admits. “But Chance isn’t alone, so he said that I should be with you.”
Zara is sitting on the edge of the mattress, by my side. I cup her jaw with my uninjured hand. “I knew there was a reason why I’ve loved that asshole since we were kids. He always knows when I’m trying to be brave, but I need something. Or in this case, someone.”
Her gaze is soft as she turns her head to kiss the tips of my fingers. “If you needed me, why didn’t you say so?”
“Because I knew he needed you too, Zee.” I sigh. “But I’m glad he settled for Ares. I’ll have to owe him one.”
Her smile widens. “When you said that this thing with the three of us could work, I wasn’t sure. But now I see it. You and Chance care about each other so much that you’re always willing to put the other person first.”
That’s exactly it. “We do, Zee. But you’re always number one. I hope you know that. We would do anything to make you happy and to keep you safe. And I have faith that Ares will come around. He loves me and Chance the same way we love one another, and he loves you more than it’s healthy or sane, just like we do.”
