Dev laughs modestly. “Way, way too long.” He slips his tongue between my lips, flipping and rolling it until I give in. I indulge him for a few heated seconds before I put the kibosh on the whole thing. Our situation is way too sensitive. And this place is a rumor mill on steroids. People have seen me with Reese, and people have seen me with Dev; sometimes, they’ve seen all three of us together. For dignity’s sake, I think it’s better not to give them something concrete to talk about.
“Fine, deny me. I’ll get my revenge later on.”
The threat excites me because I know what he’s capable of. I know how he can draw out my need until I’m virtually crying. He loves to hear me beg and will find any excuse for me to do so.
“I look forward to it,” I rise to the challenge.
“So do I.” His blue eyes smolder, and I nearly fall to my knees. I know that look all too well and all the naughty promises it holds. “Back to work, butterfly.” He steals one more kiss then saunters away.
I fan myself with the paper plate, ogling his ass as he goes.
21
Reese
“She is going to fucking murder you,” Dev crosses his arms and glares down at me.
“Why? Because I tuned up her bike?” I stand, wiping my dirty hands on my jeans.
“Because she was perfectly clear she didn’t want any part of riding it.”
“Yeah, well, she needs to get over that. Leave the past in the past and all.”
“Reese, this isn’t a good idea.”
“I never said it was, but it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do it.”
“That’s complete nonsense.” Dev doesn’t buy my argument for a second. Oh well.
“Maybe, but it’s always worked for me. I win, remember?” I pop my eyebrows. Sometimes you have to take risks to advance or even excel. Sometimes those risks can cost you; sometimes they can pay off huge in the end. I’ve been surviving on risk for almost ten years, and I’m not about to change my strategy now.
“You’re reckless,” Dev accuses.
“And you’re exactly right. I win because I’m reckless.”
“Wrong, man, you win because you have a death wish. And you don’t care what happens to you.”
“Yeah, well, that might have been true before, but not anymore,” I inform him.
“Oh? This is news to me.” Dev interrogates me with his eyes.
“Don’t look at me like that. People can change.”
“People, yes. You? I’m not convinced.”
“You’re my brother. Aren’t you supposed to be supportive?” I snap defensively. I understand, okay. I’m egocentric. My whole life I’ve only ever cared about three things. Myself, racing, and winning. But you know what? People do change. They grow. They fall in love. They see possibilities they never imagined before. Discover a world beyond their own. I’m living proof. I never would have walked away last season if I didn’t feel something—or someone—was more important. And there was. Kayla somehow, some way, changed me. My life is complicated, more than anyone can ever understand. I’ve had to live in the spotlight and in a shadow. And I’m getting tired. I can’t race forever, and I don’t want to end up alone either, so I’m finding my balance, laying my groundwork, and if I’m lucky, in the end, emerge victoriously. Granted, I live long enough to see the fruits of my labor.
“You know my take on the situation,” Dev leaves it at that.
“Yes, I do. And maybe I just needed something more important to live for.”
“Do you have something more important to live for?” he questions.
“Yes. Don’t you?”
“Yes, I do,” he becomes gravely serious.
“So we’re on the same page, yeah?”
