“Thanks.”
Edge groaned. “Don’t get emotional.”
I huffed a laugh despite myself. “I’d do it for you.”
“I know.”
“Mostly because nobody wants to be on the wrong side of your knife when you get that psycho gleam in your eyes.”
Edge smiled. “You’ve always been smarter than you look.”
“That bar is in hell,” Jax muttered.
Nitro tilted his head. “They’ll bite. Beating Century would give them bragging rights. Getting his techniques if they win gives them something valuable enough to pretend they’re not terrified.”
“Torque Ridge,” Kane suggested.
I looked at him. “That’s what I was thinking.”
Kane’s expression remained unreadable, but approval moved through the room like a current. Torque Ridge was used often enough for illegal races that the Serpents would believe they had room to maneuver. It also belonged to Kane’s world, which meant they’d never know how many eyes were actually on them until it was too late.
Kane’s gaze locked with mine. “Then we give them a race.”
Edge leaned forward, his elbows on the desk. “Now we just need to get in touch with those motherfuckers and set it all up.”
“That’s why you keep me around,” Jax boasted.
13
SAYLOR
Isat at the desk Levi had brought into his room at the clubhouse on Monday, trying my best to focus on the stack of history essays in front of me. It was one of the many thoughtful things he’d done without making a big deal. He’d just decided I needed a real place to grade papers if I was going to keep spending nights here, and he made it happen.
It simply appeared one day, positioned perfectly so I could work comfortably whenever I stayed over. Which was often.
I tapped my pencil against the edge of the desk, rereading the same paragraph for the third time. My mind kept drifting no matter how hard I tried to concentrate.
The past week had been intense. The tension around tomorrow’s race had been building every single day, and I couldn’t shake the guilt that came with knowing Sutton’s mistakes had put all of this in motion. Even though I knew none of it was my fault, it still weighed on me.
Levi had been my rock through all of it, keeping me close without smothering me and making sure I felt safe and protected at every turn. Our relationship had deepened so quickly that it sometimes left me breathless.
We spent every night together and as much of our days as we could manage. With every touch and casual mention of the future, he made it clear he saw me as permanent.
He even talked about our future kids and how I’d look pregnant—like it was inevitable. Those comments always made me blush and ache in ways I couldn’t pretend were innocent.
Thinking about his rough voice in my ear and the filthy promises he made while moving inside me, I shifted in my chair and pressed my thighs together.
Of course that was the moment when the door opened and Levi stepped inside. His gaze went straight to me, taking in my messy bun with a pencil stuck through it, my glasses, and the slightly rumpled blouse and pencil skirt I’d worn to school.
He paused, a smirk tugging at his lips as he took in my flushed cheeks.
Closing the door, he crossed the room and held his hand out to me. “Come shower with me.”
I glanced at the pile of papers. “I’m already behind on grading…”
“You’ve got two choices, baby.” He tugged me to my feet with a grin. “You can risk me fucking you right here over the desk and getting grease all over your papers, or you can come get in the shower with me and let me fuck you against the wall. I’ll save the naughty librarian fantasy for another day.”
I chewed on my lip, pretending to actually consider my options, but we both knew my choice was already made.
