18. Kye

EIGHTEEN

KYE

My body buzzed as I pulled up, Daisy already waiting at the curb for me.

"You came," she said, slipping into the passenger seat.

"I said I would be here."

"Yeah, but I didn't know after how you left things."

"Left things? What does that mean?" I asked, pulling into the street and spinning the car back around to head to the races.

"It means you told me to kiss you and then begged me to stop. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to follow that up with."

"Do you have to follow it up with anything? We're not actually dating, right? And I've said a hundred times I'm not good at the touching stuff. You wanted to go out tonight, and I have an open seat. There's nothing to follow it up with."

"Oh," she said. "Okay, then. I guess that's an easy way to solve that problem, then."

I shifted again, pushing the car faster as we got further from town. I glanced over, surprised to see her calm. She had her blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun at her shoulders, and it was just messy enough to make me wonder if she tried to make it look like that. I had told her not to wear one of her dresses tonight and was glad to see she listened. The hoodie and jeans were better for the races anyway, and better for me not having to wonder what every other guy would be thinking about her.

I didn't know what happened. One minute, I had my perfectly normal life, and the next, I was obsessing over other guys, thinking they had a chance at my fake girlfriend.

If I wasn't thinking about that, I was thinking about her.

Just her.

When I looked back at her again, she smiled, but it quickly faded when she glanced at the dash and back to me.

"Kye, the road!"

"What about it?"

"Look at it, not me. You're speeding."

"The road isn't going to disappear."

"But we will if you launch us into the forest!"

"I can do it with my eyes closed, Daze."

"Don't you dare."

I laughed, looking back at the road but not slowing down. "Fine, but I'm going to try it out next time I'm by myself."

"That is the dumbest thing you could try to do."

"I promise it isn't the dumbest thing I could do. I could think of at least ten other things I could try that would be dumber."

I turned into the lot of the races, and couldn't help but glance over to watch as she took in the sight.

Race night was always hit or miss on the turnout, but tonight was busy. There were at least fifty other cars already pulled up next to the makeshift track, and I angled us through the crowd to find the rest of the crew.

"Wow," she said, pulling off the harness as she looked over the crowd and cars. "This is what you do every week?"

"Close to it, yeah. We go out looking for races instead sometimes. Just depends on our mood, or how much money we need."

"What am I supposed to do here?" she asked as I parked.

"What do you mean?"

"Am I supposed to do something? Should I just be around you all night?"

"Whatever you want. I would say stay with someone in the crew. The girls are there," I said, pointing to Quinn, Ash, Scout, and Carly, who were leaning back on Ash's car. "You can hang out with them or me."

"Oh, okay."

"What's wrong? Do you not like them?"

"No! They are great."

"But?"

"But what if they don't like me hanging around? I don't want to bother them or anything."

"You're overthinking this. They already like you."

She suddenly looked on the verge of tears, and I wasn't sure why.

"What is wrong? Are you really that upset at being here?" I didn't know why, but her being so upset she wanted to cry at seeing part of my life hit hard.

"I'm here because we are pretending to be together, not because you actually like hanging out with me, and I know they are just being nice because of that. But then I don't want to be bothering you all night, and following you around if you want to hang out with the guys."

"You really need to think that through. Why would I have invited you tonight to pretend to be your boyfriend? Holt isn't here. I'm going to take a big leap here, but I doubt Dean or your friends are."

"I guess that's true."

"I invited you because I like you around, and the girls demanded you come. They were excited when you agreed. They aren't like your friends, and I'm not like Dean. Glue yourself to my side all night for all I care."

"Won't that interrupt?"

"Interrupt…what, exactly?"

"I don't know. All the things you guys talk about."

"Unless you are going to start fighting with one of them on why one car is better than another, no, I don't think there's anything to interrupt. Although, please start fighting with them on that. It would be hilarious."

"I'm being serious!"

"So am I? What do you think we are talking about that you can't hear? We talk about cars, Daze. The girls talk about shit they want to do, and I don't know, whatever else they want."

"They are just a little intimidating as a group. All of you are."

"Yet you were comfortable enough to jump me. Come on. You are already here. Just stay by me until you feel more comfortable."

"I don't want to?—"

"If the next word out of your mouth is bother , I'm going to tell you to shut up."

"That's rude."

"So is assuming I invited you here because I secretly hate being around you. I get the concern based on other people you hang around, but I promise I don't ask women to hang out with me, especially if I find them annoying."

I got out, already heading around to her side. I was pretty sure I was going to be prying her from the car, but she really couldn't think this place was that bad.

The door pushed open, and she glanced up at me. My legs almost gave out. The look of her with her eyes wide, looking up at me, her lips parted and hair a mess, was making me understand why blowjobs could be a good thing.

"Touch me," I said, throwing my arm over her shoulder to pull her closer.

"What?"

I leaned down to her ear, my lips against it. "Please put your hands on me and don't drop them until I say so."

"A little demanding, but I'll take it," she said. "You should understand, though, when you say touch me, I'm thinking you mean something much dirtier than me putting my arm around your waist."

"Oh. Do you want me to say something else, then?"

"No. Not at all, but don't be mad at me if I get confused about what I'm supposed to be touching," she said, fighting back laughter.

"Some of us are innocent minds that aren't perpetually horny," I said.

"I am not!" she yelled, and I smiled as the crew all looked at her. "Sorry," she said, sinking further against me.

The girls quickly took over, ripping her away from me to talk, and I almost got mad about it until I realized she still looked relaxed.

Twenty minutes later, I moved to her side. She had set up on the back of my car with Quinn next to her. Ash, Carly, and Scout were on Ash's car next to them.

"Hey, a friend of ours is having some trouble with his car. We're heading over there. Want to go or stay with them?" I asked.

Her smile grew. "I'll wait here."

"Then I'll be back soon."

I had almost expected Daisy to start texting me to come back, but I didn't hear a word from her. Finally, we got the car running again and I could head back to her.

When I finally broke through the crowd, though, my blood started to boil immediately.

Daisy was still sitting there on the back of my car, but instead of the girls around her, one guy sat next to her instead.

I couldn't tell from here who he was, but it didn't matter. He shouldn't be there.

I stalked over immediately, grabbing his head and slamming it down onto the trunk of the car with a satisfying thud.

"Get off my car, and get off my girl," I said, pushing him hard until he slid onto the ground.

"Kye!" Daisy yelled. "What are you doing?"

I moved to the spot he had been next to her. "I thought that was pretty clear?"

"You can't just hit people!"

I looked around at the crowd and back at her. "Where the fuck do you think you are? I can punch someone if I want to here, and fake or not, I am not letting another guy hit on you while sitting on my car."

The guy finally stood up, and I realized I knew him.

"What the fuck, Kye?"

"I could say the same to you. You don't go hitting on other guys' girlfriends."

"I didn't know she was your girlfriend," he yelled back.

"She's on my fucking car waiting for me. What part confused you?"

"The part where I've met you, asshole ," he said, grabbing his head. "You've never had girlfriends here. I thought she was another one of your friends."

"My friends are off-limits, too. Get the fuck out of here and don't come around her or my car again."

He flipped me off but disappeared.

Daisy still watched me, her eyes wide and lips pressed together. "You can't just go around giving people concussions."

"Again, why? I just did, and I don't see anyone coming for me. Do you think anyone here is calling your dad to come to arrest me? This entire place is illegal, Daisy. You don't get to act like Miss Prissy here, and you sure as fuck don't flirt with other guys when you're here with me."

"I wasn't flirting!"

"He thought you were."

"Does it matter? Like you said earlier, we aren't actually together. I could flirt with someone if I wanted to."

"Do you want me going to your stupid parties and flirting with your friends?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well, no, but I really wasn't flirting. And I would hate it because I care what people think of me and don't want to be embarrassed again by a boyfriend who can't stay loyal. What's your excuse?"

I leaned back, the roar of engines from the next race giving me a few seconds to find my answer.

"Do you want the truth?" I asked.

"Obviously."

"I like kissing you, touching you, you touching me. I like it and don't know why, or really how to handle it, but until I do figure all that out, I want to be selfish and not let anyone else have you," I said, leaning in closer. Her breath hitched and chest rose. "If you're going to be the only person who doesn't make me want to rip my own skin off, I want to keep you all to myself until it's over."

"Until we are done with the fake relationship?"

"I think my feelings on the touching will change sooner than the downfall of this relationship."

"You think you're going to wake up one of these days and not like me touching you?"

"Yes."

"Is that how that works?"

"I don't fucking know, but I can't imagine this feeling is going to last."

A different group of guys pushed through the crowd, looking around, before their eyes landed on me.

"Shit," I said, already sliding off the car and picking her up to set her on the ground. "Go get the crew."

"For what?"

"Me. Hurry up."

I knew they weren't far, but I didn't want her around if these guys were going to start a fight. Which, based on our last interactions, would be happening.

The three of them were already at me no. Two of them were ones I got in a fight with outside the diner. The other was the guy I had raced and, according to him, lost to.

"What do you want?" I asked, still relaxed. There wasn't much they could do now—fight me or leave—but I could handle either option.

"I want the car you owe me."

"I don't owe you a car. I won the race. You don't get to lie, make your friends lie, and then think you get my car."

"I won. It's as simple as that, and you can't run around here racing more when you've backed out of the deal we had. We raced, I won, I get your car, so hand over the keys."

"We raced, I won, and you and your friends lied."

The crew stepped next to my car now. The tightness in my chest eased at their presence. I didn't want Daisy anywhere near a fight, and the other night at the diner had been close enough. I had never fought so hard, purely from the fear that they would break into the car to steal it and take her with them. I knew the crew would have my back, and the chances of these guys starting a fight against all of us were slim.

"Instead of you two getting into fights every time you see each other, why don't you just race again?" Ransom said. "Plenty of witnesses, no confusion, and whoever loses can give up their car. If you really won, there should be no trouble doing it again."

Ransom was goading him into another race, and even though that was clear enough to us, I knew he would fall for it.

"I'm fine with that," I said.

He thought it over, and I wondered if he would need to run and talk to his friends, but he squared his shoulders. "Fine. I can kick your ass again. Let's go. Right now."

"I'll be at the line in five minutes," I said, already stepping back towards my car.

"Kye!" Daisy yelled, running past the crew to my side.

"I'll be fine, Daze. Come on, I need to get up there."

"No, we have to go. Right now," she panted. The crew gathered around my car as we made it over to them.

"Everyone, now!" she hissed, looking around. "I have a police scanner on my phone. I'm paranoid. My dad and the other sheriffs are headed here. It sounds like they might block everyone in, but I don't know for sure."

"Shit," I said. "Alright, we should go just in case they do."

"Your race?" Ransom asked.

"No one can race if we are all in jail."

He smiled, sliding behind the wheel of his car before it roared to life. If anyone wondered why we were all leaving, they didn't ask.

Daisy had already buckled herself in by the time I got in. "Hurry," she said, her legs bouncing wildly. "I don't know how long until they are here."

"It's alright. We already have the heads up, thanks to you. We will get out without an issue."

"Are you sure, Kye? I really don't want my dad to find out about us hanging out like this."

"I feel like that's a little dig at me, but I am sure," I said, grinning. "He won't find out like this."

"It's not a dig at you. If this is how he finds out, and you and the crew are doing something illegal, he will do whatever he can to charge you on it, simply for having me here with you."

"Oh, so you don't want to be seen with me to protect me?"

"Yes, actually."

We all headed down the side street before turning out onto the main road. Daisy sucked in a hard breath, and I immediately saw why. Six sheriffs cars headed down the road at us, their lights and sirens off as they passed. They were going to sneak up on everyone, ticketing who they could and arresting anyone who fought it. We'd been there for it before and it sucked. You could be there for hours as they blocked off streets and handcuffed whoever they wanted.

"Thanks for the heads up, Daze. None of us felt like dealing with that tonight."

The sheriff's cars all turned down the side road we had just come from and disappeared.

"They aren't going to come after us," I said. "We technically aren't doing anything wrong right now, and they can go catch plenty of people who are. Relax, we're good now."

Silence surrounded us as she sat there, not saying a word. I really didn't know how to soothe someone who was panicking, but I had watched Fox do it plenty of times for Ash. I grabbed for her hand, resting it on mine and setting them both onto the shifter.

"You want to drive for a little longer?" I asked, not ready to drop her off. She shifted in her seat, and I realized it was only to get more comfortable.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

I turned right, heading towards the winding, quiet roads as she turned up the radio.