14. Carson

"Holy fuck," I groan, grabbing my shoulder. I hit that wall hard. And I'm a little out of it as someone starts to examine me. I see the fire in the engine and the mangled front of my racecar, but I can't really focus on anyone around me.

"Goddammit, Carson. Are you okay?" Brayden. A goofy-ass smile falls over my face, even though he's yelling at me.

"Back up, Beckett." One of the EMTs says as they check me out. My helmet is pulled off, and they carefully examine me. "Can you move?"

I nod my head slowly. I'm a little foggy but otherwise okay. The impact was hard and loud, but I'm okay. I grin. I'm totally fucking fine.

They finally let me out of the car, and I see the race has stopped. Brayden and Jenny stand close by, their expressions worried.

"That wasn't my fault," I say dumbly, oddly needing Brayden to know it was an accident.

"I know," Brayden grits out, and then I notice Tony, the guy who hit my car, is standing tensely near us, glaring at Brayden. Brayden is glaring right back. Did I miss something?

"I told you, the kid cut me off," Tony says.

"You fucking clipped him on purpose. You put him in the goddamn wall, you motherfucker," I hear Brayden say, and my head swings in his direction. Holy shit. He's mad for me. Not at me.

That's new.

And kind of hot. Kind of really damn hot.

"I did not," Tony says stubbornly. "Fucking prove it, Beckett. I didn't maim your puppy on purpose."

"Fuck off," Brayden says, his fists clenched at his sides.

"Watch it," Jenny scolds him. She's not Tony's agent, but she gives him a mean glare, and the man is smart enough to shut his mouth. She turns to me. "Are you okay?"

I nod. "Just jolted me a little. I'm fine," I say honestly. I hit that wall hard, but we have a lot of safety equipment, thank fuck. But I can already feel the soreness all over my body, even with all of the protections that were there.

No way I'd have lived if I wasn't wearing it.

Brayden studies me carefully, and I swear he looks like he wants to come closer. He wants to examine me, but he stays put. I'm glad because even if we want to look like best friends for the crowd, that's not really how he's looking at me right now.

He looks like he cares. Like really, really cares about my well-being.

Which is odd. I mean, I guess you care about friends, but there's an intensity in his eyes that makes me tremble.

I can't wait to get out of here and get him alone. By the look on his face, I'd say the feeling is mutual.

The rest of the day sucked. I couldn't finish the race, and they made me go to the hospital to get checked out while the others did finish the race. I'm annoyed. I wanted to finish.

I should have been allowed to. I could have gotten a new car, damn it.

My body is sore and bruised as I sit on the hotel bed and aimlessly flip through channels. There's a knock on my door, and I instantly jump up, assuming I know who it is, wincing only a little at the pain my quick motion caused.

I pull open the door, and it is Brayden, but he's not alone. Damn it. Jenny is here too, and she breezes past me as Brayden eyes me warily, then walks inside.

I close the door as Jenny makes herself at home on the sofa in my suite. "You okay?"

I nod, forcing my gaze away from Brayden. "It was nothing. I could have finished."

Brayden snorts and takes a seat next to Jenny. "Right. I know how bad that shit hurts. You should be soaking in a tub."

I want to say I will if he'll join me, but I manage to keep that to myself.

Jenny seems oblivious, which is good because I really don't want her to kick my ass—which I'm pretty sure she'd do if she found out we've been fooling around for a couple of weeks now. Pretty much every chance we get.

I've never felt like this before. At least not about a person—a hookup, I mean. I guess I did whenever I first started racing. I still feel that way every time I get behind the wheel, but not with a person.

"Well the team is happy," Jenny says with an irritated sigh.

"They're happy I wrecked?" I ask. I mean, I know Miles is pretty much a cold-blooded businessman, but damn. A little concern would be nice.

"They're happy Brayden went apeshit when you wrecked."

"You did what?" I ask, amused as I stare over at Brayden, a little startled.

"I didn't go apeshit," he huffs, and it's really damn cute how flustered he is.

Jenny scoffs loudly at that, not having it. "Right. Punching another racer is totally fucking calm and collected."

I remember thinking Tony looked a little roughed-up. I stare wide-eyed at Brayden. "You punched Tony?"

He shrugs his big shoulders. "He hit you on purpose. I know that fucker. He meant to do it. He could have killed you."

Heat washes over me. Heat and pure lust. I want him so fucking bad right now. So bad I hope it's discreet when I adjust my cock. Jenny will hurt you, dumbass. Don't let her see, I try to warn my body.

"Yeah, yeah," she says, thankfully paying attention to Brayden and not my predicament. "You're a big strong guy. Hope you enjoy that fine they're going to give you. Lucky you didn't get your ass suspended with that shit."

I cringe now, my erection softening. "Fine?'

"He punched a racer during a race," she says, like I'm an idiot. "Of course he's going to be fined."

"It was worth it," Brayden says, and my erection is suddenly back. Shit. That can't be healthy for my body.

"Right." Jenny stands up and walks over to me. "You sure you're okay?"

I nod. "Yup. All cleared at the hospital. Just bruised up. I'll be fine. Nothing can touch me, sweetie."

Brayden smirks, and Jenny grabs my chin firmly, her eyes deadly. "Call me sweetie again. I fucking dare you."

"Fuck." I wince. "Sorry."

She nods and smiles sweetly, but it's fierce. "No problem, sweetie." She winks at me, emphasizing that word, and I laugh. I really like my agent. She's tough as hell, and I know she has to be. "See you boys later. I don't think anyone would think anything of you guys not going out tonight."

I nod. "Yeah. I think I'm staying in."

She nods, and we say goodbye before she leaves my room with a click of the door. But as soon as it does, Brayden is on me, his hands cupping my face. "Are you sure you're okay?"

This level of concern is surprising, I can't lie. But I like it.

He just likes fucking you.

I try to remind myself that's where the concern lies. We're having regular sex. He doesn't want to lose that...

"I'm fine. How many wrecks have you been in?" I ask, hoping that will make him lighten up a little. Wrecks happen on the track.

"We aren't talking about me," he says through clenched teeth, and I can see he's shaken. He drops his hands, but I grab his face, not letting him pull away.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

We've only been fooling around for a couple of weeks, but in that time—we've grown pretty close. I mean, we actually talk about stuff. I know he's an only child. He knows I have two younger sisters. We both grew up in small towns in Kansas.

But I'm not sure what exactly is bothering him right now.

"I'm fine. I just..." He's breathing hard. I realize he's really freaked-out. "I saw you hit that wall. I saw the fire. I..."

"You were worried about me?" I try to keep it light and teasing, but his eyes remain serious.

"You know I was," he says gruffly before his lips crash against mine. I kiss him back, both of us fighting for dominance and neither giving in.

We kiss and make our way to the bed, losing our clothes as we go. My body hurts, but I want this more than anything. It's the adrenaline, I know, but I won't be satisfied until he's inside me.

I crave his touch. He grabs condoms and lube, quickly prepping me while I lie on my back and stroke my aching cock. "You too sore for this?"

I shake my head. "Never."

Still, he's gentle with me as he climbs between my parted thighs and slides into me slowly.

His forehead touches mine when he's fully seated, and we just breathe. I watch his chest rise and fall as we breathe each other in, his cock filling me.

"Fuck," he says just before his lips meet mine again in a hearty kiss.

Yup.

We're fucked.

That's for sure.