He wraps an arm around my waist and hauls me to him just as his name echoes around us. Ignoring it, he tilts his head to the side and presses his lips to mine, lingering long enough to assure me I’ve got nothing to fear. Then he pulls away and shoots me a wink that nearly makes my knees buckle as he dons his helmet.Dear God, when he looks at me like that it’s no wonder I can’t say no to the man.
Jace comes up beside me and takes my elbow, guiding me to the corner of the arena where I’ll have the best view. When he lets go, I cross my arms in front of my chest, rubbing the sudden chill out of them.
“He really is the best. It’ll be fine,” Jace assures me.
My brain knows that, but my body seems determined to panic. All I can do is give him a weak smile and a nod as I turn my focus to Axel.
He roars down a steep hill and up another, launching dozens of feet into the air. The moment the bike leaves the ground it starts spinning, once, twice, before it slows enough to land safely on the descending part of the hill.
Axel rides to the end of the rink and turns, repeating the process on a different set of jumps. Sometimes he spins the bike, other times he flips it, he even lets go completely and seems to hover over it in the air, something the announcer calls a Superman.
Watching him maneuver the bike in the air I understand why his body looks the way it does; lean enough to be mobile and strong enough to control several hundred pounds of machinery. It’s violent and graceful at the same time. It's mesmerizing.
As the clock winds down on his run, he pauses facing the biggest hill and revs his engine. Then he takes off, catapulting off the jump with a flip and spin—or is it a twist—so fast my eyes have trouble tracking it. Then he lands on the other side to an enormous roar, and Jace hugsme to him as he jumps wildly up and down, forcing me to jump with him.
“Did you see that? It’s the first time that trick’s been landed in competition!” he shouts.
Based on the reaction of the crowd this is a big deal. They’re all on their feet, jumping, clapping, and screaming, erupting in another round of applause when Axel’s name appears at the top of the leader board.
When he sees the results, Axel does a victory lap around the arena, riding to the top of the tallest hill where he takes off his helmet and waves at the crowd. The smile he wears is one of pure joy, but it’s absent any cockiness. Humble almost, as if the awe and attention embarrass him.
I don’t know why that surprises me. Maybe because he so confidently pursued me, I assumed he would revel in being admired. The fact he seems genuinely honored by the admiration from the crowd has me once again thinking dangerous thoughts about wanting to witness these competitions beyond today.
“Come on.” Jace grabs my hand and drags me toward the start, where I’m supposed to meet Axel.
My boyfriend comes to a stop and shuts off the bike, head swiveling around as he dismounts. A throng of people surge forward, surrounding him, but before he’s swallowed up, he catches sight of me and pushes through them.
I barely have time to pocket my sunglasses before I’m in his arms, my legs floating behind me as he spins us around and crushes his lips to mine. When he finally sets me down, he presses his forehead to mine and holds still, his heaving chest the only remaining evidence of exertion.
“You were incredible,” I whisper.
“You think so?” He pulls back slightly, a bashful grin on his face. I nod vigorously, unable to find words, and am surprised to see a slight frown wash over his face. “What are the tears for then?” He takes off his glove and wipes his thumb under my eye.
I’m crying? That’s… Shit.“I don’t know. I think I’m just really happy for you.” I chuckle awkwardly and then have to sniff to keep my nose from running. When I’m brave enough to meet his eyes my breath catches at the intensity I see there.
“Thank you for being here.” He leans his forehead against mine again.
“I…” A reporter calls his name, startling us apart since she’d snuck so close without our notice, which makes me oddly grateful. I have no idea what I would have said without her interruption, though I suspect it would’ve been along the lines of not wanting to be anywhere else. And in that moment, it would’ve been true.
Chapter twenty-two
Axel
Winning an event always pumps me full of adrenalin, but winning with my man here watching, that’s a whole other level.
It’s so fucking incredible to have him to hold onto in this moment instead of fist bumping the guys on my crew. Sharing this with him gives it so much more meaning. Not that it wasn’t important before, but my crew is paid to be here. They contribute to my success and are genuinely happy to be part of it, and I’m grateful to have them with me. But that doesn’t change the fact that they’re just as much employees as they are friends. Well, except for Jace.
Lennon is different. His sole purpose for being here is to support me, and that support is almost better than the win itself. I never thought I’d say that about a guy. I never thought I’d say that period. But for the first time ever, the win doesn’t feel like the prize. He does.
I can’t escape talking to the reporters—my least favorite part of this job—but with my arm around Lennon’s waist and him staring at me with pride while I answer a bunch of questions about my performance, I’m still flying high. Not even the borderline invasive inquiries about Lennon can bring me down since I rehearsed what I’d say, andthe only thing the reporters get from me is he’s my boyfriend. I don’t dignify any other questions about my sexuality with an answer.
After standing on the podium to get my medal, which I barely remember because I was so busy staring at my man, we come back to the trailers for the obligatory after party. It’s not much, just a few drinks with the guys around a small campfire in our little corner of the pit area, but it’s perfect because Lennon sits on my lap most of the time.
He’s clearly not one for PDA, and I know I pushed his limits with the kisses before and after my run, so the fact he tolerated that and still didn’t object when I pulled him on my lap… I’m way past gone for this man.
As soon as we can make our exit without offending anyone, I pull him inside my trailer and pin him against the door, brushing my thumb over his soft, full lips. “You’ve been awfully quiet this evening.”
“Just taking it all in, I guess. Is it always like this?” He looks at me with a mixture of curiosity and wonder.
