Page 85 of Austin

My heart is beating wildly, but it’s a steadier strum as I fall into his stare.

“There’s my girl.” He lays his hands on the sides of my face and runs circles with his thumbs along my cheeks. “This is why I didn’t want you to come. You overreact.”

“I don’t—”

His kiss breaks my thoughts.

“You can’t just kiss me when you want me to shut up.”

“I can, and I just did,” he teases.

I try to escape his embrace, but he wraps his arms around me.

“So, what? If you win, he won’t tell everyone you’re Falcon? And what does he get if he wins?” I ask.

“We already solved all of that. He’s not going to say anything. This race is for pride only.”

I stop, struggling at his words. “For what?”

“I didn’t want you here because I know you’ll talk him out of it. You’ll beg him to walk away for you. But that won’t change this feeling he has deep inside of him. I’m doing this for Beckett.”

My breath halts. I lean back and stare into his eyes, searching for an understanding as to what’s going on. My brows furrow as I read the answer to my question. “You’re going to throw the race.”

He slowly nods.

My jaw drops as I look down and turn around as I try to process this. “What am I missing?”

Austin’s hands lower to my arms as he steps behind me and pulls me in. His breath whispers into my ear, “You want to stop him from racing, but he’s here for something greater than me and you. He’s on this track, running away from the memory of your father. As long as I have the win over him, he’ll always remember that we aren’t equal, that I won. Beckett needs the upper hand. He needs to claim victory, and tonight, for the sake of you and for the kid who got his ass whipped every day to protect my girl, I’m going to give him what he wants.”

I spin around and look back at him. It’s hard though because tears are welling up inside my eyes. “Austin,” is all I can say as the roar of an engine makes all of us turn our attention toward the Ford truck headed our way.

Gregg parks and hops out. “We ready to race?”

Austin walks over to the crowd, leaving me to wipe my tears on my sleeve. Eva is standing near Beckett. When I walk over to her, the rules have just been explained.

Eva looks at me with an expression of concern. I let out a shaky breath and give her a smile.

Looking over at the Camaro, I admire the sleek lines of the car and remember the rush of driving it just a few days ago, but then the sight of Beckett climbing in makes me jolt to the side.

“They’re switching cars,” Eva explains. “Austin’s in the Mustang.”

My head turns fast to see Austin opening up Beckett’s driver’s-side door. Before he’s even in his driver’s seat, I’m at the passenger door, pulling it open.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, looking annoyed yet relieved.

I hold up the helmet that’s sitting on the passenger seat. “You were right. I like the rush just as much as you.”

I slam my car door shut and lean across the center console to kiss him with heat and passion and every ounce of love I have for the man who is going to throw a race despite his enormous ego.

When I lean back, I bite my lip and sit back in my seat.

“That wasn’t very nice, you know,” he says, helping secure the helmet over my head. “You shouldn’t rile a man up like that, especially before a race.”

“I know.” I shrug. “But it sure is fun.”

He laughs and revs the engine. It’s not until his hand lowers to below the gearshift that we both realize he must have left his mother’s angel charm in the other car.

“I’ll go get it,” I offer with my hand on the door handle.