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He weighs the pros and cons for a few moments before finally giving in. “Fine. But if something else happens, I get to drive my boot up some asses.”
“Deal!” I exclaim, and wrap my arms around him, my anger already dissolved.
He pulls me in close, resting his chin on my head. “I really am sorry, k-bear,” he breathes in my ear.
“I know. It’s okay.” I reply honestly before we break apart and walk back to the group together.
Now everything’s fine between me and Mason, and no one will get in a fight over this. I don’t want this situation escalating any more than it has to. No one else is getting hurt on my behalf. We get back to the group, who are clustered around Julian’s and Mason’s trucks, and they all turn to us.
“Where the hell have you guys been? It doesn’t take that long to pee—unless . . . you guys were gettin’ it on in the bushes, weren’t you?” Noah jokes, moving his hips. “Bow chicka bow wow.”
We can’t help but laugh at Noah as Mason smacks him upside the head.
“He wishes,” I joke. “Mason kept stopping to talk to everyone.” I lie smoothly, knowing that Mason is well rounded and likeable enough that it’s believable.
“Yeah, right,” Mason adds, not sounding too convincing.
“Aiden was looking for you. I think he doesn’t want to set up the race with Ryan until you’re here,” Charlotte tells me.
A tingling sense of warmth spreads through my body when I hear Aiden’s name. After everything I’ve been through tonight, I want to revel in the comforting safety of his strong arms. But then reality hits and I realize that I can’t do that without seeming like a total weirdo.
“Why?” I ask.
“I think he knows that you don’t want him to punch Ryan in the face upon first sight, and the o
nly way he can respect that is if you’re there with him to keep him grounded,” Annalisa intuits.
Annalisa’s statement causes two different sets of emotions to rise within me. On one hand, Aiden is just . . . Aiden, amazing as ever. On the other, seeing Annalisa makes my stomach turn with anxiety and indecisiveness.
Seeing her reminds me about Luke and how he’s probably the guy she was so nervous about when we got here. Should I tell her I saw him? But that would mean admitting I heard her private moment with Julian, as well as to the incident with Dave. I don’t want to admit either of those, but what if Luke’s, like, her abusive ex-boyfriend or something? I thought he could be her brother, but he doesn’t look anything like her, so who else could he be? If she’s nervous about him being here, she should know that he is. I don’t want her being bombarded and caught off guard when or if she runs into him.
“Actually, Anna, there’s something I need to—”
“There you are,” Aiden says. “I was just looking for you.”
He pauses for a minute, looking at me while seeming confused, as if trying to figure out what’s different about me.
“What did you need?” I try to divert his attention.
He shakes his head as if to clear it. “Come on, we have to set up the race.”
I hold my sigh of relief, grateful that I cleaned up well enough to pass his inspection.
Seeing Aiden so self-confident and fearless makes me want to run into his arms and be comforted knowing that it’s him who’s holding me. But sadly, I can’t.
“Why do you need me with you?”
He looks at me with a sliver of an unknown emotion in his normally cool eyes. “Because if you’re not, I’ll do something that I promised you I wouldn’t.”
A warm, tingly feeling spreads throughout my body at his words, and I try not to turn to mush when he grabs my hand and intertwines his fingers with my own.
“Mason, grab Jonesy and bring him over to Ryan’s car,” Aiden instructs Mason, and then pulls me away from the group.
I look back longingly at Annalisa, knowing I should tell her about Luke right now, but Aiden’s pulling me away from her. Julian won’t leave her side and he’ll protect her. She’ll be safe with the group, and I’ll tell her the second we get back from setting up the race.
“Who’s Jonesy?” I ask, ignoring the effect Aiden’s touch has on me.
“He kind of runs this thing. He’s the neutral guy who holds the betting money for the racers. The racers put the cash down up front so that no one gets ripped off. Jonesy holds it while we race and gives it to the winner after. That way, everything’s fair and no one can short anyone money they owe.”
