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This was something I’d never experienced before. Having a partner flirt with anyone besides myself had always been a threat, not something to be joyful over. But this was different. It genuinely did make me feel happy to see their closeness to each other, or to see how absolutely hyped Vincent was as Jason prepared for the next phase of the competition to start.
“You’ve got this, babe. Easy shit,” he said, hugging Jason close.Jason zipped back up his suit and pulled on his gloves, flexing his fingers. But before he put his helmet on, he came over to me again and cupped my face, leaving me with a long, slow kiss that made my knees weak.
“Good luck,” I said.
“I told you I’d win for you,” he said. “I still plan on doing that.”
The drivers lined up for the next phase of competition, but this time, they were paired together. Two drivers came up simultaneously to the line, and I frowned in confusion.
“Are they racing?” I said, and Lucas shook his head. “Then what —”
The lights blinked and the cars flew forward, one pulling ahead of the other as they came up on the first turn. To my complete shock, the two cars drifted through the curve side by side. Tires squealing, engines rumbling, the two vehicles skidded within inches of each other before switching up their angle and flying into the next turn.
“No fucking way…” I said, eyes wide as I leaned forward on the hood, staring in disbelief. “Are they on a team together? How the hell aren’t they crashing into each other?”
“Same way they aren’t crashing into the walls,” Lucas said. “They’ll switch off for the next run, and the other car will lead instead.”
“You’re telling me they haven’t practiced with each other? Like those two drivers haven’t worked together before?” It was hard to believe something so flawlessly, terrifyingly smooth could possibly have been done without hours of practicing together to get it right.
“They may have competed against each other before,” Lucas said. “But drivers are paired up according to their scores in the qualifying runs, so they couldn’t know ahead of time who they’d be paired with.” He glanced back at me, his cigarette dangling from his lips. “They’re just that good. You may see a few driverstap each other, or even crash, but they’re here for a reason. They’re really damn skilled, and Jason’s one of the best.”
He sounded proud, the words not leaving even a shadow of a doubt that Jason was going to win. But my heart still hammered as the white Z pulled up to the starting line. I stood up on the bumper again to try to get a better view, but this time, Vincent noticed and came over to me, squatting down in front of me.
“Get on my shoulders,” he said. “We’ll go to the fence.”
I climbed on, wavering for a moment when he stood up. Holyshit, he was tall. He walked with me over to the fence, giving me a perfect view of the competition. Manson and Lucas came up alongside us, and together, we watched the lights flash, counting down to the start.
Jason and the other driver rocketed from the starting line. I cheered as they whipped through the turns, Jason chasing the car in the lead. He stayed so close, I couldn’t understand how they didn’t collide when the vehicles changed their angle and their tires screamed, leaving long streaks of black rubber on the track.
“Fuck yes, that was good,” Vincent said, leaning closer to the fence. The only thing I had to hold on to up there was his head, so my fingers were tangled in his long hair. But he didn’t seem to mind at all. “That was a really solid run.”
The two cars went again, with Jason in the lead this time. But his opponent faltered behind, struggling to keep up with Jason’s speed and securing him the win.
The competition was whittled down from thirty-two drivers to sixteen, then eight, and finally down to only four drivers remaining. Manson and Lucas worked quickly in between runs, changing tires and refueling as Jason cooled off in the shade. He hadn’t eaten a thing all day, but when I offered him some fries, he just bounced on his feet, shaking his head.
“Can’t eat, too excited,” he said. He was absolutely thrivinghere, all smiles as he zipped up for the next run.
Jason remained solidly consistent through every match-up, even when the lead driver in his last run lost control and spun out, swerving across the asphalt in front of him. He had to move quickly to avoid them, and my heart was in my throat as he executed the remainder of the course alone. His opponent was eliminated, and the competition had come down to the final two drivers.
Jason and the driver of the old gray BMW I’d watched practice when we first arrived.
Anxious energy vibrated through me as I sat on Vincent’s shoulders, waiting for them to begin. Lucas was pacing along the fence, and Manson had his arm braced against the wire, his foot tapping rapidly as he watched.
The first run started, with Jason chasing the other driver. His opponent’s car was clearly powerful, pulling ahead of him at first. But he readjusted and closed the gap. The two cars were impossibly in sync, as if they were controlled by the same person as they flew through the course. My throat was raw from cheering so loud, but I couldn’t contain my excitement as they finished and lined up for the final run.
“Trying to pull my hair out, Jess?” Vincent said, and I hurriedly loosened my frantic grip on his hair.
“Sorry, I’m really excited,” I said, and he laughed, giving my leg a squeeze as it dangled over his shoulder.
“You can pull as much as you want,” he said. “I don’t mind.”
It was a good thing he didn’t, because as soon as Jason’s tires touched the starting line again, I was right back to gripping his hair. When the Z launched forward, I was screaming at the top of my lungs.
I was no expert by any means, but from my viewpoint, Jason made it through the course without any flaw. The crowd erupted into cheers; the announcer claiming that the run was stunninglyclose. Manson was smiling wide, giving a high-five to Lucas and clasping his hand. Vincent squeezed my legs. Everyone’s excitement was palpable in the air as Jason drove back into the pit to join us.
Vincent let me down from his shoulders, and the moment Jason stepped out of the driver’s seat, I flung my arms around him. He lifted me completely off my feet, holding me with just one arm as he pulled his helmet off with the other.
“That was amazing!” I exclaimed, breathless as I kissed him. He put me back on my feet, but kept his arm gripped around my waist as Vincent kissed him.
