Touch Me Not (Manwhore Series #1)

Chapter Twenty-Three

The sound of cars being revved up blanketed the night. Lily blinked and brushed the remaining sleep out of her eyes. Nikoli had shaken her awake at 3:00 a.m., and here she was an hour later, still half asleep. She'd been awake a long time after they'd made love, thinking and listening to the even sound of Nikoli's breathing as he slept. She was running on about two hours, but the sound of the engines, the smell of the gas, it all started to wake her sleepy mind.

It wasn't what she imagined it would be. Growing up watching The Fast and The Furious movies had permanently warped her vision of what a street race should be. It was the middle of the night, the only real lights were some drop lights scattered around, and they'd taken over the parking lot of an abandoned warehouse. She'd imagined some racetrack scenario, with spectators and fans everywhere. Not what she got.

Nikoli left her and Luther by the car while he went to check in. Luther popped the hood and busied himself inspecting the car for the thousandth time. It was ready. She almost said something, but she knew it was his way of dealing with nerves. Instead, she studied the people, their backgrounds from all over, judging from the diverse group around her.

The adrenaline and excitement on every face she saw was, however, just as she'd imagined it. People were huddled in groups around their cars, some shooting the breeze, others shit-talking each other, and she grinned. This was awesome. No wonder her father had always said he loved this more than NASCAR. She wasn't even driving, and her adrenaline was through the roof.

"Hey, baby." Nikoli slid his arms around her. "How are you feeling?"

"Ohmygoshthisisamazing!" The words came out in a rush, all jumbled together, and Nikoli laughed.

"That's not what I mean," he whispered. "I mean are you okay after last night? Sore?"

Lily felt her face flame up at the reminder, and she shot a glance to where Luther was still buried under the hood of the car. "I'm fine," she muttered.

Nikoli laughed again and gave her another squeeze. He could see the blush spreading like wildfire along her neck and cheeks. She was adorable when she was embarrassed. "So, what do you think of your first underground race?" he asked, his hand brushing against the underside of her breast. Her small gasp made him grin wider.

"Well, I thought there would be more people here, more lights, more...everything."

Luther stood and slammed the hood. "Oh, there are plenty of those around, Lily. This race is invite only and very hush-hush. Got to keep it on the down low."

"Are we ready?" Nikoli let his chin rest on the top of Lily's head.

"If we're not, there's nothing we can do about it now." Luther checked his watch. "You got five minutes to get in the car and get it to the starting line."

"Luther, don't let her out of your sight." He turned Lily around and bent down to give her a quick kiss. "Wish me luck, baby."

"Good luck," she said, a whisper of a smile on her face. She seemed sad this morning, and Nikoli wanted to reassure her, but he couldn't. He had the feeling she knew, like he did, this was their last weekend together. He had no idea how to comfort her when he was having issues coming to terms with it himself.

Instead of dwelling, he released her and slid behind the wheel of the car they'd labored over for this race. He started the engine, revved it a few times, and then pulled out, leaving Lily and Luther in his rear-view mirror.

"Come on, Lily." Luther took her arm and started to pull her closer to where the cars were lined up, despite the fact she stiffened up. She might be better, but she wasn't cured. "We'll wait up here so we can see them when they circle back and cross the finish the line."