Chapter 161

Logan

I was strapped tightly into the driver’s seat of my trusty racecar, the leather of the seat and the nylon of the thick safety straps hugging me tightly all around. The hum of the car engines at the starting line mingled with the sound of the crowd and the announcer, but my eyes were only on Ella.

She was standing down by the rail right next to the track, leaning on the cool metal. Her hair was blowing slightly in the wind, that beautiful almost-white blonde that cascaded down over her shoulders. Her jeans hugged all of her curves in just the right way, and her blue shirt matched her skin tone perfectly.

For a moment, as I gazed at her, I was back behind the garage again—her body next to mine, my arm wrapped around her shoulders, her scent enveloping me. I had wanted to kiss her, I mean really kiss her, and so did my wolf; but I stopped myself at the last moment.

What were we doing? After everything, after the contract, the hookup, the push and the pull, we were now sharing a bed. And I knew how jealous she was when she thought that I was seeing someone.

“We’re not together,” she had said, but I knew that it wasn’t so simple for her. And it wasn’t so simple for me, either.

Suddenly, I was pulled out of my reverie when my rival, a guy who went by the name ‘Jet’, pulled up beside me. His car was a sleek black, just like his attitude.

We locked eyes through our helmets, and a silent understanding passed between us—this would be a battle, not just a race. But wasn’t it always?

The flag dropped, and the world suddenly turned into a blur. We took off in a cacophony of engines and screeching tires, and everything else faded away. Suddenly, it was just me, my car, and the thought of Ella lingering at the back of my mind.

Jet was on my tail, pushing me harder than anyone had before. His engine seemed to scream at me, a grating sound of metal on metal. We were neck and neck, the crowd nothing but a distant hum compared to the cacophony of our cars.

The track, which I had been practicing almost every night for the last three weeks in preparation for this race, felt like a maze of asphalt. Jet was on my tail the whole time, weaving from side to side, trying to throw me off my game.

But I had something that he didn’t; I had a good luck charm.

I had Ella.

On the final lap, Jet tried a move to throw me off. It was a dirty move, but one that I expected from him. He pulled up close, so close I could almost feel his car’s heat emanating through my door. He tried to sideswipe me, to push me into the wall, but I was ready.

I braked, hard and sudden. The world lurched, and for a heart-stopping moment, I was half-drifting, skirting the edge of control. Jet roared past, his car nothing but a black flash.

But I wasn’t done yet.

I swung back onto the track, behind Jet, who was now ahead by a sliver. The final stretch lay before us. I pushed my car to its limits, the engine roaring, and urged it even a little further.

The finish line approached, and I pushed my car one last time, slipping past Jet in the final seconds. His tricks had been his downfall, his aggression a blind spot that I had exploited.

I crossed the finish line, the checkered flag waving a symphony of victory just for me.

A cheer erupted from the sidelines, a wave of sound that crashed over the track, and I knew without looking that Ella was part of that celebration. I pulled my car to a stop, the heat of the engine seeping through my suit, sweat lining my brow beneath the helmet.

It was done. I had won.

I unstrapped myself, taking a moment to let the reality sink in. These races always felt so much faster when I was in them. The cockpit felt hot and stuffy, but I felt like I was on cloud nine. I stepped out of the car and onto the track, my eyes searching the sea of faces.

I didn’t need to search long. Ella was there, her smile a like a beacon in a stormy sea, her hands clasped together.

My crew rushed over to congratulate me.

“Hey, Logan!” Miles said, clapping his hand on my shoulder. “Did it again, huh?”

I chuckled, keeping my visor down to protect my identity, just as many of the other racers did. “Yeah. Thanks to you guys.”

“Not just us,” Miles said, and his eyes flicked over to Ella. “Got yourself a lucky charm there, huh?”

My eyes flickered over to where Ella stood, her hands still clasped together, her face still stretched into a grin. Her hair was a little tousled now, and her cheeks were red from her excitement.

“Yeah,” I chuckled. “I sure do.”

Before I knew it, it was all coming to a close. The other contestants pulled their cars up, and the announcer bellowed my victory with Jet beside me as second place. The gold medal was cool and a little heavy, the perfect representation of all of the hard work that went into such a brief moment of victory.

But in the multitudes of faces in the crowd, my eyes found only one.

Ella.

I stepped forward, moving as if on instinct.

With a few strides, I closed the distance between us, and her eyes widened slightly. Then, as I draped the medal over her neck, I felt the eyes of the world on us, but they might as well have been a million miles away.

“What’s this for?” she asked, recoiling slightly.

I shrugged. “I’ve got plenty. You keep it.”

Ella’s hands came up to touch the medal, her fingers brushing against mine. “But Logan, I didn’t drive a single lap,” she replied, her voice hardly more than a whisper.

“You were there with me the whole time,” I murmured, which was true.

A chorus of oohs and ahhs bubbled up from the onlookers around us. Women swooned, men cheered, and the announcer made a comment about true love; but I only saw Ella, only heard the beating of her heart. I wanted to kiss her so badly, and I almost did, if it weren’t for the damn helmet in the way.

I took a step back, my hand lingering on the metal between us for a split second longer than necessary. Then I turned to face my team as the crowd slowly began to disperse for the night.

And that was when I saw him. Jet.

He stood apart from the celebration, leaning on his car. His silver medal wasn’t around his neck; in fact, it was nowhere to be found. And even through the darkened visor of his helmet, I could feel the cold glare emanating from his eyes.

“Sore loser, that one,” Miles said, clapping his hand on my shoulder and following my gaze.

I nodded, but said nothing. Instead, I returned my attention to Ella, to the smile on her face, and to the gold medal pressed between her delicate fingers.