Page 35 of Nitro
Her hands flew to her mouth, green eyes wide and glassy under the floodlights. She looked at me like she couldn’t believe it was real.
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, tugged her into my side, and kissed the top of her damp hair. “Told you losing to me wasn’t shameful.”
She made a choked sound, half laugh, half sob, then buried her face in my chest. My hand splayed across her back, holding her there, pride burning hotter than the engines still cooling on the strip.
The Redline Kings didn’t hand out family easily. But tonight, Jana Jennings had been claimed twice—by me, and by them. And fuck if it didn’t feel right.
16
JANA
The calendar didn’t lie. Neither did the twist in my stomach when I counted the days again.
My period was late.
I sat on one of the leather couches in the main area of the clubhouse, thinking about how I’d found myself in this situation. Torin and I hadn’t used protection, but I didn’t really think that I would end up pregnant. Other than in the heat of the moment, we hadn’t even talked about the chances we were taking when we had sex. We were both risk-takers, but what we’d been doing had taken that to a whole new level. One that might’ve made a baby, tying us together forever.
I’d come to Crossbend to prove myself and carve out a place no one could take from me. I hadn’t come to get tangled up in a man. And getting tied to one in such a permanent way had not been anywhere on my radar at all.
But I wasn’t as freaked out as I probably should’ve been.
Part of that was because there was a possibility that stress might’ve messed up my cycle. Or my new schedule with its late nights, adrenaline, and different eating habits. Yet in my gut, I had a feeling that wasn’t the case.
I was still trying to wrap my head around the likelihood that I was pregnant with Torin’s baby when Ashlynn waddled past, her rounded belly straining against her shirt. She stopped with a dramatic sigh, one hand braced on her back. “The third trimester sucks. I can’t even make it ten minutes without running to the bathroom. I told Mason he’s gonna have to install one right next to the couch if we ever do this again.”
I imagined dealing with that at the garage, and my eyes widened as my head jerked back.
Her grin faded when she clocked my horrified expression. “Don’t worry, it might seem like it with Savannah and me so close together, but you can keep drinking the water around here without having to worry about your bladder. Pregnancy isn’t contagious.”
I knew she was teasing, but the joke didn’t land. She was wrong about me not needing to worry. “I’m late.”
“Oh.” Her brows shot up, and she pulled out her phone. “Don’t worry. I know what to do.”
As her fingers flew across the screen, I asked, “What are you doing?”
“Savannah’ll be here in ten with a pregnancy test.”
My palms went damp as I stared at Ashlynn’s phone, equal parts scared and relieved. In ten minutes, my life might change forever.
True to her word, the prez’s old lady breezed in long after, handing me a small pink box with a teasing smile. “It’s a good thing Cage decided to start stocking these.”
“Don’t worry.” Ashlynn leaned in, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “I told her not to be sneaky.”
Savannah shrugged, her blond ponytail bouncing. “It wasn’t even necessary since Cage was busy in his office. Nobody saw me grab it.”
“Thanks,” I whispered, gripping the test between clenched fingers.
“Go,” Savannah urged, waving me toward the nearest bathroom.
“Before I have to run there yet again,” Ashlynn muttered.
“It’ll be free for you if you need it,” I reassured them with a weak smile. “I’m gonna head to Torin’s room.”
Savannah nodded. “Good call.”
I strode away from them and didn’t stop until I reached the place in the clubhouse where I felt the most comfortable. Slipping inside, I shut the door behind me. For a long beat, I just stood there, clutching the test box like it was about to bite me. Then I inhaled, my tension easing a little as Torin’s scent filled my nostrils.
I’d told myself I came here for privacy, but that was a lie. The truth was that I felt safest with Torin—even when he wasn’t here.
