Page 37 of Nitro
When I set the test on the counter, my breath shuddered out of me. Torin’s arm wrapped around me from behind, his hand closing over mine and grounding me. “We’ll look together.”
The next three minutes were the longest of my life. We didn’t move or speak, just stood with my back pressed to his chest, his thumb stroking my knuckles while the seconds dragged.
The faint buzz of my phone alarm finally broke the silence. My heart leaped into my throat as I turned my head.
There were two pink lines. I was pregnant.
My knees buckled, but Torin caught me instantly, holding me steady like he’d known I would fall. He held me close as he met my gaze in the mirror, and his panty-melting smile widened.
“Fuck yes.” He gently turned me so we were facing each other and hauled me against his chest. Both hands bracketed my face as he kissed me hard, sealing the moment with his mouth. When he broke away, his breath was ragged against my lips.
“We’re having a baby,” I whispered.
A tear slipped down my cheek, and he caught it with his thumb. His expression softened, even as the fire in his eyes burned hotter. “You’ll never face anything alone again, Jana. Not while I’m breathing.”
The words gutted me. In the best, most terrifying way.
I was stunned but grounded in a way I’d never known before. The girl who had sworn she’d never need a man’s support again was wrapped in the arms of one who would happily fight the world for me. And I realized that was exactly what I needed.
Running wasn’t even an option anymore. I didn’t want it to be.
The thought of my racing career barely flickered in the back of my mind. Not as a loss, but as something that suddenly felt small compared to this moment. To the way the entire planet had just shifted under my feet.
Torin’s arms tightened around me, and I didn’t just feel claimed. I felt safe.
I’d come to Crossbend to prove I could win alone, but wrapped in his embrace, I finally admitted the truth. “You and this baby are the finish line I really want.”
17
JANA
“Good, because there never was a chance in hell I was going to let you go.”
Feeling safer with him than I ever had been with anyone else, I teased, “So are you gonna make me your old lady or what?”
“Race me for it.”
My brows drew together. “What?”
“You heard me, sweetheart.” He brushed his lips over mine. “I already have it all set up, all you gotta do is come with me.”
I slid my hand against his. “I’ll go wherever you want.”
He took me to a road about fifteen minutes outside of town. The closed stretch of asphalt spread out in front of me, dark and gleaming under the floodlights. Torin had the prospects set it up just for us. No roaring crowd and no rival crews watched from the sidelines. Just the quiet hum of cicadas in the trees.
“This is kinda out there, even for us,” I muttered, tugging on my gloves as Torin strolled toward me, his helmet dangling from one hand like he owned the whole damn world, which he did since we were on Redline Kings turf.
His crooked grin stretched across his gorgeous face. “That’s what makes it the best kind of foreplay, baby.”
Heat pooled low in my belly, but I forced myself to focus as I slid into the driver’s seat of my car. The familiar cocoon usually centered me, but it wasn’t just about a normal race tonight. The stakes were higher than ever.
I tugged the harness down and froze. Instead of digging into the base of my stomach, the lap belt was angled low, secured beneath my hips. The shoulder strap was anchored just right, snug across the middle of my chest, between my breasts. Not a strip of webbing pressed against my stomach.
My throat tightened as my fingers traced the adjustment. “You did this.”
Torin leaned down through the open window, his dark eyes holding mine. “Damn right. Had to make sure this was safe. For my girl. And the baby. Told Gauge to swap it out while you took the test.”
Tears filled my eyes, but they didn’t stop me from snapping my helmet in place. He stepped back, walked over to his car, swung inside, and fired up the engine. The deep rumble rolled through the night like thunder, vibrating straight into my bones.
