Page 39 of The Consequence of You
That was insane.
My heart is pounding out of my chest, and I have to bite my bottom lip to contain myself. I never got the appeal of racing before, but I get it now. It’s so intense and the rush afterwards is how I imagine it might feel to take drugs. This whole thing is crazy and wrong, but I can’t remember the last time I felt so alive
The girl who started the race jumps in front of our car as we crawl slowly into the carpark. I scoop my mask out of the footwell, and yank it back on as she comes over to my open window and leans in, blowing a pink bubble with her gum.
“Nicely done. Best time this year.”
She hands me a bundle of cash. Asher gestures to his glove box so I shove it in. The girl crosses her arms under her tits, pushing them up in a blatant attempt to get Asher’s attention.
It shouldn’t bother me, but I have a sudden urge to roll the window back up, with her head still in it.
“Staying for the party, Arsonist? You and your girl can keep your masks on.”
Asher shakes his head, and we peel out of the clearing, without him saying a word.
It’s not until we’re almost home that I realise he didn’t correct her for calling me his girl.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
ASHER
Fuck. I thought it was a thrill racing, but racing with Callie next to me, it’s something else. It raised the stakes in a completely new way. I never felt out of control; it wasn’t that. It was because I wanted to win for her.
I sneak a look at her as I drive back to my garage to switch cars. Her cheeks are flushed, and her bangs are all messed up from the mask. She looks undone the same way she does after I make her come, and it suits her. No doubt when she comes down from the high of winning, she’ll be pissed at me, but it’s worth it.
Taking her with me was a gamble. After what happened with her ex, I needed to get her out of her head, and I knew racing would do that for her. I know her history, but it wasn’t a young person speeding that killed her mother. I’d read the newspaper reports. It was justsome old guy and too much ice. She drives so I know she isn’t frightened of the road. Callie turns to me.
“You prick.”
I pull into the garage and switch off the engine.Here we go.
“What? I won. You had a good time.”
“You could have killed us both.” she admonishes, and I don’t even feel slightly bad. She opens her door and jumps out of the car. I get out after her and watch as she paces the small patch of floor between my two cars. I love the unknown of racing, but I have never felt truly at risk while doing it. I would never put her in physical danger. Never. I like to live my life on the edge, but never at the expense of someone else’s safety.
Rounding my car, I hem her in between the wall and the cars, so she’s forced to face me.
“There was no danger. The road’s blocked off at both ends. It’s checked and double checked before the race. We’re both experienced drivers. We know our limitations. It’s all good.”
“It was an illegal street race, Asher. At best, it was fucking insensitive of you. At worst, it was fucking dangerous.” She’s telling me off, but the energy radiating off her is telling me everything I need to know.
“And yet?”
“And yet… I loved it. Fuck.” She lets out a long breath. “I loved it.” She tilts her head up to look at me. “The way you took that last corner. How did you get it right?”
“Mathematics.”
“What?” She squints.
“Well, maths and some physics thrown in. It’s all to do with velocity and angles. That, and practice. You get toknow your car; you know the road conditions. You learn to adapt quickly.”
“How long have you been racing?”
“A couple of years. Started pretty much straight after I got my licence. The first time I was just a passenger in one of my brother’s friends’ cars. It was wild. The next day, I came back and reran the course in the daytime, and then I did it again, and again, until I knew I could do it competitively.”
“Aren’t you scared of getting hurt?” Her eyes run over my body, almost unconsciously, and I heat as I remember what it feels like to have her hands on my skin.
“No. I don’t believe I’m in any danger, not really. But even if I was, it wouldn’t be a factor. We don’t have control of what happens. Not really.”
