Page 154 of Ruthless Reign

“I think it’s cute,” Becca said, and for a second I had no idea what she was talking about.

“That he already gave you a nickname,” she explained and then motioned zipping her lips. “Sorry. Sorry. You need to focus. I’ll be quiet.”

“No need, mo mhuirnín. Talk all you like.”

I started the engine, feeling my baby purr beneath me as she came to life.

“Are you ever going to tell me what that means?”

“Why don’t you ask Kaleb?”

Hardin walked into the middle of the road, straddling the centerline, getting ready to send us off.

“Why would I ask Kaleb?”

“He figured it out weeks ago. Googled it as soon as he heard me say it that night I met you and them at their place.”

“What? Seriously?”

I nodded.

“Surprised you didn’t.”

A horn blared outside, and everyone chanted THREE.

Becca gripped the handle, her face flushing as she snapped her attention to the road ahead.

I grinned.

The horn blared again.

“TWO!”

Hardin lifted his arms.

“It means, my darling.”

She turned to face me, and I looked ahead to the road just as everyone shouted “ONE!” The horn blared, and Hardin threw down his arms.

A gasp left Becca’s lips as I threw the car into drive and hammered down on the accelerator, switching gears three times in what felt like as many seconds.

Kaleb got out ahead of me, his engine able to go zero to sixty a lot faster than my Impala, but it wasn’t about the beginning. The important bit was at the end, and I had five miles to catch up.

Becca whooped, eyes alight, and I jammed the power button for the upgraded sound system, my playlist coming on at full volume. The Summoning by Sleep Token blasted through the speakers, and she bobbed her head to the beat, hollering.

I could confidently say that I would never get tired of seeing her like this. I’d race Kaleb every damn weekend to see that light in her eyes.

I grinned to myself as my Impala started to push close to Kaleb’s bumper, looking for a way to get around him on the next turn.

Becca started to sing along to the lyrics of the song, the words cutting off in a breathless gasp as I drifted us tight around the next turn, pushing Kaleb back enough to get through and ahead.

In my peripherals, I watched her crane her neck back to see him. I glanced in the rearview to find him fuming as he shifted left and right behind us, looking for his next opening to try to race ahead.

Fuck. This was fun.

Real fun.

With no strings attached.

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