Page 90 of Finish Line

“Do I have to?” Cam whines.

I narrow my eyes at him and purse my lips before smiling sweetly. “Not if you don’t mind me peeing on you.”

He unwraps his arms from around my waist before he rolls toward Mav.

“No golden showers. Got it.” I leap off the bed, rushing to the bathroom, a round of male laughter following me.

I shower and dress in my travel clothes.

When I leave the bathroom, everyone is gone, so I finish packing.

All told, it takes us more than an hour to make it to the airport.

The plane we board is different from the one I came here on. It’s larger, with two pilots and a stewardess. She asks us if we want anything to drink, and we groan and say no thank you.

Once we reach altitude, Mav unbuckles me. “Follow me.”

We walk down a small hallway.

“I thought you might be more comfortable here. Your eyes are bloodshot, and if we want you to be more than a zombie, you should rest.”

Feeling undead, I wobble to the bed, arms out in front of me, then face-plant onto the soft sheets.

Mav laughs as he kicks off his shoes and climbs in bed. “Come on, baby.”

I’m tired, and sleeping in a bed rather than a chair is the better option, even if the seats are as comfortable as this luxurious plane boasts.

I kick off my shoes and climb up next to Mav, curling up against him and resting my head on his hard chest.

Too soon, we’re woken up by the pilot’s voice over the plane’s intercom. The plane will land in an hour, and we need to return to our seats. I must have been tired to have been able to sleep for almost twelve hours.

Once the plane touches down, we wait for the stewardess to open the doors before we grab our things. The bikes were picked up last night and shipped home. We walk out of the plane and over to our parked cars.

Before everyone splits up to go to their separate vehicles, I turn to Sam and Paige. “I’m so glad you joined us this week. Some of what happened was pretty heavy, but I appreciate you being with us.”

I walk over and grab Paige up in a tight hug. “For the longest time, I never let myself be open enough to have true friends besides my racing crew. I never would have been comfortable telling them about Roger… or Evan.”

Paige’s arms squeeze me tight.

“Outside of my best bitch, Cin, it was me against the world thing. So, meeting you at school, helping you stand up to Carrie and her Barbie squad, and all the support you gave me after the Black and White Ball, you’ve got best-bitch status now, too.”

I step out of Paige’s arms and turn to Sam. “Sam, this means if you ever hurt her, you’ll have to deal with me.”

I try to keep my face serious, but a smile breaks free. “Okay, fine. Obviously, we’re friends, too.”

Sam chuckles.

I give Sam a quick hug. “Thank you for being here, Sam. You have helped me more than you know.”

“Thanks for inviting us.” Paige hugs me again. “I loved my time in Hawaii. If you need anything, I’m a phone call away.”

Sam reaches down to take Paige’s hand, then pulls me into another hug between them. “You have enough people protecting you, but I’m here for anything you might need. Don’t hesitate to call us, Shelby.”

Sam steps back, breaking the three-way hug before turning to the guys. “I mean it, guys. Call us if you need us. We’re here to help.”

The guys nod their understanding. Sam and Paige walk over to his car, and they take off.

Nick and Cin stand by Nick’s car. I turn to the guys. After the months we spent apart, a week with them isn’t enough. I don’t want to leave them, even to go to our own houses in the same town.

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