Page 28 of Racing Hearts

Have you ever met anyone you just know will break your heart, yet you can’t seem to stop yourself from giving it to them, even knowing the outcome?

Alek Anders is that person. I know loving him would be foolish and only end in pain, but I can’t seem to stop myself, and I hate that more.

It’s like watching a car crash, which only makes me worry about his injuries and in turn pisses me off more.

For fuck’s sake.

Club 37 is a mix between a dive bar and a neon club. It shouldn’t work, but it does. Lots of art students come here, and the owner is an alumnus, which is great since he lets us in for free. A ton of others from the area come through, mostly older people since it’s the hottest place in town, so it’s crammed.

It doesn’t take me long to get sweaty, the club music pounding through me, unwinding my tight muscles as we make our way through the crowd to the booth our friends grabbed. It’s overflowing with people, and they cheer when they see us, thrusting drinks our way. I grab the shot and down it, then another as they continue cheering. Their faces blur. Usually, I’m the life of the party, but tonight, I just want to forget, so I let them ply me with liquor until I’m buzzed. I laugh and joke with them, surrounded by people who care about me and would never block me just because of their own issues.

“Let’s dance!” I shout and grab Lally’s and Tommy’s hands. I tug them onto the dance floor filled with writhing bodies, the strobe lights turning it all into a flashing kaleidoscope. Lally spins before me, and Tommy pulls me against him as we dance and grind together. I forget about everything else and just move to the music. The liquor heats my blood, making me feel free, happy, and horny.

Lally is right. It has been too long since I’ve been laid. That’s why I fell for Anders so quickly. It’s just need, but I can take care of that tonight, and I know that when Lally looks at a hot blonde and dances over to her that I won’t be the only one. I wink at Tommy as he goes for a drink, leaving me alone.

I feel eyes on me, and within minutes of my friends’ disappearance, a guy appears before me. He’s really fucking cute. He doesn’t have that rough edge like Anders has, but he’s muscular, taller than me, and has styled blond hair. He doesn’t have any tattoos, but he does wear a silver chain around his neck and a matching bracelet on his wrist. He looks good, and he’s the exact opposite of Anders.

Perfect.

“Can I dance with you?” he calls loudly, having to lean in, his mouth practically pressed against my ear.

“Sure,” I respond, though I don’t think he can hear me, so instead I let him pull me closer. His hands grip my hips as I grin at him. He grins back as we move together to the music. His hand slowly slides down and around until he grips my ass and grinds into me. I see hunger in his eyes as they drop to my lips before he leans in.

“Are you here alone?” he asks.

“Just with some friends, you?” I reply, moving closer until I’m pressed against him so he can hear me.

“Just my friends,” he says, kissing my pulse point. “How about after this dance, I buy you a drink?”

I purposely brush my lips over his ear, feeling him shiver. “Sounds great.”

A hot guy flirting with me? Yeah, it’s exactly what I need, and one dance turns into two until we are both hot and heavy, our lustful eyes locked on one another. I signal Lally so she knows I’m safe, and she nods, then we head to the bar. I plop into a little table tucked into the corner as he goes to order, and when he comes back, I can’t help but grin.

He really is hot.

He hands it over and sits right next to me, his leg pressed to mine. His hand drops to my thigh and squeezes as he leans in. “So what’s your name?”

“Evan. Yours?” I reply, sipping the fruity drink.

“Tait,” he answers. “Are you single, Evan?”

“Very.” I nod as I lean closer, getting a good whiff of expensive cologne. “But you really don’t want to ask that and make small talk, do you?” I flirt, my fingers trailing up and down his chest as he glances from my eyes to my lips. “Why don’t you ask what you really want to ask?”

“Do you want to get out of here?” he blurts.

Smirking, I lean back and down my drink before I stand and offer him my hand.

Fuck Anders. Tonight, I won’t think about him at all.

FIFTEEN

Iwon two races tonight. I needed the high, the risk of danger. Despite my injured hands and jacked arm, I still won, and then I decided I needed a drink. It didn’t take much to convince Skylar, another of the racers I’m pretty close to, to join me for one. I even let him pick the place, and it had been going well. Sky is a good guy. He’s fun to be around, and we are friends despite not knowing much about each other outside of racing, but then Evan turned up with a gaggle of friends.

He looks so fucking good, I hate him on sight. He hasn’t even seen me, completely focused on the people fawning all over him. His smile is so wide it hurts to see. Doesn’t he care that we aren’t talking?

Isn’t he upset?

He doesn’t look like it as he jokes and flirts and then dances with his friends. He’s acting like I’m nothing to him, as if us talking the other night didn’t mean anything. Hell, to him, it probably didn’t. I’m probably another person waiting in a long line for him.

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