Page 29 of Revved up & Ready

“I disagree,” I say, feeling defensive of him. “He’s more committed to racing than I’ve ever been to anything.”

Cam’s brows raise, but Allie bounces over before he can respond.Did she hear the girlfriend part of that conversation?“We need you, racer-man,” she pops up on her toes and looks into the container of cookies. “Were you justnotgonna share?” she asks with as much offense as anyone could muster over cookies and snags them from his hand.

“See you out there, boss,” Cam says, giving Shane’s shoulder an encouraging squeeze before we leave her tent.

Then everything happens in a blur. All of the bikes are lined up on their marks based on the qualifying laps the racers did yesterday. Warmers are placed around the front and back tires, and the racers zip into their suits and slide on their helmets before going out to mount their motorcycles. The voices of the announcers ring out, and a countdown timer starts.Five minutes.

Some of the racers have a coach, friend, or partner standing on the track with them.Is that allowed? It must be if people are doing it.

Luke steps up next to me. “I usually keep him company for this part.”

“Oh,” I say, not sure what to do with that.

He watches me with dark, skeptical eyes.Has Cam told him we’re dating? Can he tell we’re faking? Does he think I’m bad for Cam?“I think he’d like it to be you today.”

“Me?” I squeak, looking across the track to Cam, where he stares straight ahead, fingers drumming impatiently against his gas tank. Between us is a minefield of places I don’tbelong. There are thirty racers lined up with people interspersed throughout, including interviewers and camera crews.No,no, no. That can’t possibly be what he meant.

Luke watches me for a moment before nodding and stepping over the cement divider. “I’ll walk you over.” He holds out his arm for me to balance on as I step onto the track.

But my feet don’t move.How do I explain that I cannot go out there?I want to be as far away from the racing as possible. Noton the track.

“You alright?” Luke asks, arm still poised.

No, not at all. But I can’t say that, can I?I don’t want to be here, but Cam was right. If we were truly dating, there’s no way I’d miss his first race of the season, especially one that’s so close to home. I had to come,and now I have to do this. Plastering a smile on my face, I grab onto Luke’s offered arm, hoping he doesn’t notice the way I shake as I step over the concrete barrier.

When my feet land on the track, the asphalt doesn’t explode or suck me in—so that’s a good sign. Luke doesn’t say anything as he leads me through the small crowd and over to Cam. He grabs Cam’s shoulder, nods, and walks away, leaving me staring at Cam through his helmet.

Cam motions for me to stand closer and lifts his visor. “Hey, gorgeous.”

“Hey.” I glance around, hoping no one’s watching us, but find that many people—even some with cameras—are.

“It’s alright,” he reassures me, bringing a gloved hand to my waist.

Cam’s an affectionate person—making sure to hug everyone in a room before he leaves, resting his arm on a couch behind anyone he’s seated next to—so it shouldn’t surprise me thatboyfriendCam is so hands-on. He’ll probably have to start kissing me for real—not just on top of my head—at some point.If I wasn’t already twisted in knots over his impending race, I’d probably feel a dip in my stomach at the idea.

Tilting my shoulders into him, I giggle for no reason and bat my lashes. “I have no idea what I’m supposed to do right now,” I say without breaking my flirtatious smile.

Cam’s head leans back with his full-body laugh. “You’re doing amazing. I have to sit here on my bike—ready to go—until the race, and I’m terrible at sitting still. It’s my least favorite part of the whole day. You keeping me company makes a big difference.”

Conversation has always flowed seamlessly between us, but now that itmatters, my mind is blank.

Fortunately, Cam has no such problem. “You crossing anything off your list today?” he asks.

“Go to a motorcycle race,” I say, running my hand up his leather-clad arm. The suit is so stiff it feels practically impenetrable.If only that were the case.“It’s a little bit of a cheat, because I just added it this morning. Although, I am having lots of firsts. I’ve never stood on a race track before.”

“You look really good on one,” he says through a charming grin. “Especially in my shirt.”

I chose a heathered gray long-sleeve with his number on the front and his last name on the back. The sleeves are rolled, and I had to tie it up in the back, hopefully making it obvious that it’s his.

“It’s very soft,” I say, rubbing the fabric against my chest. “You might not get it back.”

“I hope I don’t,” he answers.

When Luke and Beau appear to take off his tire warmers, adrenaline courses through me.It’s time. He’s really doing this. I can’t stop him, and he could get hurt. He could—I cut off my line of thinking, not even allowing the word in my mind while I’m standing on the track.

Instead, I lean up on my tiptoes, grab onto either side of his helmet, and say the only race-related thing I can remember, “Rubber side down.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he says with a solemn tip of his head, at odds with his wide smile.

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