Page 25 of Need for Speed (The Elite 2)

If I were honest, though, I’d admit he had taken up residence in more than just my mind, but since I was content to be a lying bastard for the time being, I wouldn’t think about that. Whatever was happening between us wasn’t serious. It was fun and sexy as fuck, and that was that.

Or was it?

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye, and by the end of the brief, I could not have spouted back one fact about the official investigation for all I’d been paying attention.

“Hey. Solo. Solo? Dude, wake up.” Gucci elbowed me, and when I jolted up in my seat, he shook his head. “Never seen anyone sleep with their eyes open before. That’s creepy, man.”

“I wasn’t asleep.”

“You sure about that? ’Cause your eyes are lookin’ a little glazed over.”

“Well, that was some shit I didn’t need to sit through.” When I noticed everyone was getting up and heading out of the room, I frowned. “Where we going?”

Gucci snorted. “Sure you weren’t asleep? We’ve gotta change into our suits. They want us back here for the hop briefing in twenty.”

That woke my ass up. “What? We’re going up already?”

“That a problem for you?”

“No, it’s just…” I searched out Panther, wondering what was going through his mind at having to fly again on the first day back, and as I spotted his familiar head of dark hair heading out the door, I leaped out of my seat, pushed by Gucci, and practically ran to catch up with Panther.

“Panther,” I called out, reaching for his arm, and when he turned around, I pulled him off to the side.

He nodded and smiled at the others passing by us, their expressions full of curiosity, and then he focused on me. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Shit, now that I’d gotten him alone, I didn’t know what to say. “How was, uh”—I gestured toward the room—“all that?”

Panther blew out a breath, gripping the back of his neck. For almost two weeks I’d had him all to myself, and it was suddenly hard to not want to grab him and kiss the fuck out of that mouth.

Remember where you are.

“It wasn’t the best morning of my life, but I’m glad it wasn’t my fault. I kept thinking I missed something in pre-check, or that it was somehow on me.”

“Of course it wasn’t—”

“I know, but we’re in control, right?” He gave me a small smile. “We’re control freaks, and that’s why we’re good at what we do. It’s just an eye-opener when something out of your power happens and you’re fucked.”

There was something in his voice, something off, and it took me a second to pinpoint it. “You’re nervous.”

Panther looked away from me. “I wouldn’t say nervous.”

“Scared, nervous, fucking terrified, same thing.”

He sighed, still not meeting my eyes. “I’m fine. I just need to get back up there.”

“You can tell me if you’re not fine.”

“You can’t tell your competition you’re not fine. You tell them you’ve got this. And I do.” Panther looked at me then and placed his hand on my shoulder. “I’m fine.”

Before I could protest that I knew damn well he wasn’t, he walked off, heading toward the locker room to get suited up. I followed after him, knowing I needed to do the same, but I couldn’t help feeling like I was watching a train wreck about to happen.

19 Panther

I SUCKED IN a deep breath, held it in my lungs until it burned, and then blew it out slowly. I’d never felt anxious in the cockpit before, and I wasn’t going to start now. I’d gone through pre-check three times, I knew the hop details, and I was in line and ready to go. This would be just like any of the other hundreds of times I’d flown, bar the last one. So why was it that final hop had my head fucked and my pulse racing so fast I was surprised I hadn’t blacked out?

“You’ve got this,” I said, because saying the words out loud meant they were true. I didn’t need to fear a repeat of last time. That wouldn’t be happening again, and even if it did, I’d come through it fine once, and I’d come through it fine again.

So why the hell was I in such a state of panic? I didn’t have a clue, and I didn’t have time to think about it either, because the all-clear came through, and it was time to rev up and go.

With my hands shaking, I navigated the jet toward the runway, trying to keep my breaths steady as I focused on the mission ahead.

“You’ve got this,” I told myself again, and then I began to accelerate. Faster and faster I pushed, the familiar vibrations of the jet racing down the runway doing nothing to calm my nerves. If anything, I felt my pulse racing faster than ever, my hands sweating and my vision blurring.

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