Page 46 of Finding Jeremy
Trust his best friend to know just what he needed. As soon as Gray got the helmet off him, Haven pressed a bottle of water into his hand and dumped another one over his head. Cool butnot cold, just the way he needed. Now that he could breathe, his trembling started easing up.
Swinging his leg over the bike, Jeremy let Haven take control of it while Gray and Chaos walked him to the podium to collect his trophy and pose for photos. The check he handed to his Pops to put into the account for the team, wanting to build that back up again after they’d had to drain it for parts and repairs. The press did their thing, snapping a bunch of photos before he and his fellow racers had the chance to hug and congratulate one another.
When asked if he’d say a few words, all Jeremy could manage to say was that it felt good to be back and he couldn’t wait to see everyone the following week at Mount Shasta. That had renewed the cheers of the fans, but by then, he was done celebrating, he was done being on his feet, and he was done with the flashing lights. All he wanted was to get out of his leathers and go home. He could shower there and then flop on the couch in Gray’s arms until the dinner Pops had promised was ready. Grilled peaches, steaks with cowboy butter, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. He could practically taste it.
Back behind the arena, Gray helped him out of his leathers while Chaos, Haven, and Maddox loaded up his bike beside the one he’d used for the freestyle. With the three of them working together, it didn’t take long to load the toolboxes, parts, fluids, and gear they’d brought.
“Back to the Driving Miss Daisy shit, I see,” Chaos chuckled as they climbed into the back, leaving him up front on his own since Haven and Maddox were riding behind them on Maddox’s bike. “Just don’t go expecting me to start wearing a suit when I’m driving around.”
“Wouldn’t even dream of it, Pops,” Jeremy replied. “Last time you put one on, you split the ass getting on your bike and wound up having to put on a pair of jeans.”
“Should have just started with them,” his Pops grumbled as they began the slow task of maneuvering the fuck out of there amid the rest of the cars attempting to leave at the exact same time.
“Why didn’t you?” Gray asked.
“We were going to a funeral,” Jeremy explained. “And Pops decided that for once we should try to look presentable.”
They all laughed at that and Chaos’ disgruntled grumbling as a truck tried to push in between him and the car in front of him, with no luck, since his old man was nearly kissing the car’s bumper to keep shit like that from happening.
“That was a hell of a job out there today, kid,” Chaos declared as they slowly chugged along. “I knew you had it in you.”
“Thanks for always believing that even when I didn’t,” Jeremy replied.
“Ech, I’d have been more worried if you went into these things acting like you had it in the bag,” Chaos explained. “Confidence is one thing, but ego gets people hurt.”
Nodding, Jeremy let his eyes drift closed, only to snap them back open when he felt Gray press a kiss to his forehead.
“Damn proud of you,” Gray murmured, kissing him on the lips before tugging Jeremy as close as the seatbelt would allow.
Somewhere on the slow ride out of there he fell asleep, waking to the feel of Gray gently tugging him out of the back seat and carrying him towards the steps leading inside.
“Shit,” Jeremy muttered, “Didn’t mean to make you carry me.”
“I don’t mind.”
As if to prove it, Gray carried him all the way to the bathroom, only setting him back on his feet once he’d toed the door closed behind them. As Gray got the water running and adjusted the temperature, Jeremy focused on getting undressed,having to sit on the toilet seat to pull off his socks, the cold of the porcelain through his briefs enough to wake him up a little more.
“Your Pops is already firing up the grill,” Gray declared. “By the time we get you out of here and dressed, he’ll have the food on the table so you can eat before you crash.”
“Part of me wants to crash right there in the tub.”
Gray eyed it and snickered. “Yeah, I don’t think that’ll work. The bed will be much more comfortable.”
“True.”
“Come on, let’s get you clean.”
He let Gray guide him beneath the spray, glad that it was more warm than hot. Hot might have felt good on his shoulders, but it would also have been too much after how sweaty he’d gotten inside those leathers.
When he reached for a washcloth, Gray took it from his fingers and turned him to face the wall, letting Jeremy brace himself there while Gray washed his back and down his legs before turning him around to finish cleaning him up. Unlike the first shower they’d shared together, there was no teasing and no rutting against one another; there was only the care his Dom showed in washing the sweat and dirt from his hair and body.
Jeremy’s stomach started growling about halfway through, trying to devour itself by the time Gray had finished cleaning him up and turned off the shower. It gave a loud enough grumble that Gray heard it as he reached for their towels, passing one to Jeremy to wrap around himself while he did the same.
“I really took second,” Jeremy declared as it all finally started to sink in. “Holy shit. Everything just clicked out there today. All the stuff Pops had been talking about when it came to track positioning and wanting me to watch the races so I could see how the guys who were always placing in the top maneuvered through the race and picked their lanes.”
“I gotta admit, you gave me a bit of a scare in that third lap when number 37 clipped you. I still don’t know how you and 53 avoided a collision, but he finished three spots behind you.”
“I don’t know how we missed each other either, but I’m glad we did,” Jeremy admitted. “It would have been disappointing not to finish.”
