Page 98 of False Start

Our fingers slid apart and Tilly rolled back, her eyes narrowed in confusion. Her skin ashen.

Probably just like mine.

“Yes! That’s what I’m talking about,” Priest yelled, climbing onto the track. He grabbed my arms and spun me toward him, my team right behind him swallowing every free inch of track until Tilly disappeared in the cluster. “That is what you’re capable of. What I’ve been trying to get you to see.”

“Survival instincts,” I said, smiling.

“Exactly. That’s what you’re capable of when you’ve got total focus. I’m so damn proud of you,” he said breathlessly. He grinned down at me, his eyes narrowed, his gaze on my mouth. “Fuck the rules,” he mumbled right before he fisted the material of my tank top and dragged me under his mouth for a quick, hot kiss.

His hot taste filled me up, his tongue stealing a quick taste before he let me go, leaving me a panting mess on skates.

He let me go, his lips moving to my ear, making me tremble from head to toe. “Now get your sweet ass back out there and do it again.”

“Yes, sir.” I said the words with way too much enthusiasm judging by the way he dragged his thumb over his bottom lip and swept a hot glance over me.

“Sir, huh? I think I like that.”

“Go away, you’re making it hard to concentrate,” I said, giving him a shove that he only laughed off.

We worked for another hour, until the kids had to leave. I crouched down outside of the track and collected all the squeezes they’d give me. Only when they were loaded in the van, the last of their waves visible disappearing around the corner, did I head back for the infield.

“You guys did good today. Really damn good. Get out of here early tonight. Go celebrate,” Priest said before skating back to the bench with his gear.

I headed over and stopped in front of him. “We’ll probably stop in at Banked Track. Did you want to join us?”

“Mmmmm,” he hummed as he wrapped his hands around my hips and pulled me between his knees. “I’m going to stay with Lilith tonight. I’m not ready to leave her just yet.”

“You’re awfully handsy all of a sudden, you know,” I said, even though my hands had already gone to his shoulders.

With the way his shorts flirted with me earlier, I needed to do something with my hands. This seemed pretty innocent considering the fuck-me vibes swinging in his yum-yum zone.

Plus, there was Eve and I didn’t want to do anything so in her face that it caused her more pain. I’d take my cues from her where that was concerned…and we were getting there.

His head fell back, the skin over his Adam’s apple stretched taut. “Would you rather I break your rule again?”

I wanted to bite him there. Right. Fucking. There. “Not yet.”

“But soon?”

“We’ll see,” I said, skating out of his arms and heading for my duffel.

We packed up in under ten minutes and our cars rolled like a damn caravan right into town and filled the parking lot.

No one died…and we had some fucking celebrating to do.

Milton and Gerald sat at the end of the counter chatting it up with Patti.

“Boys, I hope you’re being good for Patti,” I called out.

“They’re beered up, happy as clams over here, both of them exposing their tender underbellies like good little dogs.”

“Damn, Patti! Way to lay a guy low,” Gerald grumbled.

I ducked over, wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders, and kissed both of them on the cheek. “I’m proud of you boys for getting along. Makes me much freer with my kisses.”

“Well, hell, Maisy Jane, if you’d told me that’s all it would take, I would have started behaving a long time ago,” Milton said, kissing my cheek and patting my back. “Keep being good for Patti over here. I’ve got to join my team. We’ve got some celebrating to do.”

“No climbing my bar, missy,” Patti warned as I backed away.

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