Page 18 of Nitro (Redline Kings MC #3)

JANA

“ G ood, because there never was a chance in hell I was going to let you go.”

Feeling safer with him than I ever had been with anyone else, I teased, “So are you gonna make me your old lady or what?”

“Race me for it.”

My brows drew together. “What?”

“You heard me, sweetheart.” He brushed his lips over mine. “I already have it all set up, all you gotta do is come with me.”

I slid my hand against his. “I’ll go wherever you want.”

He took me to a road about fifteen minutes outside of town.

The closed stretch of asphalt spread out in front of me, dark and gleaming under the floodlights.

Torin had the prospects set it up just for us.

No roaring crowd and no rival crews watched from the sidelines.

Just the quiet hum of cicadas in the trees.

“This is kinda out there, even for us,” I muttered, tugging on my gloves as Torin strolled toward me, his helmet dangling from one hand like he owned the whole damn world, which he did since we were on Redline Kings turf.

His crooked grin stretched across his gorgeous face. “That’s what makes it the best kind of foreplay, baby.”

Heat pooled low in my belly, but I forced myself to focus as I slid into the driver’s seat of my car. The familiar cocoon usually centered me, but it wasn’t just about a normal race tonight. The stakes were higher than ever.

I tugged the harness down and froze. Instead of digging into the base of my stomach, the lap belt was angled low, secured beneath my hips. The shoulder strap was anchored just right, snug across the middle of my chest, between my breasts. Not a strip of webbing pressed against my stomach.

My throat tightened as my fingers traced the adjustment. “You did this.”

Torin leaned down through the open window, his dark eyes holding mine. “Damn right. Had to make sure this was safe. For my girl. And the baby. Told Gauge to swap it out while you took the test.”

Tears filled my eyes, but they didn’t stop me from snapping my helmet in place. He stepped back, walked over to his car, swung inside, and fired up the engine. The deep rumble rolled through the night like thunder, vibrating straight into my bones.

I gripped the wheel, my pulse thrumming in my ears.

Torin revved his engine again, and I did the same. Then his deep voice came through the intercom in my helmet. “Ready, sweetheart?”

“I was born ready,” I shot back, even though my hands were shaking on the leather-wrapped wheel.

Lined up at the edge of the stretch, the faint scent of gasoline hung heavy in the humid air. For one suspended heartbeat, it was just the two of us—man and woman, machine and machine, a line painted across the road we were about to burn through.

Then Torin counted down, and I slammed the accelerator to the floor the second his voice cut off. My car roared to life beneath me, the vibrations shooting up my arms and through my chest like lightning. The tires screamed against the asphalt, smoke curling into the humid night as we shot forward.

Adrenaline surged through my veins, stronger than anything I’d ever felt on a sanctioned track. Or the underground races.

This wasn’t just about speed. It was about Torin. Our future.

His car shot forward beside me, the gleam of chrome and the growl of his engine matching my pace. For a few wild seconds, we were side by side, and my pulse raced to the same rhythm as the pistons firing under my hood.

Then I pushed harder, the wheel vibrating against my grip. Every gear change and featherlight touch of the brakes had to be perfect. The world narrowed to the road in front of me and Torin’s car, hugging the line beside mine.

He edged forward a hair, and frustration mixed with exhilaration.

Not tonight. Not when the stakes were this high.

I called up every ounce of grit I’d earned, all the laps that had cut blisters into my palms, the sneers I’d ignored, and each dismissal I’d shoved back into their faces.

I poured it all into this race and surged forward.

The finish line blazed under the floodlights, and I crossed it a whisper ahead of him. By mere inches.

I gasped, my chest heaving and my heart threatening to tear out of me as I hit the brakes and rolled to a stop. My whole body was buzzing, the echo of victory burning through me like wildfire.

But as I ripped off my helmet and sucked in the damp night air, suspicion crept in around the edges of triumph. My gaze cut to Torin’s car. His helmet was also off, and he grinned at me through the passenger window.

I barely won, but a question whispered through the back of my mind. Had he let me?

But even if he had, I didn’t care. Because what I wanted more than anything was that leather vest—and the man who came with it.

My pulse still hadn’t calmed when I shoved open the door and swung out of my car, tossing my helmet on the now-empty seat. The air carried the familiar scent of rubber and gasoline, the heat of our race still hanging over the pavement.

Torin climbed out of his car and circled it. His hair was mussed from the ride, and his dark eyes locked on me as though I was the only thing that existed.

“You went easy on me.” I pointed a finger at him, though my voice came out breathless, the accusation lacking any bite. “Don’t even try to deny it.”

“Maybe.” He pushed off the car, his grin widening. “But I don’t hear you complainin’. Congrats, baby. You just earned your vest.”

My throat closed. “You mean?—”

“That’s what we were racing for, right?”

I nodded, happy tears filling my eyes. “Yup.”

Twisting around, he grabbed a black leather vest with the colors of the Redline Kings stitched boldly across the back, with PROPERTY OF NITRO beneath it. He turned it in his hands, and I saw my name on the front.

The air left my lungs as I lurched toward him. He held the vest out to me. “It’s official now. Everyone who sees you in this will know you’re mine.”

I took the property patch, my tears blurring the letters. I dragged in a sharp breath, half laugh and half sob. “Torin…”

I slid the vest on, tears streaming too fast to blink away, but he wasn’t done.

“Wait.” He reached into the glove box of his car, then straightened with a small black box in the palm of his big hand.

It was good that my car was behind me because my knees went weak. Then he flicked the top open, revealing a diamond solitaire ring. The band was simple, no extra stones. Perfect for me.

“And another permanent place in my life,” he added, his crooked smile cutting me in half. “Not that you ever had a choice since the moment you pulled your helmet off at the Shadow Tryout.”

“You’re such a caveman.” I covered my mouth with trembling fingers.

“Only for you.” He stepped in close, plucking the ring from the box. “I love you, Jana. Don’t even try to tell me you don’t feel the same.”

The words hit harder than any race win.

“I do,” I choked, my voice raw. “I love you so much.”

Relief and triumph flashed across his face before he slid the ring onto my shaking hand. Then he caught me up against his chest, his mouth crushing mine in a kiss that stole whatever breath I had left.

Our engines ticked as they cooled, metal groaning in the night, but the world felt silent compared to the steady thrum of his heart against mine. I melted into him, leather pressed to leather, his hand tangled in my hair, sealing me to him with nothing left between us.

I’d come here chasing victory. But standing on the asphalt with Torin’s ring on my finger, his patch on my back, and his baby in my belly, I finally realized I’d already won everything I could ever want.