Page 25 of Overdrive (Speed Demons #1)

What the fuck was that?

My thighs ached where he'd held me. My lips were swollen from his kiss. My skin burned every place we touched—his grip, his heat, his cock grinding against me through barely-there layers.

And I was still holding on.

I needed to let go. Say something clever. Brush it off. Pretend I hadn't just melted to the very core.

But my fingers stayed tangled in his hair, and he wasn't stepping back either, hands still gripping my thighs as if he, too, hadn’t quite convinced himself to let to. He was still hard— very hard—and pressed against me like he wanted to take everything I had left to give.

He could take whatever he wanted from me.

I swallowed, my heart pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it. The squirrel was gone, the woods were silent again, and we were still wrapped up in each other like we were about to go another round. This was so fucking bad. So reckless.

I needed to let go and back away. I didn't. Neither did he.

We should say something. We should end this. I tried to breathe, to find my voice. “So, uh…”

“Yeah.” His throat worked around a swallow.

Silence stretched again. Thick. Charged .

“Fuck,” he swore. His expression shifted. And I knew that look. The flicker of regret. The mental retreat. Like watching a switch flip—emotion off, walls up, gone.

I blinked, the haze fading. Oh. Oh. The pit opened in my stomach. Familiar. Ugly. Just like my ex.

And then, at the same time?—

“Let's just forget that happened.”

We both paused. This was awkward now. A second passed, as if we were each waiting for the other to take it back. To say, I didn't mean that. But neither of us did.

I forced a laugh, too loud, too brittle. “Yeah, I mean—it was just?—”

“Endorphins.” He nodded quickly. “Yeah. Heat of the moment. Running. Adrenaline. Happens all the time.”

“All the time,” I echoed, though I wasn't sure who we were trying to convince. My skin was still tingling and I wanted to scream.

A breeze rustled the leaves above us, and it was enough to break whatever fragile thread was holding us there.

Callumcleared his throat and slowly— so slowly—set me back on the ground. But even then, he didn't immediately step away. His fingers trailed up my thighs and lingered at my waist.

His jaw feathered. His fingers squeezed. He was internally fighting with himself, but then he released me, and the second his touch disappeared, I felt cold.

I ignored the way my body ached, because my pride was wounded.

He exhaled sharply, ran a hand through his hair, and took a step back. I took two.

This was fine. This was fine .

I forced a smirk, because if I didn't, I might combust on the spot. Or cry. My subconscious hadn't yet decided. “Don't look so traumatized, Fraser.”

That almost got a laugh out of him, but it died on his lips. The space between us still pulsed, heat coiled tight and unspoken. I licked my lips—habit, mistake, something in between—and his eyes dropped to my mouth like a reflex. I had to shut it down.

“You let me get tackled by a tree, Fraser. Not exactly a win. ”

His lips twitched. “You're right. I should've let you eat dirt instead.”

“Next time, I win.”

He held my eyes. “Looking forward to it, Auri.”

And the way he said my name? How his accent curled around it, low and rough and way too close to sounding like a promise? I felt that everywhere. And it told me one thing: there was no coming back from this.

I wasn't stupid enough to believe this was just flirting anymore. This was something that could fucking destroy me.

He stared at me as if he wasn't sure whether to chase me or run away. I blinked, taking him in one last time when I noticed—to my absolute horror —a wet stain on his crotch. He glanced down and then he gave me the most evil little smirk.

“That's all you, Auri.” His voice was pure sex, and if I didn't leave right now, I would never recover. Neither my heart nor my body could handle another man ruining me for his own selfish reasons.

I stumbled back a step. Then another. Decided to put us both out of our misery. “See you on the track.”

He swallowed, nodding once.

I turned on my heel and walked away.

Not running. Not fleeing.

Just… getting the hell out of there before I begged for more. I wasn't sure I'd survive if I got another taste of him. And I was terrified of what it would do to me if I did.