Page 10 of Racing Dirty Trilogy Box Set

Xavier

I hold Izzy as tight as I can, without crushing her as she sobs against my chest. Tears sting my eyes when I see Austin. A man I’ve looked up to almost my whole life, lying in a hospital bed, helpless and the conversation I had with my dad runs through my head.

We went outside after I brought Izzy here and he told me Officer Iverson called him. He told my dad he didn’t think the accident was really an accident. The car appears to have been tampered with, but he wouldn’t go into detail.

He told my dad to be careful and if any of us remember anything or notice anything odd to call him immediately. He also told my dad he needs to talk with Izzy and I’m not letting her go alone. I need to find the proper time to tell her what I’ve learned.

Izzy pulls away from me, her eyes are red-rimmed from crying. She touches my stubbled cheeks tenderly, drying away the tears I didn’t realize fell. Her soft fingers linger on my face and I cherish the contact. It’s been so long since I felt a connection with anyone, that I soak it all in.

“Thank you, X, for everything,”Izzy whispers, her mouth is inches from mine. I peer into her beautiful, green swollen eyes.

“B, I’ll always be here for you. I’m not going anywhere."

She shifts her body and gives me a small smile. My heart rate speeds up as Izzy licks her lips, her eyes drifting from mine and dropping to my lips.

I suppress a groan and pull her tight against me, her supple curves are pressed against my body and I harden behind the zipper of my jeans.

She rests her head against my chest, her body relaxing into mine, melting together.

My heart beats wildly in my chest, thumping against my rib cage.

Holding her like this, a part of me is back and I can take on the world.

I don’t want to let her go, but she only has a few minutes with her dad.

I lift her chin to my face. Her eyes are filled with tears again as she blinks her long dark lashes. One trails down her cheek and I wipe it away with my thumb.

“I’ll be right outside the door. Go talk to your dad and come out when you’re done. You need these few minutes alone with him before they kick us out for the night.” Her tired eyes shine with tears.

“Thanks, X. You always seem to know what I need when I need it," she whispers.

I kiss her forehead, inhale her vanilla scent, and walk out the door, closing it quietly behind me.

I lean against the wall outside of the hospital room door, listening to all the monitors making steady beeping noises from all the different rooms and my eyes are suddenly heavy.

I pull my phone out of my pocket and look at the time.

It’s almost five o’clock in the morning.

I have several messages from friends and drivers wondering how Austin is doing, but I ignore them and put my phone back in my pocket.

I lean my head against the wall, exhaustion weighing me down, and let my eyes drift shut for a moment.

The soft click of a door jolts me awake. My eyes snap open, landing on the one woman who still takes my breath away.

Izzy.

She stands there, watching me, the fatigue evident in her posture, the slump of her shoulders, the weariness in her eyes.

Without a second thought, I open my arms. She doesn’t hesitate.

Stepping into my embrace, she rests her head against my chest, her warmth sinking into me like she was always meant to be there.

Her scent floods my senses, and just like that, I know I’m lost to her all over again.

I let her go once. I was young, stupid, and too scared of commitment to hold on. But as her arms wrap around my waist, something inside me locks into place. I won’t make the same mistake. I won’t lose her again.

“X,” she whispers, tilting her head up to look at me. “Take me home.”

The plea in her eyes is my undoing. Without thinking, I lower my lips to hers, giving her a soft, lingering kiss. The taste of her sends my heart into overdrive.

“You got it, B,” I murmur, watching her reaction.

She blinks, a soft sigh slipping past her lips, her gaze darkening with something deeper. Her eyes stay locked on my mouth, and for a second, I think she might kiss me again.

Instead, Izzy pulls away and we walk to the elevator, her body tucked against my side. The soft whoosh of the doors opening barely registers as we step inside, descending to the main floor.

By the time we push through the emergency doors, the cool night air wraps around us. But Izzy is still snuggled close, my arm around her shoulders, keeping her right where she belongs.

With me.

The sun is rising, kissing the horizon with a deep red color and the air is muggy with summer heat as I unlock the doors with my key fob and open hers.

She slides into the leather seat and clicks her seatbelt into place as I close her door.

Izzy’s eyes are on me as I walk to the driver's side and get in.

I push the button to start my car, the engine comes to life, and the V8, 370 horsepower rumbles under my feet. I back my car out and put it in drive. As I pull out onto Main Street, I take Izzy’s hand and hold it in mine.

We reach her driveway a half-hour later and I pull in. The house looks deserted without her dad’s race car in the driveway. She turns toward me when I shut my car off, her gaze searching my face.

“Stay with me?” She asks.

“Of course. I already told you, I’m not letting you go."

Izzy opens her door and I follow her to her front porch after I grab her bag from the back seat.

The house is a small, white two-story home, with an attached garage.

Austin’s pole barn is off to the right side of the house, with a dirt driveway leading back to it.

Trees are lining the front of the house, enclosing it from the street.

She finds her keys in her bag and unlocks the door. We enter the foyer and she kicks off her white sandals. I follow kicking off my boots, remembering Austin always yelling at us for wearing our shoes in the house. She surveys the small home and takes a deep breath.

“It’s just like I remember. He didn’t change anything."

I look around too, the foyer we’re standing in leads to a small living room, there are pictures of us hanging up on the walls.

There is a matching couch and chair in front of a big screen T.V.

with matching stands at the end of each.

A dark, oak coffee table sits in front of the couch.

The dark curtains are closed, blocking out the rising sun.

To the left of the living room is the kitchen with marble countertops and brown cupboards, a stainless-steel refrigerator, stove, and sink.

Austin’s bedroom is behind the living room on the other side of the stairs.

The downstairs bathroom is in front of the stairs. Izzy walks to the stairs and turns.

“Are you coming?” The sound of her sexy voice pulls my attention to her.

I follow her up the stairs, remember playing on them when we were little.

We would race down them in our sleeping bags, seeing who could reach the bottom first. I usually let Izzy win because I would do anything to bring a smile onto her face.

She would light up my soul even when I was in a bad mood.

She reaches her white bedroom door and opens it.

Looking around I notice Austin didn’t touch her room either.

She still has the oak queen size bed with a black and white comforter on top against the wall next to her window.

The matching oak dresser is in the other corner and her closet to the left of the dresser.

Izzy opens her curtains, letting the sunshine in.

Her room smells like the vanilla shampoo she uses, and I close my eyes at the onslaught of memories from the last time I was here.

Where I showed her my love for her on this very bed, thinking I was the luckiest guy alive.

Then the next night happened, I got scared and fucked it all up.

I set Izzy's bag down on her bed while she is looking out the window into her backyard lost in thought. I walk over to her and bring her back flush against my front, holding her tight. It feels so right having her in my arms again. I lean into her and whisper in her ear.

“I know you said you wanted to wait, but I can't wait any longer B.

I've loved you my entire life and I never stopped.

Seeing you again, all those feelings came rushing back and I want to make this right with you.

I want to have you and call you mine. Like I've been yours for the last several years.

" She turns in my arms, a sad smile on her beautiful face.

“Xavier, I've never stopped loving you either.

I've tried, believe me, I have tried. No one could ever compare to you.

No matter how far away I was, a piece of my soul and my heart were missing.

Being back here with you, that piece has finally clicked back into place.

I don't know how things will go, but I do know I want you by my side. I’m tired of fighting with myself, fighting with my heart. "

Izzy rests her head on my chest and I close my eyes reveling in the way her body fits perfectly with mine.

As she pulls her head back, I open my eyes.

Her gaze gives me a spark of mischief as I watch her, anticipating her next move.

She licks her lips which immediately draws my attention to them.

I cup the back of her head and lean down, our lips are only inches apart.

Just as I am about to kiss her, there is a loud bang on her front door.

Startled, she pulls away, confusion on her face, “Who could be here?"

“Just ignore it,” I tell her, keeping her in my arms. She gives me a look of bewilderment and there is another loud bang.

“I can't ignore it, X, what if it's about my dad."

She pulls away and heads to her bedroom door. I need to tell her what the cops told me before she finds out from them and gets pissed because I didn’t tell her.