“I’ll be right there,” Lexy pointed. “When the cars pass you, run to me.”

Giving her a thumbs up, I stood there thinking what the heck was I doing here. When I heard the wolf whistles from the crowd, I knew it was for me. Unlike Heather, I wore jeans and a jacket to bundle up.

Standing there as I waited for the race to begin, a huge part of me felt alive and exhilarated. Excitement filled my body and I felt it tickling to my very core. When Nolan’s name was announced, he came out of his car. The crowd cheered and booed. Then he looked at me and blew a kiss.

Rolling my eyes at Nolan, I waited for Elijah to step out of his car. When he did, all geared up, he stole my breath away. Damn, he looked hot! His jeans and black T-shirt hugged every muscle on his body. There was no imperfection about him. When he slipped on his leather jacket, f**k! All the ladies were screaming his name.

After he raked his hair back with one long slow stroke, he placed his helmet on his head. When he caught my eyes, he gave me a wink and a shy smile that I just died for. He pointed to where Lexy stood. I understood what he meant. He wanted me go there afterward. I let him know I understood by giving him a thumbs up.

“We love you, Elijah,” a group of girls cheered loudly from the stands.

I watched him wave at them and I don’t know why, but jealousy coursed through me.

After they got in the cars, I looked at Lexy for direction. “Your scarf!”

I took off my white scarf and held it up. It ruffled against the soft wind. Hearing the thunderous and unpleasant sound from the car engines, I held my breath and brought the scarf down. It happened so fast; I felt the tunnel of wind whip by. The dirt kicked up, making me cough. After the dust died down, leaving me a better view, I ran to Lexy.

“Lexy, that was awesome,” I squealed, keeping my eyes on the cars.

“We have to get to higher ground. Elijah will have my ass if we’re down here. Remember what I told you about what happened when the car lost control?”

I agreed and we headed higher to find Seth. Holding on to Lexy, I kept my eyes rooted on the cars as we climbed the stairs to our seats.

The tension in my stomach would not settle no matter how many deep breaths I took. My grip on Lexy got tighter, and my teeth were clenched so tight I thought my jaw was going to break.

On the fifth turn, Elijah was in the lead. “Come on,” Lexy muttered under her breath. The crowd around me got louder, but practically went silent when Elijah’s car suddenly skidded to the left. Nolan had slammed into the side of Elijah’s car. I didn’t know if it was an accident, but I hoped it was. Once Elijah got back on track, I was able to relax again.

The cheers erupted again. As much as I wanted Elijah to win, the chances seemed slim, seeing Nolan was now in the lead. Even after a few more rounds, Elijah was still behind. I felt bad that he might lose this race, more so because I knew he needed the money. He never had a father who saved up college funds for him like mine.

Looking down at my feet, so I wouldn’t see Nolan pass the finish line first, I held my breath waiting for the crowd to make more noise. Suddenly, Lexy broke our link, jumping and screaming. I looked up to hear and see everyone doing the same, but I didn’t know what had happened. I couldn’t see a thing over all these heads, even though I was standing up on my tippy toes. Who won? I was so confused. The screams and clapping got louder. Right as I was about to grab onto Lexy to find out what was going on, I felt two arms embrace me. I was lifted off the ground. My body was being swung around.

“Alex.” I heard a deep voice. “I won!” It happened so fast it took me a minute to register who it was. Elijah placed me down and kissed me on my lips. It was quick, but it was enough to shoot fireworks through every vein, bone, and muscle in me. That kiss had my head spinning. I was in shock and couldn’t move. I couldn’t process anything that was going on around me. Elijah won?

Elijah was out of my sight after that. His friends dragged him away from me and what I heard next touched my heart. They started to sing and sway together with their arms on their shoulders to an old song called, “We are the Champions” by Queen.

“Campus Karaoke,” Jonathan shouted.

“Last one there pays,” another hollered.

“Come on, Alex. Let’s go.” Lexy tugged my arm. “It’s going to be hell getting out of here.”

Chapter 19

Elijah

What a rush! When that motherfucker hit my car, I thought I was out of the race, but I knew my brother was watching over me. Driving as fast as I could, I concentrated not just on the road, but also on what was motivating me to win. Faces flashed through my mind, but the face that stayed with me was Alex.

I saw her beautiful smile and her pouting lips. I could still faintly smell her floral perfume from when her body fit perfectly with mine, making me feel alive. She was my incentive to get to the finish line.

When I got out of the car, the first person I looked for was Alex. I already knew where she was standing. The crowd was cheering like mad. The women were screaming as I ran up to Alex. Along the way, I gave high fives to people that held out their hands.

The rush of winning took over and I was acting purely on adrenalin. Alex looked so damn cute standing there all confused. I couldn’t control myself and what I did next was out of my own selfish need. After I swung her around and placed her down, I took her lips on mine. It was short and quick, but man, she tasted so good. I wanted more. Lexy gave me a strange look. I shrugged my shoulders and a group of fans whisked me away before Alex knew what had happened to her.