please. take a swing.

we were almost nose to nose. roman was about the same height as me, but not quite.

"you were pushing into my lane!" he sneered. "or maybe you just don't know how to handle your car."

i almost laughed.

"there are no lanes on the track." idiot. "and let's not talk about who can't handle their muscle."

roman, greasy, black hair slicked back, pointed his finger in my face. "i'll tell you what, princess. come back after you've grown some balls and taken off your training wheels. then you'll be man enough to race me."

his voice sounded like garbage cans slamming together, and he needed to shut up.

"man enough?" i asked, making sure my twisted up face looked like that was the stupidest thing i'd ever heard. spinning around to address the gathering crowd, i held up my hands. "man enough?"

they knew better, most of them my classmates.

and, as if on cue, piper stepped out of the crowd and headed straight for me. the crowd didn't fight to contain their excitement when she glued her body to mine, with her hand on my ass, and kissed me slow and deep.

it was like an invisible pair of arms pulling me back, trying to get me out of her grasp, and i had to remind myself to dive, not swim.

i grabbed her and ran my hands down her sides, feeling the heat of her tongue touching mine.

this was what i needed.

piper was easy.

but as the crowd roared at our display, my lips tensed and the kiss got rough.

she tasted like ash.

tate flashed through my head, and so did the memory of her mouth.

the crowd cheered more as i threw myself into putting roman in his place, but this was all wrong.

"okay!" zack cut through the crowd. "out of the way, out of the way."

piper smirked at me and stumbled back into the crowd and her waiting friends who giggled.

"listen up. we have some good news and bad news." zack looked around, speaking more to the crowd than to roman and me. "the bad news is that we're calling a tie."

everyone groaned and a few cussed.

jesus christ. i let out a breath.

"but, the good news is," he rushed to add, "we have a way to solve the stalemate."

and then he let out a god-awful grin that made bile rise in my throat. zack could be devious.

"a rematch?" i hoped.

"kind of." his smile widened. "if you boys want to settle this, then your cars will race again, but...you won't be the drivers."

my eyes burned. i couldn't blink.

what the f**k?

"excuse me?" roman blurted out, inching into zack's space.

"we know you're exceptional drivers," zack assured. "the race was close enough to prove that. let's see who has the better machine."

enough already.

"so who's going to drive the cars?" i shouted.

zack's lips thinned out. "your girlfriends."

what?

"oh, yeah!" some idiot in the crowd laughed like it would be great entertainment.

no one, and i mean no one, was f**king driving my car!

the spectators gathered closer to hear the fall-out, and yes, there was going to be a fall-out. roman and i would agree that this idea sucked, while most of the crowd would gladly lose money to see a couple of girls race.

"dude! that's not happening!" roman scowled and looked over at his girlfriend. she was cute as hell, but the petite brunette looked like she had just enough muscle to drive a moped and nothing more.

i smiled to myself, thinking about how tate would do against her.

nope. don't go there.

"zack," i sighed. "i don't have a girlfriend. i never have a girlfriend."

"what about the pretty little thing you arrived with?"

i twisted my head and gave k.c. an aggravated look. i assumed he was talking about her.

her eyes about popped out of her head when she saw our attention focused on her.

"he's just my rebound," she held up her hands and joked. the crowd covered their mouths and laughed, taunting me like i should be hurt.

k.c. couldn't help but smile at her cleverness, and i raised my eyebrows at zack, hoping he understood.

"no one drives my car," i stated.

"i agree with the princess here," roman piped up. "this is stupid."

"the crowd's already seen you two race. they want to be entertained. if you two have any interest in settling this score so people can get paid, then you'll play it my way. be on the starting line in five minutes or leave." he turned to walk away but stopped. "oh, and you can ride shotgun if you like...you know, for moral support." the last words broke up as they left his lips.

the dickhead was laughing at us.

"this is bullshit." i combed my fingers through my hair and walked back towards madoc and k.c. as roman stalked over to his crowd.

i straightened and fisted my fingers over and over again. if zack weren't a friend, i might have to cut him.

even if it weren't for the money i needed, i still couldn't get out of this. a challenge was a challenge. if roman wasn't bowing out, neither was i.

"hey, man. i could drive for you," madoc spoke up. "we'd just have to tell them about our secret relationship."

he was trying to cheer me up, but he'd be more helpful shoving his foot in his mouth.

i knew girls who could drive. i'd met a good crowd at the garage where i worked and had run into a few in the scene here and there, but the only girls i knew here tonight were the ones i'd slept with or had classes with.

and i didn't trust any of them.

"jared, i can't race for you," k.c. pointed out as if i didn't know. "there's got to be someone else."

there was.

and the idea of asking her made me want to gag. not only would she say no, but she'd probably spit in my face for asking.

don't act like you have a choice.

shit.

this was when i wanted to hop in the car and drive away. making hard decisions and accepting when others' needs came before my own hurt, but...i didn't have a choice.

and then i heard another father-a better father-in my head.

a man knows what needs to be done and just f**king does it.

my brother deserved someone looking out for him, and i had it in my power to make his life better.

i tilted my head back and sighed.

this was going to hurt.

"there's only one other person who i'd even slightly trust driving my car." i turned and locked eyes with tate.

her eyes widened. "me?" she asked, surprised.

"her?" madoc, k.c., and f**king ben followed in short order.

i crossed my arms over my chest and walked towards her. "yeah, you."

"me?" her voice lowered, sounding like i just asked something stupid. she wasn't surprised anymore.

"i'm looking at you, aren't i?" i snarled slightly.

her face fell flat, and her eyes narrowed in defiance as she looked to her date, ignoring me. "ben, can we get an early start to that bonfire? i'm bored here."

she didn't wait for an answer before she spun around and headed out of the crowd.

there was no way i was going to pick anyone else, and i wasn't forfeiting to derek fucking roman.

i stalked after her and hooked her elbow. "can i talk to you?"

i could barely even look at her, and i kept my voice to a mumble. this was as close to begging to anyone as i'd come in over three years.

"no," she spat out.

spiteful, little...

i put my shoulders back, knowing that she had every right not to help me, but her attitude still pissed me off. "you know how hard this is for me," i whispered. "i need you."

i saw her suck in a little breath, and she looked down for a moment. well, i'd made her pause at least.

"and tomorrow when you don't need me?" she challenged. "will i be shit under your boot again?"

my heart thumped, and my chest ached.

you were never shit.

"she'll do it," k.c. spoke up loudly from behind me.

"k.c.!" tate's teeth were bared. "you don't speak for me. and i'm not doing it!" she yelled directly at me, and heat pumped through me at her anger.

it reminded me of the kitchen counter, and i wanted to shut her up again just like i'd done that night.

"you want to," k.c. argued with tate.

"perhaps," she sneered. "but i do have pride. he's not getting a damn thing from me."

fuck this.

"thank you," i ground out through my teeth.

"for what?" tate snarled back.

i got in her face, but she didn't back down. "for reminding me of what a disappointing, self-serving bitch you are."

"that's enough! both of you!" madoc cut into our argument as i stared at tate's wide, angry eyes. he stepped between us, glaring between tate and me. "right now, i don't give a f**k what the history is between you two, but we need asses in that car. people will lose a hell of a lot of money."

"jared?" he looked at me and continued. "you're going to lose a lot of money. and tate?" he looked her, but she was still chewing me to pieces with her scowl. "you think everyone treated you badly before? two-thirds of the people here tonight bet on jared. when they hear that his first choice turned him down, the rest of your school year will be hell without jared or me having to lift a finger. now-the both of you-get in the goddamn car!"

my eyes fell to the ground, feeling a little childish and a whole lot of stunned.

madoc didn't usually speak in exclamation points. i'd seen him pissed a handful of times, and he brought out his teacher-voice very rarely.

i always got the impression that he was hiding something. something more.

everyone was quiet. even a few bystanders that had caught the outburst.

"he has to ask me nicely," tate commanded.

"what?"

i was nice. the first time.

okay, maybe not.

"he has to say 'please,'" she spoke to everyone else but me.

i shook my head and laughed to myself.

god, she was a handful.

"tatum." i looked at her like she was my next meal. "would you ride with me, please?"

her eyes narrowed again, but there was a glint of excitement this time. she didn't want to jump on the opportunity too fast, but she was going for it, and i knew it.

"keys?" she asked, holding out her hand.

dropping them in her palm, i followed her onto the track as she jogged to the driver's side of my car.

roman had backed his trans am into position as the crowd cleared the track. whistles erupted around us as tate climbed in behind my wheel.

we both sunk in, and aggravation chipped away my calm at how helpless i felt. i'd never sat in the passenger side before.

i couldn't keep my eyes forward, and they slipped over to tate, who was running her hands up and down the wheel.

the picture of her, sitting in my f**king seat, with her hands on my f**king wheel was too much.

i shifted, my dick unable to control itself.

as usual, around her.

i had no idea what it was about the idea of her in my car. maybe it was how hot i knew she would look, or the thought of the two things that made my heart beat coming together, but my jeans got tight.

i inhaled deeply, suddenly wanting my f**king car slammed with rain, and her body glowing with sweat as she straddled me in my seat.

she was beautiful, and it was the worst moment of my life to want something so badly and know i wasn't going to get it.