Blaze (Drive Me Wild 3)

“Aw, come on, Tayia.” He looked down at me, and I could tell he was a little wounded by my remark. “It’s a big deal to be given a racing name. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get on King’s list?”

I shook my head.

“Hard. Real fuckin’ hard.”

“Well, good for you . . . I guess.” I handed him his credit card and shrugged. I didn’t understand all that much about racing, and I really didn’t care.

“You’re such a brat.” He chuckled just as Blake came around the corner, wiping the grease from his hands with a towel.

“The Plymouth is ready,” Blake announced to Neil then shot a glance over at me and smiled.

“Just in time. Neil is all set to go,” I said brightly, placing emphasis on his name purposely.

“You told her about the new name, huh? Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be calling you Nitro, either.” Blake laughed as Neil charged at him. The two men play fought for a minute before Neil backed away.

“Yeah, well, as soon as you get your ass on that list we’ll see how you feel about it.”

I knew that Blake had been considering the idea of racing. He already ran a performance shop from the garage at the house and was part of the reason Neil’s car was so fast. I knew he could do the same for himself.

“Maybe.” Blake shrugged.

“Did you hear that Hunter Knight is coming up the ranks? Last I heard, he was racing for a spot on King’s list.”

I cringed at the mention of Hunter Knight. My mind went back to the homecoming dance and the awful things he’d said to me. Sea Whisper Island was small, which meant it had been hard to avoid him over the years. I would see him at The Spot surrounded by some of the other town lowlifes. It seemed like the more time went by, the more of a dick he turned out to be. Any traces of the boy who used to stare at me in admiration during math class had completely vanished.

Blake’s lip curled in disgust before he shot a glance at me, his hatred for Knight clear on his face. “Yeah, I heard.” He tucked the greasy towel into his back pocket. “This means he’s coming for your spot, Neil. You’re the sentinel. The last on the list. It’s your job to keep him off it.”

“I know. That was the whole point of me having you work on the Plymouth.” Neil threw his hand up in the air in exasperation. “Besides, my Pretty Pimpin’ Plymouth is already the shit.

“I’ll make the car fast, but I can’t do shit about your driving skills, man.” Blake looked smug as Neil threw a playful punch in his direction.

“Shit, I can drive your mom’s car and still drag Knight’s ass. Skill ain’t a problem, son.” It was Blake’s turn to wrap an arm around Neil’s neck to try to get him into a headlock.

“My mom’s car? Is that what you said, jackass?” The two wrestled for a few minutes, laughing as they tried to best each other with wrestling moves.

“Children, children,” I interrupted, shaking my head in mock disapproval. “If you can’t get along, I’ll take away your toy cars. Besides, people are starting to stare.”

“All right, all right,” Blake said as both men took several steps apart to catch their breath. He and Neil had been best friends since their junior year of high school and acted just like brothers. “Come on, let’s go look at the car.”

Neil nodded and waved a hand at me before the two disappeared into the garage.

Less than five minutes later, the bell chimed at the door. I looked up to see Witch Face walking in with several shopping bags in hand. As soon as her eyes found me, she hurried over.

“Tayia!” she whisper-yelled then looked around. “Where’s Blake?”

“In the back.” I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her very presence.

“Okay, good. I’m planning something for our two-year anniversary. He always seems to find out my surprises, so even though our anniversary is actually tomorrow, I’m going to surprise him tonight.”

“Great,” I responded flatly, wondering why she was even speaking to me. We hadn’t acknowledged each other in months.

“Do you think it’s possible for you to come up with some reason to send him home a little early this evening? He’s always here past midnight, and what I have planned won’t keep that long?”

“Wait a minute, are you cooking anything?” I narrowed my eyes at her.

“No.” She blinked innocently, though I thought I saw a flash of guilt on her face.

“Lucy, whatever you have planned better not involve turning on the stove.”