Racing Hearts (Hollows Garage Book 3)

I stayed stuck to Jax like glue as we looked around. I hated crowds, and this one was big enough to put me on edge.

“I thought you said this was a small race night?”

“It usually is. It looks like everyone had the same idea, and is out tonight since Thursday night probably won’t happen with the heavy rain.”

We barely made it another ten feet before someone stopped Jax.

The guy smiled and reached out, grabbing his hand in some dude style hand shake. I never understood how they all seemed to know what to do. Then again, it could only be my social anxiety, because I could make a regular handshake awkward, and there was no way I could be smooth about something as detailed as this.

“Looking to race?” he asked.

“Of course,” Jax said, stepping back next to me.

“Perfect. We’re mapping a new route here. Round the park here and follow it back. One lap to win.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be ready when they are.”

The guy nodded. “Get ready. I’ll check.”

Jax turned back to his car, popping open the hood and shrugging off his jacket. I watched his arm flex as he leaned over the engine to check it over. There was something about the way each muscle moved that made me step closer, tempting me to reach out and touch every inch. Not that I could.

The crew headed our way, and I knew I had to snap out of it.

“Am I supposed to ride with you for racing, too?” I asked, trying to get my mind straight.

“No. You don’t have to. Stay here with them,” he said, stepping closer and leaning down with a grin. “You can watch me race. Sorry, my windows are tinted. I would love to have you staring at me like that more.”

“I wasn’t staring at you.”

“You were, and practically drooling while doing it.”

“I was not.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t mind. If anything, I’ll be on the edge of my seat waiting for it to happen again.”

“It won’t.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

I only glared up at him, and he leaned back down. “I’ll be gone for a few minutes, so stay close to the crew. Also, before you start comparing me to other racers that you know, even if I shamelessly win, it doesn’t mean anything else is going to change about me or my attitude. I know you look for any comparison, but unlike the racers you know, I will be racing, and I will not be a huge asshole to you after. Or ever.”

I rolled my eyes, looking annoyed, but I wasn’t going to admit how badly I needed to hear those words.

Jax took off, heading to his car as Scout pulled me back to hers. She looked effortlessly cute in jeans and a shirt tonight, and I was surprised to find that I wasn’t already lost in a rabbit hole of comparison between us. I didn’t know if it was Scout’s easy, friendly attitude or that I was finally getting better with my own insecurities, but there was some deep relief that I could just enjoy hanging out with her.

“Come on, we will have a good view here. Are you nervous watching races?”

“Not the races, but I do hate the crowd. I’ve been around the racing, so it doesn’t bother me much.”

“Perfect. Quinn was all uptight when she started watching Ransom race. She still gets worried about all of us, so I wasn’t sure. Ash had been racing since she could walk, so it was all normal to her. Did you go to a lot of races with Slaughter and them?”

“As few as I could, but even that was still enough for me. I was really starting to assume it was all assholes and criminals that did this type of thing.”

“But you’re good with us and believe we aren’t criminals because we race?” she asked, laughing.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” I said with a smirk. “But honestly, no. I’m trying not to. Jax has been nothing but amazing, but it’s hard not to believe he won’t become an asshole all of a sudden. Not when you have dealt with the type of people I have for so long.”

“I will say that all of us can be assholes. Ransom can be a prick. Quinn gets a temper and so does Ash. Fox gets to be such a grumpy asshole we avoid him. Kye is worse than all of us, and I’m the first to get an attitude about anything, but Jax isn’t like that. He never has been. Jax is just…good? Kind? Nothing truly pisses him off, at least not much that I’ve seen. You wouldn’t think it with his dumb comments, but I don’t know that there’s any part of Jax that is, or could be, a true asshole. Not for more than five seconds, at least. And some of his comments are almost rude, but I really don’t think he ever means them to be. I think he’s really doing it to try to make us stop being assholes. Like our own buffer between being happy people and being grumpy jerks.”

I watched as Jax’s car idled at the starting line and I really wished he didn’t have the tinted windows, because I suddenly wanted to see his smile. I was turning into such a sap.

“Yeah, he seems to like things calm and happy as much as possible. I think I get in the way of that,” I said with a laugh.

“I think we all do,” Scout said, laughing with me.

“Do you think he’s going to win?”

“I think with you here there isn’t a chance he’s going to lose,” she said as Quinn and Ash slid onto the hood next to us.

“No. Not a chance of him losing. He’s dying to impress you. I think these guys compare their racing skills with their ability to give orgasms or something. If they win, somehow that means they impress you enough to get you,” Quinn said.

“I really don’t think that’s what is happening here,” I said with a nervous laugh as I watched Jax pull forward. “Is that what happened with Ransom?”

She gave a groan that said it all, but she wasn’t going to stay silent. “He wishes. He basically bet me as a prize. I can’t believe I fell for him.”

“Maybe the winning races thing really does work? They did get both of us,” Ash said.

“Lies,” Scout said. “I’ve been watching them race and win for years and haven’t fallen for any of them.”

“That’s because you see them as brothers. Watch a hot guy you could possibly like win a race and then prove us wrong because now I’m a little worried,” Ash said, and turned to me. “Also, Jax trying to impress you is exactly what is happening here. Have you two not been flirting constantly? You’re always smiling at each other.”

“I haven’t been flirting,” I said, knowing it was a lie, but wishing it wasn’t.

All three of them looked at me with eyebrows raised. “Are you sure about that?” Scout asked.

“Well, all I’m saying is that Jax is giving you a lot of attention, and I believe you are giving it back. Maybe we should be a little cautious about what these races do to our brains,” Quinn said with a laugh.

“He might be giving me attention, but I don’t know why, and honestly, I don’t even know what to do with it.”

Ash snorted. “He’s giving you that attention now because he likes you. And attention from a hot, sweet guy like that? You take it. You revel in it,” she said, making us all laugh as her head tipped back and she held out her arms.

“Okay, if you would have asked me when I first met Ransom, I would have felt the same as you, but now I’m with Ash on this. You definitely take the attention.”

“I don’t get how you know that, though. I’m sure I’m not Jax’s type and I really don’t think it’s flirting. Maybe he’s just being nice.”

They looked at each other and then at me.

“It’s flirting,” Quinn said firmly. “Jax is nice to all of us, but there’s a difference in how he is nice to you. Promise.”

“And the difference is that he is absolutely flirting with you,” Ash said.

“Even so. I don’t know what to do about that. I’m not exactly experienced in the flirting department and don’t know what to do with his attention.”

“Alright, why am I getting the feeling there is more to this than what we are talking about? What do you mean exactly that you don’t know what to do with that attention?” Ash asked.

They all looked at me, waiting for an answer.

The answer that I didn’t like to tell anyone.

Then again, I never had a group of girls to hang out with that seemed so friendly, and it’s not like we were going to be friends forever, so why not tell someone.

“I mean, that I have never had that much…attention anywhere near the bedroom. I have pretty much kept to myself and honestly, I have never wanted that type of attention from the guys I’ve been around.”

“But you do now?” Quinn asked.

I looked back over at Jax’s car. “I’m not sure yet, and anyway, I don’t even know if that’s an option.”

“The man has eyes, Carly, and he hasn’t stopped looking at you. I promise, it’s an option.”

I could feel the deep scowl come across my face. “It’s hard to believe that.”

The loud rev of engines caught all of our attention and we all looked over as the race was starting. Seconds went by before he took off, getting out in front of the other guy with ease.

“Watch out, Carly, might need to cover your eyes or something, just in case,” Ash said.

I barely heard her as Jax went around the first turn, the back of it broke loose and, for a second, I was worried he was going to spin out, but it moved gracefully around the turn until he made it to the straightaway and took off again in a burst of speed. He hit the next turn and did the same, letting the car drift around it like it was the simplest thing in the world. The other car kept up, close enough that I wasn’t sure who was going to come out in front after the turn.

“I don’t think she’s as superstitious as you two,” Scout said.

“I’m pretty superstitious, but this is hard to look away from,” I said.

“Uh, oh,” Ash mumbled, but I ignored it. I already liked looking at Jax, and I liked talking to him. Being happy if he won his race wasn’t going to suddenly make me fall for him.

The last curve came, and this one didn’t look as easy. He hooked the car again, sending it around in one smooth motion. The makeshift track turned farther into a curve, and it seemed to surprise both drivers as they moved quickly to correct their cars. As they straightened out, Jax sped up again, pushing the car faster until he was ahead of the other driver. This time, it was far enough that I knew he would win.

“Do you know how you can believe it for yourself that Jax is flirting?” Ash asked, looking at Quinn, her lips pursed in a grin.

“How?” I asked, scolding myself for how eager I sounded to find out.

“You go over there right now and see him.”

“Why would that help?”

“Just see what he says. I bet you could have your answer by the end of the night.”

They all looked at me, sly smiles on their faces as I got up.

“I’ll talk to you all in a while,” I said, walking away before they could say anything else.

“If this doesn’t confirm our theory, I don’t know what will,” Quinn said as I walked away. I hadn’t been to this exact place to race, but I knew the general idea of it. He was going to stop at the other end and check who won before heading back over to park.

I made it to the car as he stopped and rolled down the window with a smile.

“You won.”

“Did you come over to celebrate?” he asked, eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

“No,” I said, crossing my arms. “I only came over to say good job.”

“You walked all the way over here to tell me something that could have waited until I drove back over?”

“Forget it,” I huffed. I had been right, Jax hadn’t been flirting with me. If the girls wanted proof, we had it now.

“Wait, I’m kidding. Come here,” he said, moving the car up a few feet.

I spun back, but didn’t match his smile.

“Why?”

“I was just messing with you because you’re usually a grumpy little witch so I was excited that you came to see me.”

I walked over, leaning down onto his window. “Well, I only walked over because you won your race.”

He looked down, glancing at my chest that was inadvertently on display as I leaned over.

“You being nice might be just as bad for me as you being mean,” he groaned. “Does this mean that if I’m a good boy, I get attention? What if I win again? A treat when we get home?”

I couldn’t help but smile back at him. “No, that seems generous. Maybe a pat on the head or something.”

His head tilted back, and he laughed, his eyes quickly finding mine again. “Come on, get in.”

“I told you I can walk back.”

“I know, but I don’t want you to.”

I didn’t know if it was talking to the girls, or Jax’s attitude, but I realized they could be right. I don’t know that Jax was only being nice. It was a hard thing to wrap my head around, and while he made me feel confident, the moment I turned away from him, doubt crept in.

“Are you going to desperately miss me for the next three minutes?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light.

“Yes, I absolutely am. And if you’re going to be all sweet and flirt with me while looking like that, there’s plenty of room on my lap,” he said, his ridiculous grin growing.

“I am not flirting, and I was only trying to be nice because you did good and won your race.”

“Then I am about to be a very, very good boy and win you another race to see what else I can get,” he said with a wink. “Are you really trying to say that you aren’t flirting with me?”

“I don’t know. Are you?”

“Way more than I should be.”

His answer was so fast that even my brain couldn’t find a way to make it be a lie. My chest tightened, but I think it was from disbelief more than worry.

“Are you getting in?”

I shook my head no, not sure what would happen if I did get in. I was a little worried that being that close to him right now might lead to wanting a lot more.

“Fine, be stubborn. Just know my lap is very open and very comfortable,” he said.

“Right. Super comfortable. So nothing is going to be poking into me?” I said, laughing as he started to pull away.

He stopped fast, his mouth falling open. “I can’t believe you just called me out like that. And here I thought you were completely oblivious.”

I only smiled, waving at him to go.

“Get over there and meet me at my car,” he said, his face deadpan as he took off to circle around me and head back towards the crew.

Excitement shot through me. Maybe flirting with Jax before I left wasn’t a bad thing, and maybe he was flirting back. Either way, I think Ash was right. By the end of the night, I was going to have my answer.