High-Sided: An Armed & Dangerous Novel Read online

  Cupping his balls, I massaged them, enjoying the groan that escaped his lips. When he closed his eyes and his head fell back on to the couch, I sucked one into my mouth, swirling my tongue over the sensitive skin. He groaned, sinking down into the couch, spreading his legs further apart.

  Smiling to myself, I moved my attention to his arousal, lowering my mouth down his length, wrapping my lips tightly around the head. His body jerked and he groaned even louder as I sucked and flicked his tip with my tongue.

  “Kassie,” he growled.

  I licked and sucked, tasting the saltiness of his body. Using one hand to stroke him, I took him in as deep as I could, over and over again, driving him toward the edge. His hips were rocking into my face and his abs were contracting. He was so close.

  “Stop, baby. I want to be inside you when I come.”

  I pulled back and wiped my face. “Not tonight. I want this to be about you.” His eyes widened as I swallowed his length, the tip of his cock hitting the back of my throat.

  “Dammit, this feels so good, I don’t want to stop.” He ran his hands through my hair and made tiny thrusts with his hips. “I’m going to come, baby. So fucking hard.” He tried to warn me and pull me up.

  I shook my head and continued to suck him off.

  He gripped onto me tighter, realizing I wasn’t going anywhere. Plunging in as deep as he could, he swore aloud and shook with his release.

  Taking what he had to give me, I sat up with a satisfied smile and reached on the floor for his shirt to clean him off. He watched me with half-lidded eyes, before he pulled me up to lay on top of him. Snuggled into his neck, I breathed in deep. This is where I wanted to be. I wanted to lie in his arms and not think about anything other than us being together in that moment. I wished it could last forever.

  Kassidy

  Monday had come, and the celebration party was underway. When we pulled up to my father’s house, there were cars everywhere. I could hear people in the back, splashing around in the pool. It was the perfect evening for a night swim; the air was sticky and hot.

  “Your dad never does anything half-assed, does he?”

  I looked at Logan and laughed. “Nope. And it looks like everyone’s already here.” There were sport bikes lined up in the front yard.

  We parked and started toward the door, his arm draped around my shoulder. “Have you thought about talking to your dad tonight about your expansion ideas? He’ll be in a good mood,” he added.

  I giggled. “Yeah, he will. I might just do that.” I’d been putting off that conversation for much too long.

  Inside, our people were everywhere. Everyone we passed congratulated Logan on his win. The only people I hadn’t found so far were my father and Sean. Miller had a beautiful blonde with him on the couch, while Ethan sat across from him, both talking animatedly about something. Donnie waved to us, and continued his discussion with some of the guys from his DB Racing team. It was like a whole big family.

  Logan pointed toward the window and when I got a glimpse at the people in the pool, I shook my head. Trey had deliberately jumped in to splash one of the girls, who happened to walk by at just the right time. She froze for a second, before flipping him off.

  “The boy will never learn, will he?” I laughed.

  “And he wonders why he’s single.”

  “There you are!” Angela shouted excitedly. I saw her reflection in the window and turned around. “It’s about time you got here,” she said, hugging me tight. “Come on, your dad’s in the kitchen.”

  Taking Logan’s hand, I led him into the kitchen. My dad and Sean were both sitting at the kitchen table, beer in hand. Sean’s smile faded when he spotted me.

  “Would you like a beer, Logan?” Angela asked.

  “Sure.” He followed her to the refrigerator and she handed him one.

  “Think you’ll be ready for the big race in two weeks?” my father asked, focusing on Logan.

  I sat down at the table, while Logan hung back and took a seat at the bar. He tossed back his beer and smiled. “Hell yeah. I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for years.”

  My father chuckled. “So have I. I bet we’ll walk away with three more sponsors.” Having a lot of sponsors was good for business. It let others know you were good enough to have people backing you up.

  Sean avoided my gaze, so I tapped his hand. His head jerked up and he glared at me, but then his expression softened. “Where’s Janie? I thought she was going to be here.”

  Huffing, he finished off his beer. “Don’t know. She hasn’t answered my calls all day.”

  That wasn’t like her. “Do you want me to call her?”

  His jaw clenched. “Nah. I got it.”

  When he got up and made to leave, I grabbed his wrist. “Before you call her back, there’s something I want to say.” Brows furrowed, he sat back down. “There’s something I want to pass by you and my dad,” I said loud enough for my dad to hear as well.

  “Peanut, what is it?” he insisted. Donnie strolled into the kitchen and smiled at us before grabbing another beer from the refrigerator. He stopped to talk to Angela, while I glanced over at Logan. He nodded encouragingly which helped.

  “I wanted to talk to you about expanding Bennett Racing.”

  Sean and my dad looked at each other, then focused on me. My father was the one who spoke. “How?”

  “By bringing in dirt bikes. We could reach a whole new market of riders and sponsors. I have everything written down on what we’ll need to get started. But I’ve done my research, and I know we can do it.”

  My father sat back in his chair, a smile growing on his face. “Well color me impressed.”

  Donnie laughed. “I think it’s a great idea, Richard.”

  I looked to Sean and all he did was sit there, his expression blank. I had no clue what he was thinking. “What about you? Soon it’ll be me and you running the show. Is this something you’d be interested in?”

  Releasing a heavy sigh, he answered me with a nod. “Do we have the funds to do it?”

  I nodded happily. “More than enough. I say we start at the beginning of next year.”

  “Then I say let’s go for it.” His phone rang, and a number I didn’t recognize popped up on his screen. “Excuse me,” he said, hurrying out of the room.

  My father smiled. “How long have you been thinking about this?”

  “For a while,” Logan cut in. “She was too scared to bring it up.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Not scared. I just didn’t want it to get shot down. It’s a good idea and a great investment. Besides, I was going to do it anyway when a certain someone retired,” I said, winking at my dad.

  Donnie joined us at the table. “I might have to do it too, if it works out for you. Good job, peanut.” He ruffled my hair and smiled. The doorbell rang and Angela left the room. Not too long after, she came back in with none other than Brad Hendrix.

  My father glared at him. “What are you doing here?”

  Brad held up his hands. “I’m not here to cause trouble. I think there’s something you need to know.”

  Donnie scoffed. “If it has to do with your boys losing the race, you can get the fuck over it. You don’t see me whining when I lose.”

  “That’s not why I’m here,” Brad snapped.

  “Then why are you?” my father asked.

  Brad moved closer and glanced at us all. “Last weekend, I met with a potential racer. His name is Micah Perry.” I gasped and it drew his attention. “I see his reputation proceeds him.”

  I nodded. “He and Logan got into it a few days ago, not to mention when the bastard tried to run him off the track during tryouts.”

  Everyone turned their attention to Logan. He looked at the group and sighed. “Micah and I go way back. He ran one of my friends off the road and got away with it, even after my friend died from the injuries he’d sustained. I guess you can say we don’t get along.”

  Brad shook his head, his mouth gaped in sho
ck. “I don’t know what to say. I thought he’d be good for our team, but after I heard of his vendetta for you, I turned him down. I’d be on my guard if I were you.”

  Logan nodded. “I am.”

  Angela gasped. “Why don’t we call the police? What if he strikes out at Logan?”

  That was my fear too. I knew what people were capable of. Over the past few weeks, I’d seen it more than I cared to admit. What was worse, Madison could’ve been caught in the middle of it.

  “I’ll be fine,” Logan assured everyone. “I’ve been dealing with that fucker for years. There’s no need to call the police.”

  “You sure?” my father asked. Logan nodded and finished his beer like it was nothing. Now that he was an FBI agent, I knew he could defend himself, but it still had me worried.

  Brad cleared his throat. “I know all of us haven’t always gotten along, but I don’t want to see anyone hurt. Hopefully, one day we’ll be able to put the past behind us.” He held his hand out toward my father, the look on his face genuine. I’d never seen Brad look like that before.

  My father stood and shook his hand. “Thanks for letting us know. We’ll keep our eyes open.”

  Turning on his heel, Brad left and the room fell into silence. At least until Donnie spoke out. “I’m glad I didn’t offer the guy a spot on my team.”

  “Me too,” my father agreed, as Sean rushed back into the room with a look of terror on his face.

  “Sean, what’s wrong?” I asked, bolting to my feet.

  “It’s Janie. She’s in the hospital. I have to go.” He hurried out of the room, but Logan and I raced after him.

  I grabbed his arm and jumped in front of him. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know,” he growled. “That was one of Janie’s co-workers. Janie was in a car accident this morning. When she didn’t see me at the hospital, she didn’t know if I knew or not.”

  Pulling out of my grasp, he stormed out the door and I watched him leave. My stomach clenched and I felt bile burning its way up my throat.

  Logan put his arms around me. “We need to follow him to the hospital, Kassie. He’s not thinking clearly right now.”

  I nodded. “I know.” We hurried to his truck and drove to the hospital. I couldn’t handle losing another friend.

  When we got off the elevator, we heard shouting coming from the waiting room. One of the voices sounded like Sean. Logan and I took off down the hall, just in time to break up the fight. Sean and Mark stood nose to nose, their angry glares glued on one another.

  Logan pushed them apart. “That’s enough. It’s not the time or place for this shit.”

  I held my breath, suffocating in the tension that filled the room. Janie’s parents and brother were nowhere to be seen. Luckily, both Sean and Mark backed up and I could finally breathe.

  Sean stormed to the opposite side of the room, running his hands angrily through his hair. I approached him cautiously, gently placing my hands on his back. “Sean,” I whispered.

  “The fucker knew,” he growled.

  “Knew what?”

  “That she’d been in the hospital since this morning and nobody felt the need to call me. She probably thinks I don’t care.”

  My blood boiled as I turned to glare at Mark. It was obvious by the smug look on his face, he knew what was going on. Turning back to Sean, I put my hand on his arm and squeezed. “That’s not true,” I murmured softly. “She knows you care.” I guided him to the nearest chair and sat beside him. I didn’t realize how much he loved her until that moment. He was torn and it broke my heart. “I’m sure she’ll be okay. Maybe you’ll get to see her soon.”

  About an hour passed, when Janie’s brother, Brandon, trudged into the room. His face was red and his eyes tired. I didn’t care how upset he was; I was angry no one felt the need to call Sean. Sean jumped to his feet and I joined him.

  “How is she?” he demanded.

  Brandon swallowed hard, his voice so low I could barely hear. “She’ll be fine. A piece of the windshield had lodged in her neck, narrowly missing her artery. She lost a lot of blood, but I donated mine.”

  Sean let out a big breath, running his hand through his hair. “Why didn’t anyone call me?”

  Brandon’s brows furrowed. “I thought you knew. Mark said he was going to call you.” Sean’s body shook with rage. It was then we all realized what was going on. Brandon turned an angry glare to Mark. “Why didn’t you call him?” he shouted.

  Mark shrugged. “Lost track of time.”

  “You son of a bitch!” Sean lunged, but Logan stepped in his way.

  I grabbed Sean’s face, his eyes wild with rage. “Calm down, Sean. If security comes in here, they’ll kick you out. That’s not what you want right now.”

  Logan put as much distance between Sean and Mark as he could. However, that didn’t stop Brandon from punching Mark in the face. “Get the fuck out of here. I don’t want to look at your face right now.”

  Mark wiped his bloody nose onto his shirt. “I’m not leaving until I see her.”

  Sean tried to push his way past Logan, but I grabbed him around the waist. “Don’t.”

  Logan joined Brandon, towering over both him and Mark. I half expected a fight to break out, but thankfully, Mark backed up and snarled at them before storming out of the room.

  Brandon collapsed into one of the chairs and sighed. “I don’t understand what the hell his problem is.”

  “What happened to Janie?” I asked him.

  He rubbed his eyes, his shoulders slumped and defeated. “She lost control of her car this morning on her way to the school. The guardrail stopped her from going over the side of the mountain.”

  “Oh my God,” I gasped.

  “She’ll be okay though. You can go in and see her if you want. She’s been in and out all day.”

  “What room number?” Sean demanded.

  Brandon told us her room number, and we all three went down the hall. Logan stood outside the door, so Sean and I could see her. When we got into her room, the lights were dimmed, but I could still see the damage. Her eyes were black and blue, with cuts all over her face. Her neck was bandaged where the shard of glass had penetrated her skin.

  Sean slowly sat down beside her, gently taking her hand. “I had a feeling something was wrong when she didn’t call me back.”

  “And you were right. I’m so sorry, Sean. About everything.”

  “When you say everything, do you mean the shit about Logan?” he hissed low.

  I knelt down beside him and grabbed his other hand. “I was wrong. I knew I was the second I looked into your eyes. I even told Logan the same thing. Please tell me we can get past this. I don’t want you mad at me.”

  A sad smile spread across his lips. “I could never stay mad at you, Kass. You’re the one who brought Janie into my life. I’ve never been happier.”

  I squeezed his hand. “Glad to hear it.”

  “Me too,” Janie whispered gruffly.

  Gasping, I let his hand go and made my way around to the other side of the bed. “Janie,” I breathed.

  Sean kissed her hand and tears fell down his cheeks. “Thank fucking God, you’re okay. I was so worried about you.”

  She tried to swallow and tensed with pain. “I was worried about me too. Don’t know what happened.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “My brakes stopped working as I was going down the mountain. I thought I was going to die.”

  “So that’s it? Your brakes just stopped working?”

  Closing her eyes, she placed a hand over her neck, hissing in pain. “Yes. It was so strange.”

  Yes, it was, and I didn’t like the sound of it. “All right, you two, I’m gonna give you some privacy. Sean,” I said, heading toward the door, “call me if you need me.”

  “I will.”

  Logan was still by the door when I walked out. “Everything okay?”

  I shook my head. “Far from it. She’s awake, but we
need to talk to Gary.”

  “Speaking of Gary, I never told you about Levi’s bike. I went to see it at his nephew’s shop.”

  My heart stopped. “And?”

  He pulled out his phone and showed me the pictures. I felt sick just looking at them, tears springing to my eyes. “I found a streak of red paint. I’m thinking it’s from the person who ran him off the road.”

  Anger welled as I pictured the accident in my head. Shaking off the images, I wiped my eyes on my sleeve. “That’s like finding a needle in a haystack. There are too many red cars and motorcycles out there.”

  He shrugged. “It’s still something. What all did Janie have to say?”

  I looked right into his eyes. “That her brakes stopped working. Don’t know about you, but I don’t like the sound of that.”

  Taking my hand, he led me down the hall to the elevator. “Me either. I’ll call Gary first thing in the morning.”

  Logan

  “So the brake lines weren’t cut? You sure?” I asked again, looking through the pictures. I did as I’d said and called Gary first thing the next morning. The police had done a thorough inspection of Janie’s car, and came to a conclusion I wasn’t expecting to hear.

  “There was no sign of tampering,” Gary assured me. “The brake lines were rusted and gave out. It was only a matter of time. You can see that in the pictures.”

  “But how can that be? She had a fairly new car. They wouldn’t have rusted this fast.”

  Gary sighed. “Where you live it wouldn’t, but here with as much salt as we use during the winter, our cars don’t hold up as long.”

  In Charlotte, we barely had snow, so we didn’t have to worry about salt damage. I couldn’t imagine Janie’s breaks giving out so fast. “Maybe, but I don’t think that’s it in this case.”

  He chuckled. “Are you always this cynical? I guess you have to be in the FBI. Always thinking of possible scenarios.”

  “You’re right. It’s hard to trust something if you don’t see the proof yourself.”