by Dani René
Traction
A Driven World Novel
Dani René
Contents
Prologue
1. Haelee
2. Kayden
3. Haelee
4. Kayden
5. Haelee
6. Kayden
7. Haelee
8. Kayden
9. Haelee
10. Kayden
11. Haelee
12. Kayden
13. Haelee
14. Kayden
15. Haelee
16. Kayden
17. Haelee
18. Kayden
19. Haelee
20. Kayden
21. Kayden
22. Haelee
23. Kayden
Epilogue
Afterword
Also by Dani René
Acknowledgments
About Dani René
Also Written By K. Bromberg
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead are entirely coincidental.
© 2020 KB WORLDS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people.
Published by KB Worlds LLC.
Cover Design by: Raven Designs
Cover Image by: Golden Czermak
Cover Model: Chase Ketron
Editing by: Candice Royer
Proofing by: Illuminate Author Services
Formatting by: Raven Designs
Published in the United States of America
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the Driven World!
I’m so excited you’ve picked up this book! Driven is a book based on the world I created in my New York Times bestselling Driven Series. While I may be finished writing this series (for now), various authors have signed on to keep them going. They will be bringing you all-new stories in the world you know while allowing you to revisit the characters you love.
This book is entirely the work of the author who wrote it. While I allowed them to use the world I created and may have assisted in some of the plotting, I took no part in the writing or editing of the story. All praise can be directed their way.
I truly hope you enjoy Driven. If you’re interested in finding more authors who have written in the KB Worlds, you can visit www.kbworlds.com.
Thank you for supporting the writers in this project and me.
Happy Reading,
K. Bromberg
To anyone who has been unfairly judged.
To anyone who has felt inferior.
To anyone who has found love in the most unlikely place
Prologue
Adrenalin courses through my veins.
The speedometer tells me I’m going way too fast, but it’s okay. I’m in control. My hands fist around the steering wheel; my legs move as I change gears; the click of the shift; the roar of the engine. The need to be first, to be a winner, races through me as I near the finish line.
It’s been a long time coming, this ending, this final lap, and now that I’m about to cross the checkered line, I’m still not satisfied. I can’t hear them screaming, the crowds who came to see me, and I can only imagine their faces. The sound that jars me, that pushes me forward is the noise of my past.
I’ve spent years running from it, or should I say, racing away from it, but every time I sit behind the wheel, I know I’m still there, in that room saying goodbye. Pulling into the pit, I push open the car door and exit the vehicle, leaving the mechanics to do their thing.
“Fucking awesome race, Kayd.” My soon to be ex-manager, Cooper, grins at me, slapping me on the shoulder in a show of pride and camaraderie. He’s been with me since I got into my first car. Now he’s headed off on retirement and spending his days fixing up old classics. When my father told me he supported my love of fast cars, I took to it like a professional even from my first lap around a track.
“Thanks,” I respond, noticing him staring at me with that look in his eye. Sadness. I don’t do sad. I don’t do depressed. When my father died, I didn’t cry. Neither did my mother. We both found our solace in things that tore us apart. She spends her time with nameless men who come and go, much to my disdain, and I continued racing.
“Listen,” Coop says. “There’s a meeting I’ve set up for you, something big.”
I’m unzipping my overalls when I look at the old man again. Nearing fifty, he is graying slightly, but still has the energy of a thirty-year-old. I swear he’s on some form of immortality treatment.
“Oh yeah?” Arching a brow, I wait for him to tell me what he’s been up to while I’ve been in the car.
“I’m sure you’ve heard of Colton Donavan,” he says. “He’s the CEO of—”
“CD Enterprises,” I finish for him while nodding. Everyone in the circuit has heard of the infamous race car driver. My father used to take me to watch him race. Even though I am good at what I do, I’ve always looked up to him.
“Yeah.” Coop nods. “He’s looking for someone to race for his team.”
“I still haven’t decided what I’m supposed to do with Dad’s company,” I tell Coop. When my father died three months ago, I was posed with a decision that’s taken me all this time to consider. It’s not easy, and it’s not going to get any easier, even if I leave it lying in wait forever. My father had always wanted me to take over Mercer Industries, an umbrella company he started that houses smaller businesses, ensuring they’re taken care of when times are tough. So far, it’s worked out since I don’t have to be in the office all the time, but the board isn’t going to wait forever.
“If you do this, meet with Colton and find out what he’s looking for, it may offer you answers you’re looking for, Kayd,” Coop advises me. I don’t doubt this man for a second. Cooper has known me for too long, and he’s put up with my snarky comments, my arrogant bullshit, as well as my partying, which I put a stop to a year ago when my father fell ill.
“I’ll meet with Colton,” I concede finally. A smile spreads across his face, and for a moment, I consider working for a man I’ve looked up to for most of my life. “But, if I get trouble from the board, you’re going in there with me.”
Coop chuckles. “I’ll be there. You know I will walk into hell with you, Kayden,” he replies, and I know it’s true. “Your father wanted you to run Mercer Industries, but you need to decide what’s right for you.” His reminder is refreshing. I didn’t necessarily want to do that, but it is one of the ways I can keep a hold of my father’s legacy.
“Let me think about it,” I tell him before disappearing into the locker rooms to get changed. Tonight will no doubt be a party, and I need to get ready.
The mansion where we’re headed is perched on a hill overlooking the twinkling lights of the city below. As I weave up the winding road, I glance in the rearview mirror to find Paxton staring at me with that knowing look. He’s one of my teammates and one of my only friends.
He grins before asking, “Are you ready to see her?”
“Not a fucking chance,” I shoot back, causing Curtis, who’s riding shotgun, to chuckle. The two men are the only people besides Coop who know me, all of me. They’ve been there since I was a teen, and they put up with my
outbursts.
I turn left, steering through the parted heavy gates welcoming the guests onto the property. I pull my Range Rover up to the valet parking set up specifically for the party that’s already in full swing.
“You know she’s going to want to ride that stick,” Curtis digs with amusement lacing his words. The woman in question is an ex who hasn’t given up even though I’ve told her I don’t do relationships. We had an on-off, fuck-buddy situation for about a year before I cut it off completely when she became needy. I don’t deal well with clingy.
“She’s going to have to find another man who’ll put a ring on it,” I inform my friends. We exit the vehicle without saying more about my questionable choice in women. I flick my keys over to the valet, who takes my pride and joy to park it out of the way.
I’m flanked by my boys as we enter the house, which is immaculate. A crystal chandelier hangs in the center of the entrance hall, shimmering gold light on the guests being escorted through the house and out to the back.
An infinity pool, along with sexy women in bikinis and men gawking at tits and ass, surrounds us. It’s the life of a racer, being invited to parties like this, being wanted by women who look like they do. But even though I should be enjoying it, there’s still a heaviness in the pit of my stomach that reminds me I’m not one of those guys. Yeah, I’ve played around, and I’ve enjoyed single nights with hot women, but it never filled the hole that loss left behind.
“Look at that,” Curtis mutters from my left, and I catch his eye line pinned toward the jacuzzi set up close to the edge of the hill. But it’s not where it’s situated that catches my attention. It’s the beauty currently sliding into the bubbly water.
Jesus. Fucking. Christ.
Light brown, almost-golden curls hang to the center of her back. Skin, the color of caramel, is highlighted by her bikini, which should be fucking illegal. Her body is curved in all the right places, with hips I’d happily hold onto. The curve of her ass is barely covered by bright pink material and my cock jolts at the sight.
“Mine.” The word is out of my mouth before I have time to rethink it. We’ve always been good about not crossing each other’s territory. If we see a girl we like, we stake our claim has been the way we always work. The other two have to back off.
“You’re a fucker,” Curtis grumbles but slaps me on the shoulder. “She’s going to be one hell of a ride,” he tells me. “If you can get in there.”
“You doubting me, man?” Glancing over my shoulder at him, I arch my brow in question, waiting for him to give me shit.
“Two hundred says she shoots you down.” This comes from my right where Pax is grinning like a fool. Assholes. Both of them.
“I don’t know why I have friends like you,” I snark.
“Because with friends like us, you don’t need enemies. Also, we keep you on your toes. But that over there” — Curtis juts his chin toward the hot tub — “that’s way outta your league.” He laughs out loud when I shove him away. Dickheads. Shaking my head, I make my way over to the portable bar set up near the side of the house and order a beer. With the bottle in hand, I turn, hoping to make my way over to the gorgeous girl in her bright pink bikini when I’m stopped dead in my tracks.
“Sadie,” I greet her before she has time to say anything. She’s dressed in a barely there white bikini, which leaves very little to the imagination. Her long, blonde hair is sleek down to her ass, and her makeup is, as always, perfect. But she holds no attraction for me anymore.
“I didn’t think you’d make it,” she tells me in an offhand tone, but I can see her eyes drinking me in like a long, cool glass of something strong.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
She shrugs one shoulder. Her tits don’t bounce with the motion because they’re fake, just like her lips, her nose, and the rest of her. A few years ago, she was a famous lingerie model, but Sadie Jackson took her earnings and splurged it on every treatment known to man. Once naturally beautiful, she’s now in the porn business, where she uses her assets to ensure big paychecks that most probably end up being injected into every part of her body.
“You’ve been rather distant,” she complains, sidling closer to me, but my gaze leaves hers, and I find the breathtaking stranger glancing over at us. Her eyes are the most beautiful glassy, dark pools I’ve ever seen. From where I’m standing, I can’t tell if they’re brown or black, but they’re endless, and they are most definitely orbs I’d love to get lost in.
“I know.” It’s nothing new that they come back for more, but my attention has been caught by the breathtaking beauty. I glance over at the hot tub once more, noting she looks a lot younger than I am. I wonder briefly how old she is. Possibly nineteen, but no more than twenty.
“Wish you would just call to say hi,” the woman beside me says.
“I haven’t called because I ended it with you, Sadie.”
“Unfortunately,” she huffs, drawing my attention back to her with a nail tracing a path from my chest down to my abs. Her hand is closing in on my crotch when I grab her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. “Too good for me, Kayd?” she questions, looking up at me from under long, black lashes that don’t match the blonde shade of her hair.
“No, Sadie. I don’t want this anymore. We had fun. That was it. I don’t put rings on any girl’s finger.” My voice is ice cold, and my words cause her to flinch. I want to feel bad, but I don’t. I’ve tried to be nice, to let her down easy, but if she continues these games, I’m going to have to be tough on her and be the asshole they expect me to be.
“Fine.” She tugs her hand away from me. “Just don’t come running back to me when you need a shoulder to cry on,” she bites out, reminding me of the night I broke down. I was so drunk I can’t remember much of that night, but I do recall telling her about my father’s death. About how torn up I was.
“Don’t worry, I won’t.” I turn and walk away, needing space from what just happened. The girl in the hot tub is still there, and even though I’d like to go to her, I need a moment to calm the fuck down. Sadie has always had this effect on me, sending me into a blinding rage, and it’s what she loved. We fucked angry, and we were always so volatile.
It’s why we could never work.
I lean against the wall, practically hiding in the shadows. I swallow back the drink I’d been nursing, wishing the alcohol could calm me.
I need to escape.
Just tonight.
At least, that’s what I tell myself, even though I know it’s not true.
I can never escape the pain. And I don’t deserve to.
1
Haelee
My lungs pull in air too quickly, but my legs carry me farther down the road as I make my way back home. It doesn’t feel much like home anymore, not since Dad died, and it hurts so much to walk into the living room, not seeing him.
So, I run.
Even though Mom is there, waiting for me with breakfast on the table, I still force myself out every morning. As I make my way down our road, I see an expensive-looking car parked out front.
We don’t live in the most affluent part of town, and we don’t know anyone who drives shiny cars with silver rims. I would know. I drive Dad’s old Beemer, and that’s only because I’ve been focused on fixing up the old Mustang he bought on my seventeenth birthday.
Dad was the one who taught me about cars.
That’s where my love of fixing up the beauties came from. Over the past year, I’ve been getting better at racing. Which brings me to the car sitting along our sidewalk. I stop to take it in. The shiny metal glints at me, almost as if it’s winking. And I have to smile.
My mother hates that I get behind a wheel to race with the local guys around town. She’s tried to ground me, but I’m an adult, and she can’t stop me from going. However, being twenty doesn’t stop Mom from wanting to keep me in the house where she can watch over me. And that’s why I race—not only because I miss my dad and I know he’d be proud, but because
I want to get out of the house. Dad taught me how to drive, how to race, and he gave me the love of a fast car.
“Gorgeous, isn’t she?” A voice comes from behind me, and I turn to find one of my idols sauntering from my house. Colton freaking Donavan is walking out of my home.
I open my mouth to respond, but I can’t find words. On the tip of my tongue, there’s a girlish squeal I could emit, but that would only embarrass me even more than I already am, so instead, I nod.
“I take it you’re Haelee?” he asks while offering me his hand, which I glance at before nodding once more. When I finally accept his offer, we shake quickly. His firm grip is strong and commanding. “I’m Colton.”
“Yes, yeah, I know.” My voice comes out as a whisper of shock. “I’m sorry, I just … I … what are you doing here?”
“It seems your father had ensured your love of cars will continue even when he’s no longer here, Haelee,” my mother says. Her blonde hair is nothing like mine. Her green eyes are the complete opposite of my brown ones. When I was adopted at eight, I was lucky to have two people who loved me even though I was different.
It wasn’t easy for them at first, or for me, but we made it work, and even though Mom does drive me insane at times, I’m thankful for her.
“What do you mean?” I ask, looking between Colton and my mother.
It’s Colton who responds. “I received a letter delivered to me by a lawyer about three months ago. I’m in the process of considering new drivers for my team, but when I had a Mr. Jenson, your dad’s lawyer, call me up again this week, I figured I’d come to see you. And your mother.”
