Boys: Alphas of 2017 - Vol 1

by Hazel Parker

  Jay downed his own glass. “Or something.”

  “What happened?”

  “That woman I’m dating…was dating. Turns out she’s married.”

  I winced. Jay and I might have been single and willing to sleep with whoever struck our fancy, but he was against the married ones as much as I was.

  “They certainly know how to cuckold, don’t they?” I said before I could stop myself.

  Jay eyed me quietly. “What did Julie do to you?”

  “Jules,” I immediately corrected. Then I cursed at my own correction and downed another glass. “Nothing. She just doesn’t want to live together anymore.”

  “What did you do to her?”

  “Nothing,” I scowled. “What do you take me for?”

  Jay shrugged. “You’re my friend, but you can be a jerk sometimes.”

  “I’ve been a perfect gentleman to her.” Well, except when we were screwing each other’s brains out, and I was making her scream for more incoherently. I found myself getting hard at the thought, and it warred with the anger and hurt still swirling inside me. “It was her who left.”

  “Did she tell you why?”

  I nodded. “Something about needing to get away from me.”

  My mind went over the conversation we had, just like it did every day as I tried to analyze and re-analyze the words we said to each other. It cemented the fact that I didn’t do anything wrong, which made me come to one conclusion on why she really left.

  Julie had had enough. She no longer wanted anything to do with me, and this was her only way of saying it—by cutting off the connection, just like that. Maybe divorce papers would follow.

  Maybe I should stop damn caring.

  I took another swig of my drink. Then I stood up and took another bottle out of Jay’s liquor collection, ignoring his raised brow.

  I was going to drink the night into oblivion and forget about her completely. Then I was going to compete in that goddamn race like there was no tomorrow.

  “Think we’ll win today?”

  Henry’s calm voice soothed me enough to check out the weather and contemplate over it. The race was in fifteen minutes, and everything was prepared. I was at my best, too, having already worked off the hangover I’d had.

  In short, I was in the best physical condition to win this thing.

  “Scott?”

  I looked Henry in the eye and tried to smile. It didn’t come off the way I wanted it to, so I tried once more. “We’re going to win this thing, Indy.”

  Then I sauntered off to where my car was, my heart not as in it as my brain.

  JULIE

  I had repeated to myself over and over again that I wasn’t going to the race, with many excuses in mind: that I didn’t want to see him, that I didn’t want to be seen, and that it wasn’t going to be exciting anyway. But despite myself, I was already there before the clock hit seven and sitting beside a very important person in Scott’s life.

  His mother.

  It had been a surprise, really. Nelly McCall had come barging into my old apartment while I’d been moping, with just one question: what has my son done to make you go away, sweetie?

  Apparently, Nelly had called Scott to wish him luck on the race and had noticed that there was something off despite her son refusing to tell her anything. She deduced that we had a fight, but hadn’t expected that she wouldn’t find me in Scott’s apartment when she snuck in while he wasn’t around.

  She then went to my apartment and brought me chocolate pie—and then she proceeded to sweet-talk me so that by the end of it, I ended up telling her the whole truth and apologizing for the mess that I’d created. Nelly surprised me by telling me Scott was as much to blame as I was and not to dwell over matters that were already done.

  Then she began to tell me that only an idiot (like her son) wouldn’t realize how in love I was with him and would actually not want to proceed with this marriage.

  She was the sweetest thing ever, really, but I still couldn’t believe I got talked into coming. We were sitting inside the VIP box along with the relatives and car owners of the other drivers, and the race had already started minutes ago. The adrenaline was high in the air, and I had to admit my nerves were killing me. Sitting in a box was so different from being part of the crew, and suddenly all I wanted was to be with them and witness the race up close.

  The announcer sounded like he’d taken some happy pills and was talking a mile a minute, only adding to the excitement and tension. It was a close race, with Doug already back and all the others vying for the top spot just as much.

  But I couldn’t take my eyes off Scott’s distinct blue car.

  It was on fire. It was racing in a blur, and my breath caught in my throat as cheers rose from the crowd every time he passed by the stands—no, whizzed by. My heart was racing a mile a minute, but I knew it was doing so even before the race began and I only got a glimpse of him.

  Just the sight of him made me ache so much and miss him terribly.

  My eyes were glued wherever the car was, and no crowbar could have pried my gaze off. I felt a hand squeeze mine and reluctantly turned to Nelly, who was eyeing me with a soft expression on her face.

  “My son’s lucky to be loved by someone like you,” she said.

  I felt my face turning hot at the compliment.

  “He still doesn’t know,” I replied quietly.

  Nelly smiled. “Then isn’t it time to stop being a coward and tell him what’s in your heart?”

  She was right. I’d been running away for too long, and it was terrible. I was ashamed of myself for what I’d done, and I wanted to take it all back.

  I wanted to take Scott back.

  “I’m scared,” I finally replied, squeezing Nelly’s hand back.

  “Want me to nag him?” she offered.

  I blushed and shook my head, then laughed at the cute gesture.

  “I can handle him,” I said firmly.

  “That’s the spirit!” she chirped.

  I smiled at her, feeling my tenseness easing off. Someday, I was going to take this woman out for some food, and we were going to have so much fun.

  But for now, whether Scott won or lost, I was going to tell him how I was feeling and fight my way into his heart.

  And he was just going to have to deal with it.

  It happened in the last lap.

  Scott was leading the race, but Gray Denton was steadily gaining speed and trying to outmaneuver him, with the others not far behind. My nerves were back, and I could tell Nelly was just as tense beside me as she held my hand again and held her breath. The crowd’s roar had now become deafening, but my throat was too dry to join them as I watched the match without even blinking.

  Then Doug was inserting himself into the leading spot, too—but it was short-lived.

  In a blur, his wheel turned in the wrong direction, causing his car to swerve to the side and block the way for the cars at the back. I saw Gray’s car swerve as well as he almost hit the wall but evaded it at the last second. I saw Scott’s car crash completely into Doug’s, turning the front of it into a crumpled mess.

  And then James Kinnick’s car was crashing into Scott’s, and I watched as it flew up in the air and landed right on top of Scott’s.

  My heart leaped into my throat.

  The crowd’s deafening cheer turned into a massive cry of horror.

  And then Nelly and I were already racing away from the stands as no other sound came from the still cars below.

  SCOTT

  My first and last thought before things came crashing down on me was how this was one hell of a way to go—and then the impact came, and the thoughts left my mind as everything happened too fast to comprehend.

  I was crumpled beneath a messy pile of an accident, and I felt pain zing on my right shoulder, making me curse out loud. Thankfully, I was fast enough to unbuckle my harness and slide over towards the other door just as the car on top of mine went down and crushed the driver’s se
at area.

  There was a lot of commotion outside. Yelling and sirens. I could hear James’ name being called out, as well as mine, but I was stuck in my position, unable to get the door open or move in any direction. I felt dizzy as hell, and I knew I was going to feel more pain later when my body was no longer numb.

  For now, I tried my best not to close my eyes, else I would end up being unconscious—and I didn’t want to be unconscious. So I counted to ten and recited in my head whatever I could recite as the voices outside washed over me.

  Eventually, the door on my side was forcibly opened. I felt hands holding my head still and talking to me, checking out if I was conscious. Questions were being directed in my face. The pain on my shoulder was back, but I gritted my teeth and answered the questions to show I was coherent enough, that I’d already moved and didn’t have broken neck and could be pulled out.

  They—the paramedics—did it seamlessly, and I found myself on a stretcher and being rushed to the medical area to be checked out. There were other drivers also there, but it all became a big blur as my crew was suddenly with me and hounding the paramedics about my condition.

  Ten minutes later, I was declared good to go, with no broken bones and only a bruised shoulder. My reluctance to go to the hospital had Ulysses talking louder as the minutes went by, but the paramedic knew better and bandaged me up, made me sign a release form, then let me go. I was still pretty out of it as Henry filled me in quietly on the news—that James Kinnick was the only one in a really bad condition as his car flew into the air and toppled right on top of mine, crushing him inside.

  Jesus.

  It was the stuff of nightmares. He had apparently broken a lot of bones, which meant he was going to have to kiss his racing career goodbye. Hell, he almost kissed his life goodbye.

  And I almost did, too.

  I could still remember it all vividly, and was grateful for my presence of mind to slide, otherwise I would have been crushed. I didn’t want to die, not when I wanted to do so many things first.

  I wanted to win more races and travel the world, then retire and buy another business. I wanted to flourish as an individual, to teach younger drivers how to handle the pressure and to maybe write a book. I wanted to see my child grow up and to guide him or her on how to be a good human being, and all the joys in life.

  I wanted to see Julie and tell her how I really felt.

  The pit crew’s voices became a blur again as I got lost in my own thoughts. I was already trying to compose the apology in my mind and was almost done when I heard it.

  “Scott?”

  The blur disappeared, but only enough to focus on that familiar voice. I turned my head to look and found Julie standing a few meters from where I was sitting, her eyes on me as she looked at my bandages and my condition.

  A familiar scent was hugging me, and it took me a few seconds to realize my mom was there beside me, telling me all sorts of things that I couldn’t understand. I hugged my mom back, but I couldn’t concentrate on her. All apologies fled from my mind as I drank the sight of Julie in.

  She was wearing a pretty dress—light green, highlighting the color of her eyes and showing the growing bump on her stomach. Her hand rested on her bump, caressing it softly, and I found myself aching at such a pure, lovely sight.

  In an instant, I was on my feet and walking forward, never once looking in any other direction. Julie’s eyes widened as I neared, but I didn’t give her a chance to speak as I pulled her immediately and wrapped her in my arms.

  The smell of her—lemons and woman—removed whatever pain I was feeling, to be replaced by longing. I buried my nose in her hair and just breathed her in, feeling her steady heartbeat against mine and wanting to be near her softness for a long, long time.

  I remembered her leaving, and my hands tightened around her. Then I forced myself to step back, studying her worried face for a few seconds before gathering the courage to say the words.

  But she beat me to it.

  “Don’t you dare do that to me again,” she blurted out.

  I blinked. “What?”

  “Scare me like that again,” she said, burying her face in my chest. “I couldn’t stand it. I thought you were dead, and we still weren’t finished arguing. And then you were alive, and I still needed to tell you so many stupid things—”

  “I love you, Jules.”

  Her tirade stopped. She blinked once, then twice.

  Then Julie hit me on my good shoulder and had me clutching on it with a wince.

  “Ow! What the hell—”

  My words were cut off when I felt soft lips against mine. Without wasting time, I kissed her back, feeling the desperation and the hunger from her, along with another emotion—one that had me stunned and in awe as I tasted every bit of her.

  She didn’t need to say the words back because I could feel it in the kiss alone. And just like that, I knew why she left—because she was afraid I didn’t feel the same way, as I’d never said the words at all.

  And I wasn’t about to let it happen again. I was going to show her and tell her, every single day, for the rest of our lives.

  I kept kissing her. Julie kissed me back.

  And I knew, just then, that everything was going to be all right.

  THE END

  See more of Hazel’s Full Throttle Series HERE

  Author Bio

  Hazel Parker is known for her contemporary romance writing and LOVES her bad boys. From motorcycles, mountain men, and all sorts of alphas Hazel will have you turning the pages for more.

  She lives on Vancouver Island with her hubby and three kiddos. Most days you will find her in her office with a steaming cup of coffee doing what she loves: Concocting ultra-sexy, page turning juicy romances for her readers.

  For more of Hazel Parker’s work visit www.hazelparker.ca

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