Undeniable Rush

by S. C. Stephens

  My grin was huge when I looked over at Hayden, standing close beside me. “Now you want one even more, don’t you?” he asked, his face just as bright as mine.

  Studying his jade eyes, I nodded. God, I couldn’t imagine anything more wonderful than having Hayden’s babies. But all in due time. I had too much to do right now. “When the time is right,” I told him.

  He nodded, then reached out to stroke her arm. “I love how soft newborns are,” he murmured.

  Nikki giggled, and I looked over at her. “You two…if you make it to the altar before you’re pregnant, Kenzie, I’ll be shocked.”

  Myles had both of his arms draped across her chest, and she was holding them to her, holding him to her. I almost told her if she didn’t wise up and marry that man beside her, I wouldn’t let her back on the team, but that felt a little…drastic. Since I couldn’t flip her off, I stuck my tongue out at her. Myles laughed, then kissed Nikki’s hair. God…they were killing me with how perfect they were together. I hoped this finally changed things between them.

  My gaze drifted back to Maria. Her eyes were tightly shut as she dozed. There was pitch-black hair peeking out of her pink cap, a lot of it from the looks of it. Whenever she yawned, I giggled. I felt like I could hold her forever, but I knew everyone in this room needed rest, including me.

  I was just about to hand her back to Nikki when my phone rang. Even though the ringer was on low, it seemed super loud in this sanctuary. I quickly passed Maria off to Hayden since he was closer. He took her a lot less awkwardly than I had. Hayden had a bit more experience with babies.

  Apologizing to Nikki, I headed out to the hallway and answered my phone. “Hello?” I said, my voice soft.

  “Mackenzie Cox… Richard Covington, is this a bad time?”

  My heart started thudding in my chest. “No, not at all. It’s nice to hear from you, Mr. Covington.” I bit my lip while I waited to hear if he was going to help me or turn me away.

  “I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you. There were a few meetings I needed to have first.”

  I crossed my fingers. Meetings were good, right? “Not a problem. It’s been busy here as well.” Busy with stress, worry, and impending financial doom…not that I was going to mention that.

  A soft laugh met my ear. “I can only imagine how swamped you must be, riding and racing at the level that you do. But maybe I can help ease your burden.”

  The fluttering of hope ticked my stomach. “Oh?”

  “Yes, I’ve spoken with every board member of one of my businesses… Burger Barn. Perhaps you’ve heard of them?”

  My throat accidentally closed on me. Um, of course I’d heard of them. They were one of the top five fast food restaurants in the world. “Yes, of course.”

  I could practically hear Richard smile. “Good. Because they’d like to sponsor you.”

  It was a good thing there was a chair in the hallway, because I couldn’t keep standing. “Oh my God…um…yes, that would be amazing. That would be huge for us, I can’t even…” Knowing I sounded very unprofessional, I inhaled a quick breath. “Tell them thank you for me, please.”

  Richard laughed in my ear. “Of course. And I’m going to speak with some of the others that I think might be a good fit. Keep up the good work, Mackenzie, and I’ll do the same.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Covington.”

  “Please, we’re practically family now. Call me Richard.”

  Again, a weird shiver ran up my spine. And again, I pushed it away. This will save Cox Racing. “And call me Kenzie.”

  “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Kenzie. I’ll speak with you soon.”

  He disconnected the phone before I could say goodbye. I stared at my phone in shock for a moment, then I leaped out of the chair and started dancing and silently screaming. We did it!

  ***

  CHAPTER 13

  There wasn’t a lot of time to get the new sponsor plastered on everything before Road America. It took a week to sign papers and get Burger Barn’s official logo, then I had to rush-order decals for the uniforms, vinyl for the bikes, swag for signings. Dex was invaluable during the transition, and I was positive I wouldn’t have gotten through it without his help. He even managed to set my tire vendor straight—threatening them with a self-imposed discount if they didn’t get our order right. Ever since, they’d been perfect.

  Relief filled me, both because money was coming in again, and because I had competent, reliable help in the office. Help that didn’t come with hidden strings or belittling remarks. Just the occasional flirting. But it was fine, because letting Dex handle bits and pieces of the business was giving me time to ride as often as I wanted—finally—and when it was time to pack up and head out for Road America, I felt fully prepared, ready to take on the world.

  Myles was once again dour when we left, but this time, it was for a slightly different reason. Showing me a picture of Maria on his phone, her face frozen in the world’s cutest smile, he let out a wistful sigh. “It’s only been a day, and I already miss her, Kenzie. Like there’s-an-ache-in-my-chest miss her.”

  Smiling up at him, I asked, “Maria? Or Nikki?”

  His grin turned goofy, lovestruck. “Both.”

  I laughed at his expression, then chewed on my lip. “Are you okay being around her? Nikki? Considering she still doesn’t want to…” A sad sigh escaped me. I’d truly thought Nikki would have melted into a relationship with Myles after seeing them at the hospital together, but she still insisted they were better off just being friends. Personally, I thought it was just the exhaustion speaking.

  Myles’s smile slipped as he put his phone away. “I don’t… I’m trying not to think about it. Just focus on Maria, you know?” His eyes drifted to the ground. “But yeah…it sucks, and it hurts like hell that she doesn’t…want me.” He looked up at me, a small smile on his face. “But at least we’re still friends. That’s something, right?”

  Patting his arm, I nodded. “That’s everything.” Nikki would come around once she’d adjusted. I was sure of it. But even still… I didn’t want to mention that to him, just in case.

  Giving him one last squeeze, I went to make sure the rest of my team was ready for the race. Eli was pumped, Ralph was throwing up, per usual, and Kevin was triple-checking everything. John and my dad were quietly talking, and Dex was talking to…his dad. What was Richard doing here?

  Hayden approached me while I was staring at Dex and his father. Richard was again wearing a tailored suit that looked completely out of place in this environment. I had a feeling he never dressed in anything else. “He’s back,” Hayden said.

  “Yeah… I wonder why.”

  “Maybe he just wanted to make sure we did a good job representing his sponsor,” he said with a shrug.

  Leaning into his side, I looked up at him. “If that’s the case, he should be satisfied. It looks like Burger Barn threw up on our bikes. And us,” I added, glancing over my shoulder, where I knew the logo was covering almost every inch of my back.

  Hayden laughed, then smiled down at me. “It’s good to see you more carefree.”

  There was a very subtle pause in his sentence, but I caught it. “But…?”

  Hayden sighed, then looked over at Dex. “I just… I think maybe, you’re giving Dex too much freedom…with the business.”

  Pulling back, I looked at him with furrowed brows. “Not really. All he’s done is helped with some vendors, helped get the sponsor logos ordered and applied, made some flight arrangements, and…handled some bills for me.”

  “Right…he barely did anything,” he said, his voice dry with sarcasm.

  Shaking my head, I assured him everything was fine. “He knows this stuff, Hayden. He knows what to say to people, knows how to work deals. Hell, he got our embroidery guy to give us 20 percent off the order. A rush order. He’s got skills I just don’t have.”

  Hayden’s eyes, still on Dex, narrowed. “He’s got an agenda you don’t have either.”

>   I followed his gaze and watched as Richard patted Dex’s shoulder in clear approval of…something. “What do you mean? If this is about him flirting with me, because I’ve already—”

  Hayden’s eyes snapped to mine, fire in them. “If he doesn’t stop that, my fist is going to have some serious words with his face.” I pursed my lips at him and he sighed. “But no, that’s not what I meant.” His raptor gaze returned to Dex. “I just meant…his dad trained him to be like him, and his dad is a shark. He smells blood in the water and attacks. I just worry that, while you think Dex is helping you, what’s he’s actually doing…is making the cut deeper.” His eyes returned to mine, soft with concern. “I don’t want you to lose everything because you trusted the wrong person.”

  My heart softened as I took in his worry for me. I knew Hayden made a good point, but my gut told me Dex was different than his father, that I could trust him. But not blindly. “I’m watching him, Hayden, and if he does something underhanded, then he’s gone. It’s as simple as that.”

  Hayden smirked. “No, it’s not, Kenzie. You need him. And now, you need his father too. And do you really think Richard Covington will continue to sponsor Cox Racing if you fire his son? You’re tied to them, both of them.” His eyes hardened. “And I hate the thought of you being bound to anybody.” A small grin lightened his face. “Except me, of course.”

  I wanted to laugh at his remark, but my heart was suddenly pounding, and my blood felt chilled. He was right. I needed Dex and I needed his father, and if either one of them was screwing with me…there was nothing I could do about it.

  The dread inside me tripled when I spotted my father making his way over to Dex and Richard. Then my eyes widened. I hadn’t told Dad anything about how I’d secured the Burger Barn account. I’d let him think I’d convinced them with my skills and charm. I seriously doubt I’d fooled him.

  “Crap,” I muttered, then I hurried over to intercept. Too late, though. Dad was shaking Richard’s hand when I got there.

  “The Richard Covington,” my dad said, his eyes wide with recognition. Shit. He’d heard of him.

  Richard seemed impressed that he had. “The one and only.” His eyes shifted to me. “Mackenzie, I’m so glad to catch you before the race. I have excellent news.”

  He smiled that grin that creeped me out, but before I could respond to him, my dad grabbed my arm. “Excuse me, Richard. I need to speak with my daughter for a moment.”

  He pulled me away so hard, my arm started to ache where he was gripping me. “Jesus, Dad, let up,” I said, yanking my arm away.

  Hayden glared at my father, and Dad glanced over at Dex and Richard. Once he was convinced they couldn’t hear us, he turned to me, fire in his eyes. “What did you do, Mackenzie?”

  I was surprised by the anger in his gaze, but I was mad, too, at this point. I wasn’t a child he could just pull around whenever he felt like it. “What I did, was save Cox Racing. You said we needed a big sponsor, so I got one.” To make my point, I showed him the logo on my back.

  Dad jerked his thumb behind him. “By working with Richard Covington? Do you know who he is?”

  Gritting my teeth, I nodded. “Yes. But he’s not interested in buying the company. He just wants to help with sponsors.”

  Dad ran a hand down his face. “I can’t believe you got into bed with that man. He will devour this company, Mackenzie, and you won’t even see it coming.” Determination firmed his face as he straightened. “No, I forbid this. Go over there and tell him we don’t want his tainted money. Tell him we’re done.”

  My eyes widened at his declaration. “You forbid me?” I must have had a violent expression on my face, because Hayden put his hand on my shoulder. “You mistake yourself, Dad. This isn’t your business anymore, and while you have my ear, you don’t have the reins. I do. And I can handle Richard Covington.”

  Dad’s expression hardened, then the stone evaporated in a weary sigh. “For your sake, and the sake of your employees… I hope you’re right, Mackenzie.”

  He walked away without another word, and I realized I was shaking. God… I hoped I was right too.

  “That went well,” Hayden mumbled beside me.

  I twisted to face him. “Oh my God, Hayden, what if he’s right? What if I just set a match to Cox Racing. What if this blows up in my face? What if I just ruined everything?”

  Hayden grabbed my shoulders, making me look at him. “Remember what you said, Kenzie. You have the reins. You. Not your dad, not Richard, you. They’re all just advisors, and nothing is going to happen without your consent.”

  I felt myself relaxing, but my underlying concern was still there. “I could still destroy this, Hayden.”

  He cupped my cheek, nodding. “You could, but you won’t.”

  “How do you know?” I asked him, mystified. “You just said I was messing up by trusting Dex too much.”

  Hayden cringed, then shrugged. “Yeah, I know, but I also know you’ll fight ten times harder for this business than they will.” He pointed over at Richard, who was leaving Dex’s side and walking over to us. “To him, Cox Racing is an opportunity. But to you…to you, it’s your soul. And in the end, that will make the difference.”

  Smiling at his answer, I grabbed his hand and turned to face Richard. He glanced at where my father had disappeared before speaking. “Everything all right?” he slowly asked.

  “Yes,” I stated. “My father just had something he needed to take care of. You said you had news for me?”

  Richard’s face morphed into a smooth smile. “Yes…another one of my businesses has decided to work with you…with a certain, small condition.”

  “What condition?” I asked, instantly suspicious.

  His smile grew wider. “Nothing to worry about now. We’ll discuss the finer details once you get back to Oceanside. Have a great race, Mackenzie.”

  I wished I could, but my stomach had just turned to lead.

  * * *

  Even though my dad had made me mad, and Richard had unnerved me, once I got on the racetrack all my worries dissolved, and all that was left was my bike, the road, my teammates and my competitors. And for just a moment in time, life was nothing but sheer bliss.

  It ended far sooner than I would have liked it to end, and when it did, I found myself sitting in the top three, just having edged past Hayden and Felicia. While I would have loved to score another first-place victory, I was thrilled with who did nab the honors—Myles. He was beaming with pride as he walked over to be interviewed, and the first thing he said was, “I raced that for my new baby girl, Maria. Daddy misses you, sweetheart. You and your mom.”

  But as happy as he was in that moment, he was even happier on the plane, when he was flying back to his baby and his best friend. As I smiled at Myles’s content face, Hayden nudged my shoulder. “Rodney wants to go out tonight when we get back. To celebrate.”

  Dex, across the aisle from me, heard him and said, “You’re going out to celebrate tonight? Care if I tag along? I don’t want to go back to my huge, empty house. I’m too…amped.”

  Hayden sighed when I looked back at him, then rolled his eyes, then nodded. With a shrug, I told him, “Sure. I’ve got a ton of stuff to do tomorrow, but I can relax tonight.” And strangely, the thought of hanging out with Rodney and Felicia wasn’t as repulsive as it once was. When we arrived back in Oceanside, I was almost looking forward to it. Almost.

  We ended up meeting them at Oysters. Rodney and Felicia were already there when we arrived, sipping on drinks. I had to laugh when I saw that Rodney was drinking The Myles. “I thought you said that was a chick drink?”

  He took a long slurp before answering me. “It is. And it’s damn tasty too.” Standing up, he gave me a quick, friendly hug. “Congratulations on your third-place finish, Kenzie.” Letting out a low whistle, he grinned and said, “I never thought there would be a day when I was congratulating a Cox. Keith would have an aneurysm if he heard me say that.”

  Felicia cro
oked a smile. “He’d probably fire us if he knew we were here with them.”

  Rodney lifted an eyebrow at her. “He’d fire me in a heartbeat. You, he practically worships.”

  She shrugged, then looked up at me. “Congratulations, Kenzie. Next time, you’re mine though.”

  I couldn’t contain my grin as I sat down. “We’ll see.”

  As Hayden was about to sit down, Dex walked into the bar. He spotted us, waved, then hurried our way. Felicia’s lips twisted into a half-grin. “Call me crazy, Kenzie, but I think that boy has a crush on you. I’ve seen the way he practically falls all over himself when he’s around you.”

  Hayden narrowed his eyes, and her grin grew. “Don’t kill the messenger,” she told him.

  “It’s not the messenger I’m going to kill,” he murmured.

  I subtly elbowed him in the ribs as Dex approached our table. Extending his hand, he immediately introduced himself to Rodney and Felicia. “Hi, I’ve seen you guys around the track, and at events. You ride for Keith Benneti, right?”

  Felicia grasped his fingers. “Yes… Felicia Tucker, nice to meet you…?”

  Dex gave her a charming grin. “Dex. Dex Covington. I work for Kenzie.”

  “Yes, I know,” Felicia said, her dark eyes amused. “I’ve also seen you around the track and at events.” Her eyes shifted to mine. “Such a handsome face is hard to forget.” She winked at me, and biting back a smile, I restrained myself from flipping her off.

  Rodney stood and extended his hand, interrupting Dex and Felicia’s overly long handshake. “Rodney. Hey.” Rodney’s face had the same strained look that Hayden usually got around Dex.

  “Nice to meet you.” Dex briefly shook Rodney’s hand, then took a seat. Like they’d planned it, the only available chair around our table was between Hayden and Rodney. Dex didn’t seem bothered as he sat, though. He just seemed happy to be included.

  We ordered food, and a few more drinks. While we waited, I said to Dex, “So… I noticed you and your dad talking before the race. It seemed like he was…congratulating you?”