Dirty Looks (Dirt Track Dogs: The Second Lap Book 1)

by Jameson, P.

  But they were interrupted by Sally who was still howling obnoxiously. “Owoooooooooo! Damn, this howling thing is fun. I could get down with this, for sure.”

  Surge, who still wore his sunglasses, swigged his drink. Ironically, a bright green carbonated beverage that was obviously his namesake. He stared at Sally, a smirk playing at his lips.

  “Well, I’ll be a hotdog in hell. I never knew a fox could howl like that. But then again, I was never really sure what a fox does. Enlighten me, Sally, would’ya. What does a fox say?”

  Sally froze, staring at the wolf while he chugged another swallow. “You’re really doing this, huh?”

  Surge pressed his lips together while the others snickered in the background.

  “I’m a curious wolf. What can I say.”

  Sally shot Seraphina a look that said, this guy, and Sera laughed loud and free. The change in the vixens was already apparent. The liberating feeling of not having to look over their shoulder left a giddiness among them. It made Lexington’s heart grow to swollen. They’d worked their asses off to get here—and would continue to—and now the payoff was going to be so damn sweet.

  “Okay, yeah. I’ve prepared for this,” Sally said, nodding and turning to face the wolf. “But bear with me, okay? Might be a bit ruff starting off.” She cocked her head, her long hair dipping with it. “Naw, who am I kidding. It’s like Jurassic Bark in here. No chance your puns are as fly as mine.”

  “Ooooooh,” Seraphina howled, tossing Sally a high five. “Jurassic Bark. Good one.”

  “Are you calling us… old?” Diz asked, shock making his eyebrows rise into his forehead.

  Sally shrugged one shoulder. “If the paw fits.”

  “Wait a goddamn second,” Surge said, moving his glasses to sit on the top of his head. “Are we… are we having a pun-off?”

  “Well, it depends. Howl furrrious would you be if I won?”

  “Oh, daaamn,” Drake hissed, glancing at his mate.

  “She’s good,” Ella whispered.

  Surge cocked his jaw sideways, narrowing his gaze at her, his hands hooked over his hips.

  “Well, for fox sake. What would… well, you… say if I said, bring. It. On. Son.”

  “I’d say get ready to be knocked on your puns, because nobody fox with me.”

  “Okay, alright.” He nodded his head, narrowing his gaze. “I have one question for you though. And this is serious. Because I can’t commit to a contest like this unless I know… are you infoxicated?”

  This time the wolves howled a victorious ohhhhhhh.

  “Not yet,” Sally answered. “I don’t know if you’re aware-wolf, but I hold my liquor well.”

  “I did not know. I was an una-werewolf.”

  “It’s okay. Don’t terrier self up about it.”

  “Trust me, I have zero fox to give.”

  Sally’s expression turned serious and she held her hands up in surrender. “Look, I really don’t mean to hound you about it. Wolf-ind a way through this. Just aim for originality, okay? That’ll get you more points.”

  Lexington was full on laughing now. Maybe she was biased, but Sally was kicking ass.

  Surge’s mouth twisted with humor, but he nodded like it was on. “Originality, huh?” He paused to check the hotdogs on the grill. “Don’t you worry, little woman. I’m vixen to lay some smack down.”

  “Ooh, good one, baby!” Tana cheered, and he blew her a kiss.

  Sally’s brows raised in shock. “Better, wolf. Much better.”

  Surge laughed, pulling hotdogs off the grill. “That’s not all I’ve got, you just wait until—” He fumbled one of the links and it fell through the grill into the fire, meeting its demise among the hot coals. “Aw, damn,” he said, pouting. “It’s all fun and games until someone loses a wiener.”

  The collective laughter thundered.

  Sally breathed deep, closing her eyes. “Smell that?”

  “Charred mush meat?” Seraphina asked.

  “Nope. That’s the smell of my victory,” Sally said, grinning like a shark.

  Seraphina and Ragan high fived her.

  “Can I just say, your victory stinks,” Rod said, fanning his hand in front of his face.

  There was the slam of a truck door in the distance and Drake cleared his throat.

  “Well, slamma-lamma-damn-dong,” Surge muttered. “Uninformed human heading our direction. We’ll have to finish our pun-off later.”

  Sally laughed. “I’ve already won, wolf.”

  “Naw,” Surge said, as the male approached. “This isn’t over, Sally. Ain’t over ‘til they wave the flag. I don’t see no one giving up but you. So.” He shrugged casually.

  Lexington recognized the dark-haired man with a neatly trimmed beard as one who’d been drinking with Aaron that first night, along with Rider and Rod. When he glanced out to the field and spotted the kids playing, his face went from neutral to frowning.

  Surge grinned a friendly greeting. “Hey, bro. You’re late.”

  The male slapped hands with Surge and Rider before punching Rod in the shoulder, and staring down Aaron like… well, like he was just tired of seeing him even though he’d only been there five seconds.

  “Yeah,” he sighed. “I got stuck at the factory. Damn turbine flopped out on us and it had to be fixed before the overnight crew came in.”

  “It’s no problem,” Tana said as she passed out drinks.

  Lexington took her Raz-ber-rita and cracked open the top, and passed a Bud to Aaron.

  “Well, thanks for keeping Megan,” the male muttered. “Appreciate it.”

  Tana smiled. “She’s great, and Gracie loves playing with her.”

  He barked out a laugh. “She’s ornery as heck. You sure my girl is the one you’re talking about?”

  “Wait,” Aaron interrupted. “Megan is yours?”

  The male stared at Aaron, shrugging a shoulder. “You missed a lot, man.”

  “But… who… when…?” Aaron sputtered.

  “Don’t matter does it?” He turned to Lexington with his hand outstretched. “I’m Adam. This joker treating you alright?” His voice was dull and distracted, and he kept glancing away to the field.

  Even if she wasn’t a shifter, she’d be able to feel the animosity Adam had for her human. And she didn’t like it. Aaron said he’d left Cedar Valley without telling his friends goodbye. And he’d stayed gone, and presumably out of contact, for nearly a decade. That wasn’t a very nice thing to do, she could admit. But maybe this guy needed to be more understanding of his reasons.

  Lexington stared at Adam’s hand and answered without shaking it.

  “This ‘joker’ is mine, and he’s treating me just fine. But I don’t think you really care, do you? You’re just checking off the marks so you can cut outta here as fast as possible. Am I right?”

  His hand continued to hang between them as his expression went slack-jawed. Everyone else seemed just as surprised as he was, but Lexington knew it was because she’d just laid claim to Aaron. Marked him as hers even though no claws were used. The significance was heavy, but she couldn’t regret spouting off the way she did.

  After several tense moments, Adam seemed to recover and pulled his hand back.

  “Done read my mail, lady. Can I at least have your name before I leave? It’d be a nice change to know who my… friend… belongs to now.”

  “I’m Lexington,” she said, and then because he looked like she’d slapped him, and she couldn’t stand for anyone to be sad right now, she introduced the rest of the vixens. “These are my girls, Sally, Seraphina, and Ragan. That’s Barb out there, playing with your daughter. And Kit, our little one.”

  He nodded at the others before his eyes wandered out to the field to see Barb cutting up with Megan. She grabbed the little human around the waist and spun her around in a circle, laughing with her as they both tumbled to the dirt while Kit and Gracie jumped up and down, giggling.

  Like plaster turning from liquid to solid,
Adam’s expression went hard, his mouth forming a harsh line. “Megan,” he called. “Time to go.”

  The little girl’s grin faded, and Barb brushed her hair aside to see who was pouring water on their fun.

  “But daddy—”

  “Don’t make me tell you again, Nutmeg. Say your goodbyes and getcha tush in the truck.”

  “Oh, alright,” she muttered, kicking the dirt to stir up some dust with her frustration.

  As she stomped toward his truck, Adam murmured his own uncomfortable goodbyes.

  “Thanks again for watching Megan,” he said to Tana before turning to Aaron with a grim expression. “Got you a woman who values brutal honesty. Good thing for a man like you. Don’t fuck it up.”

  With that, he strolled off to catch up with his little girl.

  ***

  Aaron sat perched on one of the tree trunk stools that surrounded the little bonfire the dogs had prepared. Hours had passed since the wolves and the foxes reached an agreement and the odd exchange between him and Adam.

  He still couldn’t believe his friend had a kid. He’d asked Rider who her mama was, but he’d only told him she wasn’t in the picture anymore. The idea that he’d know the story if he’d cared to keep in touch was spoken with Rider’s arched eyebrow, and softened with a light shove to the shoulder.

  So while Adam’s story haunted the recesses of Aaron’s mind, the rest of them brushed off his gruffness minutes after he’d left. It implied they were used to the man keeping his distance, and respected it.

  Aaron would too. It was the least he could do since he hadn’t been around for him all these years. He would work his way back into that friendship, and he wasn’t a fool. He knew it’d take time.

  The light chatter around the fire soothed Aaron’s rough edges and once again he marveled at how quickly he was finding his way. Things felt… good. More than good. He felt great.

  For so many years, he’d woken with the sun, fighting, and went down with the moon, still fighting. There was never any calm within the storm. Never any peace. Only anxiety and worry and so much anger he didn’t recognize himself in the mirror.

  Somehow all that was fading. And it had everything to do with his shifter lady.

  Lexington laughed softly and it drew his attention to the stool beside him. He’d dragged it close to his before she sat down. Something was being said across the flames but it was all white noise as he stared. The way her cheeks bunched up at the corners when her pretty lips spread in a smile. The way her eyes twinkled in delight, the way they were no long creasing with unspoken worry. The way her body leaned into his, almost as an afterthought, just because whether her mind knew it or not, that body needed him. All of it, every little detail was a balm to his shredded heart.

  She was patching him up with every smile and fluttering eyelash and semi-accidental touch. She was the glue that would put him back together, and keep him there until his time was over.

  He couldn’t wait to tell her how he felt. Couldn’t wait to take this farther, to lay everything out. Say this is what I have to offer, it ain’t much, but it’s good, and see if she wanted in on this deal.

  Because she had him good. He was a hooked fish, swimming his way to the bank to be caught, no regrets.

  Lexington turned to look at him and in a rush all the sound returned to his world. Someone had cranked the country music up loud. A grinding beat that sounded naughty, but maybe it was just because he was looking at her. Anything under that filter would fill him with wild thoughts.

  With a whooping holler, Surge pulled Tana up and into his arms, swaying with her in a sultry rhythm as she chuckled. “It’s dancing time,” he murmured, and they were off, whispering things only meant for each other’s ears.

  Aaron raised an eyebrow. “Heard what he said, baby girl.” He stood offering Lexington his hand. “Wanna dance?”

  She pursed her lips, considering. “Are you telling me the mysterious hunter with the heap o’ junk truck can cut a rug?” she asked, placing her hand in his.

  “I got moves that would blow your mind,” he said, pulling her up and right against his body where she belonged. She gasped at the contact, and it shook him how perfect they felt together.

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes. And also, my truck is not a heap o’ junk.”

  He didn’t give her a chance to argue. He spun her away from the fire to their own little corner of darkness. They weren’t alone but it was a touch more private. And they needed it, because he had some communicating to do with his girl.

  Sliding his hand around her hips, he kept her pressed tight to him. Her arms came up around his neck, her fingers teasing the hair at his nape and sending shivers down to his toes. He twisted fast and dipped her low before easing her back up to meet his gaze in the darkness.

  “Not bad, cowboy,” she breathed. Her lips were so close it would only take a tiny movement to press into them with his.

  But he didn’t. He was softening her first. Letting her get used to his touch. Getting used to hers.

  Taking her hand, he spun her out, and when she yo-yoed back to him, he held her hips so her ass was against his front.

  Grinding with the rhythm of the music, he whispered in her ear, “Told you, never rode a horse. But I could certainly take you for a ride.”

  He’d fed her a bad pickup line on purpose, and fully expected to hear more of that captivating laugh that was like a drug to him. Instead she leaned farther back into him, a soft humming sound coming from her throat. It resembled a purr but coarser and higher pitched.

  It was her sound of contentment. He’d excited her animal, and the mere idea turned him hard as stone below the belt.

  He twisted her so she was facing him again, continuing to sway their hips together in time to the sultry beat and twangy guitar.

  “I feel it,” he rumbled, his thumb brushing softly along her cheek.

  Her skin felt hot and he wondered if it was painted that pink color he’d seen when they first met. Her blush was his kryptonite.

  “Our bond, Lexington. It’s only going to get stronger. It’s growing at the speed of light because everything about you…”

  He threaded his fingers into her hair, the tips pressing gently into her temple and drawing out the tiniest moan.

  “… is everything I need.”

  He swallowed hard, determined to get the rest of it out.

  “I haven’t felt this… safe… since before my parents died. How do you do that? How do you make all the bad things seem insignificant?”

  She clung to his shirt as they swayed. “I do that?” she breathed, as if she was surprised. Like he’d mistaken her for someone else. But didn’t she know how he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her the entire night?

  “Fuck, yes. Who else? You’re the only female I’ve been obsessed with since… well, since a long damn time. Since ever. Since ever, Lexington.”

  “But you said there was someone else,” she said sadly. “And I know what I said earlier to your friend, about you being mine, but what I meant was—”

  No. He wasn’t letting her finish that sentence.

  Aaron slammed his lips down on hers, not holding back an inch. How could he when she was about to deny everything that was holding him together. No more adjusting. No more getting used to each other. They’d learn along the way, but he wasn’t letting her speak her denial out loud.

  The song ended, and just in time because he’d stopped swaying and took her face between his hands, parting her lips and pouring everything he’d been feeling into the kiss. His tongue plunged inside, tasting and exploring. And damn if she didn’t taste like warm honey on a snowy night. His fox was decadent, making him crazy with lust. Flashes of what he could do to her invaded his mind.

  She met his tongue with her own, tentative at first, soft. Questioning. Then turning urgent, twisting and jousting with his in a sexy dance. Her fingers fluttered over his cheeks and twisted in his hair, pulling him closer.

&
nbsp; But he wasn’t going anywhere. He was there to stay.

  With a soft suck to her plump bottom lip, he forced the kiss to an end. He had to say the rest or this would all be for nothing. He had to make her understand.

  “Mina,” he said, and she stiffened in his arms.

  Idiot!

  Aaron could punch himself in the nuts for starting off like that. Her lips had his mind glitching, but his ex’s name was definitely not what she needed to hear after their first kiss.

  Brutal honesty, Adam had said. Lexington required honesty, and he was right.

  “She’s the one I told you about in the truck. She was killed by a group of shifters to get back at me for one of their own getting hurt. We’d only dated a little while. Less than a month, but they thought she meant more to me.”

  “They though she was your mate.”

  That ancient guilt threatened to strangle him, taking all the good feelings he’d just experienced and flushing them down a toilet.

  “She lost her life because of me,” he choked. “Just for knowing me. But what happened to her, it wasn’t for nothing.” There was light. There was a silver fucking lining. This was how life worked, he realized. It takes those horrible things that you think you’ll never get through, digs down deep, and finds something to make it worth the pain. It has a way of exchanging the horror with beauty.

  “As awful as it was, she was part of the journey. And…” Aaron let out a small laugh because, for once, he could remember Mina and it was a good memory. One that made him smile instead of flinch in horror. “…you know, she would have loved hearing what I’m about to say. She’d laugh if she could hear me now, because she always believed in that hooky kismet shit. She believed in soul mates.”

  And it occurred to him, Mina had never claimed they were that. Somehow, she’d known he was for someone else even back then.

  “She believed in perfect matches and love stories with happy endings.”

  Lexington’s breath hitched, and he could only make out the dimmest details of her face in the darkness. He’d give anything to see her eyes right now.

  “What are you saying?” she whispered.

  “It was fate, Lexington. This is what I was trying to tell you before. All the bad things we’ve endured. The people we’ve known and lost. The ones we ran from. The ones we met along the way. Every heartache and struggle. Every goddamned mistake and triumph. It was for a purpose, and it’s this.” With his hand on her cheek, he pulled her close again, resting his forehead against hers. “To bring us to our final destination. This bond that won’t be broken. Our treasure,” he whispered.