Racing Dirty, L.A.

by J. Lynn Lombard

  “Well, for starters, we’ve known each other for years. I’ve always thought of you as a little sister. Second, we’re not meant to be. There is someone out there for you, who you haven’t met yet, that will be your other half. The one you can feel safe with and will want to tell him everything. No hesitation. No holding back. Finally, you can’t handle this sexy man.” I say with a grin. Ashley lets out a laugh at my final answer. That’s exactly what I was trying to do, lighten up her mood. She's been through so much in her seventeen years, most people don't go through in their lifetime.

  ******

  I’m thrilled she found a guy like Nolan who will protect her, but also let her fly. She can’t have clipped wings. It would slowly kill her and Nolan, even though I just met him, comes off as the type of guy who will do anything to protect her, but will also let her do her thing. He cares deeply for her. I can see it in his eyes, the way he brought her back from the panic attack. No one has been able to do that, ever. He penetrated her carefully erected walls and for that, I’m grateful. He’s her other half, the one she won’t hold back with. With time, she'll tell him all her deep dark secrets and I hope he does the same. The way they watch each other and know where each other are, it’s something a lot of people don’t find.

  Nolan comes back from calling that Iverson guy and I watch as he smiles gently at Ashley. Her face lights up and it’s like watching a romantic movie. The guy and girl love each other, but neither is sure about how the other feels.

  We head inside, and the rest of our crew greets us. Noah is sitting on Ashley’s beige couch in the living room. He has his earbuds in and he’s probably listening to some audio book on his phone. He’s a smart kid and studies hard. I can see him going off to college to do important things. With as much as he reads and writes, I think he could become a famous author one day. He’s the only one in our crew without a nickname. Ashley hasn’t let him race yet, and he doesn’t want to. He likes the interaction with the drivers and taking their bets.

  Hotflash, a.k.a., Natalia Betters is the leader of the East Side Crew. Her Latina heritage makes her one unique little woman. She is about five foot two with long black curly hair, deep brown eyes and she can spew expletives at someone in Spanish so quick, she’ll make your head spin. She’s the first to spot us walking in the door.

  “Dios Mio! I’m going to Muerte that gilipollas.” Hotflash says as she takes Ashley’s face in her hands gently. My God! I'm going to murder that asshole.

  “It’s ok. It looks worse than it feels.” Ashley quietly tells Hotflash.

  Ashley’s trying to downplay the pain she’s in, so everyone stops worrying about her. She tries to keep us all at arm’s length, but this time it won’t work.

  “La Mujer, don’t tell me that. I can see the pain in your eyes, la hermana.” Hotflash says, calling Ashley out on her bullshit.

  I struggle to repress a laugh, but it’s too late. Ashley’s eyes cut to mine, throwing me a death glare. I hold my hands up in surrender. Hotflash hasn’t spotted Nolan yet, she’s too concerned about Ashley.

  Quickshift, a.k.a., Nick Depue is the leader of the North Side Crew. He’s standing in the corner of the living room, his arms crossed over his chest and he’s eyeing Nolan, but I have a feeling Nolan eats guys like Quickshift for breakfast. With Quickshift’s, dark hair, dark skin and black eyes, many people are intimidated by him, but Nolan isn’t. He's watching Quickshift from the corner of his eyes. Quickshift has always looked out for Ashley since the night she beat him in a race. She earned his respect, and he earned hers.

  Maverick Marrow, who is known to the racing world as Redline, is sitting quietly in the chair next to the floor to ceiling windows. He hasn’t said anything to Ashley and I think he’s waiting for the moment to talk to her alone. The first night she met him was down in San Diego, when she took her place as our leader. He's always had strong feelings for her, but she’s never felt that way towards him. It hurts to see the way he’s watching her and Nolan, but he needs to get over it. I hope he can for the sake of our family. We need to be strong for each other.

  Now with all of us here, we need to get down to business. I take a seat next to Noah and he removes his earbuds. I nod in Ashley’s direction and Noah looks. He gets up quickly from the couch and goes to her, engulfing her in a hug and won’t let go. She hugs him back and a smile forms on her bruised face.

  “Hey Noah, I’m OK. I promise,” Ashley reassures him.

  “I know, but still. I thought the worst. I can’t lose you.” Noah honestly tells her.

  He looks past Ashley and spots Nolan standing in the doorway. Nolan’s watching the whole exchange with curious eyes like he’s never seen this type of family bonds.

  “Guys, this is Nolan Ryan. He’s Ashley’s…,” I trail off not sure what to say.

  They both look at each other and Nolan crosses into the living room. He places his arm around Ashley’s shoulders and gazes into her eyes.

  “Boyfriend?” Nolan suggests, unsure about his answer.

  “Well, it’s hard to define what we are. Boyfriend sounds too lame. There’s so much more between us than a label.” Ashley responds.

  Nolan nods his head. Redlines face turns pale, and he shifts his hazel eyes back to the window. I have to talk to him later about his attitude.

  “Dios Mio," Hotflash says, fanning herself. “El es Caliente." Ashley bursts out laughing.

  “Thanks, Hotflash. I knew you’d think he’s hot,” Ashley says with a giggle. Hotflash’s face turns red under her dark skin.

  “Chica. When did you learn Spanish?” Hotflash asks, shocked Ashley knew what she was saying.

  “I didn’t, but I’ve heard you use that before when you think someone is hot." Ashley answers.

  “Come and sit Ashley, we need to get down to business,” I say, popping the bubble we're all in.

  Ashley slowly walks over to the couch, leaning on Nolan for support. She takes a seat next to me and lets out a sigh of relief. Nolan sits down next to her and the rest of our crew except for Quickshift sits down too. He stays in the corner, watching everyone. Something is bothering him, and we will address it soon.

  “Tell them everything that happened, and I’ll tell them everything I know,” I say to Ashley.

  She draws a deep breath before launching into her struggle with Reiser. After she’s finished, I tell them what I know about Marcus Dual. Quickshift’s body becomes tense at the mention of Dual’s name and I make a mental note to ask him about it later. I know he’s been having his own issues with a Mexican gang, has been for years, and I wonder if it’s tied together.

  “So, let me get this straight, Reiser is after you,” Noah says pointing to me. “But he took Ashley to meet this stranger at Palisades Del Rey. Why did he take Ashley there?”

  “That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Ashley answers.

  “I wonder if Marcus was there and he wanted to finish the job. Wipe out your whole family since you’ve done more business than your father and we're trying to go legit. He should know if anything happens to you, we’d retaliate.” Quickshift says from the corner of the room.

  I look over at him and he’s pissed. He keeps clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides. Our eyes connect for a brief second and I give him a small nod, telling him he’s right. We will retaliate. Payback to the whole 38th Street Gang is coming. A war is brewing and we’re not going down without a fight.

  Chapter 18

  Ashley

  I see a look passing between Rush and Quickshift. If I didn’t glance up when I did, I would have missed it. I glare at Quickshift and rise slowly. My muscles are screaming at me in protest, but I need to put an end to whatever is silently passing between these two.

  “You,” I say, pointing at Quickshift. “You will NOT go off on your own. We, as a family, will do this together. There will be absolutely no rogue missions here. Am. I. Clear."

  “Yes, I got it.” Quickshift answers. He’s not happy about it, but I have th
e final say. I turn to Rush next. “And Rush, the same goes for you. You kept information from me that was very important, and I ended up hurt. Now’s your chance to come clean with the rest."

  Rush’s face pales at my remark and I knew there was more. I could tell when we were on the porch with just the three of us. I can read people and that’s why I’m good at what I do. I can tell when someone is lying and holding back information.

  “Shit,” Rush says. He runs his hands through his black and blond hair and leans back against the couch. “I should have known to never hide shit from you. You always know." He takes a deep breath before continuing. “I contacted Ian when I left you and Nolan in the room at the subway station. I told him what Reiser did and we were out for blood. He wants to meet us.”

  “When?” I ask.

  “Tonight,” Rush answers. “He wants just the two of us there.”

  “Not gonna happen with just the two of us.” I shift toward Noah, “Can you set up a race? We need a cover to meet Ian and that will be a perfect distraction for anyone watching. We all go, but the four of you, Quickshift, Hotflash, Redline, and Noah will be at the race. Rush and I will meet with Ian.”

  Redline’s dark blonde head turns towards us and a strange look crosses his face. He’s hiding something, and I will have to talk to him about it later. I watch as he stares at Nolan in distaste and I realize what it is now. I assumed he was over the idea of us ever being together, but obviously not.

  “You’re not leaving me out,” Nolan says crossing his tattooed arms over his powerful chest, drawing my attention back to him.

  “No, I’m not. They don’t know you’re here. How quickly can Ashton and the rest of your crew get here? We can use them to protect us. You trust them, and I trust you." Relief crosses his face.

  “They can be here in five hours. I’ll go make the call.” Nolan says as he pulls his phone out of his pocket.

  I watch him as he dials Ashton and walks into the kitchen. His strong back is turned towards me, tension in his shoulders. I look at his ass and release a deep sigh. Butterflies are rolling in my stomach just from watching him. He turns his head slightly and throws me a wink.

  “Chica,” Hotflash says making me drag my eyes from my sexy man. I totally turned everyone else out.

  “What?” I bark out.

  Hotflash lets out a giggle at my outburst and rolls her eyes. Noah and Rush are trying to hide their laughter but are failing miserably. “I said Noah will have everything all set up. Why don’t you go take a hot shower and lay down for a little while? We'll take care of the rest. Take an aspirin and that hombre El Caliente upstairs for some R and R.” She gives me a knowing wink.

  Nolan hangs up his phone and strides back into the living room, towards me. He places his arm around my shoulders and I lean into him, inhaling his musky scent. I’m very aware how good he smells. His warmth is wrapped around me and desire fills my veins. Everything else melts away as Nolan’s deep voice penetrates my ears.

  “Iverson and the rest of my team will be here in five hours. Ashley, you need some rest. Let them handle the details.”

  “Dios Mio. Go Chica. I told you we have everything under control.” Hotflash says. She looks Nolan over. “Nolan, is this Ashton just as hot as you?” She asks him wiggling her eyebrows.

  Before Nolan can answer, I grab his hand and lead him out of the living room. We walk up the stairs and my body screams in protest. Nolan must have sensed this. Before we even reach the fourth step, he picks me up and carries me bridal style. I wrap my arms around his neck, my head resting on his chest. I can hear his heart beating hard against my ear as he holds me tight against him. We reach the top of the carpeted stairs and come to five doors. Three on the left and two on the right.

  “Which one?” Nolan asks. His voice is husky in my ear.

  “The one on the end to the right,” I answer.

  He walks down the hallway, still carrying me tight against him to the last door. I unwrap one of my hands from around Nolan’s neck and reach blindly for the door knob. I finally find it and twist the knob. He kicks the door open with his foot and his eyes land on mine. Hunger and lust are radiating from his brown eyes and it takes my breath away.

  Nolan walks into my room, keeping eye contact with me and kicks my door shut with his foot. He carefully slides me down his body and settles his hands on my hips. He swallows hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. I don’t take my eyes off him as I lean in closer, so our lips are only a breath apart.

  “Thank you,” I whisper against his mouth.

  “I’d do anything for you Ashley."

  Conflict flashes in his brown eyes for a moment when he releases a deep breath, tugging me flush against his body. The hard ridges of his muscles feel good against my soft curves. His strong hands tighten on my hips and before I can question the look he had in his eyes, he kisses me. Not gentle, but not rough either. His kiss sears into my soul and I know now, I can’t hold anything back from him. He’s my other half. The one I’ve been waiting for. His tongue licks my lips demanding access. I open for him. A deep groan breaks from the back of my throat. His body heat scorches against me and I want to rip his clothes off and have him make me come alive.

  Nolan breaks the kiss, breathing hard. He picks me up and I wrap my legs around his waist, feeling his hard cock against my heated pussy, as he carries me into the attached bathroom. He sets me down on the bathroom countertop and stands between my legs. Desire flows through my body at how close our bodies are. He gives me a gentle kiss and backs away. I watch him as he starts the shower, checks the temperature and moves back towards me.

  Without breaking eye contact, Nolan gently lifts my tank top up over my head and throws it on the floor behind him. His eyes widen when he realizes I didn’t put a bra on. He swallows hard as his hands caress my exposed breast. I lean back against the mirror and let out a soft moan, arching my body towards him. Nolan takes one nipple into his mouth and bites softly. Lust shoots through my veins as his hot breath nibbles and licks. He makes his way up to my throat and pulls me closer to him on the edge of the countertop. The hard bulge in his jeans is rubbing my clit, trying to get out.

  Suddenly Nolan stops sucking and licking my skin and pulls away. I whimper from losing his touch. He removes his shirt and comes back to me. I sit up and run my hands over his chest. So many tattoos covering scars across his body and my heart breaks for what this man must have gone through. I kiss each tattoo and lick each scar not covered. Nolan’s body shudders under my tongue and it fuels me on. I reach for his jeans and pop the button. I pull the zipper down slowly and his jeans hang on his narrow hips. I lean closer to him, so we're chest to chest. The heat from his body and the steam from the shower wrap around me and I feel safe. For the first time since my family was killed, I feel loved and cherished.

  Nolan picks me up from the countertop and sets me on my feet. Our bodies flush against each other, chest to exposed chest. He kisses me again as his hands wrap around my back, provoking a shiver to wrack my body. Nolan breaks our kiss, pulls down my yoga pants and panties at the same time. I step out of them and he throws them in the growing pile of clothes. He’s on his knees, eye level with my pussy and puts one of my legs over his broad shoulder, exposing me to him. He leans in closer to my center and licks my pussy from clit to opening. The contact from his hot tongue against my flesh makes me buck my hips towards him. His hands are gripping my ass, keeping me in place.

  “So, fucking hot,” Nolan whispers against my skin.

  “Don’t stop." I groan. That’s all I can get out. My brain has run away somewhere, and no coherent thoughts can cross my lips when Nolan continues his assault on my clit with his mouth. One of his hands releases my ass and follows his tongue on my pussy, trailing up and down, teasing me. I need to feel more.

  “Fuck,” I growl as Nolan plunges two fingers inside of me.

  He keeps up his pace between licking and sucking my clit with his mouth and his fingers moving in and ou
t of me, hooking and curling. Tingles start in my toes and working up my legs into my center.

  “That’s it, let it go.” Nolan’s deep voice vibrates against my clit and I explode around his fingers, breathing hard. He kisses his way back up my body and holds onto me until I have my bearings back.

  “Wow.” I finally say when my brain connects to reality again. God, he’s better at this than I remember.

  “Woman, we need to get into the shower. I don’t know how much longer I can restrain myself and you’re hurting. I want to bury myself so deep inside of you, we won’t know where you start and I stop, but your muscles won’t let you right now."

  “Thank you,” I tell Nolan and wrap my arms around his neck. Knowing he’s right, I’m sorer now than I was earlier, but I’m happy. Pain or not, I’m happy.

  Nolan kicks off his jeans and drags his boxers down his powerful legs. His huge cock is hard, clean shaved and at attention, precum glistening on the head and an idea forms in my mind. Once we’re both naked, Nolan helps me in the shower and follows me in.

  I stand under the spray of the shower head, leaning my head against the marble wall and let the hot water beat down on my aching back muscles. Nolan stands behind me, gently massaging my back and shoulders. God his hands feel so good. It makes me want him again.

  “That feel so incredible.” I moan.

  “You’ve got to stop testing my patience, woman. I’m trying to make you feel better.” Nolan whispers in my ear.

  His cock nestles between my ass cheeks as his hands drift up and down my exposed back, squeezing and kneading my muscles. I have an urge to want him again. Our bodies are slick with water from the shower as I stand straight up so we’re flush against each other, my back to his front. The water is hitting my chest now and I move my hands up to wrap them around Nolan’s neck arching my body. His hands travel up and down the front of me, squeezing my breasts when he reaches them.