Captivating Clay (Team Loco #3)

by Amy Sparling

  I don’t know how to treat someone else. It would only end badly, and that could mess up my spot on Team Loco or mess up her new job with Team Loco. It’s just too messy. It’ll never work.

  I clench my jaw and tell myself to get over it. Even though I’m feeling ten kinds of sad at the thought of pushing her away again, I know it has to be done.

  Avery stirs awake as soon as the plane descends to make the landing in Vegas. Her eyes flutter open and she sits up sleepily, then her eyes widen in horror when she sees where she was just lying. She puts a hand to her mouth. “Oh my god, I’m sorry. Please tell me I didn’t drool on you.”

  I chuckle and glance down at my arm. “No drool here.”

  Her shoulders relax a little. “You should have pushed me off you. I’m sorry.”

  I shrug. “No big deal.”

  The side of her cheek has a little crease on it from where she’d been sleeping on the sleeve of my hoodie. It’s cute. I want to run my finger down it, but I know better than to touch her. She is just a coworker, I remind myself.

  The moment is quickly over. Avery must remember that we’re not exactly friends, and she goes back to ignoring me. We shuffle out of the plane and I quickly lose sight of her after I get my bag from the overhead bin. I find Jett and Keanna walking through the terminal and I jog to catch up with them.

  “Do we have a limo?” I ask.

  “Nah, we’re supposed to take a cab or an Uber to the hotel,” Jett says.

  That’s what we normally do, but sometimes in the big cities like Vegas, Marcus will have a limo take us all to the hotel at once.

  “What hotel are we staying at?” I ask.

  Keanna frowns. “You should really pay attention to the itinerary.”

  I shrug. “That’s why I have you guys.”

  She laughs. “I’ll text you the hotel info, or you can just ride with us.”

  In the distance, I see Avery standing alone near baggage claim. She must have checked her suitcase. I know she’s perfectly capable of handling herself, but the idea of leaving her alone makes me uneasy.

  “Text me the info,” I say. “I’ll meet you guys at the hotel.”

  I grab a soda from a kiosk and I hang back near the baggage claim, keeping an eye on her. I feel a little bit like a stalker, but I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t want to hang out with me and I can’t make myself leave until I know she’s okay.

  A girl about my age walks up to me, eyes wide and sparkling. “Are you Clay Summers? Will you take a picture with me?”

  “I’m not that guy,” I say, taking a sip of my drink.

  She frowns. “But you look just like him.”

  “You’ve got the wrong guy.”

  “But you’re wearing a Team Loco hoodie,” she says, refusing to let this go.

  I shrug. “You wanna see my driver’s license?”

  “Whatever,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Jett is my favorite anyway.”

  When I glance back at Avery, she’s got one hand on her hip. The suitcases have all come and gone around the carousel and she hasn’t found hers yet. Another fifteen minutes go by and another set of luggage makes the rounds. Once again, her bag isn’t there. She looks frustrated, and then she takes her phone out of her back pocket and answers a call. I see her shake her head, and she looks even more annoyed.

  I wait a little while longer, but then I’m really starting to feel like a stalker, so I decide to go say hello.

  “Still waiting on your suitcase?” I ask.

  Her eyes widen. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Just getting a drink,” I say, which is a bad lie because our plane landed half an hour ago.

  “Clay!” Avery says, sounding like a stressed-out mom or something. “You’re supposed to be at the hotel!” She checks the time on her phone. “No wonder Marcus is pissed at me.”

  “What are you talking about?” I ask.

  She groans and then shoves at me with her hand. “Go! Go to the hotel. You’re supposed to be interviewed in like fifteen minutes.”

  “I didn’t know that,” I say.

  She rolls her eyes. “You should really read the itinerary.”

  Her phone rings again and this time I can hear Marcus on the other end. He sounds pissed. “I found him,” she says into the phone, giving me a glare. “He’s still at the airport but I’m putting him in a cab now. He’ll be there. I promise.”

  “He better,” I hear Marcus say before he hangs up on her.

  Avery’s nostrils flare. “You just love making my job harder, don’t you?”

  “I wasn’t trying to,” I say, scratching the back of my neck. “I didn’t realize I had PR crap already.”

  “It’s pretty much nonstop while we’re here,” she says. “TV, magazines, photoshoots—the training camp is like the least of what you’re doing today. Now please go. Find a cab and pay him extra to drive fast.”

  “You’re coming with me,” I say. “Let’s find your bag.”

  “I’ll get there when I get there,” she says, shoving me again. “Just go. Please.”

  I’m about to tell her I’m not going anywhere until I know she’s safe, but luckily I don’t have to. I spot her suitcase on another carousel across the way. It somehow got loaded on the wrong one. We get her bag and then head toward the doors, and I flag down a taxi fairly quickly.

  “Can you drive super fast?” Avery asks the taxi driver.

  “I’ll try,” he says, but he doesn’t sound very convincing.

  I sit with Avery in the backseat. Her foot taps nervously on the floorboard, and she’s constantly looking at her phone as texts come in. Marcus calls her twice and she tells him we’re closer than we actually are.

  “I’m pretty sure the only reason I got hired was to keep track of you like some kind of babysitter,” Avery says. Her voice is tinged with annoyance as she looks out the window, her arms folded over her chest. “Marcus never demands that I keep track of anyone else. It’s always just you.”

  I feel a little bad because she’s probably right. He knows I hate doing this PR crap. Taking photos and signing autographs is the worst way to spend a day. “I’ll try to make your job easier,” I say.

  She snorts. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

  We get to the hotel ten minutes late, and Avery speed walks through the lobby and straight to the meeting rooms where the rest of Team Loco is hanging out, getting makeup and hair done. The only time we’re powdered and primped is when we’ll be doing a TV interview. These are the worst, because I have to watch everything I say. You can’t curse on TV. And now that Team Loco is all about being family friendly, I have to really watch what I say or Marcus will kick me off the team in a heartbeat.

  Speaking of Marcus, he glares at Avery as we walk into the room. “What the hell happened?” he hisses, giving her one of the angriest looks I’ve ever seen on the guy. He’s normally pretty laid back.

  “It’s my fault,” I say, glancing at her. “I made us late. She did everything in her power to get me here, but you know much I hate TV interviews. I was trying to ditch it.”

  I look down at her apologetically. “I’m sorry.”

  “Dammit Clay,” Marcus says. “Sometimes I just wanna slap you upside the head, boy. Now get over there and force yourself to be charming for the cameras.”

  “Sure thing,” I say.

  There’s a makeup artist waiting for me at the end of the line of chairs. Zach, Jett, and Aiden are sitting in the other chairs, their makeup and hair already done. Across the room, professional cameras are set up and a fake stage is in place, with a famous motocross magazine backdrop behind it.

  I hate this so much, but I allow myself to be powdered. I let them put product in my hair and ruffle it in a way that I don’t normally style it. I change out of my hoodie and into the clothes that were picked out for me, jeans and a light blue button-up shirt. Normally I’d be complaining about all of this crap because none of it has anything to do with motocross. It’s a
ll just some publicity stunt to make us more like reality TV stars instead of athletes.

  But as much as I hate it, I keep my thoughts to myself, and when the cameras start rolling, I smile politely and put on the act that Team Loco wants me to. I’m doing it all for Avery, who stands along the wall next to Marcus, never glancing at me. Not even once.

  Chapter 16

  I’m off my game today and Marcus can tell. I keep forgetting things and messing up the schedule, and he’s getting annoyed with me, which only makes it worse. After the television interview, the guys are shuttled off to a quick photo shoot that’s kind of hilarious because they have to wear Santa hats. Then we all head to the track for the training camp.

  Unlike the previous camps, this one isn’t at a local motocross track. It’s inside a small stadium where a dirt bike track has been set up on the concrete floor. There are signs everywhere advertising a local arenacross race. Keanna explains to me that arenacross is another form of dirt bike racing that’s kind of like supercross because it’s a small tightly-packed track with lots of jumps, but it takes place in smaller stadiums and it’s usually for amateurs, not the professional racers. Even after all the things I’ve learned this month, there’s still a lot I don’t know about this sport.

  Marcus leaves halfway through the camp, saying he has to get back to the hotel to make sure the rest of the day goes as planned. He tells me to keep an eye on things here and I’m glad he doesn’t ask me to go with him. He’s in a better mood now, but I was so scared this morning when I thought Clay would miss the first interview of the day. Clay had taken the fall for me, but it was all my fault. If I hadn’t been late boarding the plane, I would have had to wait for my suitcase and we would have made it there on time.

  Today’s training camp is fun because I have Keanna to hang out with me. The guys divide the kids up into four groups, and the guys take separate parts of the track while they teach the kids new skills. Keanna and I sit up in the stadium seats on the first row. She’s been checking her phone all day, keeping an eye on social media. She’s super excited because tonight after the training camp, she’ll get to participate in one of the interviews. This one is for a famous motocross blog’s YouTube channel. They’re interviewing the guys and they invited Keanna to be interviewed as well since she’s becoming something of a celebrity girlfriend online. Everyone loves her, except maybe the girls who wish they were Jett’s girlfriend instead.

  By the time we’re all heading back to the hotel, her excitement has morphed into nervous energy.

  “What if I look like an idiot?” she says, gripping my hand as we ride in a taxi back to the hotel. The guys are all piled into the taxi behind us, except for Jett who’s here with Keanna.

  “You’re going to be amazing,” I say at the same time Jett says, “You’ll be great.”

  Keanna frowns. “I don’t believe you guys.”

  Jett rolls his eyes and I laugh. “It’ll be okay, I promise. Everyone loves you.”

  Jett squeezes her hand. “We’ll have them tell us the questions ahead of time so you’ll know what to say.”

  She nods quickly. “Okay, that works.”

  We get back to the hotel with half an hour to spare before the interview. I’m nervous for Keanna too, but I’m mostly grateful that I’m just the girl who works behind the scenes. While the guys and Keanna get dolled up with hair and makeup again, I grab some grapes from the snack bar and blend into the wallpaper like a good intern. I can breathe easier knowing that Clay is here and he’s doing what he’s supposed to so far. He hasn’t complained or tried to get out of the interview yet.

  Thank God for small blessings. After what happened on the airplane I am way too mortified to talk to him right now. If I can go the rest of my life without talking to him, I’ll be relieved. My cheeks flush at the memory. I can’t believe I latched onto his arm like some kind of little kid who is scared of airplanes. In the moment, I’d been worried that we would crash and die. But now that I think about it, if I was actually about to die, why would I want to be curled up around a guy who doesn’t like me? What a stupid, stupid move.

  With ten minutes before the interview starts, I leave the room to find a restroom. When I return, Clay is standing in the hallway. I swallow my nerves and pick up my pace, walking past him.

  “Avery.”

  I grit my teeth. I don’t want to turn around but I know if I ignore him, he’ll just find another way to bother me. Besides, maybe he has a work question.

  I turn around. “The interview starts in a few minutes.”

  “I only need a few minutes,” he says. He fiddles with the button on the end of his shirt sleeve. They’ve got him in long-sleeved shirts while he’s doing PR stuff to cover up his tattoos. I guess tattoos aren’t family friendly enough for Team Loco anymore.

  “Well, what is it?” I say.

  He glances around. “Could we go somewhere private?”

  “We’re in an empty hallway,” I say, folding my arms over my chest.

  He sighs. “Very well.”

  And then he stares at me for a long moment. I don’t back away and I don’t say anything. I can tell he’s thought a lot about this very moment right here. He’s still so tall that he towers over me, but he’s temporarily a little smaller than usual. It’s fear. Or maybe anxiety.

  I tilt my head. His gaze pours into me, making my heart speed up. He takes one step closer. He’s still a good dirt bike length away from me, but it feels like we’re trapped in a small room even though this hallway stretches on forever.

  “Avery….” He draws in a deep breath, then takes another step closer. “You’ve done something to me.”

  My eyes widen as I go on the defensive. “What? No I haven’t.”

  He shakes his head, like I’m just not getting it. “It wasn’t intentional. You clearly don’t want this as much as I don’t want it.”

  I kick at a small piece of lint on the carpeted floor. “Are you seriously bringing this up again?”

  His tongue flicks across his bottom lip. It’s such a quick movement but it makes my entire body heat up. “Trust me,” he says, rubbing the back of his head. “It’s the last thing I want to talk about.”

  “So why are you talking about it?” I say, feeling aggravated. Yeah, it was easy for me to get a crush on him. He’s freaking gorgeous after all. And all those little sweet things he’s done just really makes it hard to hate him. But he’s told me plenty of times that he doesn’t like me back, and so I’m really sick of the topic resurfacing again.

  “Because I feel like I’m going to burst apart if I don’t talk about it.”

  I roll my eyes. Is he seriously trying to—ugh, I don’t even know what he’s trying to do right now—make me feel sorry for him?

  “Just stop it, Clay. Just stop.” I hold up my hand. “I guess this is all Keanna’s fault for bringing up the fact that we’re both single, and I’ll never forgive her for this, but seriously. Let’s just drop it, okay? It was stupid. We clearly can’t date each other.”

  He nods. “I agree. We can’t.”

  “It’s too risky. It’s too—”

  “Doomed from the start,” he says for me.

  I nod. “Exactly. You live in California—”

  “And you’re in Texas.” He takes a step closer.

  “And we work together and I’m sure Marcus wouldn’t like that, and I’m still an intern and—”

  “Definitely wouldn’t want you to lose your job,” Clay says. His voice is deeper, a little gravely. And suddenly he’s so much closer than he was earlier. I have to tip my head back to look into his dark eyes. I breathe in his scent, ocean and something citrusy. My heart skips a beat.

  I swallow. “And you don’t even like me anyway.”

  “And you don’t even like me,” he says softly.

  “So…” I focus on breathing. He’s so close to me it makes my entire body feel on fire. “So,” I begin again, “We can’t do this.”

  His fingers are on my
cheek, soft and hesitant. His eyes drop to my lips. “We definitely can’t do this.”

  “So we agree,” I say, my breath hitching. “Let’s just start over and pretend none of this happened.”

  His fingers are warm as they slide across my cheek. “I agree.”

  I nod, a meek gesture because I feel like I’m melting right here beneath his touch. My heart leaps up into my throat. Clay’s eyes search mine, and what they’re looking for I have no idea but I desperately hope he finds it.

  I watch his eyelashes as they flutter closed, and then mine do the same thing. And then he’s kissing me. His lips barely brush against mine. My cheek is burning beneath his fingertips. I press my hand to his crisp button-up shirt, my fingers flattening on his chest even though I desperately want to grab him and pull him closer to me. But I’m frozen. Clay Summers is kissing me and we both know this is a really bad idea.

  But as he pulls away a few seconds later, it feels like the greatest idea anyone has ever had.

  Chapter 17

  The room is hot from the professional studio lighting they’ve brought in here to make the place bright enough for film. I hate wearing these long sleeved shirts, but I hate having the lights in my face even more. As soon as I step back into the room, dazed and a little tipsy from that kiss, I’m ushered past people and onto the little stage that’s been set up.

  There’s one red armchair for the host and then a long black leather couch for the five of us. It’s weird having Keanna here, but I guess Team Loco’s fans have embraced her as part of the group. This is a pretty impressive setup, with a fake stage and backdrop that looks like a window that overlooks Los Angeles even though we’re in Vegas. I think this is supposed to be for an online website YouTube thing, but they’ve put so much money into this filming that you’d think they were ESPN or something.

  A woman with her hair in a bun and a clipboard is rushing around making sure everything is ready. The host of the show, Meghan Hart, flutters into the room all dolled up like she’s ready for the runway instead of the interview stage. Meghan Hart is pretty famous in the motocross world. She started out interviewing racers at her local track when she was a teenager, and then because of her good looks and skill she got picked up by the supercross world. She travels to all of the races just like we do, and she interviews people on camera. Now, I guess she also works for this magazine.