Adrenaline (Speed Series Book 2)(54)

“Of course I will. You know I’m all about honesty.”

My breathing picked up as I grew nervous about what her answer would be to my question. “Do you think I’ll ever race again?”

Our eyes met and I saw it before she ever answered me. “I’d say there is a fifty-fifty chance either way. I’ll push you as hard as I can, but you really need to mentally prepare yourself for not being cleared to race again.”

I knew it deep in my heart. I had no doubt Paislie would get me walking fine again, but I wasn’t sure about the pain that would occasionally shoot through my leg, or the numbness I felt. If my leg was bent very long, my knee went stiff and that was probably the most painful thing.

“What am I going to do if I can’t race?” I asked, not really expecting her to answer.

“Why couldn’t you do something other than drive? Like buy a car and be an owner, or do the thing where the guys talk on TV.” She looked up and scrunched her nose in the most adorable way. “What are they called . . . commentary dudes?”

With a roar of laughter, I shook my head. “Jesus, there is no way I could do that shit. I’m getting behind a wheel again. I need to be behind the wheel. I need to feel the rush. It’s the only thing I’ve ever known.”

We rode for a few minutes in silence before my knee started aching. “I guess we should turn around and head back.”

Paislie gave me a look. “Is your knee hurting?”

“Nope. Just not in the mood to ride I guess.”

I had no idea why I just lied to her. Or maybe I did. I needed to get back in a car.





TWO MONTHS HAD PASSED SINCE I first came to stay with Malcolm. His progress was beyond amazing. Everything was beyond amazing. I was to the point where I now slept in his bedroom each night. We would spend half the night making love and talking before we would pass out wrapped up in one another. I’d sneak out in the morning and make my way to my room for my morning wake up from Sophie. Neither Malcolm nor I wanted her to know I was sleeping in his bedroom every night. Autumn said we were being stupid and old fashioned.

The last few days Malcolm had been holding back in our therapy sessions. His frustration was growing and I could see it in his face.

I walked into the local gym and headed to the pool. The girl at the front desk lifted her hand as I waved back.

“Hey, Paislie!”

“Hi, Carrie. How are you?”

She smiled big. “Good.”

I wanted to like her, but the way she eye f*cked Malcolm every time he walked by her drove me insane. He never looked twice at her, but I knew if given the chance, she’d be all over him.

Pushing the door open, the humidity hit me right in the face. “Ugh,” I mumbled. Malcolm was standing in the pool talking to the same woman he had been talking to on Tuesday. I tried not to let the jealousy take over as I said a quick prayer and made my way over to them.

When she threw her head back and laughed, I rolled my eyes. Malcolm clearly was enjoying the attention she was giving him.

I cleared my throat to get their attention. She glanced up and smiled as Malcolm flashed me that crooked grin of his. “Hey, baby. Guess what I did today?”

Lifting my eyes, I replied, “No telling.”

“Ran on the treadmill.”

My eyes widened. “What? You were supposed to do the bike, Malcolm. Not run. That’s too hard on your knee.”

His smile faded but returned when his personal cheerleader defended him. “Well, he did a great job! I could hardly keep up with him.” My eyes snapped over to her as I gave her a back-the-f*ck-away-bitch look. Her smiled faded as she looked between Malcolm and me. “Listen, I’ll see you next time, right?”

When she placed her hand on his arm, he didn’t even flinch. “Okay, see ya later.”

Malcolm climbed up the steps as he grabbed a towel and dried off as I kept my eyes trained on his new workout partner. “So, you seem to enjoy her company.”

With a confused look, he turned from me to look at her and then back to me. “It’s nothing. She’s fun to talk to when I’m walking in the pool. It’s a nice change.”

Ouch. That hurt.

“And running on the treadmill?” He didn’t bother to answer. “Why didn’t you do the bike, Malcolm? You need to be careful about your knee.”

He pushed past me, clearly in a bad mood. Maybe I interrupted something? Oh God. What if he liked her? No . . . Malcolm would never do that to me. I know he wouldn’t.

“I was in the mood to run.”

Suppressing my anger, I asked, “How did your knee feel after?”

After he slipped on a T-shirt, he made his way over to the exit. “Fine,” he said as he pushed the door open.

Following him, I didn’t say a word when Carrie jumped up. “Bye, Malcolm! See you tomorrow maybe?”

He flashed her his famous melt-your-panty smile. “Maybe, Carrie. Have a good day.”

She practically melted at his words, causing me to roll my eyes.

Well, his leg was feeling better, considering he was walking full speed to his truck.

“Malcolm, do you want to tell me what’s wrong? Why are you acting like an ass to me right now?”

He lifted his hand. “Not now, Paislie. I’m not in the mood to deal with you and your nagging.”