The race gets started and I scream out for Noah. He hits the gas and within seconds, he flies past me and heat flares deep within me as my hair flies up around my face. I’ll never get used to watching him race. He handles his car like a damn pro and it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.
His opponent sits right behind him, unable to get around Noah as he dominates the track. It’s simply the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed. I find it impossible to tear my eyes away from the sight; that is until some girl I’ve never met before squishes in beside me, gawking at the track as though all her hopes and dreams are coming true right before her very eyes.
“Oh my, God,” the girl calls out, trying to be heard over the noise as she watches Noah’s Camaro as though she’s in some kind of trance. “Is that Noah Cage?”
Hearing her say his name, I can’t help but look at the girl. I take her in with her dark hair, startling blue eyes, and damn…those curves. There’s a strange familiarity here. I focus a little while longer, trying to figure it out. “Um, yeah, it is,” I tell her. “Why?”
The girl turns to look at me and as her eyes come to mine, it hits me. This is the girl with the staring problem from Jesse’s lake party. I instantly go on edge. What the fuck is she doing here and asking about my boyfriend?
Her eyes instantly go big. “Oh, shit,” she says, clearly recognizing me. “You’re…”
“Noah’s girlfriend,” I supply helpfully just in case she missed something.
Her eyes go impossibly bigger. “Oh, no, no, no, no. I’m not interested in him if that’s what you’re thinking,” she tells me in a panic.
“With the way you were gawking at him at that party and the way you’re asking about him now, you’re making it really hard for my mind not to go there.”
Tully leans around me, suddenly a little less interested in the race. “I promise, I just want to talk to him. That’s all.”
Tully leans in a little further. “What do you want with my brother?”
The girl looks at Tully as though this is the first time she’s noticing her there. Her mouth drops open and she sucks in a breath. “You’re Tully Cage,” she says in awe.
Tully raises a curious brow. “What the hell is going on here?” she questions, asking exactly what I’m thinking. “Who are you?”
“My name is Lacey,” she says. “Um…I don’t know how to say this and I’m sure there isn’t exactly the best place to talk about it, but I was hoping to speak with you and your brother. It’s kind of important.”
“Spit it out,” Tully tells her, stepping around me to be a little closer to the girl and putting us in more of a triangle.
The girl’s eyes flick towards the racetrack and back to Tully. “Don’t you think we should wait for Noah?”
“Why?”
“Because it’s…it’s important.”
The race finishes and the roar of the crowd drowns out whatever it is that Tully says, but from the look of outrage on Tully’s face, I’d dare say she’s saying something along the lines of ‘Noah’s not the fucking boss around here, if you’ve got something to say then tell me and I’ll decide if it’s worthy of telling my brother.’
The crowd starts hurrying around us, desperate to congratulate Noah on his win but Tully and I remain still, staring at this strange girl who claims she has something of importance for Tully and Noah.
“Let’s hear it,” Tully says as the crowd finally begin to cool down.
“I promise,” she says. “You’ll want to wait for your brother. It’s about Lily.”
Tully’s face falls as she stares at this girl in confusion, wondering who the hell she is and how on earth she knows their baby sister.
Tully resigns from questioning Lacey and I pull out my phone and hash out a text, realizing we should probably head up to the VIP area where it’s not so loud.
Henley – Can you meet us in the VIP area? There’s some girl who says she has something important to tell you and Tully. She says it’s about Lily.
I watch Noah from afar as he digs for his phone in his pocket, pulls it out, and reads the text. His eyes rise above the crowd and he looks at me with concern before taking in Tully and the girl standing beside me.
I point up towards the VIP area and he nods, suddenly the excitement of winning his first official race here completely gone. He drops down into his car and shoots off the track, hoping people get out of his way quickly as he doesn’t look like he’ll be stopping for anyone.
We make our way back up and get there at the same time as Noah, only he’s puffed out from racing up the stairs, desperate to know what the fuck is going on, just like the rest of us.