CarloThe first thing I feel is heat. His body warm against mine, soft skin under my arm, the weight of him grounding me like gravity. Morning sunlight slips past the curtains, painting slow, gold streaks across the bed. I don’t want to fucking move. Ever.Blaze breathes slow, still asleep, back pressed into my chest. He smells like sweat and oil and whatever soap he uses that always lingers on his neck. It used to haunt me. Now it’s here, real, right under my nose. I shift down, bury my face there, take a breath like I’m scared it might vanish again.He stirs, his hips rolling back, grinding lazily against me.“Hm!” he moans, not even opening his eyes. But that smirk on his lips? Yeah. He knows exactly what he’s doing.“You’re fucking dangerous,” I mutter, pressing forward just to feel that friction. My dick’s hard and angry from hours of being this close to him without doing anything about it.I slide my hand under the pillow. The tiny cold metal’s still in my pocket from last night
Blaze“You’re late again,” I mutter, not looking up. My hands are deep in the guts of this old engine, grease streaked up my arms, sweat clinging to my neck. The shop’s quiet today, just the low hum of the radio in the back and the faint scent of oil in the air. Feels like just another day. Same shit, different bike.“Boss, the parts just came in,” Ricky calls from the back room. I grunt, tightening one last bolt before sitting back on my heels.The bell over the front door jingles.Without looking, I call out, “We’re backed up this week. You can drop it off or come back next Tuesday.”The footsteps that follow are too sharp. Measured. Not one of the usual regulars. Not some random off the street either. There’s this… weight in the room now. Like the air’s gotten heavier all of a sudden.Then—“Blaze.”I freeze.That voice. Low. Steady. The one that’s lived somewhere in the back of my head for three damn years no matter how hard I tried to shut it out.Slow, like I’m underwater, I tur
Blaze3 years later“You gonna stand there admiring your trophies all night or are you coming to eat?”Alexi’s voice snaps me out of it. I blink, dragging my gaze off the shelf. The gold glint of the new championship cup stares back at me—another fucking win. Another proof I clawed my way back to the top. No.1 again.But standing here… it doesn’t feel like enough.I grab a beer from the fridge and head to the couch where Alexi’s sprawled with her girl. Taylor—sharp eyes, half-shaved hair, a smirk that says she could wreck anyone in her way. They’ve been together a year now. The longest Alexi’s stuck with anyone.“Finally,” Alexi says, pulling her legs off the cushion so I can sit. “You’re worse than an old man staring at his war medals.”I grunt. “Better than having none.”Taylor snorts. “Cocky as fuck, aren’t you?”“Comes with being the best.” I take a swig, letting the cold bite through the dull ache in my chest.Alexi leans her head on Taylor’s shoulder, looking smug as hell. “Well
Carlo “Carlo… wake up.” A voice. Faint. Shaky. Somewhere in the dark. I groan, half-asleep. My arm is draped across Blaze’s waist. The sheets are tangled around us. His skin is warm under my palm. It’s still night outside, no light coming in through the curtains. Then I hear it again—only this time it’s not Blaze’s voice. It’s rough. Sharp. “Carlo Davenport. Get the fuck up.” I shoot up, blinking fast. The room’s full of men. Black suits. Guns. No fucking faces I know. “What the fuck—” I start to say, but one of them grabs me by the throat, shoving me back against the headboard. Blaze jerks awake, eyes wide. “Carlo?” “Don’t fucking move,” the man snarls. Another pair of hands yank Blaze off the bed. He fights—hard—but there’s too many of them. One of them backhands him across the mouth. Blood splatters. Blaze gasps, struggling against the arms holding him. “Let him go, you fucking bastards—!” I shout, thrashing, trying to get free. Another fist to my ribs. Pain shoots thro
Carlo"You shouldn’t have let me find you."That’s the first thing I say before I pull him in and kiss the hell out of him.It’s not soft. It’s not sweet. It’s messy. Angry. Fucking raw.His lips move against mine like he’s been starving too, like he’s just as wrecked inside as I am. I don’t even realize there’s a fucking mic picking this up until the announcer’s voice blares over the speakers.“Wait… isn’t that Carlo Davenport from the Steel Riders? Weren’t they rivals four years ago? How the hell did this become a goddamn romantic scene?”I hear the gasps. The shouting. The camera clicks.Fuck ‘em.I pull away just enough to breathe, his forehead pressed to mine, both of us panting like the world just flipped on its head. Because maybe it fucking did.Blaze blinks at me like he doesn’t believe what’s happening.“Helmet,” I say, turning to Alexi—who’s standing off to the side looking like she just watched someone drop a nuke on her day. “Let me borrow yours.”She hesitates for one se
Blaze"That was sick as hell, Blaze!" Alexi jumps off her bike, helmet under her arm, sweat on her brow. “You fucking smoked them!”I yank off my gloves, my heart still pounding from the last lap. My chest’s tight. Not from the ride—this part’s easy. It’s everything else that’s got me shaking.“It was a warm-up.” I mutter, pulling off my helmet and letting the air hit my face. “That wasn’t shit.”Alexi scoffs, stepping in front of me. “You just took first in a crowd full of maniacs who wanted to eat your legacy alive, and you’re standing here acting like it’s nothing?”“It is nothing,” I snap, tossing the helmet onto the seat. “Main race hasn’t started yet. That’s the one that counts.”She narrows her eyes, like she can see straight through the front I’m barely holding up. “Yeah? Then maybe you should stop looking like you're one second from falling apart.”I look away. Can’t argue with her. Don’t even have the strength to fake it.My fingers twitch. My jaw’s tight. I feel like a fuck