Nitro Crew Complete Series, page 49
He shook his head. “I didn’t know we were either, but I guess he felt like we were similar. He told me about his wife and always being away and not talking to her. He told me I shouldn’t make the same mistakes that he did,” he explained.
“So he forced you to call me?” I laughed.
“No…well, sort of. He said if I called you and you told me to leave, I was going to Colorado, but if you said you wanted to talk or wanted me to stay, then I wasn’t going.”
“I had a choice?” This whole day was sort of a blur because I was so worried about meeting with Jay, but I’m pretty sure Jay sort of said we were talking.
His hands went to the button of his jeans. “You always have a choice with me, Del.” He popped open the button and tugged down the zipper. “Like right now, it’s your choice to take off your own clothes or have me do it.” He pulled his pants over his hips and let them drop to his feet.
I sat up, tugged my shirt over my head, and tossed it on the floor. “You’re going to have to help with my skirt.” He really didn’t need to, but I already missed his hands on me.
I unhooked the clasp in the back, and Jay grabbed the hem. “You know, I think I might have you keep this on sometimes.”
My hips lifted, and I rolled my eyes. “Not today, boy toy. Pull,” I ordered.
He yanked the fabric down my legs and then his hands were on my underwear. “You sure you’re okay with this? I don’t want to hurt you or anything.”
I nodded and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I promise. I’m fine.” Mave had examined me yesterday to make sure I was healing well. She had said I was free to resume normal activities.
He pulled my panties off and tossed them over his shoulder.
“You forgot something.” I pointed to his underwear. “Those need to come off.”
He pulled them off and planted a knee on the bed. He climbed on top, pushing me onto my back, and caged me in with his arms. “I’ve missed you, Del,” he whispered.
“I missed you, too.”
Our hands roamed over each other bodies. Trying to touch and feel everything at once. Jay entered me slowly—careful and gentle.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Del,” he said between clenched teeth.
I reached up and brushed my fingers down his cheek. “You won’t,” I whispered. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me. “Do it, Jay. Make love to me.”
He pressed a hungry kiss to my lips. Everything he felt for me was poured into that kiss. He sunk into me, my body rejoicing at the fact that Jay was back.
I had missed this man more than I knew I was capable of.
While I was Jay’s breath, he was my home.
With Jay, I knew I would forever be safe.
*
Chapter Thirty-One
Jay
“What is that noise?”
I lifted my head from my pillow and cracked open one eye. “I don’t know what the hell that is.”
“Oh, shit,” Delaney yelped. “That’s my phone.” She sprung out of bed and dove on the floor. “I was supposed to call my mom if I wasn't coming home.”
“Twenty-seven and she’s still has to let her mama know where she is,” I chuckled.
She found the phone and flipped me off. “Mama?” she said.
Delaney was standing naked in my room talking on the phone to her mom. This was a situation I never thought I would be in.
“Uh, I’m with Jay. I’m sorry I didn’t call. I lost track of time and then fell asleep.”
“Right, lost track of time,” I mumbled. More like we were too busy making up for a week of not having sex.
“Yes, I actually slept, Mama.”
I chuckled and swung out of bed. “Your mama ain’t eating your line of crap, Del.”
“Shut it, Jay,” she hissed. “Yes, I’m still here, Mama,” she said in the same breath. “Jay was just being a butt.”
“I thought you liked my butt,” I whispered.
Delaney pinched her lips together and motioned for me to zip it.
I wandered into the bathroom and started the shower. It was half past seven, and I had to get to the shop. I knew when Roc had told me to stay behind, there was a reason. The asshole wanted me to clean up the shop and be there for the lift guy who was coming in to do monthly maintenance. Harlyn went to the race with Remy, so that left me to be the one to let the guy in.
I had just finished rinsing my hair when Delaney pulled the shower curtain back and butted her way in. She pushed me to the back and stood under the hot water. “My mama thinks I’m a hoochie, and she said hello.”
I watched the water flow over her skin and cringed. “Uh, can we please not talk about your mom when my balls are this close to you.”
She looked over her shoulder at me. “Then just what are we supposed to talk about?” she asked.
I wrapped my arms around her and pressed her against the shower wall. “I got a few things you and I could discuss.”
The water turned cold by the time we were done talking, but you can bet your ass that was the best shower I had ever had in my life.
*
Delaney
“Girl. You are late.”
I waved at Mave and hightailed it to the locker room.
I was very much late.
Mave walked into the locker room behind me with a huge grin on her face. “You are late and the reason is because you were busy getting it on,” she cheered.
“Mave,” I hissed. “Could you not?” I grabbed my white overcoat from my locker and pulled it on.
She sat down on the bench and patted the spot next to her.
“I don’t have time to sit down, Mave. You just announced to the whole floor I’m late, and I’m sure Dr. Clark is on the rampage looking for me.”
Mave rolled her eyes. “Dr. Clark isn’t in today. He took the day off for personal reasons.”
“Wait, what?” I had been rushing for no reason. “So I don’t work today?” Normally, if the doctor you were shadowing had off, you did too.
Mave shook her head. “You got me today, and we’re going up to peds. Today, we’re setting up my office and maybe seeing a couple of patients.”
“Say what?” That was awesome news, but I felt she could have led with that first instead of yelling that I was late. I plopped down on the bench next to her and finally took a breath.
“You’re stuck with me today. But first, I need to hear the details on why you were late today.”
“You want the long or condensed version?”
She tapped her finger to her chin. “Let’s go with the condensed version for now. You can spill all of the juicy details when we get up to my office.”
I could do that. “Jay and I talked late last night. He doesn’t hate me for losing the baby. He loves me. We had hot monkey sex twice last night and once in the shower this morning.” I folded my hands and crossed my legs. “And how was your night?”
Her jaw dropped. “I hate you. I seriously hate you.”
“Why?” I laughed.
“Because last night I broke down and joined one of those online dating apps. I swiped left so many times, I swear to God, I sprained my finger.”
“Uh, is swiping left good?” I asked. Thankfully, I had never had to join a dating app. I wasn’t sure exactly what they all did, and I didn’t think Mave knew either.
“No.” She tilted her head to the side. “At least, I don’t think it is,” she mumbled. “But anyway, I did start talking to this one guy but I don’t know where that is going to go. It’s rather odd to be talking to someone you can’t see.”
“What’s his name?” I asked.
“RocTime.”
Uh, what? “His name is RocTime?” I asked. I was suddenly glad I never had to join a dating app.
“You’re not supposed to use your real name,” she explained. “At least, not at first. If you want to tell them your name later, you can.”
“Well, what does this guy look like?” I asked.
She pulled out her phone and laughed. “That’s the funny thing in all of this.” She swiped a few times on her phone and then held it up to me. “He has a picture of The Rock as his profile picture.”
Sure enough. There was a picture of the Rock from the Baywatch movie. “So why are you even talking to this guy?” I laughed. “You don’t know his name, and that obviously isn’t him.”
She shoved the phone back in her pocket and shrugged. “I don’t know. I did it for a little fun but also because I’m a little lonely. Even if this guy ends up being some bored housewife in New Jersey, it’ll still be a bit of entertainment for me.”
“That is optimistic and sad all in one,” I laughed.
“It sure it, isn’t it?” Mave agreed.
“Just promise me you won’t go meet RocTime or anything, okay? I don’t need to worry about you being made into a sex slave or something.”
She held up her hand. “Scout’s honor, I will not meet RocTime without have a chaperone and probably four beers in me.” Mave stood and motioned up. “Let’s go check out my office. Being four floors away from Dr. Asshole Clark is going to be a dream come true.”
“But you’re leaving me,” I whined. I stood up and shut my locker.
Mave put her arm around me and smiled. “But you always know where you can come hide out if things get too crazy for you.”
“Hopefully, one day, I’ll be working up there with you.” I had always wanted to work in either pediatrics or family medicine. They were both on the same floor, and I would see Mave all the time if I managed to get a spot in either.
“Ain’t no hoping about it, honey. It’s gonna happen.”
“You do know I have four years ahead of me before that would even happen, right?”
Mave pushed the button for the elevator and shrugged. “Maybe you’ll end up doing some of your clinicals on the fourth floor with me.”
The doors open, and we stepped into the elevator. “If you can pull some strings to make that happen, I will love you forever and if I ever get pregnant again, I will name my baby after you.”
“Don’t you think you should run that by Jay first?” she laughed. “He might want to baby named after him.”
“He’ll have to settle for the middle name. And besides, he’s totally got the last name locked down.” I pressed the button for the fourth floor and leaned against the wall. “Mave Jay Perez. It just rolls off the tongue.”
Mave laughed and shook her head. “Even for a boy?”
I shrugged. “If you can make it to where I work with you again I will call my baby whatever you want.”
“You’re happy,” Mave said quietly.
I turned to look at her. “I am. Still a little bit sad when I really think about it but talking with Jay and realizing he wasn’t going anywhere made everything a little bit better.”
Mave grabbed my hand and squeezed. “I’m glad, Delaney.”
Things may not be exactly perfect, but they were better than they were.
It was only up from here.
*
Chapter Thirty-Two
Jay
“Look, it’s Frankie!”
Delaney sat on the edge of the sofa and pointed excitedly at the TV.
“It is, Del. Didn't you watch the race the other weekend?” I asked.
“Yeah. Why?”
“Because you’re acting like you’ve never seen a race before.”
Delaney and I were sitting on the couch at her mom’s watching the finals of the race in Colorado. Susan was at Christy’s but had said she would be bringing dinner home.
“I did watch it before, but now that I have you here to explain things to me, it’s way more exciting.”
Brooks rolled into the staging area, and the crew moved into their places around the car and further down the track.
“What’s Roc doing?” she asked. “Brooks is going to hit him.”
“No, he’s not,” I chuckled. “He’s guiding him into the groove.”
“Well, I think he should be doing that on the side. What happens if Brooks’ foot slipped off the brake? He’ll run right into Roc.”
“I’ll make sure to let Brooks know you have a few concerns about his foot and the pedal.” Brooks would laugh his ass off and probably ask Delaney if she thought she could do it better.
“No, no. Don’t do that. I don’t want to tell Ken Doll how to do his job.”
I slowly turned my head to look at her. “Did you just call Brooks Ken doll?”
She cringed and nodded. “Uh, maybe?”
I busted out laughing and gathered her in my arms. “You have no idea what you just did. I am forever calling Brooks Ken from now on.”
“He’s not gonna know what you’re talking about unless you tell him what I just said,” she whined, “and I really don’t want you to tell him.”
“That’s going to be the best part. I’m not going to tell why I’m calling him that.” I laughed again and couldn’t wait until the crew got back from the race tomorrow. It was nice spending the weekend with Delaney, but I missed working too.
That was something I never thought I would feel.
Delaney leaned against me and sighed.
This was something I never thought I would feel either.
The woman I loved cuddled up next to me while I explained everything about drag racing to her. The explaining part was kind of annoying, but in the end, as long as Delaney was pressed up against me it was all good.
*
Chapter Thirty-Three
Delaney
“That little newborn was the cutest.”
I dropped into the chair in front of Mave’s desk and tried to plaster a smile on my face. “Sure was.”
Mave was sitting at her desk, writing up her reports and updating files. I was trying not to bawl my eyes out over the cutest newborn we had just given his first set of shots to.
Mave kept her eyes on the computer screen but handed me the box of tissues. “You can cry now, honey.”
I promptly burst into tears and blubbered on about how tiny his toes were.
“Is this ever going to get easier?” I asked. I blew my nose and sat back in my chair.
“Yes.” Mave glanced at me. “It’s just not going to be right now.”
“You’re not going to believe the breakdown I had last night. I swear to God, Jay was ten seconds away from calling the psych ward to come take me away.”
“What happened?” she laughed.
What happened was I really was losing my mind.
For two weeks, I had been fine. I thought about the baby, but it wasn’t sadly. It was a fleeting thought here or there, and then it was gone.
But last night and today that all changed.
“We were watching TV and a commercial came on for diapers.”
“Oh, God,” Mave muttered. “I know where this is going.”
“Jay made a one-off comment about changing dirty diapers, and I legit freaked out. I’m talking he couldn’t tell if I was going to cry or punch him in his nuts. I scared myself for a second.”
“So which did you end up going with?” she asked. “Crying or punching him in the nuts?”
“Crying because I do eventually want to have a baby with him and I need his nuts to be intact.”
“There’s always in vitro,” she laughed.
I waved her off and pulled my phone out of my pocket. “I really need to just not see another baby for a year or two.”
“Because that is totally possible working in peds and family medicine.” She shook her head and turned back to the computer. “It’s gonna get easier, honey. Until then, just tell Jay to guard the family jewels and keep the tissues handy.”
I scrolled through my phone, checking to see if Jay had called or texted me. He had checked in with me a couple of hours ago when the race team was on the way to the test track and told me he would call when they were on the way back to the shop.
Mave’s phone beeped, and I looked up. “Is that the pager app for the hospital?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she mumbled. “Dr. Clark is back in the ER finally. I wonder what he needs.” She looked at the message and then immediately picked up her phone.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
She nodded. “Miranda, let Dr. Clark know Delaney and I are on the way down,” she barked into the phone.
This wasn’t good. Not at all. The only reason Dr. Clark would need our help was because there were too many patients for the doctors and nurses to take care of.
“There’s been a tractor trailer versus car hauler accident, Delaney. I don’t know any other specifics except for there are six patients coming in, two with life-threatening injuries.”
Mave and I hightailed it to the elevator but opted to take the stairs when we saw the line waiting to get on. “One of the drawbacks being on the fourth floor,” Mave panted. “I gotta haul my cookies down four floors when there is an emergency.”
We made it to the ground floor level and jogged toward the ER.
Mave’s phone went off, and she looked at it as we ran. “The first ambulance is two minutes out. Two patients. One life-threatening, the other stable. Stay close to me, Delaney.”
We made it to the ER just as the ambulance pulled up. The paramedics burst from the ambulance, and the lead started barking at Mave and me about who was on board.
“Twenties male. Head injury and a possible broken nose. Fifty-year-old male. Multiple lacerations, two broken legs, with possible internal injuries. Driver of the car hauler.”
The back doors of the ambulance opened, and for the second time in a month, my world flipped upside down.
Jay was lying on one of the stretchers, his face bloodied and an IV hooked to his arm.
“Stay with me, Delaney,” Mave ordered. “Head injury and a broken nose. He’s all right, honey.”
The paramedics moved to the stretcher next to Jay. Roc laid there unconscious with blood all over his face and a neck brace strapped to him.
