Fast and Loaded: A Bad Boy Sports Romance Read Online Free PDF Page A

stepped away from me. The playful smile was still on his lips. With a wink that only I saw, he grabbed his headset and jumped into Theresa before pulling out of the garage. As I waited for my breathing to return to normal, I had to wonder if I was in too deep.

5
    Desmond
    A s I made my way to the starting line, I looked around at the competition. Every one of them, in turn, looked at me. I knew that they were wondering how well I would fair and if any of them had a chance at winning. It wasn’t a train of thought that I would ponder though.
    Just as I reached the line, they called for the track to be cleared. I heard Glen’s voice coming over the speakers, introducing the racers one by one before the start.
    I let my mind wander; it would take him at least ten minutes to make the introductions that were a tradition at every race. I couldn’t stop myself from thinking back over the past few years since I had entered the racing scene.
    It had taken me so long to find my calling, now it seemed so obvious. I had more speeding tickets and driving infractions than any one person should be allowed to have. Still, once I had found my calling, everything seemed to fall together. My father had left me Theresa; I just never knew what she was capable of until the night I met José.
    I had been younger and wilder back then, just a stupid kid wanting to race cars. I was entered into a local half-mile race, but I wanted more. After I had pushed my car as hard as I could and still lost, I was ready to toss in the towel.
    I could remember the moment as clear as day, I was ticked off and kicked my tire, “Stupid car. I should just go buy a hotrod and set you on fire.”
    “Easy friend, that’s not the way to talk to a classic like that, it’s not the car that’s the problem,” said José.
    I spun around and glared at him, “Excuse me?”
    “It’s the driver,” he said, unfazed by my temper.
    “I don’t need help from you,” I muttered.
    José had smiled, “I think you do. Otherwise, you will just keep losing, you’re running her all wrong.”
    After that, we had become instant friends, and José had taught me the basics of racing. I hired him on as my mechanic and for the past two years, we had been a damn near unstoppable team. The only hitch in our plan was Chambers; he seemed determined to bring me down.
    It didn’t matter to him that he was cheating. The only thing that he cared about was the glory that came with winning. Unlike him, I wanted people to know me for my racing, not my dirty tricks.
    Theresa roared to life underneath me as I tapped the gas. Glen was finishing up with his speech, and we were about to get started. I knew that this part was probably the easiest of the three days. Particularly with the modifications that Amber had made to the car.
    I looked up and saw the man waving the checkered flag, and Glen called out the start of the race just as the flag dropped. With ease, I pushed Theresa forward, and she zipped to the front of the pack. I smiled as I passed Chambers and he glared at me the entire time.

    * * *
    “ T here you have it , folks. The first leg of the three-part race is just wrapping up with Desmond Keys taking the first place trophy. One more win, and he’ll take home the gold. I tell you what; anyone who’s watched this man’s racing career could see the difference in his race today. He managed to shave crucial, winning, seconds off his time,” said Glen over the loudspeaker.
    I knew that I was going to keep hearing about the improved car for days to come. Glen had taken a liking to Amber right away. It wasn’t surprising since she was one of the few women I knew who didn’t fawn over me constantly. Most days, Glen seemed to like reminding me that I was still only human.
    He was a good guy, but he did get a little jealous when it came to the woman who liked me. I saw him waving from the corner of my eye as I once again pulled into the winner’s circle. Strangely enough, I caught