Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
We stopped, and I turned to him. “That’s why I wanted you here. This is…well, hell, I wouldn’t be doing this if you didn’t talk me into it, so I thought you should have some say in how it goes down. I want to do what you think is best for those people watching who may need to see this. And it’s also up to you if you want your name in it or not.”
“You want me to have a say in how your interview is done?” he asked, confusion plain as day in those big blue eyes of his. Whoever hurt him had really done a number on him. He came off so confident, so together, and while he was both in many ways, there was a part of Linc that was so damn insecure too. A part of him that needed affection and love in ways I wasn’t sure he even knew.
“Of course,” I replied.
“Ugh. You guys are definitely making me jealous that I don’t have a boyfriend,” Dean added.
“I’m starting to see they’re quite fun to have around,” Linc told him before looking back at me. “I’d love to help in any way I can. As for the name thing…can I think about it?”
I understood his reasoning for it. We were new, and that was a big step. “Absolutely.”
We began walking again, and Dean said, “So I figured we could talk…I’ll ask questions. I’d like to come back a couple of times. I want to see you in your element. I’d like to be here for some of your workouts and training, both before and after you get your sling off. I’d love to be here the first time you get back on your bike. When do you get your sling off?”
“Week four or five. Depends on how I heal.” The days were on a countdown calendar in my brain. It couldn’t come soon enough.
“It really will be painless. And I’ll show you the piece for approval. Maybe I didn’t go about this the right way, but I want it to be done well. It’s important,” Dean added, and I hated to admit, I sort of liked him.
When we got to the gate, which consisted of two slats of wood running horizontal between the vertical beams that surrounded my track, we stopped and leaned against it. Linc immediately jumped up to sit on the top slat. His eyes went wide because it was slightly wobbly and not very thick, but I stood between his legs and put my good arm around him. “I’ll keep you safe.”
“I might have just swooned.”
“Then I’m making progress.” I winked at him.
Dean coughed, and I looked at him, almost having forgotten he was there. Linc made me lose my head in the best way.
“How long have you been riding?” Dean asked. He pulled out a recorder, paper, and pen.
“Basically my whole life. My dad got me my first bike when I was four. My mom wasn’t too happy with him.” The memory sent a pang through my chest. My dad was so entwined with my love of motocross. Without him, I wouldn’t be where I was, but I didn’t know how to separate that from the pain he’d caused my mom. Truthfully, I didn’t know if I wanted to.
I cleared my throat and continued. “Most of the kids at that age had training wheels on their bikes, but not me. Hell, I didn’t even know how to ride a bicycle with two wheels and my dad was out there teaching me how to ride a dirt bike. I took to it right away…just like it was meant to be, ya know? It was love at first sight. After that moment, it was all I ever wanted.”
“Your dad practiced with you a lot then?” Dean asked.
The pain got deeper, the ache echoing out, but I ignored it. “Oh yeah. Every fucking day. We would be out in the back field until it was after dark and Mom would yell at us to come in. Dirt bikes were my life, and my love of them became his too. I did the work, obviously, but my dad had a big impact on my career. He sacrificed a lot of time and money for me. Worked long hours for contest entry fees and bikes. Motocross isn’t a cheap sport.”
My body relaxed when I felt Linc’s hand on the back of my head, his slender fingers weaving through my short hair. My gaze traveled up to his face, and he had a sort of frown on his lips, as though he hadn’t expected to hear that…and like he knew it was painful for me to share. I gave him a quick shake of my head, trying to tell him I was fine, but Linc didn’t look convinced. He also didn’t pull away, just kept petting me, massaging my skull, and yeah, I was totally digging this boyfriend thing.