Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 41664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
“Drink,” she ordered, though her smile softened the command. “Trust me, nobody needs you passing out before the first heat.”
“Thanks for the reminder. I’ve been too busy to even think about water.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” Her gaze flicked over the organized chaos around me. “The girl who had your job before you said it was like herding feral cats.”
That pulled a laugh from me. “Seems pretty accurate to me so far.”
She chuckled, shifting her helmet to her other arm. “I’m Jana Addis, by the way. One of those cats you’ll need to wrangle since I’m a driver. My old man’s with the Kings.”
Recognition clicked—her name was on the roster I’d just reviewed.
“Lark.” I offered my hand before realizing how sweaty it was, pulling it back with an awkward laugh. “Sorry. Frazzled.”
“Understandable, just so long as it doesn’t stop you from drinking your water.” She started to head toward the row of cars waiting to be inspected, then tossed one last comment over her shoulder. “See you later. Don’t let these guys push you around ’cause they’ll try.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I murmured, watching her go before twisting the cap off the bottle.
The water was warm, but the first swallow was still bliss. I hadn’t realized how badly I needed it until now, and I was even more grateful to Jana for the reminder.
I drained the last swallow of lukewarm water, grimacing as I squeezed the empty bottle in my hand. My throat was still parched, and with the sun hours from setting, I figured I’d better grab another before I lost track of time again.
Clutching my clipboard and walkie, I tucked the bottle between my elbow and side before ducking out of the tent and into the crush of bodies streaming past. Someone shouted a name, engines revved, and for half a second, I forgot to watch where I was going.
Which was how I slammed into a solid wall of muscle. The guy didn’t budge an inch, as though I’d just crashed into solid stone, but the same couldn’t be said for me.
The impact jolted me back, my clipboard flying out of my grasp, the walkie bouncing once before skittering across the pavement. The empty water bottle slipped down and rolled away until he stopped it under his boot.
I staggered back, embarrassed, and pressed trembling fingers to my mouth. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry—”
The words caught in my throat when I looked up.
The man I bumped into was tall, a few inches over six feet. His blond hair was shoved under a black ball cap, and piercing gray eyes stared out at me from behind black-rimmed glasses. There was nothing soft about the way he looked at me, his gaze as hard as the line of his jaw, shadowed with scruff. His shoulders were broad, a rumpled T-shirt pulled taut across them, and his stance rigid.
He didn’t seem happy with me, but the solid breadth of his body had all of my nerve endings sparking to life where we’d collided. Static prickled under my skin, an odd awareness flooding me from head to toe that left my breath caught in my chest. I’d never experienced anything like it before.
My pulse stuttered, then picked up speed. I forced myself to breathe, but it came out shallow.
“I—” My voice broke, and I cleared my throat, trying again. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
His hands flexed once at his sides, fists clenching before he stilled again. For a long moment, he just stared, silent and unblinking. His gaze was heavy enough to pin me in place, as though I’d been caught doing something far worse than dropping a clipboard.
Finally, he muttered, “You’re fine.”
Except he didn’t sound like he meant it. Not even close. The words were clipped, gravelly, and edged with something I couldn’t name.
I ducked down quickly, my fingers fumbling as I snatched up my scattered things. My cheeks burned hotter than the sun, and I tried to will my body back under control. But my hands trembled anyway, refusing to listen.
Even crouched down, I felt the weight of his stare skimming over me, making the fine hairs at the back of my neck stand on end.
When I glanced up again, he still hadn’t moved. Didn’t even bother to help. He just continued to watch me with that same unnerving intensity. My breath caught, and my nerves twisted tighter.
Then he shook his head, yanked the brim of his cap lower to shadow his eyes, and turned on his heel without saying anything else. His stride was long and his shoulders tense as he stalked into the crowd.
I stayed where I was for a beat too long, clutching my things against my chest, trying to process what had just happened.
The guy hadn’t touched me—hadn’t even bothered to say more than two words—but the air still seemed to hum from the weight of his presence.