Double Clutch - Реинхардт Лиз (книги полностью бесплатно TXT) 📗

Just as that thought went through my head, I noticed the girls turn into a giggling, preening pack of hyenas. There had to be a guy coming over.

There sure was.

“Saxon!” My heart leapt into my throat.

Not this, not now, not when Jake was so nervous and excited.

He had a cardboard box balanced on one hand. He wore dark aviator sunglasses and his usual tight thermal top and worn jeans with a studded belt.

“Hey Blix.” He walked up to me.

I was practically deafened by the combined hissing of a dozen rejected hussies.

“You need to leave.” I put my hands up and shook my head.

He ignored me and sat down by my side. He looked pale, his lips were dry, cracked, and busted in two places and a long bruise purpled his cheek. “I brought something. A peace offering.”

“What happened to your face?” It looked painful.

“Forget it. Here.” He pushed the box in my direction.

Hot dogs all the way and icy Cokes. Salted fries with…

“Is that vinegar on the fries?” I asked eagerly. What was I thinking? This was Saxon, the guy who had almost ruined what I had with Jake.

“Yeah.” He put the box in my lap. “I had a feeling you’d be the kind of girl who liked her fries doused in something gross.”

It was…nice. He looked like he felt guilty. But I had fallen hard and deep into his bullshit before. I wasn’t that stupid.

“Thanks, but I’m not hungry,” I said over my growling stomach. “You just need to leave.” I picked the box up and passed it back to him.

“I need to talk to Jake. I need to apologize.” He looked in my direction, but I couldn’t see his eyes behind his mirrored sunglasses.

“Not now. I’m sitting where he can see me. He’s about to race. If he sees you, you’re going to throw him off.”

Saxon shoved the carton of food on my lap again. He was looking at Jake, who had already seen him and stalked over.

“I told him,” I whispered in Saxon’s ear before Jake got close enough to notice. I still cared about Saxon too much to throw him to the wolves completely.

“What happened to keeping some things between you and me?” he growled through his teeth.

“There wasn’t enough room for everyone. I had to throw you overboard.”

He smiled painfully around his split lip. “Like I said; hottest at your bitchy best. Score one, Brenna.”

Jake was at the stands by now, his eyes bulging with rage.

“You come for more dental work, Saxon?” He hoisted himself over the gate and into the stands.

Saxon held up his hands. “Down, killer. I’m here to say that I am a huge asshole. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the shit with Brenna. I’m sorry for what I said about your mom. That’s it. I’m just sorry.”

“Fine.” Jake shrugged and pointed out of the stands. “Now get the hell out of here and stay away from her.”

I felt a tad like a piece of meat, but also, somehow, touched. I didn’t exactly like that Jake had reduced me to a single pronoun, but I also knew his anger came from an urge to defend me and prove his trust in me.

“I thought I’d stick around for the race,” Saxon said. “For old times’ sake.”

Jake and I looked at each other for a long minute.

“Did you get Brenna food?” He looked at the box I held. I felt like I should put it down or drop it.

“Yeah. I didn’t think she would realize how long it could take.” Saxon smiled a little at Jake. Jake sneered back.

Jake looked directly at me. “Eat, Bren. I’ll be racing in another ten minutes, okay?”

I laid the box on the bench next to me and put my arms around him. “You can trust me, Jake,” I whispered.

“I know that,” he whispered back. Then he kissed me, extra long for Saxon’s benefit. He jumped the gate and headed back to the track.

The pack of girls behind me was practically clawing and hissing.

Saxon gave them a glance that was pure disgust. A few of them got up and moved farther down the bleachers.

“So you two laid it all out?” He picked up a fry, looked at it sickly and put it back.

I felt less guilty eating his food once I realized how much it grossed him out. Based on his phone conversation from the previous night, I could safely assume he had a major hangover.

“Jake already bared his guts. I was the one who had to quit taking the chicken shit way out.” I chowed down on one of the hotdogs. Saxon looked a little green, which only convinced me to eat with more relish. Pun intended.

“What did you tell him?” Saxon looked straight ahead, probably to avoid the sickeningly good smell of chili sauce and onion.

“I told him every little thing, Saxon,” I admitted. “Every look and conversation and kiss and even what I felt.”

“What did you feel?” He leaned back in the stands and gave me a long look.

“That you were intriguing. That you were at least worth my friendship.” I drank from one of the cups of Coke. Even though there were two, Saxon took the one I was drinking out of my hands and drank from it. I knew exactly why he did it, but I had no idea how I felt about it.

“You’re using the past tense, Blix. Can I assume that means you don’t find me intriguing or friendship-worthy anymore?”

“No.” I put the half-eaten hotdog down in the box. “I should have used the present tense. You are those things for someone. Just not me. And more important than all your good qualities put together is your one main bad quality.”

“Enlighten me.” He shook the cup, took a sip, and crunched some ice between his teeth.

“You’re toxic.” It sounded awful and nasty, but it was the honest truth. “You poison good things, and I don’t think you even do it on purpose.”

“You don’t think so?” He was mocking me, but there was a strain in his voice.

“I hope you don’t. Because otherwise the alternative is that you’re a total sociopath.” I could see the guys on the bikes lining up. I squinted and was pretty sure I could see Jake. The announcer was a mumbler; I couldn’t fathom why anyone would put someone so inarticulate in charge of announcing important things to an entire audience.

“He’s the fifth in from the outside.” Saxon leaned forward, watching.

“I thought that was him. So is it one lap?”