Excerpt Racer X!!! – Elizabeth Marx Books

4^th OF JULY LAKE GENEVA, WI

Luke POV

The fact I’d had plenty of other cars pull ahead of me in a race when I’d been leading the race for laps is the only thing that prepared me for today. Lorelei had turned me down for an actual date. I’d asked her to go to the Palowski Fourth of July party and she’d turned me down flat with no explanation why. I pretended nonchalance when I’d shown up here with Avery only to find her rocking a red bikini, a floral headband and wooden beads that harkened back to the early 70’s. I flipped my sunglasses down and ground my teeth together when I saw Danny Accardo lean in and whisper something along her ear.

“So what are your chances for taking the Izod Championship?” Aidan asked. I heard his question but for some reason my mind just wasn’t computing correctly because my engine was stalled as another blonde approached Lorelei throwing her arms around Lorelei’s legs. Lorelei bent down and picked the little curly haired girl up.

“How did ‘Donut’ get out here?” Libby, Aidan’s wife asked of him following my eyes to the two blondes.

“You named your kid Donut?” I asked of both of them.

Libby laughed. “Her name is Darcy but she refuses to answer to it.”

“Donut get’s her hard head from this one right here,” Aidan said kissing his wife on the cheek. “I’ll take her back to your mom Babe, you get everyone else who wants to go for a boat ride on the boat.”

“How about those of us who’d like a ride that’s not on the boat?” Libby posed with pouted lips.

Aidan looked at me and I glanced at Avery who was making a look of disgust that was similar to the one I had on my face when I read him the riot act about the sex tape. “This is why my wife is constantly in this condition,” he said, stroking her stomach. I didn’t know much about pregnant woman but Libby must be about six or seven months along, it was pretty obvious she was pregnant in her bikini but she wasn’t at the swollen all around stage and she wasn’t bad to look at pregnant either, actually she was a knock out.

“All right gentlemen are you going to accompany me to the boat?” Libby asked of us. I looked to Avery but something or should I say someone had caught his eye, I just saw a length of long brown hair and some sort of cartoon character T-shirt but Avery was already walking away. Libby leaned into me. “I have it under good authority Lorelei will be on the boat.”

I shrugged.

“I love seeing the strong silent types go down.” She laughed over her shoulder as she started toward the pier where I could see a large boat “Babe” anchored.

When I caught up to her I said, “I heard you were a bring them to their knees kind of girl.”

“Avery isn’t the greatest interrupter of what’s going on around him.” Libby smiled. “Come on you’ve got to work for a girl like Lorelei Fields.”

I had no idea how Libby Palowski had any idea about me and Lorelei but it didn’t matter, what mattered was she was absolutely right so I trailed her, watching her pick and choose people she invited to take a little spin around the lake in her boat with us. “I suspect you know all about engines,” Libby handed me the keys to the boat. “I hate driving this thing.”

“You sure?” I asked. “I like to go fast.”

“Perhaps what you need Racer X is a lesson in the slow and steady approach.” Okay only one person besides Fletch called me Racer X, which means Lorelei had blabbed some details to Libby about me.

People stopped at the dockside bar and refilled their drinks as they meandered on board. I was running all sorts the checks on the engines when I heard footfalls behind me. I turned.

“What are you doing here?” Lorelei asked.

“I think you’ve got that question the other way around,” I said as I pushed my sunglasses up and into my hair and examined her from her bare feet to the floral headband she was wearing.

She sipped at her plastic cup. “I never said I wasn’t coming to the party.”

“Neither did I.” I widened my stance behind the wheel of the luxury boat and pulled my Lube T-shirt over my head.

Lorelei gave me a slow blink before she swallowed. “You aren’t going to be a party pooper are you?”

“What the hell does that even mean Betty?” I replaced my sunglasses and tried to keep my voice from rising but I was a little hot under the collar. “Did I force a cover-up over that miniscule bikini? Did I dump Danny Accardo in Lake Geneva for whispering sweet nothings in your ear? Did I break his hands when he slathered sunscreen all over you?”

Lorelei backed a half step away with each accusation. “You don’t want me to get burned do you?” She swayed at bit and the boat wasn’t moving enough to make that happen.

“You’re good at setting me on fire Lorelei but what are you going to do when I become a five alarm blaze?”

She didn’t get a chance to respond because Aidan spoke, “Sorry didn’t mean to interrupt the lover’s quarrel but the Captain is here,” he said patting an older man on the shoulder. “Show the race car driver how it’s done Dad.”

I relinquished the helm and snatched up my T-shirt and was back on the main deck before Lorelei could even turn around. I found a seat near Libby and a small brunette, who looked familiar, but I downed my beer irritated beyond belief and I didn’t even know why. It was a beautiful day. I was surrounded by scantily clad chicks and I had a cold brew and not a care in the world, then what the hell was I pissing mad about. Avery came along and plopped down next to me and clinked his beer into mine as the boat moved out into the wake. We were going at a steady pace by the time Lorelei found a seat near Libby and the brunette, which forced me to look in their direction again. When the brunette stood up and pulled her T-shirt over her head, one bounce of her boobs gave me a video flashback. Ah, the elusive Ollie.

Avery biffed me in the back of the head. “Don’t fucking stare.”

“If you wouldn’t have left the DVD in my television she’d be just another stacked petite brunette who held zero interest for me.” I laughed. “Have you told her yet?”

“I’m not telling her shit and you better convince Lorelei to do the same.”

I pointed at the very darkly tanned Danny Accardo as he had Libby and Lorelei laughing. “As you can see, Lorelei and I are having a failure to communicate.”

Avery mumbled something under his breath as his big brother approached and asked, “Do me a favor and keep Asshole in line would you?”

“Eye-eye captain,” I replied as Aidan moved away.

The boat stopped in the middle of the lake where we rocked in rhythm of the music coming out of the stereo speakers, some more adventurous girls were dancing at the back of the boat and I turned in my seat to watch them, that way I wouldn’t have to watch Danny fawn all over Lorelei. Unfortunately, some other guy I’d seen earlier at the bar was hitting on Lorelei too, she must be exuding some of her lemon smelling scent because men seemed to be drawn to her like bees to honey, that or Libby and her pregnancy pheromones were attracting them.

Another boat was sailing right for us, it pulled up along the starboard side and their had to be about a dozen blondes waving and screaming “Band-Aid,” Aidan’s baseball nickname at the top of their lungs. There was every shape and size of gorgeous blonde bouncing on the other boat. I heard, “For the love of God,” from Aidan’s dad at the helm.

Aidan had his back to the women but when they wouldn’t give up chanting, “Band-Aid, Band-Aid.” Aidan turned and gave them a curt wave, his hand movement made me catch a glimpse of Lorelei, she was swaying again and it wasn’t in time with the music, it was as if she was in pain, so I stood so I could get a better look at her. When I couldn’t catch a glimpse of her I started in her direction, even as the girls on the other boat had kept cheering “Band-Aid, Band-Aid,” in unison. God I thought my groupies were bad.

I made it to Aidan’s side of the boat in time to see him roll his eyes for his guests as he pulled Libby to her feet. He gave Libby a wanton smile before he plants one on her like there’s no tomorrow, bending her backward with one hand on her neck and one caressing her belly. Once he’s sure Libby’s steady on her feet, he drops to his knees in front of her and rubs his stubble against her bare protruding belly. Every single girl on our boat and even those on the other sailboat sigh dramatically. I turned to look at Lorelei and she’s glancing away for some reason. Something about the way she’s standing there immobile bothers me and I can’t find Danny anywhere so I take a few steps toward her.

Libby leans over and runs her fingers through Aidan’s hair and says, “You’re ruining them for all other men.”

Aidan looks up at her in utter devotion. I almost trip as their intimacy coils around me and tugs. I don’t think I’ve seen a man look at a woman like that before, unless it was in a movie and that’s acting, this is real and raw and hungry. Instantly, I wonder how many people are ever lucky enough to find the one person who makes them feel this way. Because at that moment it was like they were the only two people in the world and I felt like the worst kind of voyeur.

“Just as long as you’re only ruined by me.”

Libby touched one of his dimples and smiled down at him. “Only you.”

Everyone around us erupts into applause as I reach Lorelei. “I’m thinking shellfish for my next dinner. I’m curious what you can do with aquatic life.”

Lorelei grabs onto the seat. “My stomach hurts.”

“Maybe you’re love sick.” I laughed, thinking I’d lighten her sour mood. “Or maybe my come-on wasn’t strong enough.”

She rolled her eyes and not in the good way, she rolled them in the I’m about to hurl way, so I grabbed a towel. “Stop teasing me,” she snapped.

“I’m not teasing, I’ve been trying to tell you for some time now I want you to be mine.”

She snickered. “For what Miss July?”

“Most other girls only get a day, a month is a real commitment.”

She tried to laugh but when she did a little hiccup escaped and she bent over onto her knees.

I put my hand on the small of her back. “If thirty days makes you sick I can offer you the next quarter until you prove you can meet my needs.”

She stood up and took a single step before she projectile-vomited over the railing. It wasn’t the reaction I expected and the next thing I knew Danny appeared, trying to help her by pushing me further away from her.

“You do sealize I’m really rick?”

One second Lorelei was fine and the next second she was slurring her words and leaning over puking again.

“What the hell did you give her?” I accused Danny.

“Me?” he asked, helping to hold Lorelei’s hair away from her mouth. “Avery’s the one feeding her and Ollie drinks all day.”

Aidan caught the commotion, came over and leaned his head to one side evaluating the situation before he turned to me. “Do you think she needs an ambulance?” he asked, concerned.

“No, but your brother might need one,” I barked.

“Go to it.” Aidan barked back. “We’ve tried everything to straighten him out. Maybe his peers can do what parents and siblings can’t.”

Ollie was kneeling at Lorelei’s feet, speaking with her. Lorelei was swaying between Libby, Ollie, and Danny and she’d gone green.

“Avery,” I yelled toward the bow where he was rubbing up against bikini bottoms.

He finally made his way through the throng and his first question was. “Why are we headed back already?”

“What did you slip in Lorelei’s drink?” Aidan bellowed.

“Nothing.” Avery paled. “I swear.”

“What did you give her?” I asked again, ready to toss him overboard.

“Just something to relax her.” He wouldn’t meet anyone’s eye. “I didn’t mean for Lorelei to get it.”

“I’m going to kill him Aidan,” Libby said to Aidan.

“He’ll be pulverized by the time you get to him, Babe,” Aidan said, lunging for Avery’s throat. “You little shit, you tried to drug my niece. What if one of those drinks ended up in Donut’s hands?”

“What the fuck do you expect me to do? Just sit back and let her become a ______?” Avery yelled at all of us.

Ollie climbed to her feet and tried to get Aidan to release Avery’s throat.

“Yes you little shit you’re supposed to let her do what she wants if you have any love in your heart for her.”

“So you’d let Libby sail off to some ___________?”

“With your sorry ass as a brother in law I’m surprised she hasn’t asked for one just to get away from you and all the shit you bring into her law office.”

“Calm down,” Ollie whisper-hissed at Aidan.

Aidan growled. “The fuck I will.”

“Oh now you’re on my side.” Avery turned on Ollie. “You’ve screwed me over so many times and now you want to defend me?”

“Grow up Avery,” Ollie snapped.