Page 41 of Final Drive

“I did.”

“Just establishing the record because I know Tyler keeps documentation.”

That earns me the reaction I wanted, her face going warm and amused as she settles back into the pillow.

“So I guess we’re bonded now,” I say. “Officially.”

“Guess so.”

“Cool. Very cool.” I kiss the end of her nose. “Fair warning, I’m going to be insufferable about this.”

“Going to be?”

“Wow. New bond and you’re already mean to me.”

“You’ll survive.”

“I probably will.”

I find her hand and lace our fingers together while we wait for the knot to release. The projector is still throwing some frozen comedy across the wall, but neither of us has looked at it in a long time.

“Hey, Reese?”

“Hmm?”

“I know tonight was awful. Your parents and all of it.” I rub my thumb over her knuckles. “I’m really glad you came up here.”

Her fingers tighten around mine. “Me too.”

We stay tangled up until the knot releases and then a while longer than that. Eventually she’ll go to her own room. Eventually we’ll have to go downstairs and deal with the pack and the paperwork and whatever tomorrow decides to do to us.

She falls asleep before any of that, with her hand still in mine and my mark coming up dark on her thigh.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Reese

Practice was perfect, which is getting to be a habit. The boat sang through the water with eight oars moving as one, that effortless swing we’ve been riding since the championship. They gave me everything and I gave it straight back.

Now we’re in the boathouse racking the shell, everybody loose in the post-practice glow. Zane’s humming something while he coils the dock lines. Jackson catches my eye across the bay and the corner of his mouth lifts, barely, just for me.

Zane’s mark is still fresh under my leggings, and I can feel all three of them through the bond. Jackson, Beckett, Zane. A low constant hum that makes the whole world sharper.

“Three oh two point eight for the thousand,” Tyler says, checking his SpeedCoach. “Four seconds off Wednesday and still quicker than anything we did in April.”

“We’re peaking at the right time.” Gray wipes down his blade. “Nationals will be here before we know it.”

Harrison’s clock is running in the back of my head, and it isn’t the only one.

“Hey.” Bo appears at my elbow with his voice down. “You good?”

“Better than good.” I bump my shoulder into his arm. “That was a hell of a row.”

“It was.” His smile comes out warm and open, the one he saves for when nobody’s paying attention.

Except somebody is.

I see her half a second before the others do. Jenna Kowalski, just inside the boathouse entrance with the same press badge around her neck. She isn’t alone this time. There’s a younger guy beside her holding a phone like he’s already recording.