Page 8 of Off the Mark
“Sports fans love a romance. They love anything that makes them feel like they’re getting a glimpse into their favorite rider’s personal lives.”
I swallowed hard. Glanced at the amiable crowd around Riley and Quinn, then back at Dempsey, who was watching them dreamily, probably wondering what it was like to have clients that weregoodwith media. And who didn’t flip reporters double middle fingers when they asked rude questions. Which I’d only done one time.
Okay,three times.
“You know what’s so funny though? I’m dating someone too,” I blurted out, the words strange and heavy on my tongue. Rolling my shoulders back, I met Dempsey’s narrowed scrutiny with a giant smile. “And my boyfriend lives in Philly so I washopingto show him off while we’re here. Woo some fans with his…his natural, um, charisma.”
She cocked her head. “You?Have aboyfriend?”
“Yep.”
“In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania? This city that we’re in currently?”
“The one and only. So random, right?”
Her lips pursed. “You never told me about him.”
“Well, it’s…it’s new. I didn’t want to jinx it, but things are getting serious.”
She took a step back, sizing me up. “Huh. That’s interesting. And how new is it?”
I curled my fingers around the edge of my truck and scrambled for an answer.
Red hair. Cocky smile. Broad shoulders.
I hadn’t allowed myself to think much about Rowan O’Callaghan since we’d gotten here. Given his reputation, the speed at which I’d thought of him for this spontaneous ruse should have been concerning. But I had more important things to fret about than Rowan’s forever-a-playboy attitude.
“Super new.” I lifted my chin. “We’ve been together a little over two months. Real honeymoon-period stuff.”
A few slow, excruciating seconds ticked by. “Weird. I would have said you were fucking with me but you’re blushing.Reallyblushing. I’ve never seen you do that before.”
“I’m what?” My hands flew to my cheeks, which were warm to the touch.
She crossed her arms. “Not wanting to jinx it is the only reason you didn’t tell me?”
“Can’t a girl have a secret? And it wasn’t like you were asking.”
“You’re not the blushing-over-a-boyfriend type. I kind of assumed you, I don’t know, devoured men for sport.”
I hid a smile. “Hey, hey. Don’t buy into all thatBad Girl of MXhype. I have a heart, you know.”
“Oh, I know you do,” she murmured. Then she looked over her shoulder at Riley and Quinn again. “This new information isintriguing. Especially since the fans seemed primed for romance right now. I have no idea if this will soften the weekend’s bad press, but if you want to show him off at some events…” She shrugged. “Can’t hurt as long as he’s well-behaved.”
“He’s fuckingnice,” I protested.
She grinned. “I’ll believe it when I see it. You’ve got a race coming up and the press event right after that. Do you think this nice boyfriend of yours is willing to come and get his picture taken with you four days from now?”
I forced down a surge of nerves atmake this happen in four days. “Totally. This dude is obsessed with me. I couldn’t keep him away if I tried.”
She looked impressed. “Good for you. Don’t get your hopes up too high, but I’ll see what magic I can work. We still have a lot to do to fix this, nice boyfriend or not.”
Dempsey was one of only two people I regularly gave hugs to, and I didn’t hold back now, flinging my arms around her neck. She had grown up worshiping my dad’s racing style, had even trained with him before he got hurt. When she became an agent, letting her represent me was the easiest decision I’d ever made.
She’d had a front-row seat to Maddox family drama for years…and still stuck around.
“Thank you,” I said. “For believing in me even when I mess up. I really am sorry, Dempsey.”
“I know you are.” She pulled back. “We’ll figure it out, one way or another.”
