Racing Destiny (Dirt Track Dogs Book 5) Read Online Free Page B

Shouldn’t we do that?” She couldn’t let him leave with the kiss between them. Wonderful as it was, she couldn’t help feeling like it was a thorn. Not to mention, she was confused as hell. Why had he done it?
    “We’re okay, Dessy,” he said, still avoiding her gaze.
    “Shouldn’t we talk about… what just happened?”
    A small laugh slipped from his lips. “That was nothing. Just my wolf acting crazy. I told you, I need my mate.”
    “Oh.” She swallowed hard, forcing her voice to sound casual. “Nothing. Yeah, you’re right. Maybe I can, uh, try again to see who she is.”
    He finally met her gaze. “You’d do that? Try again?”
    “Yeah. Of course. Whatever you need.” She was nodding too much, but it was either that or cry over something as stupid as fate.
    Diz smiled genuinely. “You’re a good friend, Dessy. Thank you.”
    He came forward, sweeping her into a hug. One like he’d done a million times. It wasn’t intimate in the least, and it helped.
    She took a deep breath. “No problem.”
    And it wasn’t. Not really. Because…
    What good are tears cried over things that can’t be changed? As good as words spoken over an unkept promise. Useless.

Chapter Four
     
    Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.
    It was nothing, really. Dessy would find his mate soon. Or hell, maybe he’d go looking for her, just to make this shit stop. Whatever needed to be done.
    But then, leaving Destiny alone to be a third wheel by herself wasn’t something he wanted either.
    Diz paced his apartment, looking for something to clean, but everything was spotless. The downside of being a neat freak. He could go running, but he was worried about bumping into Destiny. She said she’d try to see his mate again, and he wanted to give her space to concentrate. If he stayed in his cramped place, he’d start dwelling on things he shouldn’t dwell on.
    Like his best friend’s lips.
    His best damn friend. She was his best friend . Absolutely no thinking about how soft her lips were.
    Yeah, he had to get out of there.
    He grabbed his leather jacket from the hook by the door and booked it down the steps to the garage. His racecar was parked at the end and he wasted no time starting it up and pulling onto the path that led to the practice track.
    The events of the day before had weighed heavily on him. He’d worked in the garage, taking every job he could to busy his mind, but it hadn’t helped much. Maybe a few laps around the track would clear his head.
    By the time he’d rumbled his way to the track, the sun was almost gone behind the jagged horizon of trees. But when he arrived, he wasn’t the only one looking to take advantage of the fading light to get a few turns in.
    Drake crouched next to his car, fiddling with something near the tire. Diz parked next to him and got out.
    “Hey man,” Drake said, standing and wiping his hands on a rag.
    “‘Sup?”
    “Just thought I’d play around a little before dark. Punk, um, asked that we not race at night because it keeps Artie awake.”
    Diz arched one eyebrow. “Asked?”
    “Well… asked might be a slight exaggeration.”
    “She put her foot down, didn’t she?”
    Drake stared into the sunset, pursing his lips in a slight scowl. “Yeah, okay, I’m an honest man so… yeah, she told me how it was going to be and I decided it was best not to argue. Do you blame me?”
    Diz laughed, and it was a nice feeling to temporarily forget about his own worries.
    “How’s Ella? She still giving you grief?”
    Drake nodded slowly, grinning. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. But yeah. She’s a little grumpy because she wanted a mating ceremony before the young pops out.”
    Ah, yes. The mating ceremony they couldn’t have. It was the giant elephant among them. In a normal wolf pack situation, Elders existed. Wise shifters who helped guide the pack under the alpha. They conducted the mating ceremony where the male was marked by a brand of their choosing to signify their