Page 18 of Keep On Loving You
Oh yeah, any connection between them must have been imagined.
“Besides.” Andy winked. “Having you both here might not make Kat feel quite so bad when I kick her ass on this next one.”
“You wish.” Kat tightened her helmet and rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses.
“Don’t go too crazy,” Chase said. “Nobody’s allowed to get hurt before the family meeting.”
Kat’s chest tightened at the mention of the meeting. She’d been waiting for what felt like forever for this meeting.
“If Craig’s sick, won’t you have to postpone the meeting anyway?” Annie looked between them, and Kat’s heart sank.
“He promised he’d be better.” She blew out a breath as she accepted what her brother’s illness meant. The waiting would continue. At least for a few more days.
“Sorry, Kat.” Chase put a hand on her shoulder. “I know you’ve been waiting for your?—”
“It’s fine.” She shook off her brother’s touch. They all knew how much she’d been looking forward to her chance at hearing the terms their deceased father had set out for her in his will. “There’s nothing we can do about a stomach bug.” Shestraightened her shoulders and pasted a smile on her face that she hoped made it look like the delay didn’t bother her. “Now, are we going to ride or just stand around all day on our bikes?”
Andy was the first to move. He winked at her and nudged her with his elbow, almost knocking her off-balance. “See if you can keep up, Kitty Kat.”
Before she could react, Andy was gone in a cloud of dust. Without further hesitation, she jumped on her seat, pushed off on the pedals, and headed down the trail.
Behind her, she heard Chase and Annie’s laughter, and she knew they would be right behind. Not that they were likely to catch her. It may have been awhile since she’d been on her bike, but her skill was so deeply embedded in her, that it didn’t matter. She leaned into each turn like a pro and pumped her legs hard on the flats, lifting at the right moment to jump over a rock or tree root.
It was harder than she expected to catch up to Andy. He was just as good a rider as he’d always been. His skill only fueled her.
Kat made a split-second decision to try to overtake him on the trail. It was risky since the path was narrow as it cut through the trees. But she knew there was an opening coming up where the trail widened just a little. But she’d have to be quick.
She pumped her legs harder, narrowing the gap between them until her front wheel was close to his back wheel.
There was no way she was going to let him beat her. Not when…well, when it was so damned easy for him to pretend like there was nothing between them.
The truth hit her like a brick.
That was exactly what was bothering her. Despite the fact that it had been her idea and they’d agreed to just be friends. That was before. Before she’d seen him again and annoyingly still had the same feelings for him.
She pushed herself harder, knowing even as she did that she should ease up and let him stay in the lead. But before the thought could take root, the path widened, and her opportunity presented itself.
Before she could think better of it, Kat pushed hard on the pedals and surged forward. She risked a glance at him as she passed Andy, and was just about to cut back onto the trail in front of him when she noticed a fallen tree in her path.
Shit.
She was going too fast to stop. There was nowhere to go. She jammed on the brakes, but it didn’t matter. A second later, her front tire crashed into the tree, and she was flying through the air.
It wasn’t until she was airborne that she second-guessed her plan, but then it was too late. Worse, a moment later, when she landed—hard—she realized that her little plan to overtake Andy had likely just cost her first place in the race only she knew they were having.
When Kat appeared in his peripheral, Andy couldn’t believe his eyes. Not that he should have been surprised. She alwayshad been competitive, and he recognized the flash in her eyes as he’d taken off. No doubt, she was determined to beat him down the hill. And they hadn’t even made their wager. It was too bad, too, because he was pretty sure that each of their terms of engagement would have been more than worthwhile.
Sadly, that line of competition vanished when the others showed up, which was definitely for the best. After all, Kat was still Craig’s little sister. And Chase and Asher’s, too. That hadn’t miraculously changed. They’d all accepted him like family. His job wasn’t to pursue her or lead her on with false hopes for something he couldn’t give her, even if he wanted to. His job was to protect her. Just like a big brother would.
Only he wasnother big brother.
Still, that was exactly why he eased onto his brakes when he realized what she was trying to do, which was to make a very dangerous pass on a trail that wasn’t designed for overtaking. And she was going way too fast to safely handle any obstacles that might come up.
Including the fallen tree that they both saw at the same time. Fortunately for Andy, he’d already slowed enough that when he slammed his hands down on his brakes, he had just enough time to stop before hitting it. Kat wasn’t so lucky. Or maybe she really did think she was invincible. Either way, she hit the log straight on and went ass over teakettle over her handlebars into the trees and brush.
“Kat!” Andy dropped his bike on the path, leapt overthe log and dropped to his knees next to her. “Holy shit. Are you okay?”
She was lying facedown in a bush, her head dangerously close to the trunk of a pine tree. He put his hand on her shoulder, and she groaned.
