Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 21230 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21230 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
She’s never truly gotten over him, and now he’s back in her life.
Ten years ago, when Kayla was fifteen, her mom was married to Axel’s dad, professional race car driver and serial cheater. It was no surprise when things ended badly for their parents, like World War III badly.
Now all grown up and working at a magazine, Kayla takes on an assignment to interview Axel, who’s followed in his dad’s footsteps, professionally and personally. He’s an up-and-coming Indycar driver who’s also a regular feature on gossip sites. He’s got a different woman on his arm any time he’s not behind the wheel.
Kayla hopes that seeing him again will break the hold Axel unknowingly has on her.
But things don’t go as planned.
There’s a stumble and a kiss, and both of them want more, even though it’s wrong for so many reasons.
Kayla is determined not to risk her heart on a playboy like Axel…but can she resist him? He’s used to getting what he wants, and what he wants is Kayla.
SPEED is a stepbrother romance novella with no cliffhangers, and a very satisfying happy ending
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
PROLOGUE - 10 YEARS EARLIER
KAYLA
The phone rang in the hall downstairs and I paused to listen. I heard my mom answer, and when she didn't call me, I went back to painting my nails. My bedroom door was open, so I could hear the murmur of my mom's voice. As I slowed to carefully brush pale green polish onto my pinkie nail, she became louder and her tone was suddenly harsh. She told the person on the line never to call again, and there was a bang right before she yelled my stepfather's name.
My entire body tensed as I paused and waited. A few seconds later, I heard something smash, and Alexander, my stepfather, raised his voice in response.
I capped the polish and walked softly to my door to eavesdrop. I wanted to go to my mom, to try to calm her down and make sure she was safe, but I'd done that when they'd fought two weeks ago, and she'd told me to stay away.
Alexander was speaking to my mom about mistakes and misunderstandings. I could tell he was trying to charm her, and I'd heard him say some of these same things during their last fight. My mom did not sound like she would be soothed by him this time. There was another loud crash; something shattered on the hard tile floor.
I looked down the hall toward my stepbrother's room. His door was closed, as usual, and in the few brief moments of quiet, I could hear that he had music playing. It was Green Day, something angry, and probably was a clue to his mood. I took a deep breath and decided that risking Axel's irritation would be better than being alone. I tapped softly at his door, timing my knocks to the yells coming up from downstairs.
"What?" His deep voice came through the door.
I didn't want to speak up, didn't want to risk my mom hearing me, though she wasn't acting like she even remembered that Axel and I were home. I knocked again, and this time heard my stepbrother lower the volume of his music and move across the room.
"Can I come in?" I whispered.
His door opened, and then he was in front of me, all tight muscles and messed up hair. He looked toward the stairs, listened to the escalating argument for a moment, and then looked at me.
"I'm sorry. Can I just come in for a while?" I said.
He didn't answer, but moved back, allowing me to enter, and then he pushed the door behind me, though I noticed he didn't close it all the way. Axel's room was big. Mine was too. The house had been Alexander's before my mom married him, and it was kind of a mansion. Alexander was a race car driver, and apparently did well for himself. He also had a lot of adoring fans, which was probably the cause of the fight going on right now.
I glanced around at Axel's mess. Computer, books, heavy boots and shoes strewn across the floor, dark clothes piled everywhere. His rumpled bed was mostly clear, but I couldn't imagine sitting where he slept, so I pushed some things aside and made a small space for myself on one of his chairs.
"How's your nose?" I asked.
Still standing, looking slightly wary, he reached up and ran his thumb down the length of it, then he shrugged. "It's fine."
He'd broken it several weeks ago while racing a dirt bike. He raced whatever type of vehicle he could get his hands on, and it was clear he'd be following in his dad's footsteps. He hadn't been allowed to race while his nose was recovering, and the restriction had made him moodier than usual.