by Ella Jade
“Let go.” Her voice was low but firm.
“Not until you say yes.” He loosened his grip, but she couldn’t escape completely.
“Why?” The word slipped out before she could bite it back.
Chad chuckled. “Because we can. Because I like you, and I’d love nothing more than to get to know you better.”
Her heart pounded with excitement. “But—” Her voice caught. “What if I don’t like you?”
His eyes smoldered. Heat flooded her core as he tweaked her nose. “You really don’t want me to test that theory here.”
No, she didn’t. Cat stepped out of his reach, and this time he let her go.
“Six o’clock, Cat,” he said. “Be ready.”
Chapter 3
Cat heard the knock on the door as she swiped the mocha gloss across her lower lip. She glanced at the slim silver watch encircling her wrist. Right on time. Figures. She walked to the bedroom instead of the front door, grabbing her shoes. Even though it was supposed to be a business dinner with her crew chief, she had no qualms about giving him a show.
The floor-length, deep purple sheath had a split in the side that stopped mid-thigh and a V-neck that stopped just below her breasts. The halter straps tied behind her neck. She’d opted to pin the chocolate-brown coils of her hair on top of her head, a few tendrils framing her face. Her wide, brown eyes shimmered with tawny-colored shadow, and her lips shone from the mocha gloss.
Another knock sounded, more insistent than the first. Cat slipped into a pair of three-inch black pumps and wrapped her bare shoulders with a silk-lined pashmina. Striding through the galley kitchen, she glanced at the microwave clock. Five minutes past. A feline grin split her lips as she opened the door. At the exact moment Chad readied to knock again.
“Good evening, Chad.” She stepped aside so he could enter her coach.
Damn, he looks good enough to eat. He’d dressed in black trousers and a dress shirt with a purple-and-black striped tie. His sable hair was still damp from his shower, and the scent from his soap knocked her for a loop.
“Give me a few more minutes,” she said.
Cat took two steps up the aisle when his strong grip seized her arm. Her heel caught the thick carpet pile as he spun her around. A squeal escaped her throat, and her hand landed on his chest to keep from falling. Chad hauled her into his arms and wrapped her up tight. Their bodies aligned, chest to thigh. Hard to soft, curve to angle. The absolute perfection robbed her of breath.
“I told you to be ready,” he growled.
Cat swallowed. The command in his voice captivated her attention. Her gaze locked on his mouth, and the only rational thought left in her addled brain was about him kissing her again.
His hand burrowed into her hair. “Why did you keep me waiting?”
His lips were a scant inch from hers. Their breaths mingled. Her pulse thundered in her veins, and she fought to regain her equilibrium. “I need to do one more thing, then we can go.”
She stepped out of his embrace and hastened to the bathroom, splashing cold water onto her wrists to cool herself down.
“Get it together, Cat,” she said to her reflection. “It’s Chad. Your crew chief.”
He’s not just your crew chief. The devil on her left shoulder cackled. He’s a hot guy taking you out to dinner.
But she also has to work with him, said the angel on her other shoulder. That could complicate things in the garage.
She’s hit a dry spell, the cheeky devil countered. He’s just the guy she needs to break it.
“Stop!” Cat demanded of the two voices.
“Cat?” Chad rapped on the door. “Are you okay?”
She jumped, but quickly recovered her wits. “I’ll be right out.”
She wiped a cool, damp cloth over her neck and dried her hands on another towel. The cool air caressed her flesh, raising goosebumps along her skin.
Cat pasted a smile onto her lips and opened the door, coming face-to-face with a six-foot-two wall of hunky crew chief. “I’m ready when you are.”
He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, before guiding her to the sitting area.
Cat scooped up the pashmina from the sofa where it fell during her stumble and exited the RV. Chad followed, and she locked up before climbing into a late-model Acadia. He started the car and headed for the tunnels.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I figured we’d go to Jacksonville.” He turned onto the interstate and drove north along the beach. “You look stunning, by the way.”
The compliment sent heat to her face. “Thank you.”
“You clean up nice. If I’d known you had legs like that, I would have—” He broke off.
“You look good too,” Cat said when he didn’t continue. No matter how many times she saw him, his presence always gave her butterflies.
The drive to Jacksonville was quick, and Chad found a seafood restaurant overlooking the water. Lights twinkled off-shore like an ethereal city floating in the ocean mist.
The waitress filled their water glasses and took their drink preferences, then left them to browse the menus.
“So, Cat,” Chad said when they were alone, “how well do you think you did today?”
She straightened in her chair, bringing the goblet to her lips. The icy water soothed her parched throat as she swallowed. “I kept it off the wall, so I couldn’t have done that badly.”
“Indeed.” His green eyes sparkled. “What else?”
Here goes nothing, she thought, taking another drink. “I like the fact that Gabe admires and respects me for being able to contribute to the set-ups, and that I know how to take care of my cars.” The ice tinkled as she set her glass on the table. “I have the respect of most of the shop team because we share common interests, but also because I’ve done my homework. I know my way around the racecar, and I’m not afraid to go with my instincts or voice my opinion.”
Chad sipped his drink, saying nothing, but she could see the speculative gleam of admiration in his eyes. Not just for her as a coworker, but also as a woman. A beautiful, desirable woman. Her heart thumped in her chest. The waitress refilled their water glasses and set Chad’s beer on the table, took their entrée selections, and faded into the background.
“You do have the respect of the team,” he said after they were alone again. “Mine included.” He took a sip from his beer. “However, I’ve noticed that a couple of guys on the over-the-wall crew are still resisting the change.”
Cat held her breath a moment, choosing her reply carefully. “I’ve done my best to work with the team on equal terms. I have been snubbed a couple of times, but I’ve ignored it.”
He tilted his head to the side. “We’ll see how the rest of Speedweeks goes.”
“This team worked well with Patrick last year. I know I’m the newcomer, and the last thing I want is to cause discord among the guys.” She drained her water. “I hate to suggest personnel changes, because we all worked too hard to get here.”
Chad set his beer down. “But it’d be harder to make them during the season.”
“Agreed. I don’t want to be the little girl who goes crying to Drew every time someone gives me a hard time.” Cat leveled him a direct look. “But I need to know you have my back if things get to that point.”
Annoyance flashed across his handsome features. “The fact that you have to say that has me wondering what other doubts you’re harboring.”
Heat seared her cheeks. “N-none.”
“About the team and the season anyway.”
The waitress returned with their entrées, disappearing a moment later. Something about his tone had unease skittering down Cat’s spine, as if she wasn’t going to like what he was going to say next.
“But you do, however, have doubts about us.”
Her instinct was right. Cat closed her eyes and sighed before opening them again. “Of course I have doubts about us. What will happen if things don’t work?”
&
nbsp; Chad grasped her hand across the table, stroking his thumb over her knuckles. A shiver skated down her spine. She tried taking her hand back, but he twined their fingers.
“Cat, don’t borrow trouble, okay? Let’s take it one day at a time.”
* * * *
Cat woke before her alarm the morning of the Daytona 500. She stretched, excited to start her first race as a NASCAR Sprint Cup rookie. The Great American Race was seven hours away and she had several appearances scheduled beforehand, the first of which was in three hours.
She was no closer to resolving her emotions for Chad. She treated him no differently around the rest of the team, yet he had still cornered her after meetings and kissed her senseless.
They’d had dinner several times over the last two weeks, when neither of them had had sponsor obligations, strategy meetings, or other official business to attend.
The alarm cut into her thoughts. Her phone rang as she silenced the shrill racket.
“Up and at ’em, sleepyhead,” Chad greeted her. “I’ll be there in ten.”
The line went dead before she could respond. She and Chad had gone for a run on the beach every morning since arriving in Florida. She lifted the window; dawn was just breaking on the horizon, the first fingers of light reaching over the track in turn three.
Groaning, Cat threw off the blankets and dressed in black jogging pants and a zippered running jacket over a purple tank top, then shoved her feet into a pair of purple cross-trainers. She entered the sitting area of her coach when she heard the knock on the door, and peeked out the window.
Chad stood on her doorstep, looking like he’d just crawled from bed after a night of wild loving. His hair was in sexy disarray, like he hadn’t combed it before he left. I wish it was my bed. The thought blindsided her, and her heart pounded as she opened the door.
“Ready?” he asked, smiling.
“As I’ll ever be,” she mumbled.
“Grab a bottle of water and let’s go. We’re burning daylight.”
Cat did as she was told. Chad guided her to the Acadia, and soon they were driving to the coast. Fifteen minutes later he turned into a deserted parking lot and killed the motor, then got out and began his pre-run warmups. Cat was doing the same when he sprinted toward the stretch of sand along the water.
“Hey!” she yelled in surprise. Catching him was impossible and she’d never keep up with his pace, so she found her own rhythm as her feet sank into the sand.
“Come on, slowpoke!” Chad called from about a hundred yards down the beach. “If you race like that, you’re never gonna win!”
Cat refused to rise to the bait and kept her stride, her gaze out over the horizon. She breathed deep, enjoying the salt tang on the dawn breeze as it whipped through her hair. Chad must’ve taken pity on her, because she caught up to him about a mile from the car. He matched his steps to hers, and they ran in tandem for another mile and a half before doubling back. Having him by her side brought a peace and contentment that had eluded her so far. A void racing hadn’t filled. She stumbled.
He caught her before she face-planted in the golden sand. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah,” she replied, embarrassed at her near-fall. She bent at the waist, gasping for air.
“Think you can make it back?” he asked. “It’s only about a half-mile to the car.”
“Sure.” She’d rather walk the distance as a cool-down, but she didn’t want to look like a wimp in front of her crew chief. When he took off at a run, she followed though her lungs burned from exertion and her muscles protested with each step. Sweat poured from her skin, soaking into her clothes, and her toes squished inside her sneakers. But that didn’t stop her from enjoying Chad’s backside as he loped about five yards ahead of her. Yummy.
When he veered toward the car Cat slowed to a jog, and finally a walk. And my trainer said I was in shape. His back was to her when he bent over and his shorts rode up the strong columns of his thighs. Oh my gosh! The air froze in her lungs as she pictured those strong legs supporting her while he thrust his cock deep into her core. Cat nearly swallowed her tongue as her brain short-circuited. A blast of ocean air hit her in the face, jolting her from her thoughts.
“Better cool down, beanpole,” he teased. “I don’t want you seizing up on me during the race.”
“Shut up.” Cat braced against the hood and bent at the hips, giving her back a deep, solid stretch. The muscles between her vertebrae released all the pent-up tension in her lower spine, and she moaned in bliss. The lights of the Acadia flashed as the locks snicked.
“Feel better?”
She whipped her head around at the sound of Chad’s voice. His smirk said he’d thoroughly enjoyed the view of her backside. Her face flamed. She hoped he’d attribute it to their run and not embarrassment at being ogled. “Much. Thanks.”
Cat finished her cool-down and retrieved her water from the cup holder. She took a swig from the bottle, watching through lowered lashes as he stretched his legs. Polishing off her water, she tossed the bottle into a nearby recycling bin.
Chad grabbed two towels from the back seat, tossing one to her. She caught it with quick reflexes, mopping the perspiration from her face and neck. She looked over the horizon, the water gently lapping against the shore. The sun had cleared the waterline, and the beach was getting crowded. As much as she loved racing, she wasn’t sure she wanted to get recognized in her current disheveled state.
They climbed into the Acadia, but Chad didn’t start the motor right away. He leaned back against the headrest, closing his eyes. “I’ll miss these early-morning runs.”
Cat had to admit living on opposite sides of Charlotte wasn’t as convenient as being in the infield together.
“I will too.” She dropped the subject, not sure where he was going with the conversation. “We better get back,” she said instead, anxious to shower and change for her first official Raceday appearance.
Chad glanced at her, but said nothing as they returned to the speedway.
* * * *
Cat was in the media center two hours later with the other four rookies, answering the same inane questions she’d been asked on the first Media Day. Knowing she was under more scrutiny than the other rookies, she refrained from rolling her eyes. The cameras caught everything. She was still heckled for tripping over her own two feet during one of her first Xfinity events.
At last the interview wound to a close. Most of the questions had been directed at her because she was the only female rookie, though three other women had qualified for the race.
Deanna hustled her to her next appointment, an appearance in the Handy Electronics hospitality tent outside the turn four grandstands. To her dismay, Frank Handy was there. Cat was sure it wasn’t her imagination—he found every excuse to touch her. Mostly a hand on her shoulder or the small of her waist, but it still creeped her out. She wasn’t sure how it happened, but he’d managed to graze her breast with his forearm while reaching for the salt shaker during lunch. He should have “Letcher” stamped across his forehead in big black letters.
Cat talked with each person, answering more of the same questions. Because it wasn’t an official press event, her replies were more candid though still designed to instill confidence in her sponsor and the fans. She enjoyed talking with the kids and posing for pictures the most.
Deanna appeared twenty minutes later, reminding Cat of the pre-race drivers’ and strategy meetings and whisked her back to the hauler in a golf cart.
Chad kept giving her heated glances from his seat on the sofa in the hauler’s conference room. Her body trembled in desire as Drew waxed poetic about his expectations for her first race and how they’d handle any possible contingency.
Cat was exhausted by the end of the last meeting. She headed for her motor coach, grateful that Deanna scheduled private time before she had to report to the front stretch for driver introductions.
Changing into comfortable lounging clothes, Cat sprawled out on the
sofa to catch a nap, when someone knocked on her door. She glanced out the window and gasped. Opening the door, she ushered Chad inside her coach. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I had to see you.”
He closed the door behind him and locked it, then speared his fingers into her hair and covered her mouth with his. The silken glide of his tongue across hers wiped out all coherent thought.
“What are your plans?” he asked huskily.
“I—” She swallowed, forcing her brain to function. “I was going to crash for a bit.” Her lips twitched. “My jerk of a crew chief had me up and running at the ass-crack of dawn.”
Desire ignited in his jade eyes. “How much time do you have?”
“About an hour.” She gave him a puzzled frown. “Why?”
He flashed a sexy grin. “Just enough time for what I have in mind.”
Cat didn’t need to guess. She already knew. Furthermore, she wanted the same thing. The simmering heat of desire threatened to boil over. “Shouldn’t you get my car ready for the race?”
His lips quirked. “I’d rather get you ready for the race instead.”
Cat rolled her eyes at the cheesy come-on. “If that’s the best you have, I’ll pass.”
She managed to take two steps before he wrapped his arms around her waist and hauled her flush against his body. His work uniform did nothing to disguise the hard bar of his cock digging into her backside. Her sharp, indrawn breath caught the scents of grease, oil, tire rubber, and Chad’s arousal.
“Please don’t play games,” he whispered earnestly, his breath feathering across her ear. “Not when we can be making love instead.”
He was right. They didn’t have much time. Cat turned in his embrace, her lips lifting into what she hoped was a sexy smirk as she opened the buttons on his shirt. The solid wall of his chest was sprinkled with a dusting of light brown hair. She ran her palms down his pecs and tugged the fabric from his waistband, slipping it off his shoulders, and let it flutter to the floor.
Chad glided his hands beneath her top and whisked it over her head. It landed on top of his as he made quick work of her bra. Her chest flattened against his as he kissed her, his hands roaming over her back and sides. His thumbs caressed her nipples, turning them into sharp points of pleasure. Cat gasped into his mouth as his hands roamed to the curve of her ass. She squirmed against him, moisture gathering at her center.
