Race for the Heart: Book Two in the Racing to Find Love Series

by KT Shears

  Ava arrived within half an hour. She was wearing a pair of little shorts that showed off her legs, and Asher ogled her appreciatively. She stood on his doorstep, hands on her hips, looking furious.

  ‘How could this have happened?’ she wailed, pushing past him into the living room.

  ‘I guess they’re in love,’ Asher said, shrugging as he shut the door behind her.

  ‘Love?’ Ava shrieked, throwing her hands up wildly. ‘They barely know each other. He’ll break her heart and I’ll have to pick up the pieces.’

  ‘Look,’ Asher said, in what he thought was a reasonable tone of voice. ‘Can we start at the beginning? I don’t even know how this has all happened.’

  Ava glared at him but plonked herself down on the sofa and he sat beside her.

  ‘You know they were on holiday, right? Felipe whisked her away to Los Angeles.’

  Asher nodded.

  ‘Well, apparently,’ Ava spat, ‘they took a little trip to Las Vegas. And while in Las Vegas…’

  Asher shook his head. That seemed like typical Felipe behaviour. He could just imagine the little dude pressing notes into the hand of some sort of Elvis preacher.

  ‘It is a bit crazy,’ he began, carefully, ‘but they’re both adults.’

  Ava shook her head, and Asher was horrified to see tears welling up in her eyes.

  ‘Hey, don’t cry about it. You should be happy for your friend, if she’s happy.’

  ‘Oh she’s over the fucking moon,’ Ava said, her voice breaking. ‘But how can I be happy for her, marrying into that kind of lifestyle?’

  Asher felt a bit annoyed. What was wrong with his lifestyle? Sure it was unconventional, but not everybody was like Devlin.

  ‘Maybe I should be worried about my friend marrying into your friend’s lifestyle,’ he said, instantly regretting it when Ava turned on him, furiously.

  ‘Sports stars are all the same,’ she shrieked. ‘They don’t care whose hearts they break, as long as they get off while doing it.’

  Asher felt himself get angry now. Who was she to make sweeping generalisations about him and his friends?

  ‘That’s bullshit,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘I don’t know who you’ve been talking to, or what kind of sports stars you’ve met previously, but it’s bullshit.’

  Ava stared at him, looking surprised that he was so irritated.

  ‘Maybe Felipe and your friend won’t work out. Maybe he’ll break her heart, maybe she’ll break his heart – but they are fucking adults and it’s not up to me or you to decide. And as for the lifestyle – Formula One drivers are just normal people pursuing their fucking dreams, with normal people’s emotions, so don’t look down your nose at us like we’re beneath you.’

  He stopped, trying to calm down. Where did she get off coming to his house and talking to him like that? Ava was still looking at him, no longer surprised, but with something else in her eyes.

  Suddenly she was straddling him, pushing herself into his body. Asher was too shocked to respond for a second – hadn’t they just been fighting? – but then felt his body start to react to Ava’s body on his. He grabbed her, pulling her in tighter, and sought her lips with his. She moaned and parted her lips slightly to allow his tongue to dart inside, swirling around her own tongue. Her hands clawed at his t-shirt and he stopped kissing her briefly to pull it off, then resumed his task. Ava’s hands wandered all over his chest, and he moved to kiss her neck. He could hear her breath come in sharp bursts in his ear, and the sound of her little moans made him rock hard.

  ‘Take me, now,’ she panted, tugging at his jeans.

  Asher flipped her so she was lying on her back on his sofa. He ripped her t-shirt off, flinging it into the corner.

  ‘Take those little shorts off,’ he murmured, as he undid his own jeans. He contemplated keeping his boxers on for a second, and then thought better of it, pulling them off and throwing them to the side.

  He gasped as Ava leant forward and took his hard cock in her mouth, feeling her tongue swirl around the tip. He groaned and his hands sought out her hair, gripping hard as she ran her tongue and lips up and down his shaft.

  ‘Fuck, you’ll make me come,’ he groaned, and Ava straightened up. She wiggled out of her shorts and underwear and Asher had to control himself at the sight of her naked body. His cock twitched uncontrollably and for a second he was terrified he was going to come all over her. She reached for his cock but he moved out the way, knowing that if she touched it, that was him.

  He moved his head down to her thighs, Ava’s moans letting him know exactly where she wanted his mouth. He brushed his lips against her clit and heard her gasp, her hips bucking. He ran his tongue lightly around the hard little nub, sucking every so often until Ava started to thrash, and then slowing down again.

  ‘Please,’ she moaned, trying to push herself onto his face.

  Asher didn’t respond, but gasped when Ava’s hand reached down and grabbed his cock. She began stroking it, slowly but firmly, using her thumb to rub in the moisture at the tip. Her strokes became less rhythmic as Asher continued sucking her clit and he could tell she was close to coming by the ragged sound of her breathing.

  ‘Come for me,’ he murmured, taking a finger and inserting into her dripping entrance. She cried out and he pushed his face into her clit, feeling her walls tighten around his finger – wishing it was around his cock instead.

  As Ava lay there, her body still pulsating from the orgasm, he dug into his jeans and took out a condom, sliding it onto his cock. He was pretty sure he wasn’t going to last long and when he slid inside, he had to stop to gather himself. Ava’s nails ground into his back and he started sliding in and out of her. He could still feel the aftershocks of her orgasm, and she began moaning as he kept thrusting in and out. At the angle they were on the sofa, he could feel the base of his penis rubbing against her clit.

  ‘I’m going to come again,’ she panted, and Asher felt his cock throb uncontrollably.

  ‘Come all over my cock,’ he breathed and she gasped. He struggled to control himself now, but wanted to hold on until she came – he wanted to come as her walls gripped him tightly. Thank God he didn’t have to wait for long. With a cry, he felt her orgasm hit and he let himself lose control. He felt himself come, hard, and pushed himself as deep as he could go, shouting with his own release. Ava’s nails dug into his back and her teeth grazed his earlobe. He kept thrusting, his orgasm intense and long-lasting.

  Eventually, he was done, and he rolled off Ava. The pair of them lay panting, side by side. He wasn’t sure how that had just happened. One minute she had been yelling at him, and the next minute she had jumped on him. He did not get this woman at all.

  ***

  Ava tried to control her breathing. Her body felt like it was immersed in some sort of warm goo, and her arms and legs felt heavy. She hadn’t intended for this to happen. She was so pissed about Elise and Felipe and she had come over to see what Asher had to say for himself. It was his fault they had even met, after all. If he hadn’t turned up at that benefit – which he wasn’t even invited to – then her best friend would never have met the guy. But he had looked so hot, sitting there, clearly annoyed and giving it back to her. It had been incredibly arousing and she had just been seized with the urge to jump on him.

  ‘Are you still mad at me?’

  She looked at him as he lay there, a sheen of sweat making his muscly chest and arms shine. She shook her head.

  ‘I’m not mad,’ she said, still out of breath slightly. ‘I’m just…confused.’

  Asher laughed, which made her smile too. She loved his laugh.

  ‘I am too,’ he said, struggling to sit up. ‘You were really yelling at me.’

  ‘I know, I’m sorry.’ Ava said, feeling slightly bad. He had been right, really. Felipe and Elise were adults, and it wasn’t their business.

  ‘It’s ok,’ Asher said, shrugging.

  ‘No, it’s not,’ Ava said, sighing. ‘It’s just
…Elise is my best friend. Since I moved here, it’s just been me and her, supporting each other through all the shit. And now she’s got married, to a guy I don’t even know, and it just feels like everything has changed.’

  Asher nodded, looking like he understood.

  ‘I get it,’ he said. ‘Believe me, I do. You’re worried your relationship will change, or that she won’t have time for you anymore.’

  Ava was surprised by his perceptiveness. She had assumed that the intricacies of personal relationships would be lost on a racing megastar. But then she thought of what he had said just before she had pounced on him, about them just being normal people. Was that really true?

  ‘Yeah,’ she admitted. ‘That’s exactly what I’m worried about. It’s pretty selfish, really. She sounded so excited on the phone and I just blew her off.’

  ‘So you’ll make it up,’ Asher said, running his finger over her rose tattoo. ‘She’ll understand, if you’re that close.’

  ‘I just don’t want her to get hurt,’ Ava said, sadly. ‘I couldn’t bear it.’

  Asher smiled.

  ‘And that’s a very noble thing of you to want,’ he said, kissing Ava’s shoulder. ‘But that’s life, really. Sometimes people get hurt, but you need to let them make those mistakes.’

  ‘Maybe.’

  Ava turned on her side so she was looking into Asher’s face.

  ‘But I don’t want to make any more mistakes,’ she whispered. Asher looked a bit confused.

  ‘I’m sure you won’t,’ he said, looking at her intently.

  ‘I have to leave,’ Ava said, sitting up abruptly. She shouldn’t even have come here in the first place, and she wasn’t about to get deep and meaningful with Asher about Shay Donnelly and how he had ruined her.

  ‘Can’t you stay for a bit? We could get pizza or Chinese.’

  Ava felt tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill over. This guy seemed so perfect, but it was surely all an illusion. Shay had seemed perfect too, and then he had broken her, totally and completely. She couldn’t let herself fall for it again.

  ‘Ava? What’s wrong?’

  ‘Nothing. I’m leaving.’

  She grabbed her clothes and threw them back on. She knew Asher was looking hurt and confused, but she couldn’t think of anything to say. She got to the door and heard his voice.

  ‘Please, Ava, don’t run.’

  She shook her head, a tear rolling down her cheek, and left his apartment.

  Chapter thirteen

  ‘I cannot believe you are married,’ Asher said, shaking his head as Felipe grinned, triumphantly. ‘How the hell did you persuade her to do that?’

  ‘We are in love,’ Felipe said, jutting his chin out. They were in Australia, preparing to for the first qualifying session of Asher’s Formula One career. This was what he had been waiting for, since he was a child.

  ‘You’ve only known her a few weeks,’ Asher pointed out, shaking his head.

  ‘So? When you know, you know,’ Felipe said, sounding wise. ‘Like you and Ava, huh?’

  Asher shook his head, quickly. He was pretty sure that ship had sailed. The look on her face when she had got up to leave his apartment a few nights earlier had said it all. It was like he had broken her heart, somehow, when all he had done was ask her to stay for pizza. He didn’t know what the hell had happened, or what he had done wrong. After the sex, the amazing, passionate, sex, he had thought that maybe they were back on track – that maybe she was seeing him as something more than a one-night-stand kinda guy. But the way she had looked at him…man, that had hurt.

  ‘That’s nothing,’ he said, hoping Felipe would drop the matter – but knowing it was incredibly unlikely.

  ‘Man, I see the look on your face when you speak about her. And Elise says Ava is same. I dunno what is wrong with you guys, why you fight it?’

  ‘Believe me, man, I’m not fighting it. I want to see where it goes, but it’s like she puts these walls up and I can’t get in.’

  Asher sighed, miserably. He hadn’t heard from Ava since that night. He had texted her a couple of times, just friendly, chatty messages, but she hadn’t replied. He was at a loss. He hadn’t ever given up on a challenge, but he thought he might have just met his match.

  ‘You’ll find a way,’ Felipe said, and Asher smiled at the little man’s unabashed confidence in what he said.

  ‘Perhaps,’ he said. ‘So, what do you think? Can we make it into Q3?’

  Felipe nodded.

  ‘For sure, man,’ he said, picking up his racing gloves. ‘I’ll be ahead of you, of course, but you will do okay too I think.’

  Asher laughed.

  ‘Bring it on, man.’

  ***

  ‘I know you think I’m nuts, Ava, but honestly, I love him.’

  Ava and Elise were sitting in Ava’s apartment, in their pyjamas. Elise had stayed the night the night before.

  ‘I believe you, I just worry about you.’ Ava patted her friend’s hand. ‘Do you want some coffee?’

  ‘Sure,’ Elise said. ‘Um, Ava?’

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘You can say no and kick me out, but Felipe is going to be racing soon and I’d quite like to watch.’

  ‘Racing? It’s not even 8am!’

  ‘I know, but they’re in Australia.’

  Ava thought for a second. She didn’t want to watch the racing – she wanted even less to see Asher’s face – but she couldn’t really stop Elise watching her new husband fling himself around a race track.

  ‘Sure, whack it on.’

  Elise grinned and turned on the TV, flicking through the channels. Ava busied herself with making a pot of coffee.

  ‘There he is,’ she heard Elise squeal, and turned to look at the TV. Felipe was on the screen, grinning as he was interviewed.

  ‘Do you think you can get a top 10 finish in today’s qualifying?’ the interviewer asked.

  ‘Of course,’ Felipe said, beaming. ‘I have no doubt.’

  ‘How have you been preparing for the start of the season?’

  Felipe laughed.

  ‘I got married last week, do I need to say anything more?’

  Elise giggled and Ava rolled her eyes.

  ‘I miss him,’ Elise said, as Ava set down a mug of coffee next to her.

  ‘He’ll be back in a few days,’ Ava said, sitting down on the sofa again.

  They watched as a few more drivers were interviewed. Ava felt herself dozing off on the sofa, but jerked awake at a familiar voice.

  ‘Now we speak to Asher Carter, newest driver in the paddock.’

  Suddenly he filled her screen and her stomach lurched.

  ‘I can turn it off,’ Elise said, seeing Ava’s reaction and reaching for the remote. Ava shook her head.

  ‘No I’m fine.’

  She realised with a start that it was actually nice seeing him. She had missed him, although she didn’t like to admit that to herself. And hearing his voice was almost soothing. She had missed talking to him.

  She listened as Asher spoke to the interviewer, turning on the charm and flashing a roguish grin at the camera. She was sad when the interview ended, and Asher winked at the screen, before walking away.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Elise asked, sounding uncertain.

  ‘I’m fine,’ Ava said, but to her horror, she felt tears behind her eyes.

  Elise was there in a flash, putting her arm round her.

  ‘Oh Aves,’ she said, making Ava cry even harder. ‘What’s happening with you two? First it was just a one-night-stand, then just friends with benefits, and now you can’t even see him without crying.’

  ‘This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen,’ Ava said, shaking her head and wiping away the tears that had trickled onto her cheeks. ‘I’ve started to feel something for him, Els. And I promised myself I wouldn’t.’

  ‘Is it so bad you feel something?’ Elise asked. ‘Maybe he feels it too. Felipe seems to think he does.’

  Ava
shook her head.

  ‘I can’t. Not after Shay. I can’t be with someone in that kind of lifestyle. How could I trust again?’

  ‘Even Asher?’ Elise asked, softly, and Ava felt a lump in her throat.

  ‘Even Asher,’ she said. ‘Let’s just watch the racing, okay?’

  Elise nodded and shifted back to her side of the sofa. Ava concentrated on focusing on the screen and trying not to think about the gorgeous racing driver she knew was worming his way into her heart.

  ***

  Asher gave Felipe the thumbs-up as he pulled out of the garage. Both of the drivers had made it to Q3, and now they were ready to go out there and fight for their position on the grid. This was more than he would ever had hoped, and his team were totally psyched. The mechanics had actually looked giddy when he had pulled in after Q2, after scraping in in 10th slot, Felipe in 9th.

  As he pulled onto the track, he noticed a few drops of rain hitting his windshield. He pressed the button on his console which would link him up over the radio with his race engineer.

  ‘Feeling some rain spots out here, Jim.’

  He hoped it wouldn’t get any heavier. Rain always made things much trickier, and he hadn’t had much experience of his car in the wet.

  ‘Roger, Ash. We’ll monitor it and let you know if you need to come in for inters or wets.’

  Asher saw Erik Jonasson coming up behind him and slowed to let him past. He hadn’t started his lap yet, and Jonasson was definitely faster than him. He saw Jonasson raise a hand in thanks as he streaked past.

  The rain was starting to increase and Jim came over the radio again.

  ‘It’s not enough for inters yet, Ash, but stay tuned. Take it easy.’

  Asher was coming up to the start line and he had clear track ahead of him, and no one visible behind. He pushed his foot to the ground, so he would be at maximum speed for crossing the line. He would love to finish higher than 10th, or at least to be competitive with the likes of Jonasson and Rodriguez.