Victory

by Bernadette Marie

  Picking up her bottle, she walked back into the kitchen. Jake stood at the sink washing off the dishes and Missy quickly felt that heat on her skin intensify. What was it about a man doing something domestic that set her pulse in a flutter?

  “You know, I wouldn’t have expected such a tidy housekeeper after having seen your hotel room,” she said resting her hip against the kitchen island.

  “There’s something about the space being yours and the space being communal. I don’t have housekeeping in hotels since they steal things.”

  “But you have a housekeeper here?”

  “No. Same reason. I’m not one to have people in my space,” he said without looking at her, but she got the message. “Grab another beer if you want,” he said as he continued to wash the dishes.

  “I’d better slow down. How about some water?”

  “There’s bottles of it in the fridge in the TV room. Why don’t you head in there. I’ll be just a moment. I have some things cued up to look at for the race.”

  “Just down the hall?”

  “Door to the left,” he said, but he never did lift his head or turn to her. She sure had ruined the feel of the evening when she’d asked about Lydia.

  Missy dropped her beer bottle in the recycle container by the door, and then went to find this TV room he’d talked about.

  The hallway was short and there were three doors. The first led to a bathroom, which too had been fully remodeled. She couldn’t help but poke her head in and turn on the light.

  The man was a genius. From floor to ceiling, it looked as though it had been photographed for one of those fancy decor magazines. Her parents didn’t even have anything quite as nice in their fancy show house, as she thought of it. Most kids would have loved the luxurious surroundings as a kid, but she knew it was their cover for their egos. Her home had never been a warm one.

  She turned off the light and moved on to the next room. The door was closed, so she opened it. This was his bedroom.

  The heat moved from her skin to her stomach and pooled there. Just as with the bathroom, she couldn’t help but turn on the light and look inside.

  Painted in dark browns, and accented in taupe, this room too was a masterpiece. He had a king-sized bed, which took up most of the room. Fine linens accented the well-made bed. What man made his bed each day like that? This room didn’t have hardwood. A plush carpet welcomed its guests, and she felt the urge to slip her shoes off and run her foot over the carpet.

  From the door, it looked as if there was an attached bathroom. Assumedly, it would be as small as the other bathroom. The house itself wasn’t very big at all.

  “First door to the left,” his voice boomed from behind her and she jumped.

  “I’m sorry. I forgot. I was admiring your work, Walker. From the front, you’d never know the inside of looked this good.”

  “I suppose that’s the point. Who’d want to come in if the front is so shabby.” He turned and pushed open the other door. “This is the TV room.”

  He entered the room first and Missy followed. It too was cozy with the same plush rug as in the bedroom. There was a leather sofa, a coffee table, and an enormous flat screen TV on the wall as promised. Also, like the bedroom, this room was painted in browns and all the focus was drawn to the TV.

  “Yep, my brother would die to have this room.”

  “Have a seat. I have some race footage I thought we could go over.”

  Missy took one end of the sofa and Jake the other. In a basket on the coffee table, he took the remote to the TV, scanned through a menu, then kicked his bare feet up on the table and eased back.

  “This is the first race you pushed me out of,” he said as the footage came up on the screen. “Justice is in third place here with Maverick on the back side of him. I’m in first and you’re in second. Here’s where you inch in and clip me on that turn.”

  She watched in horror as she did just as he’d said. Right on the corner in a vulnerable position that sent him right into the wall. Her car swerved when his ricocheted back, which allowed Maverick to block her advance, and Justice zipped past them for the win.

  “Next race. I assume this one is why Maverick is after you.” He zipped through the footage to where she pulled in front of Walker then slowed so that the only thing he could do was swerve, which caused him to clip the fourth car, which was Maverick, and both of them spun out into the grass inside the track just as she pulled into the lead with Justice behind her as the checkered flag was waved.

  “And here’s the last race.”

  Missy sucked in a breath as she watched her pink car once again push Walker into the wall, disqualifying him from the race. But he let the footage continue.

  “We can turn this off now,” she moved to the edge of the sofa.

  “Nope. Watch.”

  “I don’t want to watch. I’ve seen enough. You’re trying to make a point.”

  “I am making a point,” he argued as he too moved to the edge of his seat. “This is where Maverick makes his move on you—there!” He jumped up from the sofa and paused the race. “This is where we have to watch our asses. He’s going to be out for blood this time. My guess it’s either yours or mine.” He turned to face her. “When he clipped you here, you lost control and…” he pressed the button on the remote and she watched as she lost control of her car and clipped the wall which threw her back onto the track, only barely missing Maverick. When the car hit the inside of the track, it flipped, landed upright, and burst into flames.

  “Turn it off,” she demanded as she stood and moved toward him.

  “We can’t afford that to happen again.”

  “Just turn it off,” she said again, reaching for the remote. “You’ve made your point.”

  “What point?” He held the remote behind him. “We need a solid plan to push two drivers out of the race or behind us.”

  “So you can win?”

  “So one of us can win.” Now he tossed the remote into the basket and turned back to her. “You asked me for help. Remember?”

  “And you’re showing me images of bad sportsmanship. I get it.”

  “I’m showing you a ballsy driver who took out the best driver in that damned race.”

  “You?”

  “Yes, me.”

  “Cocky?”

  He inched in closer to her. “Aren’t you?”

  She took a breath to argue, but released it without a word.

  Jake picked up the remote and pressed play again. “You have to be cocky to walk away from this.”

  He didn’t look at the screen, but she couldn’t pull her eyes from it. The car was on fire and she was trapped inside—until he came to her. She watched as Jake pulled her from the car.

  “You’re looking for the win?” she said in a weak voice that didn’t even quite sound like hers.

  “Yeah. Aren’t you?”

  “Of course.”

  “Best racer wins. That’s what we said. But from this minute on, we’re a team. We trust each other, or we’re only out there trying to get each other killed. And had I wanted that for you, I’d have left you in that car or in the parking lot of that bar.”

  Her trembling fingers came to her lips to stop them from doing the same. “I do trust you.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She nodded, and hated that she could feel the sting of tears, which he seemed to bring out in her. Sure as hell, she wasn’t going to cry in front of him.

  “Then why did you ask about Lydia?”

  That question shook her. “It was just a question, Walker.”

  “Why’d you let me kiss you?”

  Her breath caught in her chest. She tightened her ponytail and decided that she’d had enough of his mind games. She moved to walk around him, but he caught her arm and tugged him toward her.

  “Let go.”

  “Why’d you come out that night all dressed up? Why’d you let me kiss you?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Rea
lly?”

  “I don’t know. I came to talk. Things just happened the way they did.”

  “You didn’t want them to?”

  If she said no, then she’d be lying to him, and this was about trust. Taking the higher road, she turned to him, squaring up her shoulders.

  “I’m not agreeing to that, Walker. Listen, I came out there to ask for alliance. I want those bastards to pay for what they’re doing on the track. I want Maverick to pay for what he did to me.”

  “And you came to me, why?”

  “Because I can trust you,” she said before she even considered the words.

  A small smile formed on his lips. “You trust me?” he asked as he inched forward.

  “Yes.” Her voice shook, but she kept her feet planted and fought off the urge to take off and leave.

  Jake moved in until they were a breath apart. He dropped his hand from her arm, but lifted it to her cheek, paralyzing her there.

  “If you trust me, then why do you think I would have kissed you like that if I were involved with someone else?”

  Again, the question caught her off guard. “You’re not with Lydia?”

  “No.”

  “You’re not with anyone?”

  He closed that breath of a gap between them forcing her to place her hands on his chest just for balance. “I’m with you.”

  “With me?” Her voice was now a whisper.

  “We’re allies. One of us is going to win that race. One of us isn’t. I don’t want to see you hurt or dead, Sheridan,” he said, his breath warm against her face as he spoke.

  “I don’t want that for you either.”

  “Bud was right though. There’s some tension between us that can’t be denied. And I’m kinda tired of fighting it.”

  His eyes had gone dark with lust, and the palm of his hand against her cheek had turned that heat inside of her into a fully burning inferno.

  “I am too,” she agreed and that was when he pulled her tightly to him and took possession of her mouth.

  When he’d invited Missy to dinner, he’d completely thought it was to humiliate her with the vision of what she’d done to him in the races. Of course, when he’d watched the videos he’d seen what else was going on around them.

  Her sheer defiance of him, though, had been a turn on, and it was now beyond where he wanted to control it. He’d have to admit, as his mouth worked against hers, and soft groans escaped her, her jealousy had heightened that flame. Was there anything sexier than a grown woman with a pouty lip?

  Jake bit down on that pouty lip and gave it a tug as her hands moved from his chest and around to his back where her fingers gripped at his shirt.

  If Bud was right, this should squelch the tension between them. But as she began to lift the hem of his shirt, he thought maybe that was wrong. He was afraid it was about to fire up the tension into something neither of them could control—or would want to.

  They were two spirits that liked the chase. Speed and danger only egged them on. And as their tongues tangled in the heated kiss, he knew they surely headed toward something dangerous.

  The moment her fingers touched his skin, the moans came from him. There had never been such a simple touch from a woman that made him actually quiver.

  Jake brought both hands to her face, pulling her in deeper, and closer so he could taste her sweetness. He wished for the will to take it slow, to back away, but it didn’t exist. Control was gone. All he wanted was to lay her on that sofa and take pleasure in her.

  But it was her that broke the kiss, who pulled away, who dropped her hands. It was Missy who looked up at him with eyes of dark chocolate and flushed cheeks. She’d been the first to come to her senses, he thought as he caught his breath. However, when she pulled her hair free from the band that held it, and then reached for the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it over her head, he’d about lost it.

  Jake’s jeans no longer could conceal his need.

  He scanned a gaze over her revealed body. Victoria’s Secret was her secret too. Did she wear that under her racing suit too? The thought of it had him gritting his teeth. She was the absolutely sexiest woman he’d ever seen, and he realized he was looking into her eyes.

  Jake licked his lips and mimicked her move, lifting his shirt off over his head and tossing it onto the sofa.

  Her breath caught, and that boosted his pride. “Nice, Walker,” she said, but her eyes weren’t on his.

  “Ditto.”

  She let out a small laugh before lifting her fingertips to the scar that ran from his shoulder down his side. “A souvenir from your wreck?”

  “One of about twenty. I’m perfectly happy to let you search for them all.”

  She took a sharp breath and he watched as heat crossed her chest and moved up to fill her cheeks, giving them a sexy flush. “I’ve never been this nervous before,” she admitted and he found it was very endearing.

  “I’m only a dark enemy in your world,” he teased as he reached for her hand.

  “If we do this, everything changes.”

  He gave her hand a tug and started toward his bedroom. “Sweetheart, everything changed for me the minute I pulled you from that burning car.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Jake’s heartbeat drummed against her ear as Missy’s head rested on his bare chest. Her breath had to be worked for, as Jake had stolen it in a marathon of love making that had now encompassed hours in his neatly made bed, and designer shower.

  When Jake had taken her hand, and led her to his bedroom, she couldn’t have imagined that he’d be gentle, thorough, and thoughtful, but he was. She hadn’t had as many lovers as people would speculate she had, but none of them had held a candle to Jake Walker.

  His fingers skimmed up and down the sensitive skin of her back, which was damp with perspiration. She wondered, now that it was deep into the middle of the night, if she would sleep in his arms, or if she should dress and leave.

  From the moment he’d made the comment about things changing for him when he’d pulled her from her car, she wasn’t sure if that meant there was more to this union or if those were kind words to get her into bed.

  Either way, they worked.

  Missy rested her chin on her hand, which rested on his chest, and looked toward the face of the man who looked peaceful with his eyes closed.

  “It’s getting late,” she said, curious as to what his reply would be.

  “Yup.”

  “I’m supposed to be on the test track at nine-thirty to make sure the car is ready.”

  “Plenty of time,” he whispered, his eyes still closed.

  Not receiving the invitation to stay, she decided that it was time to accept what she knew was coming. The goodbye. “I guess I should head home.”

  One eye opened and he looked down at her, his fingers still feathered soft touches on her back. “You’re not dressed to go out,” he teased.

  Still not getting the invitation, Missy shifted, but his hand pressed against her back.

  “I have to be at work by eight,” he whispered, his eyes closed again. “I’ll make sure you’re out of here plenty early.”

  Missy lifted her head and this time both of his eyes opened slightly. “You’re saying I should stay?”

  Jake shifted so that he swept her onto her back and poised himself atop of her. “That’s what I’m saying, Sheridan.” He lowered his lips to hers. “One night. Okay, one half of a night where we don’t argue. I want you here. Stay.”

  She bit down on her bottom lip looking up into his sexy brown, entrancing eyes. “Okay. I’ll stay.”

  He nipped her lips with another kiss, then rolled over to his side and wrapped his arm around her, as if to keep her in place.

  Missy closed her eyes tightly and breathed in the atmosphere around her. His scent. His sounds. His touch. She knew it would be foolish to think this was more than that sexual tension that Bud had accused them of having. If she considered it more, she’d be disappointed in the end—broken hearted t
oo.

  When he pulled the comforter up over them, it was personal—intimate. As if he were cocooning them in place, and God, she didn’t want to ever be anywhere else. But those kinds of thoughts would always end up disappointing her.

  Well, they were allies now. This seemed to come with the peace treaty between them. She’d hold on to that.

  They’d race in two weeks, and one of them would keep their car and their sponsor. The other might have to give up racing altogether.

  When that moment came, she was certain that this little affair they’d started would crash just as she had in the last race. It would be a fantastically devastating end to something that had been such an enjoyment.

  Missy turned to her side and draped her arm over Jake’s naked body, matching his hold on her. She wanted to remember it all, because at this very moment she was happier than she’d been in a very long time. Who would have ever thought that Jake Walker could have given that to her?

  She refused to let her heart feel more though, even though her mind and her body wanted to soak it all in. If she let her heart in on it, she’d be devastated when she found she’d read much more into it than he’d intended. It had happened before. More than likely, it would happen again.

  Jake’s alarm chirped from the other side of the room at six-thirty. The sound pierced his pounding head.

  He would have thought he was hungover by the way he stumbled out of bed, gripping the sides of his head, and pounding the alarm into silence.

  But this wasn’t from alcohol. This was from staying up all night making love to the woman who had consumed his mind more than he’d have like to admit.

  He pried open his eyes fully to realize that that very woman was no longer in his bed.

  What the hell?

  It took another moment to notice that his shower was running.

  Jake ran his hands over his face as he walked toward the bathroom door. He couldn’t think of a nicer way to start his morning than a few more minutes holding Missy’s naked body close to his.