"They make a great pair too. Ronni is really bringing him out of his shell. He’s funnier than I would’ve thought," Kara said.
“She’s definitely rubbing off on him. Glad they finally got together. All that eye sex was exhausting.”
“You and Ronni are good at breaking down walls.” Kara tipped her head, catching Sierra’s smile from the corner of her eye. “I’m thankful for that.”
“Me too.”
Their hands joined on the shared arms of their chairs, fingers interlacing without thought. Silence fell between them as they basked in the late morning sun and the distant voices of happy park goers. Sierra let her head fall back and her eyes slipped closed.
“You ready for the season opener?” Kara asked casually.
Taking a deep calming breath, she gave Kara’s hand a light squeeze, but her eyes remained closed. “I think so. A little nervous, but I’ve never been in this good of shape in my life. You’ve played a huge part in that, so thank you.”
“You did all the work.”
“After I got my head out of my ass,” Sierra said with a laugh. “But you inspired me to be better and all the after-hours cardio we’ve done, well…” Sierra’s eyes opened as she dropped a sexy smirk and glanced over the top of her sunglasses.
Kara’s cheeks tinged pink and it wasn’t from the sun. She rolled her eyes and offered an amused grin. “Well then, I’m glad I could help.”
Sierra loved the shyness of her geeky girlfriend, but knew how dead sexy she could be without even trying. She sat up and leaned across the chairs to place a kiss on Kara’s cheek, then held her position, meeting her eyes. “But seriously, Kara. Using the virtual racing simulator all winter helped me keep my edge and I learned a few things about myself. Plus, you helped me learn the one thing I needed the most.”
A crease of confusion dipped between her brows. “What was that?”
“Control. Control over my body, my actions, and my life. I feel so tuned in to everything now, and it’s all because of you. My life changed for the better the day I met you.”
“It was always inside of you, Sierra. You just had to trust yourself.” Kara closed the few inches between them and delivered a chaste kiss, pulling back when Sierra tried for more.
Licking her lips as they parted, Sierra smiled at the taste. She could never get enough of Kara in any form. “I know that…now, but without you believing in me, guiding me, I’d still just be throwing myself down the side of a mountain on two wheels and hoping for the best. So, thank you, Kara. I mean it. And I need to thank Nicole for all the work she’s done for me too.”
Tears stung her eyes. Sierra was caught off guard at the unexpected rise of emotion. That had never happened before. Kara was turning her into a big softie. She stared at the most sincere, loving grin she had ever seen spreading across Kara’s lips and suddenly, she felt lighter—like floating on a cloud of happy.
“You’re welcome. You deserve it, Sierra. No one is handing anything to you. You’re working hard for everything you have.”
“I hope I can make you guys proud, you know, to repay you for everything.”
“I don’t know about Nicole, but I can think of a few ways you can repay me.” Kara grinned and bit her lip.
“You better hope Nicole doesn’t want the same type of repayment. If she does, I may need to repay you both at the same time. I’m a busy girl, you know.” Sierra waggled her brows and smiled wide at Kara’s dropped jaw.
“Oh my god!” Kara shrieked as she slapped Sierra’s arm, then broke out laughing. “I love her like a sister and I’d do anything for her, but I won’t share you,” she said as she continued to laugh.
Sierra laughed along with her, but didn’t miss the possessive tone in Kara’s words. For a woman who thrived on being independent, she didn’t mind being owned by Kara one bit.
***
Per her usual preparation the week before a race, Sierra sorted through her race day song list, deleting songs that no longer pumped her up and adding new ones. When she reached the letter N, an old favorite popped up—Limp Bizkit’s “Nookie.” An uncontrollable laugh escaped. The song had been so appropriate for so long. For so many years she had done things for all the wrong reasons and now…now, there was so much more. Now, she had Kara. Their “nookie” was pretty epic, but that wasn’t what life was all about anymore. Sierra no longer looked for her next hook up and didn’t need sex as a coping mechanism. The adoration of the beautiful doctor who had more faith in her than she had in herself was all she needed.
With her girlfriend on her mind, Sierra deleted the song and then scrolled to the one that reminded her most of Kara. With a goofy, lovesick grin on her face, she hit play on Justin Timberlake’s “Damn Girl.” When the beat began, her hips moved in time with the rhythm and she sang along while packing her new race gear.
She was so lost in her jam, she hadn’t noticed Ronni recording her from the doorway. The words flowed out at the top of her lungs and her body moved with great enthusiasm, causing Ronni to drop her phone when she doubled over in hysterics.
The thud drew Sierra’s attention and humiliation painted her face a lovely shade of red when she saw her camera-wielding best friend. Horrified, she dove onto her bed and pulled a pillow over her head. “Oh my god! Oh my god! Ronni, turn it off.” Her plea was muffled by the bedding.
With tears rolling down her face, Ronni pounced on the bed beside her. “Oh c’mon, Sierra. It’s not even the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever caught you doing, sad to say. What’s with the shy all of a sudden?”
A bright red face turned sideways. “How long were you standing there?”
“Just a few seconds. That was awesome, by the way. I will never, ever forget those moves. Do those work on Doc McHottie?” Ronni laughed so hard she nearly fell off the bed, saved only by the quick grasp of the comforter anchored by Sierra’s body.
“Dammit, Ron! If you tell anyone…” Sierra would die if anyone ever saw that video.
“Don’t worry about that, my good friend. This is my secret to hold over you until death, so remember never to mess with this chick.” She laughed and then collapsed on top of Sierra, giving her an awkward hug. “You are so cute. Look at you all in love. You guys are great together. Lord knows if she can make you do that, then it must be the real deal, because that was...Ah-mazing!”
Sierra rolled over and punched Ronni lovingly in the shoulder. “It is a great song though.” She felt the need to defend her choice.
“Yes, and you should leave J.T. to perform it. Although, Kara may like to see your version sometime.”
“No!” Sierra screeched and reached for the phone, failing miserably.
Ronni snickered like a crazy woman and jumped off the bed. “If she doesn’t run away, then it’s definitely love. Catch ya later, Wylie,” she said, then skipped out of the room.
“Arghhh!” Sierra rolled back face down on the bed, her mind instantly drifting back to Kara. Unable to focus on anything else, she decided to head over to the lab to get a few minutes alone with her girlfriend.
***
When she rounded the drab white hallway that led to Kara’s office, she froze. She had hoped to surprise her girlfriend, but instead, she was the one on the receiving end. A good-looking man with dark hair and a strong jawline was fawning all over her girlfriend. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t quite that obvious, but he was giving all the signs that he was into her. Kara, as usual, was lost in some type of geek trance, talking shop and oblivious to the signals he was throwing out. Sierra had never met anyone so consumed with their work.
Normally, she would take time to admire Kara in her lab coat and pressed pants, but she was too busy boring a hole through the handsome stranger with her death stare. His cocky attitude and smug grin rubbed Sierra the wrong way and a flash of jealousy rose up. Her eyes narrowed and fists clenched. She wanted to walk up to the man, introduce herself, and pull Kara in for a searing kiss to demonstrate how extremely off limits she was to everyone e
lse, but she knew that wouldn’t sit well with Kara. No, she needed a more diplomatic approach and fast. The pair had turned and were headed her way.
She took a deep breath, regrouped, and pretended she had never noticed a damn thing as she walked right toward them like she hadn’t a care in the world.
Kara’s eyes popped wide at the sight of her, but her smile was unmistakable. “Sierra? Hi. I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Sorry for the unscheduled visit, Doctor Davies. I didn’t know if you might have a few minutes to discuss something.” Sierra glanced between them. Kara wouldn’t have told the man about her personal life, so Sierra made sure to keep it strictly professional.
“Sure. One moment. Sierra, this is Doctor Thomas Moore. He’s worked with NHL players and Olympians, and his work is known around the world in the field of sports psychology and neurology. Quite a genius,” Kara gushed.
“Stop it, Doctor Davies. Your research is quite remarkable in itself. It’s one of the main reasons I took this little opportunity to work at Volden. You’re the genius here,” he countered sweetly.
His predatory smile made Sierra’s stomach turn, though she kept her expression free of judgement. Of course, Kara was phenomenal. She knew that in far more ways than he would ever have the pleasure of knowing. The thought allowed a subtle half-smirk to pull at her lips.
Uncomfortable with accolades, Kara blushed lightly and deflected to work, “Sierra was a participant in one of my projects and she’s a rising star in professional women’s mountain bike racing.”
“That is fantastic.” He turned to Sierra and extended his hand in greeting. “It’s wonderful to meet you.”
Sierra accepted the handshake, delivering a firm grip that was sure to hurt. Since breaking his hand would be unacceptable, she wanted to be sure she at least left a memorable impression.
A slight grimace shook his grin, but he didn’t falter. “I’d be happy to give you a session sometime to go through your pre-race routine and maybe help you fine tune some visualization techniques.” Upon release, he flexed his hand lightly, trying to hide his discomfort from the squeeze she had put on him.
He was subtle, but Sierra noticed and forced a sweet smile as she replied, “That’s very generous of you. I’ll consider it. Thank you.”
He tipped his head in acknowledgement and straightened his jacket. “Well, Doctor Davies, I can see you have things to do. Are we still on for dinner?”
“Yes, of course. I’ll meet you there.”
“Fantastic. I can’t wait. I have so much to I want to ask you.” He flashed a toothy grin that may have dropped many a panty, but only made Sierra groan.
Once again, Kara was oblivious. She turned, all smiles, and waved Sierra to accompany her to her office.
“Where are you going with Doctor McSleazy pants over there?” Sierra was in no mood to hide her possessive tone or her frown.
“Nowhere. We’re just going to have a sit down at Taco’d on Saturday and talk about our projects.”
“Are you kidding me? Didn’t you see the way he was drooling all over you?”
Kara quickly shut the office door behind them and turned to Sierra with a look of shock and irritation. “Sierra,” she spoked in a hushed voice to avoid a disturbance. “What are you doing? I don’t need to get approval to have dinner with a colleague.”
Could Kara really be so dense? Had she really missed all the signs?
“I don’t like him. He was eyeing you up and down while you were in geek out mode. He wants to get you into bed.” She folded her arms tight across her chest and stared Kara down.
“Do you trust me?” Kara raised a brow. An unreadable mask now covered her emotions.
“What?” Caught off guard by the question, Sierra’s hands fell to her hips and her mouth dropped open to answer, but she paused. Was Kara really asking her that, or was there a hidden agenda? Kara was not the problem here.
“Do you trust me? Simple question, Sierra,” Kara pushed, her tone neither accusing nor harsh, as if she were asking apple or banana.
“Yes. Of course, I trust you, but…” Frustrated, Sierra threw her arms up in the air. She just wanted to protect her girlfriend. She wasn’t trying to control her. And damn that monotone voice Kara got whenever these situations popped up, because Sierra couldn’t read what was going on in that brilliant, over-analyzing mind of hers.
“But nothing. Yes or no,” Kara jumped back in quickly, still no fluctuation in tone or expression, “It takes two to tango, Sierra, and I will not be doing the tango with anyone but you. Okay?”
There was no winning this argument, so she relented, “All right, but for the record, I don’t trust that guy.” Sierra pouted and leaned back against the wall.
“So noted.” Kara finally cracked her stone expression with a sincere smile. In one swift step, she pinned Sierra’s body against the wall with her own. “For the record,” she spoke just above a whisper, “I love it when you’re protective of me. It’s very sexy.”
Kara kissed Sierra hard and deep, leaving no doubt who held her heart. The electricity sent Sierra’s pulse through the roof. Her mind fell blank. Her body emptied of all fight, becoming an empty shell that felt as if it could float away, yet her heart overflowed with love, anchoring her there in Kara’s passionate embrace.
Kara was the one to slow their kiss, pulling away and pressing their foreheads together. Sierra peeked through one eye. Kara was so beautifully breathless. She was still amazed this was the same reserved woman she had met that day at the care center, the one with the expressionless demeanor and opposition to socializing.
Sierra dropped her head back against the wall. Kara nuzzled into her neck, stoking the flames of desire smoldering deep in her core. She wanted Kara and she wanted her now. Damn her girlfriend’s professionalism, because a desktop rendezvous was on her bucket list. “Any chance you can get out of here early?”
“Mmm. You read my mind.” Kara tipped her head up to reveal a sultry smile gracing her lips "Give me an hour and I’ll meet you at the apartment."
A wickedly seductive smile made its way to Sierra’s lips as Kara extracted herself. She may not have been able to punch that sleazy doctor, but that was fine. Stealing her girlfriend away and making love to her all afternoon was a much better victory anyway.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Kara protested when Sierra rolled out of bed and began to dress. Saturday had arrived quickly and there were just a few days before Sierra would head out for her first race of the season.
After pulling on her riding shorts and sports bra, Sierra crawled back into bed and into the arms of her girlfriend. She went right for her favorite spot—where Kara’s neck met her shoulder—and roughly bombarded the soft, freckled skin with kisses, causing Kara to laugh out loud. Sierra loved that sound. She pulled away, happiness radiating from every pore as she gazed into Kara’s eyes and said, “I’m sorry I have to go. I have so much to do before Wednesday and I know if I wait any longer, I’ll thoroughly exhaust myself in the most pleasurable way possible and never get anything done.”
Kara smiled seductively and tightened her grip on Sierra’s arms. “I would argue that you’ve been ‘doing’ plenty.” She placed kisses along Sierra’s jawline, not wanting her to leave, but impressed at the newfound dedication to detail she had found.
“Yes, I have been very productive in that area.” A proud grin formed as Sierra admired her handiwork—a darkening blemish above Kara’s right breast. “But I have to meet with Leo about some last-minute tweaks on my bike. I should only be a few hours and then I promise to come right back and get plenty more done.” She wiggled her brows and pecked Kara’s lips one more time before extracting herself from the strong arms of her girlfriend.
“He’s a bit of an arrogant ass, isn’t he?” Kara huffed as a statement more than a question. Her irritation was more from the loss of contact than anything else.
“Yes, but he’s the best mechanic in the business. I still can’t believe Ni
cole wrangled him away from Evie. Speaking of Nicole, is she coming next weekend?”
Watching Sierra dress, Kara was enamored with every well-defined muscle and each shapely curve. She frowned at the loss. “She said she was planning on it.”
“Sweet. I’ll be back soon, babe.” Sierra turned back toward the bed and asked, “Want to do something tonight?”
“I have that meeting with Thomas at five.”
Sierra rolled her eyes, not even remotely trying to hide her displeasure.
“I know what you’re thinking, but I promise I’ll be fine. I’m a big girl. Okay?”
“Not really. If he tries anything I want to know, because I will kick his ass.” Grabbing her bag, Sierra strode back to the bed and kissed Kara again. The woman really was irresistible.
Kara smiled and looked up at Sierra with adoration as she pressed her hand to Sierra’s cheek. “I love you. Be careful riding today.”
“I will, but you be careful too. I love you.” Sierra couldn’t resist leaving Kara with one more lingering kiss before hitting the road. This would be a good test for her and she hoped she’d be able to keep her focus on riding and not her girlfriend out on a date with that sleaze ball.
***
Dr. Moore laughed harder than was necessary at Kara’s cheesy science joke. As usual, she was oblivious to his behavior, as well as Axel’s hovering in the background. He stepped up and interrupted their conversation, “Everything
satisfactory? Do you need anything else?”
Thomas and Kara looked at one another and then shook their heads no.
“Thank you, Axel, but I think we’re good right now,” Kara said with a smile.
“All right. Give a holler if you need anything.” He walked away, throwing one more glance over his shoulder before checking on his other patrons.
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