Owned: A Driven World Novel (The Driven World)

by Angela Nicole

  I give in and toss my cards on the table. “All right, it looks like it’s just the ladies and me then.”

  “Actually, brother, I’m going to go too. I’m exhausted, but I’ll be tagging along for breakfast in the morning. KJ invited me.” She smiles at KJ.

  My eyes meet KJ’s to see if she will leave too, but she says nothing.

  With quick goodbyes, Kyle, Franco, and Maureen leave. Now it’s just the two of us. When I glance over at KJ, she’s still sitting on my sofa.

  “Your sister is the best, Declan. I hope you’ll bring her to some races.”

  I make my way over and land in my leather chair so I’m sitting opposite her. I’d rather be next to her, but I think a little physical distance is better after last night.

  “I’m going to bring her to St. Pete for sure, but long travels tend to wear Maureen out, so we’ll see about the other races.”

  KJ leans forward, so her elbows are on her thighs. I don’t know if she does it to draw my attention to her long legs.

  “Who’ll take care of her while you’re gone if she doesn’t come?”

  “I have a nurse who’ll check in on her. I know Maureen hates it and thinks I treat her like a child, but I’d never forgive myself if something happened to her while I was gone.”

  She tilts her head as if she’s reading my mind.

  “It must’ve been stressful when Patrick up and left. I mean, having you take front and center with the team and having a sister with Alzheimer’s.”

  Since the season hasn’t started yet, I’ve been okay with it. But in a few weeks, it’ll all change, and yeah, maybe deep down, I don’t know how I’m going to deal with everything.

  “I have an assistant. She’ll be doing a lot of work for me on the business end. That’ll free up some of my time to keep an eye on my sister.”

  “It was really sweet to see you two walk in hand-in-hand earlier.”

  Declan sighs. “Maureen was late because she couldn’t remember where I lived. I found her out in the hallway, confused. So what you saw was me guiding her to where she belonged.”

  I can tell KJ is taken aback by what I told her. “It comes and goes. Once we got into my place, she just laughed and shook her head. She knows she couldn’t remember, but it doesn’t stress her out the way it does me.”

  KJ’s face softens to something resembling admiration. I put my hand up. “I’m no saint, KJ. Patrick took care of Maureen until he left town. I’m the one who has lived a selfish life, jet setting all over the world while he was here working. It’s his turn to enjoy his life now.”

  She looks a little shocked at my confession.

  “Are you saying you will not enjoy life now because of the team and Maureen?” she asks with a raised eyebrow.

  “Fuck no. You misinterpreted what I meant. My brother has always been the responsible one. I was considered the wild one of the three of us. My wild days are behind me, KJ,” he admits as he runs his hand over his silver-tinged scruff. “Being here with Maureen is where I want to be. I know if the roles were reversed, she’d take damn good care of me. I want to do that for her. And as far as the team is concerned—even though I’ve been around racing for the last fifteen years, I’ve been in the background. Now my day-to-day decisions will impact a lot of lives.”

  I wonder if she sees the weight on my shoulders.

  “Well, Declan, I can say the three of us will do everything we can to make this a stress-free season by placing first through third,” she says, then laughs and seems to relax at my comment because she gives me that devastating smile I’ve seen before. It was my undoing last night.

  “Are you ready for the season, KJ?”

  She leans forward and grabs what’s left of her lemonade off the coffee table. “Yeah, I’m excited, actually. I had my best season last year, so I’m hoping it’ll continue this year.”

  No doubt she’ll get far ahead in the standings. I’ve watched tape of her racing. Kathy Jo Lennon is fearless. So much so, I get a little anxious thinking about it. It’s kept me up some nights. Not just worrying about KJ racing, but the whole team. After my parent’s car wreck, I wanted Patrick to sell the team. Maureen was okay with it, but Patrick stood firm. Things have shifted since. Patrick sold me his shares, my stipulation, before he left town. I didn’t want him to second guess my decisions. If he was out, he was out the whole way. My brother couldn’t sign fast enough.

  “I’ll be coming into St. Pete the Monday before the race. There are a few meetings I have lined up on Tuesday before we start the official kick-off events.”

  “Where are you staying?” she asks almost as a whisper.

  “There’s a boutique hotel on the Intracoastal—Hotel Sol. I prefer it to the beachside. Fewer people means it’s quieter.”

  KJ nods. “I know the hotel. A friend of mine got married there a few years ago. It’s lovely.”

  My living room gets quiet for a few moments before KJ checks her phone. “I should probably go. Breakfast is early tomorrow, and then we have a five-hour drive ahead of us.”

  At first, I want to tell her to stay and have a drink with me. But with how we left things last night, I think better of it. Instead, I stand, holding my hand out to her so I can help her off the sofa. The second her hand is in mine, our eyes lock. I wonder if she feels the heat coming from the touch just as much as I do.

  She answers my internal question when she looks at me with the same look of longing she did last night. But since we both determined it was a mistake to let things go where they did, I gently pull her to the door.

  “Thanks for a great dinner tonight. And for introducing me to Maureen. I hope to get to know her better over the season.”

  “I don’t think you could get rid of her if you tried. Come on. I’ll walk you back to the resort.”

  “Thanks.”

  With everything in me, I walk KJ back to her room and leave. At least tomorrow morning, we won’t regret anything about tonight. Right?

  KJ

  Well, we survived breakfast with no awkward moments. Declan spoke mostly to the guys while Maureen and I hung out on the resort patio, making sure we exchanged contact information. Now we are about an hour away from my place. Thankfully, Kyle has taken over the driving. Franco wanted to sit in the back and has been texting on his phone almost the entire way. He’s been off ever since he and Andi were at my place, so I pull out my phone to text her.

  Me: Almost home. How was your weekend?

  It takes two or three minutes for her to respond, but I’m surprised by what she says when she does.

  Andi: Um, well, Franco has been texting me. In fact, he’s texting me right now.

  I know. I’ve had to watch it all weekend, I think to myself, but don’t say it.

  Me: Just be careful, okay.

  Andi: Yes, of course. We’re just friends. I promise.

  I hope she’s right.

  Me: What is going on with the two of you?

  Andi: Nothing . . . we are definitely not right for each other. I’m not like the other women he dates.

  Well, she right and wrong there. Andi isn’t like the women Franco is used to, and the last thing I’d call what he does is date. He has sex with women and that’s it.

  Me: Do you want me to tell him to back off?

  I expect a quick reply, but it doesn’t come. I glance in the side-view mirror so I can see if Franco is texting Andi. He isn’t. He’s staring out the window.

  “You okay back there?”

  A “Yep!” is all I get.

  I snicker to myself because I’ve never seen him tied up like this before. And he should be. Andi is a great woman. But that doesn’t mean she’s great for Franco.

  Finally, my phone vibrates.

  Andi: That’s okay. I’ll deal with it.

  When I get home, I need to make sure she’s okay because whatever the hell happened between the two of them has left Franco a mess.

  During the last two weeks, I’ve only seen Andi once before tod
ay. She didn’t want to talk about what happened during my weekend in Miami, so I let it go.

  It’s Tuesday before the first race, and my nerves are fried. I know Declan made it in last night because he texted the team to let us know. I don’t think I’ll see him until I go to the sponsorship tent tomorrow. That’s okay because I need to get my head in the race.

  I know I’m biased because I live here, but this event is my favorite. It’s pretty unique. The St. Petersburg Grand Prix is a street circuit race, meaning it runs through the streets of St. Petersburg, not on an actual track. It’s exciting, though. There’s a festival, and you can even watch the race from the Intracoastal Waterway if you have a boat.

  After a run and a shower, I head out to meet Zander and the guys for a quick bite to eat. Franco and Kyle arrived last night and are staying at a hotel on the beach. I’m not sure where Donavan Racing puts up their team, but it doesn’t matter because we’re all meeting at my favorite waterfront pub. Although none of us will be drinking, the food is the best in town.

  I arrive first, asking for a table outside in the corner. I know we’ll be recognized, but I still try to mitigate an onslaught of fans.

  Zander is the first one I see, so I wave him over.

  Standing, I give him a quick hug. “Welcome back to my hometown.”

  He adjusts his baseball hat, smiling. “I always love coming here. It’s so different from the West Coast.”

  I know what he means. The vibes are completely opposite.

  “How are things going with the new owner?”

  I take a sip of my iced tea. “Declan is pretty cool. I mean, Patrick was nice and everything, but Declan is really like one of us. Pretty down to earth.”

  And great in the sack. But I don’t tell him that, of course.

  “Yeah, my dad really likes him a lot. He said they’re having lunch together today.”

  I know it’s not unusual for different team owners to get together, but something feels a little weird about it. Before I can ask if Zander knew what they were meeting about, Franco and Kyle make their way over.

  The guys greet each other with a slap on the back. “Hey, man, I heard you were on the team,” Zander says to Kyle. It appears they’ve met before Kyle moved up.

  I watch as Franco looks around and wonder if he’s looking for Andi.

  “What’s up, Franco?” I ask, knowing what’s been transpiring between the two of them. He’s been messaging her, and she hasn’t been responding.

  “You already know, don’t you? I mean, what the hell, KJ. Why is Andi blowing me off?”

  I can’t help but laugh. “You know why. You and Andi are so wrong for each other. I love you both, but no way will it ever work between the two of you.”

  I study Franco’s face. He’s frustrated, I can tell. I’ve seen that look on his face before, and if I’m right, it’ll mean he’ll drive his ass off on Sunday. He finally blows out a sigh as he runs his hands through his thick black hair. “You’re probably right, but damn, I just can’t get her out of my head.”

  “Well, you better get Andi out before the race. Get yourself right. The team is counting on you.”

  With a quick nod, Franco sits down next to Zander.

  An hour later, I’m finished with my Caesar salad, seafood chowder, and a side of conch fritters. Knowing I can’t eat like that the day before the race, I go all out today.

  I’m people watching when my phone rings. I glance down at the screen to see it’s Maureen calling me. I immediately smile, thinking of the sweet woman.

  “Excuse me.” I move from the table into a quieter location so that I can talk.

  “Hello, Maureen.”

  “Hey, KJ, I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

  “Nope, I’m just finishing up lunch with the guys. What are you doing?”

  “I’m just hanging in my room while Declan is in a meeting downstairs in the hotel restaurant.”

  “I’m just finishing up. How about I come to get you, and we can go hang out at my place?”

  I can almost hear Maureen smile on the phone. “I’d like that.”

  I head back to the table where it looks like the guys are deep in conversation.

  “Hey, I’m gonna go get Maureen at her hotel and bring her back to my place. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

  With quick goodbyes, I head up the beach road to Hotel Sol. I tell myself to quell the nervousness in the pit of my stomach. The chances of seeing Declan are slim since he’s in a meeting. But there’s a part of me wishing I would. Between my nerves about the race and being around my boss, I’d be surprised if my blood pressure isn’t sky-high.

  Ten minutes later, I enter the lobby. With its Spanish influence in paint colors and décor, it feels very European. Before I can make it to the elevator, I hear a recognizable laugh. To my left is the restaurant. It’s an open-air style so you can see in to the bar. Several small intimate tables are lined along a railing just off the lobby. When I look in, I spot Declan. He’s sitting with a very beautiful woman. Their conversation is light, but I can tell she wants it to be serious by the way she’s touching his arm.

  I swallow the sudden lump in my throat. I thought he had a meeting with Colton Donavan. I mean, why should I care? We had a stupid one-night stand and nothing more. My brain knows this, but my heart hasn’t caught up yet. I consider going in and saying hello, but thankfully I think better of it as I watch Declan take a sip of his drink.

  With a newfound I don’t care what he does attitude, I head up to the sixth floor to Maureen’s room. As I knock, I hear that same laugh coming up the hall. Ugh, Maureen, open the door before he sees me.

  I hear the click of the lock before I see Maureen. “Hi,” I say as I make my way past her and into her suite.

  “What’s wrong?” she asks with a scrunched-up nose.

  “Traffic,” I lie.

  I pull her into a quick hug. “I have a pool at the house if you want to go for a swim.”

  She rubs her hands together. “I love to swim. Yes, that sounds like a plan. I’ll be right back.” Maureen heads into the bedroom area of her suite as I look around.

  Click click.

  Oh god, no. Please don’t let it be Declan and whoever she was. I quickly look around for a place to hide, then I realize how ridiculous I’m being. There’s nowhere to go.

  “KJ?”

  Crap! I paste a fake smile on my face and turn to see my boss standing in front of me. I breathe a sigh of relief when I notice he’s alone.

  “Hey, I’m here to pick up Maureen. She’s going to hang out with me for the rest of the day.”

  “Oh, I didn’t realize. I was just checking in on her after my meeting.”

  Ugh! His meeting with Colton right.

  “Hey, brother. How was your meeting?” Maureen asks as she comes from the bedroom, bag in hand.

  “Colton couldn’t make it, but he sent one of his executives from Donavan Racing. We were able to discuss what we needed to,” he says as he runs his thumb across his bottom lip, making me clench my thighs together.

  Gah! Declan O’Donohue has the most kissable lips I’ve ever seen on a man. Why does he feel the need to draw attention to them?

  “Do you want me to come and pick up Maureen later?”

  My eyes move from his lips to his eyes, which give me a knowing look. He caught me staring at his lips.

  “Yeah, sure, if you want. I figured we’d hang by the pool. Maybe get some dinner. How does that sound, Maureen?”

  “Perfect! I could use some girl time. Not that I don’t love you, Declan, but sometimes I need to let my hair down. You worry too much about me. Why don’t you take this time and relax too?”

  He waves his hand. “I’ve got too much to do before the race. I’m meeting with the crew chiefs tomorrow, so I need to prep for that. How about you call me when you’re ready to come back, and I’ll pick you up, okay?” He kisses her on the cheek.

  Back at my house, Maureen and I change into our suits. I
pull together some snacks and iced tea before we head out to the pool. I arrange two chaise lounge chairs so they face each other. It’s much easier to have a conversation this way.

  “KJ, can I ask you something?”

  Immediately, my stomach flips. I swallow hard before nodding.

  “I know it isn’t any of my business, but I can’t help wondering if there is something more between you and Declan. Other than him being your boss.”

  Oh crap. Why did I not see this coming?

  I clear my throat as I try to formulate an answer, but all I can do is look at Maureen.

  She gives me a smile from ear to ear. “That’s what I thought. Oh, this is so exciting!” she squeals like a teen. It makes me laugh, but I need to set her straight. I can’t have her planning a wedding or anything.

  “Now wait a minute. Don’t get any ideas because there isn’t anything going on with Declan. We may have gotten a little out of hand once, but it can never happen again. It can’t. He’s my boss.”

  Her smile transforms into a frown. “Did my brother say it was a mistake? Because if he did, he’s lying.”

  I take a long sip of my drink before placing it on the table between us. It’s a good thing Maureen can’t see my eyes behind my sunglasses because I have a feeling she’d call me out. “We both agreed it was a mistake. People would have a field day if they found out. Not to mention our age difference. I mean, come on, how much weirder could either of those two things be?”

  “Well, who cares what other people say? And as for the age difference, if you two don’t care, then why not?”

  Declan

  It’s my first official race day as team owner, and my stomach is in knots. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one. Between the morning media frenzy and the crowd, I’m ready for the race to begin. I check my watch—only an hour to go.

  As I make my way through the throng of people lined up along the street, a loud cheer catches my attention. There’s a large group moving as a unit. I chuckle when I see who’s in the center. Colton Donavan. Man, the fans sure love him—Zander too.