Collision: A Driven World Novel (The Driven World)

by Karen Frances

  It’s hard to sit and listen to what is happening in the third world countries, but this is a worldwide problem. One that shouldn’t exist. No child should be used and abused. They deserve love and a childhood.

  Florence and Kate share stories with us about some of the children they have helped, but for every child they have saved, there are two children who are still out there with human traffickers.

  It’s unimaginable that in this day and age children are being left to suffer. Even with my own less than perfect childhood, it was still one hundred times better than the harrowing stories being shared with me today.

  Florence and Kate leave after a lovely and highly enlightening lunch.

  “Well, not much shocks me, but that…” Rylee takes a sip from her white wine.

  “I know what you mean.”

  “Some of my boys…” She shakes her head as though about to say something, then quickly changes her mind.

  “Your boys?”

  “Yes, the boys in care, I think of them as mine. We are one big happy family most of the time.”

  The smile on her face tells me so much. She loves her job. No, it’s not her job. This is Rylee’s life. Her passion. She would do anything for the happiness of her boys. “What are your plans for the rest of the day?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe start with this story,” I tell her. “What about you?”

  “Colton and I are planning to take a walk. That’s if I get him back from Ryan.” She giggles.

  “I’m sure he’ll return him. Although, if they start talking racing who knows when that will be.” We laugh at my very accurate statement.

  When Ryan spoke about a relaxing bath earlier, I had high hopes that it would lead to something more than lying with his arms around me in a hot bubble bath. But I have to be honest, this is perfect. I could happily fall asleep here in the water and I know he’d keep me safe. Safe from falling under.

  “This is nice,” I murmur as the water swishes around my body.

  “It is. Do you feel better?” he asks.

  “Yes, although I can’t stop thinking about the charity work Florence and Kate do.”

  “I was meaning earlier. You were cold.”

  “Oh, that. Yeah, I’m fine.”

  “Okay, so the charity?”

  “It’s playing heavily on my mind, much like Raising Hope. I always try to distance myself when I’m working on a story.”

  “You didn’t do a good job of that with me,” he says, moving my hair and kissing my neck softly.

  “Stop distracting me. And anyway, I did try with you, just not hard enough.”

  “Now you’re wounding me, woman. All this talk of not hard enough.”

  “Mind, gutter, Jackson.”

  “It’s not the gutter when my thoughts are of you.” Is Rylee right, could there be an us? “So why do you think it’s playing on your mind?”

  “I don’t know,” I say with a shrug of my shoulders.

  “Shall I tell you?”

  “Yes.”

  “In my opinion, it’s because the charities are all about helping children. And it’s struck you here.” He places his hand on my chest where my heart is. “Because although your childhood with your mother was crap, you want to help others. You don’t want kids to go through what you did.”

  “And you know this, how?”

  “Because I see you. I understand you. You have so much loving energy within you to give, you just don’t realise it. The beauty on the outside is a reflection of what’s inside.”

  My heart literally just skipped a beat. That is one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me.

  “Right are we getting out of the bath?” His gently voice breaks my chain of thought.

  “Can we just have a few more minutes, please?” I ask, snuggling against his body as his arms tighten against me.

  “Yes.”

  I’m in his arms and happy.

  But for how long?

  Chapter 26

  Race day.

  I should be buzzing with excitement and anticipation for the day ahead.

  Yet I’m not. I feel sick. I’ve tossed and turned all bloody night and that’s never a good thing. I have no idea how the hell I’ll get through today.

  Frank’s late night text message has been on my mind all night.

  Ellie, what the hell is going on with you? There’s a story circulating about you and Ryan. We need to talk.

  My entire body starts to shake as I read the message again. A story about us. Why now? Why today? And more importantly, who would circulate this story? I’ve searched the internet but there’s nothing about us. Not yet, anyway. But that’s not to say there isn’t a story. Someone, somewhere must be considering publishing it in a newspaper if Frank has gotten wind of it.

  I’ll need to call him. Dread fills me as his words about needing someone who is professional and won’t sleep with Ryan to do this job haunt me. I should’ve told Frank what had happened on that Friday night when I met Ryan. Then Frank could’ve got someone else to cover this. But then I wouldn’t have become so close to Ryan.

  Would that be such a bad thing?

  I glance over at him still sleeping. He looks so peaceful, and I climb out of bed, still naked. With my phone in my hand, I wrap a bathrobe around me and walk out onto the balcony and call Frank. I may as well get this over with. It takes a few moments for the call to connect.

  “I was wondering when I’d hear from you,” he says, answering after two rings.

  “I’m sorry,” I say, and I hear the deflated tone in my own voice.

  “Right. Hold on.” I hear shouting in the background and I wonder if he’s at the hospital. “That’s better. I can hear you now. Is it true? Are you and Ryan in a relationship?”

  “I can’t answer that because I don’t know myself.”

  “Oh, Ellie. Of all the people. So the picture that was in one of the papers last week, that was you with Ryan?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, look I’ll try to defuse this at my end. There’s no real proof or a picture to go with the story that has been sent to me anonymously. It can be played down because I have you covering this assignment.”

  “You’re not mad?” I ask.

  “No. What you get up to is the least of my worries, but I will be talking to Ryan when you get home. You know his reputation and I will not sit back and allow him to use you.”

  Frank has a point, one I’ve been trying to push aside, and I’ve managed to easily because Ryan makes me feel as though there is something so much more between us. Or is that what he does to get what he wants?

  “Ellie, please be careful. I had better go. Bethany is restless today.”

  “Sorry. Tell her I said she’s to behave until I’m home.”

  “I will do. Love you.”

  “Love you too,” I say as Ryan’s hands wrap around my waist, his chin rests on my shoulders, and his erection…skin-on-skin contact.

  “So who do you love on this fine and bright morning?” I tense at his question, even though his voice is warm and teasing.

  “That was Frank.” I pause because I’m not sure what I should say to him. I don’t want him with anything on his mind other than today’s race.

  “Ellie, whatever it is, you can tell me.”

  “It’s nothing.” I spin in his arms to face him, taking in his naked body. “It’s just Bethany. She’s still having a rough time,” I say when he raises his brows.

  “Tomorrow, when we land, I’ll take you to see your friend.”

  “Thank you,” I say softly, placing a kiss on his lips. “Don’t you have someplace you need to be,” I whisper as his hands smooth up and down my back.

  “Nope. I’m right where I want to be and with the one person I want in my life.” I gasp in surprise at his words, and even though there’s a little bit of doubt, I think I believe him. I want to believe him and that’s what’s important. He brings his hands to the side of my face cupping it gently. His da
rk eyes are staring at me, there’s a hint of a smile, but I also see something else… uncertainty. “Today is already a good day, and tonight we’re going to celebrate. Tomorrow we go home and then see where this takes us.”

  I don’t say anything. I can only stare into his eyes, trying to work out if he really and truly means the words he says, or is he just toying with my emotions? “I want you,” he says with so much need. Three words that turn my body into a wanting wreck.

  I nod slowly. He kisses me quickly and moves his hands from my face. I laugh when he grabs my arse, picking me up and striding back inside. He places me down on the bed carefully and cuddles into me.

  I shift to my side because I need to see him. I wrap my arms around him, mirroring the way he’s holding me.

  “I know I said I want you, but I think I really just wanted to hold you close, feel your body beside mine. Know that you’re real. And this is not just some crazy dream playing tricks on my mind.”

  I snuggle in closer, my heart filling with so many emotions that I’m struggling to make head or tail of them. But the reality is, my heart is already bursting with love for this man who has somehow managed to bulldoze his way into my life in a matter of weeks.

  Love at first sight.

  I have no idea what the hell I’m letting myself in for. This might be one of the biggest mistakes of my life, but it might not.

  And that’s the part I need to focus on. It might not.

  “Now, let’s start the day the right way.” I nod. “Good morning,” he says lazily, his eyes holding my gaze.

  “Good morning,” I say, earning me a smile that tugs at the corners of his mouth and brings a sparkle to his eyes. “We should make the most of this.”

  “Most of what?”

  “Our time alone and being naked.”

  “Oh that,” he teases and flops onto his back. I’m going to enjoy taking advantage of him. I sit up and straddle him before I change my mind, or before he decides to dominate me.

  “Fucking hell!” He groans as I take control, slipping my tongue between his lips and lowering my body. “This is pure heaven,” he whispers against my lips as I start to move up and down. Taking control whilst watching as he loses control.

  Ryan isn’t fazed about today, not in the slightest. He kissed me and told me not to worry about a thing before he left me over an hour ago and I’m still in bed, but now I need to pull myself together. My phone beeps an incoming message from an unknown number.

  Well, well. Little Miss Perfect isn’t so perfect after all. Fucking your way to the top. Everyone will know about this soon enough.

  “What the fuck?” I stare at the screen. “Oh, come on. This is petty.”

  But who is it from? The only person that comes to mind is Felicity… I’ve no time to deal with her. I don’t want to bother Frank with this, not when I know he’s having problems with Bethany. But I could put money on it, if there’s a story about Ryan and me, somehow it’s come from her. I don’t know anyone else who would want to fuck me over. That bitch. I’ll need to push her to the back of my head and deal with it when I’m home.

  Time to sort myself out and get dressed so I can see Ryan before the start of the race.

  I text Les to let him know I’m on my way. He replied saying Colton was waiting for me and he’d take me to the pit stop.

  I smile when I see Rylee and Colton standing waiting for me. They both have the same lanyard passes around their necks as I do, giving us all backstage access, so to speak. My stomach is still churning and the sick feeling I had earlier is back.

  “You look sickly,” Colton says as I approach them.

  “Hey, Ellie, everything will be fine.” Rylee takes my arm. “Colton, you have no idea how it feels on race day having to watch the one you love racing around the track at those crazy speeds.”

  Colton opens his mouth and quickly closes it.

  “I feel sick to the stomach,” I tell her.

  “It’s natural. Come on, let’s go and see the man of the moment.”

  Colton leads the way, and it’s not long before I see Ryan standing by his car, his team doing whatever it is they do. Les and Dylan are beside him, talking. Rylee and I stand back. Colton goes over to wish him luck. “How do you do this?”

  It’s noisy and there’s so much to see. I’ll never take any of this in. My heart is pounding so fast. I try to control my breathing with long deep breaths, but I can’t. Fear and nerves are consuming me.

  “With a smile and a kiss,” Rylee answers, and I realise the question wasn’t spoken in my head. “Go on.”

  A pathway clears as I walk toward him, like the sea parting. Colton pats me on the shoulder as he makes his way back to Rylee. Ryan reaches his hand out to me and pulls my weak body close to him. “Sweetheart, I’ve got you. This will be a piece of cake. I’ll be back beside you before you know it.”

  “Promise me,” I say, my voice cracking as I try not to let him see how this is affecting me.

  “I promise,” he assures me as he gives me a kiss, surrounded by cheering and wolf-whistles. “I’ll be back before you get a chance to even miss me. Stay with Colton and Rylee and then come and get me when the race is done. They’ll look after you.”

  I nod and take a step back, still with his hand in mine as chaos descends until his hand slips from mine and another arm takes hold of me. Colton. His smile is warm and sincere, but he’s not the person I want to be with now, and he frowns, shrugging in apology knowing what I’m thinking.

  “I’m sorry,” I say as Rylee takes my free hand.

  “No apologies needed,” Colton says in that accent, which is distracting. The three of us stand back and watch as the team take control. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  I glance back over my shoulder, and through all the chaos, our eyes connect. In this moment, I’m certain he has the same crazy feelings for me that I have for him. He looks so goddamn handsome that I’m scared of him getting in that bloody car.

  “Back before you know it,” he mouths to me and I nod through my tear-filled eyes, which I hope he can’t see. Dylan calls out to him, and with one last smile, he refocuses his attention from me and listens to what Dylan is saying to him.

  I can’t take much more of this as the cars fly by me. Lap sixty-five; only thirteen to go. I’m a nervous wreck, and Rylee beside me holding my hand isn’t much better. When Ryan’s car is out of sight, I turn back to the TV monitor before us and silently watch. Les has joined us, and Colton curses more than a bloody sailor, but I also I hear him thanking God more often than not.

  “He’s second spot. He’s going to do this.” Colton turns, his voice laced with excitement. “Ellie, he’ll win this.”

  “I don’t care about the winning.”

  “I know,” Rylee says with sympathy. “You just want him safe. I know.” Colton smiles and nods with a certain amount of understanding at his wife and turns back. “He will never really understand how it feels to stand here and watch.”

  “I’m glad you’re with me today. I don’t think I could’ve stood by myself,” I tell her.

  “I’m glad I’m here with you.”

  “That’s it. Now. Ryan!” Colton shouts at the TV screen.

  “What?”

  “He’s done it.”

  “Done what?” I all but cry at him.

  “He’s first. I told you he’s going to win this.”

  My body is trembling and I can’t even begin to describe how bloody fast my heart is as I stare at the screen, seeing his car in first place. It will all be over soon.

  “No!” I shout, and Rylee’s grip tightens. There’s a gasp from the crowd and silence falls all around me.

  Chapter 27

  It all happens so quickly.

  The other car clips the back of his, causing his car to spin out of control.

  Time stops.

  My body freezes.

  All I can see is dust in the air around his car. I blink again and again, hoping my vision will become clear.
Tears fill my eyes, just waiting to fall.

  I’m sure I’m not the only one holding my breath, waiting to see the outcome.

  There’s no smoke or fire so that’s a good thing. Rylee holds my hand but wraps her free arm around my waist and holds me close to her.

  “Colton!” she cries beside me. I hear the pain in her voice.

  “A second,” he answers, not looking back to us. Les leaves us, his hurried footsteps running down the stairs. He must be away to speak to Dylan, to find out what is happening.

  The car spins and spins on the track and I feel so helpless. Four cars race past his when his car finally comes to a stop. The revving of an engine on the screen has me puzzled. I close my eyes, hoping and praying to God that Ryan is okay.

  “Colton!” Rylee shouts, more forcefully this time, and I jump.

  He turns around and his face pales as he looks at me. “Ellie, sorry, I didn’t think. Look, he’s fine. The car is back in the race. He’s lost ground, but he’s okay.”

  He’s okay. He’s really okay. I won’t believe it until I see him in person and can hold him in my arms. I watch with bated breath as his car starts to build up speed and he overtakes one of the other cars.

  Colton is pacing and shouting. My eyes keep drifting away from the screen towards the track below. The car that hit Ryan is first and whizzes past below us. The next three cars come past and then Ryan’s, to lots of cheering from the crowd.

  “He could’ve just pulled out,” Colton says. “But that’s not the type of man he is.”

  “No, it’s not,” I say in agreement.

  The cars are again out of sight and our attention is on the screen. “Fucking hell, he’s in the third place.”

  “I think he’s excited,” I say to Rylee.