Daring Her Love (8 page)

He watched her join Brianna, her eyes sliding to him every few seconds. The late-afternoon sun danced off her blue eyes as she let Brianna guide her into position, and she adjusted her stance and posed for the camera. A rosy blush spread across her cheeks as Brianna called out commands as if Kat were a model. She could have been, with that silky blond hair and a body that could—was—stopping traffic. Determination filled Kat’s eyes, as if she’d decided that this was just another fear she had to overcome, and he wondered if he, too, was one of her fears.

Hugh came to his side, watching Bree with the same intensity that Eric was watching Kat.

“You okay? Do you mind waiting while she does the shoot?” Hugh asked.

Eric was still stuck on the idea of being one of Kat’s fears. He didn’t know if it was because he was around Hugh and Brianna, who radiated
commitment
, or if it was Kat herself, but he swore then and there that he wasn’t going to allow himself to be slated as
that
guy.

“’Course not. What could be better than watching a beautiful woman pose for the camera?”

“Watching a beautiful woman take her picture,” Hugh said, eyeing Brianna.

They both laughed.

“You’re a lucky guy, but I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. How’s Brianna holding up with Christian and the race schedule?” Their schedule was grueling for a single man, and Eric had wondered how the racers’ wives held up with children to care for while they were on the road. Layla was already six when she and Bree had begun traveling with Hugh, but a baby took all sorts of preparation, not to mention that it couldn’t be easy getting a baby to sleep in unfamiliar surroundings.

“You know Brianna. She loves our kids and she loves me. Even if it were too difficult, she’d never admit to it. But I’m ready to slow down. I’m cutting my schedule back even further next season. I want Layla to have more stability, and I don’t want to be racing around the country without my family.” When Hugh and Brianna had first married, Hugh had cut his schedule way back, and he’d made no secret of wanting more for his family than life on the road.

“That’s a huge step, but it’s not unexpected.”

“It’s time,” Hugh said at the same moment Brianna took Kat’s hand and led her farther down the sidewalk, breaking their spell. “Think about how crazy our schedule is. This is the one weekend we’ve had off in months, and we had to coordinate seeing our friends and family on the exact same weekend—at my
father’s
house of all places.” Hugh patted Eric on the back. “I’ve won enough races to last a lifetime, but there’s never enough time to spend with my family.”

Eric imagined that if he’d grown up with a father like Hal and five siblings who all looked out for one another, he’d crave that settled-down feeling, too. He watched Kat come out of an office building, where she must have changed her clothes. She looked hot in a pair of jeans and a low-cut white blouse, the perfect blend of sexy and professional. Brianna fiddled with Kat’s hair, and they both laughed. Kat’s eyes shifted toward Eric, and her lips curved up in a sweet smile that erased all of Eric’s thoughts with the exception of one. He didn’t want this weekend to end.

Chapter Seven

“ARE WE GOING to pretend that the sexual tension between you and Eric isn’t thick enough to cut with a knife?” Bree asked as she parked at the racetrack.

“If I say yes, will you believe me?” Kat had already filled Bree in on their airport sexcapade, and she knew it didn’t matter what she told Bree; her bestie would see right through to the truth. And it was the truth that worried her. She couldn’t stop thinking about him, wondering about all sorts of things, not just the incredible sex.

“Not likely.” Bree cut the engine and turned a serious gaze to Kat. “He’s a good guy, Kat. When he’s with us, he’s so great with the kids, and he’s done amazing things with his foundation.”

“Yeah, I get that impression.”

“But…he’s not exactly good boyfriend material, and with all the changes you’re making in your life, I think you need to know that.”

“Really, Bree? A guy who fucked me in an airport bathroom isn’t good boyfriend material?” Kat laughed. “I’m not so sure I’m good girlfriend material, either, despite the changes I’ve made.”

Brianna opened her car door. “How can you say that?”

“Because. Yes, I’ve been more careful about the guys I’ve dated, and I’ve upended my life to follow my dream, but…” She pressed her lips together, steeling her resolve to be honest with her friend, and with herself. “Don’t you think there’s a reason I had sex with him at the airport?”

“Of course. You’re making all these changes and needed to relieve some stress, and he’s hot and sexy. I mean, other than Hugh, he’s the best definition of
heartthrob
I’ve ever seen. And if you tell Hugh I said that, I’ll totally deny it.”

They both laughed, but in her mind, she wasn’t laughing at her own confession, which was vying for release. Kat clutched the door handle.

“Bree, I’ve been lonely. Bored, even.”

“But you have all this exciting stuff going on. How can you possibly be bored?”

Kat leveled a serious stare on her best friend, waiting for her meaning to come through. Bree hadn’t enjoyed her sexuality after Layla was born until she’d met Hugh. She hadn’t had the same freedoms, explored the darker sides of her passions like Kat had.
Finally
, Bree’s eyes widened with understanding.

“Oh, you mean…” Her cheeks pinked up, which made Kat laugh because, even though she knew Bree had an amazing sex life with Hugh, her friend was still the sweet, shy girl she’d always known.

“Yup.” She sighed.

“But, Kat, what does that mean? That you can never have a monogamous relationship because you like doing it with strangers?” The concern in Bree’s eyes and her worried tone made Kat cringe.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I don’t think I like sex with strangers, per se. I just…” She tried to figure out how to explain what she’d felt at the airport—and every time she’d seen Eric since they’d met. “When I first saw Eric in the bar, I could tell he was a player. You know I can spot them a mile away, and I was ready to turn him away. But the minute he spoke, my insides turned to mush. I swear that man sprinkles gasoline with every word, and his smile is all the fire he needs to ignite the flames. Bree, I know I shouldn’t admit this, but I wanted him more than I’ve ever wanted a man in my life.”

“But just him? I mean, does that happen with other guys? You said you haven’t been hooking up with guys for a long time. You’ve been dating, but I don’t think that’s what you’re talking about with Eric.” 

They got out of the car, and Kat spotted Eric and Hugh coming out of the clubhouse wearing their racing suits and carrying their helmets. They were looking at each other, smiling as they talked. Kat’s pulse ratcheted up about fifty notches, and when Eric turned those amber eyes on her, her breath hitched in her throat. She reached for Bree’s arm, steadying herself as desire weakened her knees
again
.

“It’s just him,” she managed. “Definitely just him.” Whatever else Bree said didn’t register as three women, wearing skimpy skirts and barely there tops, ran from the other side of the parking lot, flipping their hair and touching Hugh and Eric in a way that made Kat’s blood boil. Kat wasn’t usually a jealous person, but there was no denying the claws of jealousy piercing her skin or the fierce determination in every step as she closed the distance between them, determined to rip the girls to shreds.

“Kat!” Bree grabbed her arm, holding her back. “They’re groupies. It’s all part of it.”

“Doesn’t that bother you?” Kat snapped. She was breathing hard, tugging her arm from Bree’s grip.

“It used to, but Hugh knows how to handle it.”

Kat broke free as Eric’s eyes locked on her again. She stopped cold a few feet away from him as he signed autographs, watching her the whole time. What was she doing? He wasn’t her boyfriend. Jesus, he wasn’t even her date! She had no business being jealous, but that didn’t stop anger from curling inside her like a snake preparing to strike. She spun around and stomped back to the car with Bree on her heels. Kat pressed her palms to the hood of the car and let her chin drop to her chest.

“Holy crap. What is wrong with me?”

Bree leaned her butt on the car beside her, smiling like she had just unearthed all Kat’s secrets. “I think you just might be monogamy material after all.”

“That’s great, Bree. Just what I need. One-sided monogamy.”

“I hear it’s all the rage these days,” Bree teased as the men approached.

Kat sensed Eric’s presence before she turned and saw the intense look in his eyes. Hugh and Bree retrieved the equipment from the backseat while Kat tried to remember how to function like a normal person instead of a jealous groupie.

“That look you gave me back there was definitely a turn-on,” he said quietly enough that only she could hear him.

“It was the look of insanity.”
Like the torrent going on inside me right now.

His eyes narrowed as he rubbed the back of his neck and stepped in closer. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was jealousy.”

Kat circled the car to help carry the equipment. “Don’t flatter yourself.” She hoisted a bag toward her shoulder, and Eric intercepted it, pinning her in place with a dark stare.

“I thought you wanted to get to know me better. Shouldn’t I be flattered by your look of
insanity
?”

She closed the car door, and they headed across the parking lot toward the track. The girls who had fawned over Eric and Hugh had joined a group of people by the clubhouse. Kat tried to ignore the
insanity
prickling her nerves.

“Don’t you get enough of an ego boost from being fawned over by strangers?” She knew it was a bitchy thing to say, but she was powerless to stop the attitude from flying in his face like a big red flag. He stopped walking and gripped her arm—hard. The wicked look in his eyes told her that he didn’t see it as a red flag at all.

“I said I was interested in enjoying
you
, Kat. That means
you
, not some girls who want an autograph.” The hint of anger in his voice had her stepping back, and him stepping forward. “I’m a public figure. I get hit on all the time.”

“Good for you.” She walked toward the track where Hugh and Bree were setting up the equipment, and he gripped her arm again, more gently this time, keeping her beside him.

“Yes, good for me.” The words were cold, but his eyes were warm. “I can get as much ass as I want, whenever I want. I can also risk disease or bad press, right? That’s real attractive.  Let’s not forget the shame that follows a good hookup.” His tone turned thoughtful, and Kat swore she saw a shadow of hurt wash over his face. “We both know that shame, don’t we?” 

She knew that shame, and she hated it almost as much as she hated that she’d made him feel bad for just being the celebrity he was. “Yes,” she said quietly.

“For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel that shame, Kat. Not for one second after being with you.” He paused, and she wondered if it was so she could let his words sink in or for him to gather his thoughts as his eyes searched hers. “I know we just met, but I feel something between us that’s more powerful than I’ve ever felt before. I want a chance to explore that with you.”

He slid his hand to the nape of her neck and stepped in closer, bringing their lips a whisper apart. He didn’t seem to care who saw them, and she didn’t care either, because being this close to Eric, feeling his heat embrace her, seeing the desire in his eyes, consumed her. She desperately wanted to press her lips to his, to tell him she was sorry.

She opened her mouth to apologize, and before she could say a word, he said, “I’ll never lie to you and pretend that there wasn’t a time when those types of girls turned my head. But right here, right now, there’s only you and me. And until we decide otherwise—until
you and I
make that decision together—you don’t have to worry about what I’m doing with any other woman.”

He stared at her for a long stretch, long enough that his words sank into her heart and filled her with hope.

THE SECOND ERIC had seen jealousy flash in Kat’s eyes, he’d known that he never wanted to make her feel that awful emotion again. And he was going to do everything within his power to ensure she never had a reason to feel that way. After signing autographs for the women, he’d asked Hugh if he’d mind if he asked Kat out, and thankfully—
God, thankfully
—he didn’t.

Eric didn’t waste a second as he gazed into Kat’s eyes. “Go out with me tonight. Just the two of us.”

Her eyes shifted to their friends. “But we’re visiting Bree and Hugh.”

“I asked Hugh if he minded, and he doesn’t. I’d be happy to ask Bree, too, if you want. And I know I’m asking you to take time away from your best friend, but if you give me tonight, Kat, I’ll fly you back to see Bree whenever you want. One night, that’s all I’m asking.”
Although I want so much more.

She opened her mouth to speak, and he pressed his lips to hers. He didn’t need to hear her say she didn’t want a fling, because he didn’t either. She kissed him tentatively at first, but as he slicked his tongue over the seam of her lips, she opened up to him, meeting his passion with her own. Her body melted against him, and when he deepened the kiss, her arms wound around his neck. This was what he’d dreamed of all night and longed for all day. The taste of her desire, the total release when she gave herself up to their kisses, the feel of their bodies fighting for more.

The sound of girls giggling pulled him from the heat of the moment, and he remembered they were in a parking lot surrounded by strangers and leaving Hugh and Bree waiting.

He reluctantly ended the kiss, keeping her so close he could hear every breath she took. “Say yes, Kat.”

Her eyes were smoky, her skin was flushed, and her answer came in a whisper. “Yes.”

“Yes,” he repeated, because he felt like he might burst with gratitude and needed a release before he gathered her in his arms to kiss her again.