Fast and Furious (4 page)

Chapter Six

Allie stood perfectly still as the four cars raced past her, two on each side. She spun around quickly, keeping a close eye on Chase and her car. She really would have his balls if he messed it up.

“What the hell are you doing?” Dray asked as he came to stand next to her.

She shrugged one shoulder, keeping her eyes on the car. So far, he was in second, but gaining quickly on first. “I was just curious.”

“Uh, huh.”

She glanced over to Logan and Blaine, who stood along the side and watched. Logan was tall with black hair and blue eyes that could easily pin her in place, her knees weak. Blaine also had a way about him, a confidence that dwarfed his boyish charm, making him quite sexy in his own right. Both appeared to be more than a little concerned.

Dray grabbed her arm and ushered her to the side as the four cars made the turn at the intersection. Allie watched as Chase easily took the lead and crossed the line a half a car length before the second one.

“Damn,” Dray murmured. “Nice driving. Looks like now you’re going to have to kiss him.”

Allie’s stomach knotted at the thought. Not because she didn’t want to, but because she did. Way too much in her opinion. She did not need this kind of distraction, and she certainly didn’t need to be sleeping with her own mechanics, but damned if tonight she could think of anything but sleeping with him.

Actually, much to her embarrassment, she’d thought of sleeping with all three of them.

“Allie?”

“What?” she asked, turning to Dray in confusion.

“Did you hear what I said?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Sorry. No.”

Dray chuckled and handed her the money. “Go get your kiss, mama.”

Allie sighed as Chase pulled the car to a stop right at her feet. “The first day on the job and already he’s pushing my buttons,” she grumbled at Dray.

“Yeah. I actually expected that from Logan first.”

She glanced over at the older of the three and caught his gaze as he stared at her across the parking lot. Her skin tingled at the way his eyes dropped along her body, then back up. She swallowed and quickly glanced away.

“God help me if they both start that crap. If they all three do it, I’m a goner, Dray.”

Dray moved close and whispered. “Please. You can handle them, all three of them in fact. Remember, they’re just men, and you can handle men.”

“True,” she agreed, knowing he was right.

Yes, she enjoyed men; a lot and as often as possible. She made no apologies for that to anyone. But these men were amazingly confident, incredibly good looking, and way too sexy for her own well-being. She would do well to make sure she always had the upper hand. Otherwise, she just might lose her heart to one or even all of them.

Even though she’d just met them, she already knew they affected her in ways other men hadn’t. Especially Chase. Her reaction to him was probably the strongest, which left her feeling unsettled and slightly off balance. A feeling she didn’t like one bit.

Chase climbed from the car and shut the door as several men came over to high-five him or pat him on the back for a race well won. He’d surprised her. She’d had to run several races before winning her first. Chase won the first time out. He’d obviously raced before. As the crowd around him thinned, he leaned against the door and crossed his arms over his chest, a look of pure arrogance on his face. He was so thrilled with himself that Allie could only smile.

“So where’s my kiss?” he purred, making Allie’s stomach flutter.

Since when did she get butterflies?

Deciding to take the bull by the horns, she ignored the chants of “kiss” crescendoing around her and slowly walked toward Chase.

He pushed from the door and took a step toward her as she came to a stop in front of him. Her heart raced wildly at the thought of those full lips slanting over hers. She could feel herself getting wet just thinking about it.

He reached out and wrapped a finger around the belt loop of her shorts and tugged her closer. She followed without a fight, anxious for the touch of his mouth against hers. His head descended slowly, much too slowly for her liking, but she held herself still, determined not to appear too needy.

Oh, yes … she wanted him. But she didn’t want him to know that. At least not yet. She’d make him sweat a little. Maybe even beg. What she would really like is for him to seduce her. She’d bet he was good at that.

His mouth slanted over hers, and her eyes drifted closed. The pressure of his lips moving over her mouth made hers part in invitation almost of its own accord. It was as though she no longer had control of her own body.

His tongue dipped into her mouth slowly, teasingly as he gently feathered it along her teeth. Allie opened wider, allowing his tongue to slide deeper and twirl around hers in a way that made her knees tremble. Was he really doing this to her? Was he really making her punch drunk with just a kiss?

Reaching up, she grasped his shirt to hold herself upright as one of his arms slid around her waist. His hand flattened against the small of her back, pressing her against him so close she could feel every inch of his body from shoulders to feet.

Wow, he felt good. So hard, so firm, so strong.

He let go of her belt loop and raised his hand to cup her cheek. It was such a sweet move; his touch so tender it made her thighs wobble like jelly. His fingers slid slowly over her cheek, then moved to cup the back of her neck, holding her steady as he deepened the kiss even further. The cat calls going on around them faded away as she lost herself in his kiss. A shrill whistle cut through the haze, and she stiffened.

As quickly as possible, she jerked away from him. She couldn’t let anyone see how he’d unsettled her, how he’d made her want him in just a matter of seconds to the point she would now have to go back home and masturbate before she could sleep.

Clearing her throat, she lifted her chin and handed him half the money. He took it, watching her with curiosity and just a hint of lust shining in his green eyes.

“There’s the rest of what I owe you.”

With that, she turned and walked as steadily as her legs would allow back to Dray.

“You okay?” Dray asked as she slowly moved past him.

“No,” she whispered. “I need a shot of Vodka and half the toys in my drawer after that kiss.”

Dray choked on the sip of beer he’d just taken. She looked to her left and saw Logan and Blaine making their way over. Those two were the last thing she needed. She was already hot enough to melt snow. If she got any hotter she’d combust—right here in front of everyone.

She held out her hand. “I need to go. Give me your keys.”

“Excuse me?” Dray asked in surprise.

“Dray, please. You can come back in my car.”

“Wow,” Dray drawled as he reached into his pocket. “He must’ve really rattled your brains.”

“That’s an understatement,” she whispered as her fingers closed around the keys he placed in her palm. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

She walked away, leaving Dray to handle the explanations, and Chase to handle the congratulations on his own. He was a big boy. He could handle it. Besides, as her mechanic, everyone needed to get to know all three of them ’cause God knew, the cartel would look into them.

She frowned as she opened the door to Dray’s convertible Corvette and slipped behind the wheel. She really shouldn’t have let Dray talk her into hiring more people. They could’ve handled things on their own. It was just too dangerous to bring strangers into their world. For her, for Dray, and mostly for the three men who had no idea what they were in the middle of. The fact that they were former Seals didn’t make a difference. She doubted even Seals could hold their own against the crowd she worked for.

They even terrified her, which was saying a lot. As a cop, she’d seen it all, but she’d never seen any group as cruel and as cunning as this group was. She was in one hell of a mess and didn’t have a clue how to get out short of faking her own death and losing everything she’d worked so hard to gain.

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Chapter Seven

Chase stood in the darkened bay, watching out the back window toward Allie’s houseboat. No lights shown inside. There was no indication of movement. She had to be there, her car was parked outside.

She could’ve left with someone else, he supposed, but he certainly didn’t like the idea.

“You’ve only known her a day, Chase,” Blaine said softly from behind him.

Blaine had always been his voice of reason.

“I know,” Chase said as he turned to face him.

He tossed the wrench into the toolbox where it landed with a loud clang. He’d come here to get something he’d left earlier and ended up hanging around in the hopes he’d see her. All he’d really done was keep Blaine out longer than he wanted to be and made himself look like a love struck idiot.

“Don’t jump on her too soon or you might scare her off.”

Chase snorted. “I don’t plan on jumping on her, thank you very much. But from what Dray has told me, Allie doesn’t scare easily.”

“She’s a female you. Having sex with strangers, openly flirting, one night stands.”

“I get the picture,” Chase grumbled.

“Logan would tell you that’s not what we’re here for.”

Chase lifted his finger to his lips, indicating Blaine should keep quiet. Logan had performed a sweep earlier and found two bugs; one inactive, the other active. They had no idea how long they’d been there or if they were even still listening, but they didn’t want to take any chances.

“I know why we’re here,” Chase replied. “We need jobs. Period.”

“That money you won tonight should help in that regard. You keep doing that, and we may not even need this job.”

Chase grinned at Blaine. They’d worked together for so long, they could easily pick up on each other’s signals and their meaning. Blaine was great at adlibbing—always had been.

“It’s almost one in the morning,” Blaine said as he set his grease rag aside. “Let’s head home and get some sleep. Logan is probably wondering where we are anyway.”

“Yeah. Wouldn’t want to upset the boss.”

Blaine snickered, but said nothing more. Chase took one more look out the back and could’ve sworn he saw her shadow standing in the window of her boat. Did she know he was here? Had that kiss earlier affected her as much as it had him?

He hadn’t really meant for the kiss to go that far. He wasn’t even sure why he’d suggested it in the first place. He just knew he wanted to taste her, touch her and God help him, he’d loved every second of it.

* * * *

“Good morning, mama,” Dray said as Allie walked into the shop early the next morning. “Sleep well?”

Allie shot him an annoyed look to show him how well she’d slept, or more to the point, how lousy. All night she’d thought about that kiss; the way his mouth had molded against hers, the way his body had felt, all hard and firm and muscular.

She groaned softly as her arousal again began to rise. She’d masturbated twice last night, but neither time seemed to help. She wanted Chase. She would settle for Logan or Blaine. The last time she’d masturbated, she’d imagined being with all three of them. If the real thing was anything like her imagination, it would be one hell of a ride.

“Where are the guys?” she asked as she poured herself a much needed cup of coffee.

“Blaine is running errands for me. Logan is in the side lot, sanding the mustang and Chase is under that Mitsubishi over there.”

Allie looked with interest at Chase’s legs as they stuck out from under the car.

“I take it those toys didn’t work for ya,” Dray drawled with amusement.

Allie’s lips thinned. “I tell you way too much, I think.”

Dray laughed. “I’m all you got, mama, and you know it.”

She sighed and took another sip of coffee. “You’re right. You are.” She looked over at him and smiled softly. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He returned her smile and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “You won’t ever have to find out, ’cause you’re all I got, too.”

Allie watched him as he walked into the bays and a sadness filled her heart at what he’d just said. She was all he had. He’d been on the streets when she’d taken him in at nineteen, running from a gang. He’d shown up one day and asked for a job. When he’d pointed out a problem with the fuel system she’d missed on a suped-up Firebird, she’d offered him one.

He’d slept on a cot in the shop until he’d made enough money racing to buy the small houseboat he tied up in the back alongside hers. Over the years, he’d become her best friend, her business partner, and her family. Since the death of her mother and the required separation from her father he’d become her only family.

She missed her real father; unfortunately his title of Secretary of the Navy made their distance a necessity. She never would’ve gotten this far if the cartel knew of her connection to him. Hell, if they knew of her connection, she would’ve never gotten in at all.

She looked forward to the day she could walk away from that cartel and see her father again. It had been over four years and although her stepfather had been great when she was younger, after the death of her mother he’d become more and more distant. She’d decided to remain with him since she’d been a senior in high school at the time and wanted to graduate with her friends. But once she was out of school, their contact with one another became less and less to the point she couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen or talked to him. Her real father, SECNAV, had always been there.

He’d admitted when she was in college that his wife had at first disliked the very idea of her. Truthfully, Allie could understand that. He’d had an affair with her mother, and she was a constant reminder of that fact. Over time his wife had come to accept her and even cared about her a little. Her half-sister was another matter. That girl hated Allie.

When her father had first heard about the assignment, he’d tried to talk her out of it, but she’d been determined to see it through. It was her job, her big chance for a promotion. Now … she just wanted out.

“Good morning.”

Allie jumped at the deep tone of Logan’s voice. She’d been so engrossed in her thoughts, she hadn’t even noticed him enter the bay.

“Sorry,” he said with a slight chuckle that made her stomach flutter wildly. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t sleep well last night, so I’m a little off this morning.”

Logan poured himself a cup of coffee and took a sip. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I very seldom sleep through the night anymore.”

She eyed him curiously. “Is it because of what you used to do?”

Logan glanced up at her as though he wasn’t quite sure what to say.

“Dray told me the three of you are former Seals, fresh out of the service.”

Logan nodded in understanding then took another sip of coffee. Allie wondered why he didn’t answer the question.

“Were the three of you in the same platoon?”

Logan smiled slightly. “It’s a team,” he said. “Seals are a team. Navy doesn’t really have platoons. And yes, we were on the same team.”

Allie grinned and nodded her head. Being the daughter of SECNAV, she supposed she should’ve known that, but seeing as she didn’t accompany her father to military functions, she didn’t pay too much attention to the specifics of the Navy. “I see. I’m afraid I’m not much up on the military lingo.”

“Most civilians aren’t.”

“Was it bad? Some of the assignments, I mean,” she asked, still curious about his comment on not sleeping.

“Anything the Seals do is bad.” Logan stared into his cup for a few seconds before continuing. “We go into the roughest, hardest to get to places. We do things that…”

His voice trailed off as he continued to stare into the cup. She wondered if something bad had happened. Something he didn’t want to talk about.

He looked up at her and grinned, the shadow in his eyes replaced by mischief. “Where did you learn to race?” he asked from out of the blue and the question surprised her so much, it took a second for her to answer.

“Um, my stepfather.”

He pointed with his cup toward the bay. “Sounds like you have a background similar to Chase’s. His father raced as well. Chase worked the pit crew mostly, but he raced some too; just amateur stuff. When on a tour with the Seal team if there was any driving to be done, Chase did it. He could get us out of any jam so long as whatever we were driving held up.”

Allie giggled, trying to picture it in her mind. “Did you ever have a time when things broke down?”

Logan nodded. “Once.”

That shadow passed over his eyes again, but it was quickly gone. It happened so fast, Allie wasn’t even sure it had been there to begin with. Her phone beeped, and she pulled it from her pocket. She stared at the screen in disappointment. It was coordinates for another rendezvous. The drug cartel was on the move again, time to juggle another shipment.

With a sigh, she flipped the phone closed and stuck it back in her pocket. “I gotta go,” she mumbled and grabbed her keys from the desk.

“Want some company?” Logan asked.

She almost said yes. She was so tempted to have him tag along, but she knew better. The cartel would shoot him on site. All the drivers knew never to bring anyone with them … ever.

“No. There’s lots here to do, but thanks anyway.”

She turned and left before she could change her mind, or worse yet, drag both him and Chase to her boat for something much more fun than driving for the cartel.