Flat-Out Sexy (9 page)

“Changing the sheets. Ryder knows what happened on them since he saw us in bed. It’s tacky to just leave them.” She dug through drawers until she found fresh sheets, and before Elec even had his T-shirt on, she had snapped open the fitted sheet and efficiently tucked it all around the bed.

Damn, she was sexy. Her hair was tousled, her cheeks pink, her dress all rumpled, and she smoothed the sheet out with her hand, doing what needed to be done. While he just stood and stared at her. Elec got his head out of his ass and stepped forward to catch the bottom of the top sheet as she spread it out, and he tucked the bottom while she tucked the top. Together they threw the comforter and pillows back on, and Elec found himself grinning like a fool for no apparent reason.

There was just something about Tamara that he really liked. She was the absolute opposite of the women he’d been dating, and he really appreciated her compassion, her sense of responsibility, hell, even the way she worried. She worried because she cared, and that was damn sexy to him.

“So what are your plans for the day?” he asked, fishing his shirt off the floor and putting it on without buttoning it back up. It was safe to say that particular shirt was going into the trash when he got home.

“I have to meet my in-laws at the race. They’re bringing my kids.”

Elec eyed her outfit. “You’re going to the track in a cocktail dress?”

“I don’t have a choice. I left my bag at Geoffrey’s and I lost my purse, remember?”

There was no way she could show up at a race wearing a black dress and heels. Somehow he knew Tamara didn’t covet the spotlight any more than he did, and wearing that sort of getup was bound to get her all sorts of unwanted attention. “You don’t want to do that. Just come back to my coach and we’ll find you something else to wear. I have to go get my bag anyway.”

She was biting her fingernail. “Nothing you wear is going to fit me.”

“Probably not, but a baggy T-shirt is better than a wrinkled cocktail dress. Think of all the media scrutiny you’ll get strolling around in last night’s clothes.”

Tamara blanched. “You’re right. Okay, thanks.”

“We’d better get a move on.” Elec scooped up his shoes in his hand. He was not stuffing his feet back into those things. He’d rather walk across glass.

Tamara actually put her heels back on and headed for the front door. Elec put his hand on the small of her back. “Third coach to the left.”

She glanced back at him. “You’re that close? Yet we stayed here?”

He grinned. “Well, I do share it with my brother, though he wasn’t planning to stay here last night. Mostly I figured no sense in ruining the moment. Besides, if we had taken the time to walk to my place, you might have changed your mind. I couldn’t risk that.”

That was spoken to tease her. The true story was that once she’d told him to get inside Ryder’s coach, it had never even occurred to him that his own place was spitting distance away.

Tamara glanced back at him, but she didn’t say anything. She looked worried, her gaze darting left and right. Elec dropped his hand from her back to alleviate her feeling even more self-conscious than she already did. The compound was quiet, and they didn’t pass anyone in their quick dart to his coach. Elec had the door unlocked and they were inside, Tamara’s hand over her heart.

“I’m not cut out for sneaking around,” she said.

“Then maybe we shouldn’t sneak around. Who cares if people know we’re dating?” He certainly didn’t. But even as he said it, he knew the situation was different for her. She had kids, in-laws, a spotless reputation. “But I understand. I do. No one saw us, I’m sure of it.”

“I hope not.” She bit her lip. “I mean, no offense or anything, it’s just that …”

“I know. It’s okay, I do get it.” He did know, and he didn’t really want to hear her spell it out. Reality sort of sucked all the fun out of their spontaneous night of sex, and he didn’t want to let go of that satisfaction and pleasure just yet. “Let me find you some clothes to wear. Have a seat, make yourself comfortable. If you’re thirsty or anything, feel free to dig through the fridge.”

Elec glanced around his living room. There was a half-eaten bag of chips on the coffee table, some beer cans, and a multitude of video games splayed across the couch. His furniture didn’t really match, since he’d just gathered it here and there over the years and there were no pictures or anything hanging on the walls. It looked like he was a college kid, and he was suddenly embarrassed. His condo looked way better, like he was actually an adult, and he really wanted her to lose the focus she had on their age difference. The coach wasn’t helping the matter. Not to mention he was starving and he really wanted to toss a handful of those chips into his mouth, but didn’t dare.

He went into his bedroom and saw similar turmoil … lots of dirty clothes, a bed minus a headboard, and his remote control car. Best to get her out of the place before she thought too long and hard about his housekeeping. Elec ripped open a drawer and dug through it until he found the smallest shirt he owned. He did the same thing with his jeans, and even dragged out a pair of gym shoes, then tossed them back when he realized her tiny feet would swim in them.

Elec was mortified when he came back into the living room and found that Tamara had tossed out his empty beer cans and was rolling the bag of chips closed. “You don’t have to do that,” he said.

“The chips will get stale,” she said, setting them back on the coffee table, her hands going to her hips, then falling away. “And I’m nervous and needed something to do with my hands.”

His embarrassment disappeared. “I wish we had more time. I can think of a thing or two you can do with your hands.”

Her cheeks turned pink. “We don’t have any time. We have no time whatsoever and I’ll feel really terrible if you’re late and get reprimanded. So are those clothes for me?”

Elec handed them to her, knowing a lazy smile was spreading across his face. “Why don’t you change in the bathroom so I can get my stuff together in the bedroom. Bathroom is the first door on the right. And I suggest you get a babysitter for a good long while next Monday night. I think we’re going to want a lot of time for … dinner.”

Tamara’s eyes went wide. “You’re a very naughty boy, Elec.”

It didn’t sound like it bothered her in the least. She pulled the clothes out of his hands and he made sure their skin brushed against each other. “So punish me.”

She arched her eyebrow. “You’ll like it too much.”

Elec laughed. “You’re right.”

Then she surprised him by leaning over and giving him a sexy, lingering kiss. She stared at him for a second, then turned on her high heel and walked down the hall, pausing to gaze in like she was making sure it was the right room, before she went inside the bathroom.

Elec found himself just standing there feeling like he’d been hit with a stupid stick. He was grinning in an empty room over being with a woman who didn’t want anyone to know they were getting it on, because he was falling for her already—hook, line, and goddamn sinker.

TAMARA came out of Elec’s bathroom feeling less than prepared to face him or a crowd at the track. His jeans were resting on her hips and sagging in the butt and his golf shirt was gaping in the armpits and just about everywhere else. The grin he gave her when he saw her didn’t help.

“Do I look that bad?” she asked, self-consciously. She had patted her hair down and washed her face, but it wasn’t the same as having a shower, your blow-dryer, and a hairbrush. Not to mention she probably had foul breath from not having a toothbrush.

“You look adorable,” he said, and he sounded and looked like he meant it.

Had the man been drinking? “I look ridiculous, is what I look like.”

“I don’t agree. And before you run off on me, give me your number.” Elec was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, his sponsor’s ball cap on his head, his gym bag at his feet.

It was a look Tamara was very familiar with, and she suddenly had a lump in her throat, unsure how she felt about all of this. But Elec was flipping open his cell phone and typing her name in, so she recited her number for him. She wanted to go out with him, she did, she wanted to have good sex again, at the same time she was damn well terrified of what might happen if she did. Elec was too young for her. Pete’s family hated Elec’s family. Tamara had children who would resent their mother dating another driver. It was just all sorts of complicated and she didn’t want any of that.

But Lord, she did want to have some fun with him.

“Got it, thanks. Tamara Briggs, Hot Mama,” he said as he punched buttons on his cell phone.

“Very funny.”

“It’s the truth.” Elec grinned at her, then went back to his phone. He pushed a button, then frowned.

“What?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. There’s just this woman, a fan, who keeps sending me text messages. I’m almost afraid to read it. She’s been a little aggressive.”

He was holding the phone away from his body like he expected it to bite him. Curiosity got the best of her. “What did she say?”

Elec pushed a button, then his eyes went wide. “Wow, okay, didn’t expect that.”

“What?” Tamara moved a little closer to Elec, feeling something she was refusing to label as jealousy.

“It’s a picture text,” he said, one eye squinting a little as he stared at it. “One I could have done without, frankly.”

“She sent you a picture of herself?” Tamara started to get suspicious. “What, is she naked or something?” she asked, half joking, half convinced that’s what it was.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Unfortunately was good. Unfortunately probably meant that Elec was in no way attracted to the woman and that she was not a pretty sight naked. Tamara should just leave it at that. But she found herself asking, “Can I see?” Which was rude and tacky, but she couldn’t stop herself. She tried to cover her over-the-top interest. “I just can’t believe someone would send a picture of themselves like that to a total stranger. How did she get your number, by the way?”

“Are you sure you want to look? It’s crude.” When she nodded, in spite of herself, Elec turned the phone toward her.

Tamara saw an amazingly perfect nude body with perky breasts and a waxed bikini area at the same time Elec said, “Well, she’s not a total stranger. We went out a couple of times. I’m just not interested in her and she’s not getting the hint.”

Feeling like all the air had been crushed out of her lungs, Tamara gaped at the text picture. Not interested? He hadn’t been interested? On top of the long legs and the firm abs and the toned arms was a beautiful face surrounded by the quintessential halo of blond hair. Pouty lips smiled out at them. She could have been a model. A Playboy bunny.

And Elec had gone out with this woman. Dated her.

Tamara felt like a big old schlumpy soccer mom.
Old
and
schlumpy
being the operative words.

“She’s very attractive,” Tamara managed to force out.

Elec just shrugged. “She’s alright, physically. But I can’t think much of a woman who would do this … I mean, if we’re dating and we’re a couple, sending naked pictures of yourself is sexy as hell. But when you’re not dating, doing what Crystal is doing is just sort of like trying to sell yourself. I don’t know. I just don’t like it.”

While she could appreciate that, and the fact that it said wonderful things about Elec’s character, all she could think about was that smoking hot body and how it compared to her ten-years-older cottage cheese ass. And the naked beauty’s name was Crystal. Of course.

“Erasing this,” Elec said, pushing the button to get rid of the pic on his phone. “Good thing I have free texts. I’d hate to think I’d paid to get that.” He shoved his phone in his pocket. “Guess we should go.”

“Definitely.” Tamara shook her head when he tried to hang back and let her go first, like a gentleman would. Screw manners, she needed to be covert. “No, you go first,” she insisted, shoving Elec toward the door. “I’ll follow you.”

He turned and shot her a look of amusement over his shoulder. “No one is going to care if we walk out of this coach together. For all they know, we’re just friends. It’s almost one in the afternoon.”

What was he not understanding about this? “I am meeting my children and Pete’s parents in thirty minutes. I came down here yesterday with a different man. I don’t think they’re going to be thrilled to see me tumbling out of your bed.”

“Technically, it was Ryder’s bed. And only Ryder saw you in it.”

Tamara smacked him on the arm, feeling like she just might have an anxiety attack if anyone saw her with Elec. She just wasn’t mentally prepared to deal with the questions and curiosity, especially now that she had naked Crystal to fret about as well. “Whatever. Just go. I’ll wait a few minutes, then I’ll leave. I’ll lock the door, I swear.”

Elec looked like he was going to make some kind of smart-ass remark, but he just grinned and leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss. “Make sure you cheer on number fifty-six. I’ll call you later, gorgeous.”

Then he was gone with a wave and Tamara was left standing there in jeans that didn’t fit, a golf shirt that swallowed her whole, and her black heels. She was going to sacrifice the cocktail dress and just leave it at Elec’s because she couldn’t imagine strolling up to her in-laws with it tucked under her arm. If he was as determined to see her again as he said, he’d get it back to her next week.