Pole Position (13 page)

I’d almost forgotten how beautiful Anita was. She clattered down the stairs and hurled herself into my arms. Her hair was still wet and smelled faintly of coconut. Her outfit was simple, what I’d only ever seen her wear at home, a plain white T-shirt and jeans, and no jewelry. She didn’t even wear a watch.

The hire car wasn’t the best I’d had. On the long journey back from London, it proved itself to have poor suspension and a badly laid out interior. I couldn’t push the seat as far back as I liked—I’d been cramped and hunched over the wheel. My muscles were already aching and grumbling after a hard workout in the hotel gym.

Anita was a perfect distraction, and I stole a kiss as I helped her into the car. “Mrs. Pearce is away this weekend, so it’s just us. There’ll be plenty to scavenge from the freezer. Is that okay?”

She shrugged. “I don’t mind. I’m not great in the kitchen though. Usually Colette does all our cooking.”

We headed straight back to the house, to the welcome sight of my ‘Vette parked outside. Since Susie had staked her claim on it, I’d kept imagining it would’ve disappeared. I yawned and stretched as I climbed out of the car. “I’m knackered. I need a bath. Care to join me?”

“Of course.” Her eyes danced. “But let’s eat first. You must be starving.”

I needn’t have worried about meals. Mrs. P had left a ton of food for me once she heard I’d be alone in the house at the weekend. I reheated some chicken soup and served it up with chunks of her homemade bread, and we finished with a huge green salad. Several cups of coffee later, we headed upstairs, and I eventually sank into a deep bath. I groaned as I hit the water. I swear every part of me ached after that damned hire car.

Anita wanted to examine my bruises. They’d mostly faded now, but I had no problem with her examining my body. The opposite in fact.

She was still shy, hesitant about taking the lead and unsure about how to please me. I reminded myself it was only a week ago that we’d first had sex, and we’d barely seen each other since. These things took time. And despite her one former partner—I resisted thinking of him as her lover, more like her abuser—she was totally innocent about sex. We cuddled and touched happily in the bath, then made long, tender love in bed. It was as good as I’d hoped. I drifted to sleep with her held securely in my arms.

Anita had a pleasant surprise for me on Saturday morning. She’d swapped her riding classes round and didn’t have to teach. She even arranged for someone else to exercise Sam and sort out his stable and feed. If I wanted to, she announced shyly, we could stay in bed a bit longer. I laughed in delight.

I pinned her down while I kissed her all over, finding her ticklish spots. She giggled and retaliated by licking my nipples and then pulling away. Firmly holding her wrists by her sides, I slithered down the bed and nudged her legs apart with my shoulder. She laughed and pretended to struggle, completely unsuspecting what I had planned. Then she froze.

“What are you doing?” she squeaked.

I raised my head slightly. “You’ll see.” I released her and stroked my hands down her thighs, and back up the inside, opening her legs farther and bending one leg at the knee. Her breath hitched. I could tell she was about to object, and I distracted her by kissing a trail down from her stomach. I blew a soft breath across her clit and watched her tremble.

“But…
but
…”

When I closed my mouth over her pussy lips, I saw her hands clench in the bedclothes. This would be another first for her. I teased with my tongue, little flicks and laps, waiting until she relaxed.

“Jon,” she whimpered, lifting her hips and pushing against my mouth.

I smiled. Her musky arousal filled my nose and hardened my cock, but this was for her. She was wet already, and I slipped one finger into her with ease, delighting in the way she moaned.

I added a second finger, and she squeezed around them both. So responsive to my touch. I licked her slit, sucked her lips and blew on her clit once more. This time she wailed, tension rippling through her body. She was close. It didn’t take long before she was moaning, crying my name and then coming in spasms that left her breathless. God, she was beautiful.

I had to be inside her. She gazed at me as I fitted a condom and knelt between her thighs. “That was…” Her whisper faltered. “I can’t tell you how good. I don’t have a word to describe it.”

Play was forgotten. I eased into her, pressing deep and slow, burying myself in her tight heat. Holding still, then sliding back, and pushing farther. Braced on one arm, I closed my mouth over hers and kissed her, sweet and slow. Our lovemaking was tender, unhurried. We had all day. I ran one hand through her hair and angled her face perfectly for my kiss, capturing her lips as I plunged deeper. Her moan vibrated through my chest. Back and forth, I rocked in a sensuous rhythm, drawing out the pleasure. She was mine for the taking. I wanted to keep her there forever.

“Oh God,” she whispered, her voice catching.

She dug her fingers into my shoulders, and I felt her tighten around my cock. Jesus. I couldn’t hold back much longer. She came in a series of ripples, each one squeezing me and making it impossible to wait. I groaned and then came explosively. It seemed to last an age but eventually I sagged over her and kissed her breathless.

Even spent and exhausted, I wanted more. I wanted everything. And that scared the shit out of me.

After spending most of Saturday in bed together, I was amazed I could actually walk on Sunday morning. The thing I found oddest was the more we made love, the more we wanted to. I’d vaguely expected that after a couple of sessions, the novelty would wear off, but no, with every encounter I wanted him again, and again. It amused me how much I’d changed in just a few weeks. And so far, my fears about disappointing him were held at bay.

On Sunday morning, after a leisurely session in bed, we had a quick breakfast and Jon dropped me off at the stables. Rather than messing around with two cars, he’d come back later to pick me up. While I was busy, he would go to the gym.

I caught up with Clare, took my usual classes and exercised Sam. I saw Danny briefly between classes, and he cheerfully asked if I was still going to the Blackheath Show the day after. At last, everything was right with my world.

Sitting on the bench in the yard, I gossiped with Clare and Danny while I waited for Jon to pick me up. I heard his car before he turned into the yard, and stood up at the same time as Danny.

“It’s good to see you happy again, love,” Danny said, before sweeping me into one of his bear hugs, and lifting me right off the ground. Despite my height, he carried me as easily as a bag of feed and strode across the yard.

I squealed with mock annoyance. “Put me down, you ass.”

“Here?” He held me over the water trough and pretended to drop me.

Thumping his shoulders, I was helpless with laughter, and clung to him just in case he let go. Eventually he set me back on the ground and that’s when I spotted Clare’s worried face. I turned to see Jon glowering at us, his fists clenched at his sides.

I hurried across the yard, dusting off the straw spills attached to me, and leaned into him to claim a kiss. He just stood there, scowling at Danny.

“Jon?” I was concerned. “Are you okay?”

“Huh?” He snapped his attention to me. “I’m fine. Are you ready to go?”

“I’ll just get my purse.” I walked back to the bench, puzzled. Meanwhile, Danny strode across the yard toward Jon, his hand held out in greeting.

“Well, mate, I don’t think we’ve actually been introduced. I’m Danny Webster and this is my yard.”

I watched the encounter with interest. I was pleased Danny was making the effort, and I hoped Jon would accept this olive branch.

A muscle twitched in Jon’s otherwise poker face, but Danny had his back to me and I couldn’t see his expression. After a long hesitation, Jon held out his hand for the briefest of shakes.

“Jon Craigowan.” He bit out the words. I could see he was angry with Danny, or me, I wasn’t yet sure.

My happy mood punctured, I trailed to Jon’s side, taking his hand and squeezing it, before gazing up at him.

“See you tomorrow, love,” said Danny. Leaning forward, he brushed a kiss across my cheek. “And don’t be late.”

Jon’s hand tightened on my fingers to the point where it hurt. I whimpered, and he instantly released me. “Come on,” he turned and stomped back to the car.

I’d barely climbed inside, didn’t even have my seatbelt fastened, when he started the engine with a roar and swung out of the yard, far too fast.

“
Jon
. Let me fasten my belt please.”

He instantly slowed down, and held out his hand to me again. “Sorry.”

I took a deep breath. Something had changed but I didn’t know what. “Will you please drop me at home. At my house?”

His gaze flicked to me, anger flashing in his eyes. “I thought you were coming back with me?”

“Yes. I just want to pick up my car first.”

He stared, and then returned his attention to the road. “Why do you need your car?” His voice was low.

“I have to be up early in the morning.”

“Apparently. And I can’t get up early enough for you?”

“Why are we quarrelling? I don’t want to spoil our weekend together.” Anxiety churned in my stomach. Where had this row suddenly blown up from?

He groaned, pulled the car off the road into a side street and switched off the engine. Turning to me, he held out his arms, and I nestled into them. My heart thudded painfully inside my chest, and I could hear his racing too. What had just happened?

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I guess I was looking forward to spending the weekend with you, and then when you said you wanted to go home, I thought you’d changed your mind.”

He’d been acting strangely since he came to pick me up, before I asked to go for my car. “Is that all? You were odd in the yard. I thought you were angry with me then. Have I done something to annoy you?”

“No, of course not.” He held me close. “I’m being an idiot, and I’m sorry. Let’s forget it shall we?”

“Okay.” I was hesitant. He hadn’t answered my question and I was sure he was hiding something. When he nibbled my earlobe and slipped one hand under my grubby T-shirt, I was suitably distracted and forgot to be cross with him. I pulled back, playful now. “Not here.”

He gave me his delicious, sexy grin and wiggled his eyebrows. “I’m inclined to agree, you smell of horse. I think you need a shower first.”

Starting the engine, he set off again. “Do you still need your car, or do you trust me to drop you off early enough?”

“Of course I trust you. I just feel bad about you driving me round everywhere, when I have a perfectly good car at home.”

“That’s settled then.” His tone was happy. The argument had been forgotten.

I concentrated on keeping things light and fun between us for the rest of the day. We showered together, finally made love on the huge sofa in the lounge, and then sprawled on the floor to watch a trashy film, while picking at cheese and crackers. Later, as Anita slept beside me, I let my mind wander.

I loved the way her body fit next to mine. She was a perfect match. We lay spooned together, her skin touching mine all the way down her body, my right arm supporting her head and my left resting across her middle, with my hand gently holding the curve of her breast. When we lay together like this, I could pretend that everything was fine. It was difficult to believe we’d met only two weeks ago. So much had happened. And now I couldn’t imagine sleeping without her by my side. If only it were that easy.

My right arm was going dead under the weight of her head. I eased it out and curled it behind her instead, causing her to shift slightly, mutter something in her sleep, and then settle again. I stroked her hair. I loved the thickness of it, and how it was so soft at the same time. I sighed. Sleep was a long way off for me.

I hated Danny. Everything about him made my skin crawl. He saw me arriving in the yard, we made eye contact, and then he started playing around with Anita, knowing I was watching. Knowing I didn’t like it.

How I longed to march across the yard and smash his face in, dunk
him
in the water trough. But she couldn’t see that. She claimed he was like a brother, and in some respects, he might be. I fumed again at his smug assertion that it was
his yard
, staking his claim with the sub-text being that I clearly wasn’t welcome. And when he’d swaggered toward me and declared we hadn’t been introduced yet, what a farce that had been. We had a large enough audience that I would only be making a dickhead of myself if I didn’t comply.

I was jealous of him
. Jealous he’d known Anita for so long, shared so much history with her, known her before that twat Rob messed her up. Jealous of his proprietary behavior. He sauntered up and kissed her as we were leaving, and even Clare looked surprised at that. He knew I couldn’t do anything about it.

Clare on the other hand, was lovely. Down to earth, capable, and appeared to have Anita’s best interests at heart. When I called at the yard to meet her last week, Clare had led me round to where she practiced on Sam, and she’d questioned me. She made it clear Anita was her oldest friend and she was looking out for her. I could understand that and even appreciate it.

I’d moved too often to gather friends, so I’d never had the luxury of knowing someone in such detail. In truth, I was always wary of intimacy; I’d always preferred to keep my distance. But if having Anita meant putting up with a tribe of well-meaning friends that was be the price I’d have to pay. Whether or not I could tolerate Danny remained to be seen.

I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but my brain still whirred like a hamster on a wheel.

Anita was keen for me to come to the show tomorrow, to watch her ride. I’d leap at the chance, but it meant being pleasant to Danny. He would also be competing, and he’d take every opportunity to wind me up.

I tried to focus on something else. While Anita would be competing in her biggest show next weekend, I’d be racing for my title in Belgium. This circuit, the Spa-Francorchamps was new to me. I’d seen layouts and maps, studied every available piece of video footage of the track to familiarize myself with it, but I would still be at a huge disadvantage compared to well over half the other drivers.

I ran through the layout again in my head. It was the fastest open road circuit in the world, famous for not only its hilly turns, but also its completely unpredictable weather. The lower parts could be in brilliant sunshine, while the upper parts were shrouded in fog or being doused with heavy rain. It was filled with hairpin bends and blind summits, and this circuit probably demonstrated the importance of driver skill more than any other in the world. I shivered in excitement at the prospect of my greatest challenge yet.

Assuming I took the title this year, what lay ahead for me? My goal, my dream, was to be invited into Formula 1. So many other household names had already made that leap from Formula 3, would I be the next? And would I be able to keep Anita by my side then? She had her own life, her own dreams and ambitions, and it was highly unlikely trailing after me featured highly in them.