#Swag (GearShark #3) (22 page)

“No phone,” he echoed.

I left it there and stepped to his side, I noticed the way his fingers enclosed mine just a little tighter as I snatched the room key off the dresser and shoved it in my back pocket.

Behind us, the door closed with an audible latch, and together we walked down the hall. Such a simple thing, but it seemed just having him next to me inspired all sorts of excitement.

Balmy was the best word I could use to describe the air when we stepped out of the simultaneously AC and fire-crackling lobby. The sky was dark, stars lit up the sky, and a calmness that only darkness could bring shrouded the evening.

We walked without saying a word into the lot where it didn’t take long for me to find his Lotus.

“You brought your car?” Mild surprise tinged in my voice.

“They drove it out here for me on the trailer with my racecar.”

“Didn’t they already pack up and go?” I questioned.

“My driver leaves tomorrow. I have some press to do, and they wanted the racecar for the shoot.”

I tried not to feel a little jealous he had yet another big press opportunity. It wasn’t his fault, if given the opportunity I would take it as well. Besides, he had to do this. It was his job. Brickstone sank a lot of money into him, I knew. Not only with the car, the travel, entry fees, etc., but with whatever he was getting paid. I was certain the powers that be behind his deal were insistent they get their money’s worth.

“I’m sure everyone in your camp was beyond thrilled with your race today.” I poked him in the ribs.

He grinned and opened up the passenger door. I angled so I was between him and the seat, the door in front of us so I was boxed in on almost every side.

“It was a good call to get,” he allowed but ruined his humble speak with a huge grin.

“You drove really great today,” I said. It didn’t bother me to compliment other drivers, especially when they deserved it. I guess I’d always hoped they would do the same for me.

The only one who ever had so far was Drew.

“We make a pretty good team,” he murmured, stroking his palm against the side of my head. “I like your hair like this.”

“Yeah?” I murmured, pushing my head into his hand.

He nodded and leaned close. I rose up to meet him, but he suddenly pulled away and smiled. “Get in.”

I blinked, and he was halfway around the hood toward the driver’s side. Laughter trailed behind him like he knew what he’d done.

I slipped into the passenger seat and forgot all about his teasing ways. The interior of his Lotus was just as incredible as the body. Black leather with red accents, spotless dash, polished chrome, and sleek… so sleek.

It was small in here, only a two seater. The back window was close behind my head. There was a hard top on this one. A lot of them came with only soft covers, but this was clearly more of a special order car.

I closed my eyes, thinking about how it would be to pull off the piece of roof and let the balmy air brush over my skin.

Beneath my legs, the seat was buttery soft. I was no stranger to luxury, but this wasn’t just luxurious. It was sexy.

The driver’s seat was all the way back, allowing for Jace’s long, lean legs. Instead of looking too big for such a compact car, he just appeared to really own it. The car hugged around him like a lover, like it, too, wanted to be as close to him as it could get.

I didn’t pay attention to where we were going. I watched him drive. I watched the way his hand gripped the stick in the center, and I was turned on by his sure and steady movements. The car was responsive, but he seemed to know exactly how to drive it. The performance it gave was beautiful, and it showed me a new appreciation for the way he drove.

“You’re staring,” he said, not taking his eyes off the road.

“You drive the car the way you do a lover,” I said.

“Cars and lovers are a lot alike.”

Shivers raced up my spine. “How so?”

“Because you have to be gentle yet in control. You have to be sure but willing to let the it do some of the work.” He glanced over at me, his eyes darker than the night sky. “Because the better you treat it, the better you get treated in return.”

The words coupled with the sound of his voice reached inside my chest and squeezed. “All this time, I thought you were just an asshole.” I smiled.

He winked, turning back to the road. “That’s what I
let
you think.”

“How many people do you
let think
you’re an ass?” I asked, rueful.

He made a rude sound, and I laughed.

That meant everyone.

“We’re here,” he said a few minutes later.

I glanced up as the Lotus slowed and turned into the raceway where we’d just spent the entire day. “What are we doing here?” I asked.

“Nothing better than a track all to yourself.” His crooked smile was nearly my undoing. It was playful, but it did things to me. Things like loosen my lower belly and start an ache in my breasts.

God, everything about him is foreplay to me. Even his car.

“It’s closed up,” I said, trying to ignore the fact I was horny. I was worse than a guy. Geez.

But when I was sitting so close to someone who literally embodied pleasure, it was hard not to think about sex.

“I talked to someone before I left. He did me a favor.” He eased the car through a tunnel, stopping at its closed gate at the end. Without a word, Jace got out, punched in a code, and the gate swung inward.

Flashing a smile that was almost as bright as his headlights, he jogged back to the driver’s seat and we drove into the raceway. I turned back to see the gate closing on its own behind us. Must have been on a timer.

“He just let you in here.” I scoffed, my stare glued to the empty, wide track.

“I promised him I’d behave.”

I laughed. He couldn’t even make that sound innocent. What a crock. Jace was far from innocent. “So you paid him,” I surmised.

Beneath the fabric jacket, his shoulders shrugged. “Money talks.”

Yes, it did.

“Pretty cool, huh?” he said, his voice quieter, almost reverent. His gaze was locked out the windshield. I watched him take it all in, as if he were seeing the place for the first time.

When I didn’t answer, he looked over at me. Through the glowing dash and dim lighting, our eyes locked. He continued to drive along the track, but he looked only at me.

My chest felt tight when he stared at me this way. Trying to find the words to express exactly what it was about his eyes or the emotion burning a hole inside my chest was impossible.

I couldn’t describe something I’d never felt.

It was like trying to name a color I’d never seen before.

All I really knew was I sincerely hoped whatever this feeling was never went away.

Jace made a small sound, releasing it into the close space around us as the car slowed, ultimately coming to a complete stop.

With the engine purring, one hand dropped off the wheel into his lap as his torso rotated to me. “Wanna drive?”

“You’re gonna let me drive?” I stuttered, still trying to exist in a world with so much emotion and at the same time carry on a conversation.

I wasn’t sure I liked this. You know, being the one who was a little more interested.

Don’t act like you don’t know what I mean. How sometimes people say in every couple there is always one that loves the other just a little bit more…

That was me. I wasn’t in love, but I definitely was in like. And
totally
in lust. It was very apparent I had it worse than he did. After all, I was the only one struggling to string a sentence together.

He was over there driving a car, looking at me,
and
speaking.

The big, fat jerk.

“You have a total lady boner for my car.” He smirked.

“Really?” I scoffed. “A lady boner? Did you learn that in third grade?”

“Probably.” He snickered.

Oh my God, he’s cute, too.

I am totally going to be the one who loves more.

Oh shit.
Did I just think about love?

I grappled for the handle, pulled it swiftly, and ejected myself from the car. The pleasant night air brushed over my burning skin, and I heaved a grateful sigh. The door closed softly behind me, and I leaned against it, listening to the smooth hum of the engine.

“Hey,” Jace said from close by.

I glanced over. He was standing beside the hood. The white on his jacket practically made him glow.

“I thought you were coming over for sex,” I blurted out.

Way to cut to the chase, Joey!

He laughed. Somehow, the sound relaxed me. “Oh, there’s gonna be sex,” he drawled, like it was already written in stone.

I kinda liked his confidence.

“And I’m not talking about sexy as hell on the hood of a car sex, either.” He went on, moving closer. “I’m talking the kind that takes all night. The kind where even after I have to let go tomorrow to get on a plane, whenever the air around you shifts, you’ll still smell me on your skin.”

I swallowed so hard I heard it. My tongue jutted out to wet my lips. “Then why are we here?” I asked.

I wasn’t the kind of girl to play head games. I didn’t like to wonder, and holy hell, was I wondering. He was turning me into a giant tight knot that would never be untied, and if by some chance I was able to untie myself, I would never be the same again.

He moved in, dropped both his hands on the side of the car, caging me between them. “Because, Josie, it won’t be enough.”

I sucked in a breath for him to say more. The sound of his voice hummed across my skin, making me vibrate. “It won’t?” I asked, breathless.

He shook his head, eyes never once leaving mine. “I don’t want just sex from you, Josie. I want more. I want your time, your laugh, your dirty, filthy mouth. I want to know you in ways no one else does.”

“Well, if that’s what you want…” I tried to joke, but my voice literally shook.

“Know what else I want?” he whispered.

I shook my head.

“For you to want the same.”

Oh, I wanted it all right.

“Do you want it, Josie?”

My voice didn’t shake. Not even a little. “Yes.”

“Good. Now get that sexy, round ass of yours in the driver’s seat.” He stepped back, giving me space to get by.

I held up a finger. “First, we need to get one thing straight.”

His impossibly dark brow arched up the side of his forehead. “Demanding.”

“Me?” I rolled my eyes. “You’re the one who just laid claim to like everything.”

He shoved me back against the car, pinning me with his tight body. “Oh no,” he growled. “I don’t own you, baby. Some things are just too beautiful to be tamed. I’m gonna be a choice, one you make every single day.”

“You seem awfully sure of that,” I said, dry.

He leaned in to whisper, his lips brushing against my ear and tickling my hair. “I already see it in your eyes.”

“Be careful,” I warned, turning my head away to stare off to the side. “The untamed are hard to keep up with.”

“I’m not worried.” He mused. “I’m pretty good with speed.”

A rude sound vibrated my neck, and he laughed. Jace stepped back, poking me in the stomach. “Tell me.”

“If you ever say lady boner again, I’ll shave off one of your eyebrows when you’re sleeping.”

His smile was awfully large. He must not think I was serious.

I was totally serious.

“And don’t tell me what to do,” I snapped, pushing him away to sashay my way around to the driver’s side.

The sound of his rich chuckle cut off when he closed himself in the passenger side of the Lotus.

I blew out a breath.

Inside, I was a quivering mass of melted feelings. He wanted to be my choice. Words Trent said to me echoed through my head.

We don’t get a choice. Love chooses for us.

Love chose for me.

Love chose Jace.

Lorhaven

I was in trouble with this one.

Deep, deep trouble.

She was bossy, stubborn, independent and threatened my eyebrow. Just one of them… I wasn’t exaggerating when I called her untamed.

She felt like an earthquake, shaking up everything inside me.

I didn’t want ordinary. No woman who was could hold my attention. Josie challenged me in ways I’d never been challenged before.

The way she looked sitting behind the wheel of the Lotus was the shit wet dreams were made of. She could be a pinup with all those curves and, dark, glossy hair.

“Wait,” I said, putting my hand over hers when she gripped the stick shift in the center.

“I haven’t even hit the gas, and already you changed your mind?” She scowled. “Too bad. No takebacks.”

I laughed. “Did you learn that in the third grade?”

“Duh.” She scoffed and rolled her moss-colored eyes.

“How about a little night air?” I glanced up at the roof.

The spark of interest in her eyes was all the answer I needed. After a minute, I pulled off the special hardtop over our heads and lifted it carefully down. Cautiously, I placed it on the ground, near the retaining wall of the track.

“Too slow!” she called when I turned back and started to pull away.

“Hey!” I shouted and sprinted forward and jumped in.

Her laughter floated behind. She’d likely tangled in her hair as she sped off and summer air flooded the interior of the Lotus.

She wasn’t shy with the gas pedal. In fact, it made me jealous the way she seemed to give it all her attention. My car flew over the track, down the straightaway, and she released a yell up into the air.

Her hands curled around the steering wheel lovingly, like even though she drove like a bat out of hell, her touch was gentle. The respect she had for the car and the road itself impressed me. I felt out of control sitting here in the passenger seat as the car I normally only ever drove barreled through the dark.

Maybe it was the wind or the way she looked driving with sparkling eyes, wild hair, and a big, toothy grin that made me feel so free.

Or maybe it was the loss of control in the moment. The fact that I was pretty much at her whim. I trusted her more than almost anyone. I didn’t know how that came to be, but here it was.

I could totally sink into the leather and enjoy the way the night blurred by, how everything was out of focus except for the way she looked.

Being so tightly wound and in control every second of every single day was exhausting. Hardly ever was I the one to sit back and let someone else drive.

Drive my car. Drive my heart.

She downshifted, slowing as we came toward the gravel patch, then spun the wheel and whipped around, only to punch the gas again and tear off in the opposite direction.

I laughed.

“I love this car!” she cried.

“Go for it,” I yelled over the engine and the wind.

She glanced over. I caught one second of her questioning eyes before her hair took away my view. I leaned over, pinned back the defiant strands, and said, “Open her up.”

That’s all she needed to hear. The Lotus shot forward as she pushed the engine to its highest speed. When a curve came, she took it, smooth as butter. Sweet as cream.

Eventually, she slowed, the churning air settled to what felt like a gentle breeze, and one of her hands fell off the wheel and reached for the stick shift.

I didn’t think twice about pressing my palm to the back of her hand and slipping my fingers in hers. We rode in comfortable silence. Every so often, she’d look up into the sky where stars painted shapes on a black canvas.

I was surprised when the Lotus rolled to a stop. She turned to me, her eyes sparkling with happiness, her nose pink, and her hair looking like there was a nest of birds living in it.

“Your turn,” she said.

Surging forward, I took her mouth. A small sound of surprise floated into mine, and I swallowed it as I ravaged her mouth. In my ear, my pulse pounded, but I didn’t stop kissing her. I couldn’t. Using my tongue, I stroked her over and over again. Using my lips, I nibbled on her mouth, and using my hands, I tried to show her just how much I coveted her presence.

“Wow,” she whispered when I pulled back enough for us to breathe.

I kissed her again.

Her eyes were glassy when I came around to the driver’s door and opened it for her to stand. I chuckled, reached for her, and helped her out.

She didn’t need my help, but she had it anyway.

Her skin was soft, not like silk, but velvet. Her wrist was delicate. I could easily wrap my forefinger and thumb all the way around.

“I thought I was going to have to pry you out of the driver’s seat,” I murmured. “I definitely thought you’d want to drive half the night.”

One shoulder shrugged. “Maybe I missed the sound of your voice.”

My heart skipped. There was beauty in the untamed, especially when something so wild approached you.

Keeping hold of her wrist, I leaned inside my car, hit the button, and shut it off. Since no one was here with us, I left the key fob inside and closed the door gently as I tugged her along with me.

At the retaining wall, I offered her my hands to hoist her up. Abandoning both her flip-flops to the pavement, her bare foot hit my palms. It didn’t take much effort to hoist her because she helped. Once she was up over the wall, I took a running leap and hoisted myself up as well.

We climbed over the railings to the seating and climbed the concrete steps between the wide rows to one that was high and overlooked the spacious, still track.

There were lights lit up around the track, sort of like streetlights that stayed on when it was dark, for added security. There were probably cameras, too, but I wasn’t worried about those. The only thing those deterred me from was stripping her naked here and now.

I might insist I didn’t own Josie, but no one else was allowed to see her naked.

Only me.

For always.

I sat in a seat in the middle of a long row, stretching my legs out in front of me as much as I could. Josie sat beside me, angling her body toward mine, lifting her legs and draping them over my extended legs.

Her feet were still bare, her toenails painted a dark shade. I couldn’t tell which because of the dark sky.

“It’s peaceful here,” she mused, looking up at the star-splattered sky.

“You seem surprised.”

“I guess I’m just used to places like this filled with unending chaos.”

“You like it?” I turned my head toward her, studying her profile as she studied the sky.

The side of her mouth curved up. “I do.”

We lapsed into silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Part of me wanted to talk. Just like I told her, I wanted to know her more. I wanted more than just her body.

I wasn’t too good at talking. I didn’t do it much. Only ever with Arrow, and that seemed easier somehow.

“You drove really great today,” Josie told me.

I smiled. “You make a pretty good spotter.”

She laughed. “I prefer driving.”

“I didn’t know you’d be here today.”

Her shoulders moved beneath her top. “I don’t have a race ‘til next weekend. I’ll be at all the NRR races I can.”

“‘Cause you’re crossing over,” I stated. I knew that was the reason. Still, I couldn’t help but want her to say she’d been here for me.

“Yeah.” Her voice took on a little different tone with that one word. Kind of guarded.

“I saw you being interviewed right before I hit the track.”

She grimaced. “I’m not very good with reporters.”

I scoffed, amused. “No?”

Her chin came down; green eyes sought me out. “They asked about you.”

That was surprising. “Me?”

“There’s a rumor going around I’m crossing over because you and I are involved.”

“No shit?” I laughed.

My teeth were still on full display when she gave me a withering look. Apparently, this didn’t please her the way it did me.

“When he was done asking about you, he asked about Drew and my father.” Her voice was bitter.

Ah. “He didn’t ask about your racing.”

Josie made a rude sound. “He did when I called him on it.”

I laughed again.
That’s my girl, giving ‘em all hell.

The thought stopped me in my tracks.

“So, uh…” I started, trying to recover. “What did you say?”

“I copped out.”

That surprised me. I forgot all about my private thoughts. “You copped out?”

“I gave some lame, generic answer.”

I reached for her hand. “Nothing about you is lame, Josie.”

She was silent a long moment. I watched her stare down at our joined hands. There was a storm inside her, one that raged on, constantly trying to drown her. I’d seen it before, and I saw it right now.

“Has anyone asked you about the magazine article?” she asked. “About us?”

Dad did.
I shook my head. “No.”

“Toward the end of the interview, I said something you should probably know about.” The regret in her voice made me kinda excited.

“Oh yeah?” I squeezed her hand.

She rolled her eyes and actually blushed.

“Did you tell them we were dating, Josie? Don’t worry. I’ll go along with it so I don’t embarrass you.”

She yanked her hand away and punched me in the stomach.

“Ow!” I howled.

“I didn’t tell them we were dating, you idiot.”

I bent over my knees like it hurt, but really, I just was laughing. I loved it when she got all feisty.

“I tried to make a joke,” she said, not even concerned for my could-be injury. Hell, she wasn’t even looking at me.

It made me laugh harder.

“After the disastrous interview, I thought it might help,” she muttered. “Wrong.”

“What’d you say?” I sat back, reining in the laughter.

“He asked me again to comment on our relationship,” she said. “So I said I don’t have a comment, but I might if he asks me out.”

I felt like I’d just won a marathon. Like a total victor. “He being me.”

“Smug is not a good look on you.”

I sat back, propping my feet on the chair in front of me. “You want me to ask you out.”

“I do not.”

I chuckled.

A frustrated sound pierced the space around us, and she shot up to presumably march away. My feet hit the ground, and I caught her arm, pulling her back until she stumbled into my lap.

“Where do you think you’re going?” I whispered.

“Leaving.”

“Tell me about the interview.” I implored. “Why was it disastrous?”

“It’s like people don’t know how to react to a woman in racing. He tried to goad me. He wanted me to act unprofessional or something.”

“It’s hard, huh?” I said, nudging her rigid body.

She sighed, and all her weight shifted into me. I leaned back, adjusting my position to make more room in my lap. Her legs draped over the armrest and into her now vacant seat.

“Sometimes it kinda sucks,” she whispered.

Her head hit my shoulder. The arm loosely looped around her back tightened, holding her a little closer. My free hand settled over her bare knee, sliding down the top of her thigh. I tucked my fingers between her legs and left them there.

“You have any friends in the pros?” I asked. Since she was so close, I didn’t have to speak very loud.

“Just Hopper.”

“Your manager?”

“Yeah, technically, he still works for the pro division, but I think he’s going to come with me when I crossover.”

“Are any of the drivers nice to you, Josie?”

“No.” After she realized she spoke out loud, a new tension coiled beneath her skin. I rubbed slow circles over her side. “I can handle it, though.”