The Sextet - Entanglements [The Sextet Anthology, Volume 4] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) (29 page)

“Okay, what can I do to help?” Lindsey looked back and forth between the two men.

Craig folded his arms. “Somehow I got stuck getting the cake. Care to give me a hand?”

“Sure.” Lindsey chuckled. “Let me grab my purse.”

“No time.” Craig put his hands on her shoulders and directed her to the door.

A shiver ran down Lindsey’s back at his touch, and before she knew what was happening, he’d pushed her through the door and out into the parking lot where he seemed to be sprinting to his truck.

Laughing as she tried to keep up with him, she yelled, “What is it with you guys and your long strides?” Craig stopped and turned, waiting for her to catch up with him. She pointed down at her feet. “Have you ever tried to walk in heels?”

“Um, no.” He smiled as the sun reflected off his sunglasses. “And if you ever catch me wearing them, please promise to kill me on the spot.”

Raising her brow, she grinned. “I think I can promise you that.”

* * * *

Driving through the back roads toward town, Craig glanced over at Lindsey who was holding on to the door handle with a worried look on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re driving a little fast aren’t you?”

Chuckling, he said, “I’m not going that fast.” He looked over, noticing her pursed lips and tense features, and slowed down. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those Goody Two-shoes that always follow the speed limit.”

“No. I drive fast all the time. The difference is
I’m
doing the driving.”

“Ah, I see…so it’s a control issue with you?” Craig laughed as he pulled into a parking spot. He caught the irritated glare she shot at him as she opened the door and jumped out, leaving him laughing.

After paying for the cake, Craig carried it outside while Lindsey opened the door to the truck. Gently he placed it on the back seat and then caught a glimpse of Lindsey as she climbed back into his truck. Seeing her long, toned legs made him suddenly very appreciative of the high heels she was wearing. Shaking the images of her from his mind, he closed her door, and walked around the truck, letting out a slow breath.

The trip back to the office was just as entertaining. Craig continued to tease her, enjoying how she squirmed in her seat and how her cheeks grew rosy when she blushed. When they got to the office, he waited for her to get out of the truck, noticing how her skirt slipped higher and higher on her leg until her hand quickly pushed it down.
Damn.
Laughing at himself, he lifted the cake from the backseat. “I’ll tell you what. You can take
control
and open the doors for me.” He couldn’t help but grin at the pissy look on her face. When she yanked open the door, he winked as he walked inside. “Definitely control issues.”

“Maybe I’ll just use that control and sign you a new sponsor. How about a hemorrhoid product or maybe Viagra? I hear they’re looking for a new sponsor since Mark Martin is thinking of retiring.”

His smile faded. “You play dirty.”

With a shrug and a smile, she opened the door to the garage and followed him inside, where the crew members were busy decorating the area for the party. There were black-and-white streamers everywhere with several “Over the Hill” signs hanging on the walls.

It wasn’t long before Scotty returned from taking Paul to lunch and everyone yelled “surprise” as the two walked in. Once the candles were blown out, Lindsey helped cut the cake into generous portions while a couple of the assistants handed out glasses of punch.

Craig sat down at the table opposite Lindsey, still grinning from their earlier teasing. He wasn’t sure why, but he liked it when she fidgeted a little, when she was just on the edge of losing control. While his mind went places where it shouldn’t be going, he got an idea.

“Hey, Jud, can we get out the two-seater car while we’re testing in Charlotte?”

A puzzled frown creased Jud’s forehead as he looked at Craig. “Actually, Dirk MacKenzie asked me awhile back if he could get a ride in one. I’m sure I can arrange it if you don’t mind doing the driving.” His frown deepened. “Why do
you
want it?”

“I’ll drive it.” He grinned. “But I think Lindsey needs a ride so she has a better understanding of what it’s like on the track.”

Choking on her punch, Lindsey coughed while trying to breathe. “What?”

Craig just sat there smiling smugly.

“Really, I don’t think I need to get into a car.” Lindsey coughed again.

“Craig’s right. It would be good for you to go for a ride.” Jud laughed. “Plus it’s a hell of a lot of fun.”

Craig stood up and tossed his plate in the trash then walked over to Lindsey. Leaning close, he whispered in her ear from behind. “I can play dirty, too.”

Chapter 6

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Lindsey stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself dressed in the fireproof driver suit that Craig had given her.
I’m so going to sell that sponsorship to Tampax after this.
Picking up the gloves, she walked out of the restroom, into the warm afternoon sunshine, heading to the pit area where Craig and the others were waiting for her.

She spotted Craig leaning against the car with his shades on, talking with a few of the guys. When he looked up at her, he grinned. This both pissed her off and turned her on.
How is it he looks totally hot in his uniform, and I look like a dork?

“Ready?” Craig pushed away from the car and stepped toward her.

“No.” She glared.

Huffing out a laugh, he stood in front of her smiling and eyeing her from head to toe. A nervous flutter rolled through her body at his intense stare. She sucked in her lower lip when he stepped closer and reached for the zipper that she’d not zipped all the way to the top yet. Her breathing completely stopped when he slowly lifted it up her stomach and over her breasts. When he adjusted her collar, his fingers brushed against Lindsey’s jaw, flooding her with heat. Suddenly she had a lot of things she wanted to do with Craig, but getting in this car was
not
one of them.

Craig nodded toward the car. “Let’s get you strapped in.”

* * * *

Craig stood by the passenger side of the car and placed his hand on the roof. He was enjoying this far too much he knew. He could tell that Lindsey was desperately trying to look calm and in control, when really she was anything but. Grabbing one of the helmets, he handed it to her to put on. He helped push her hair away from her face, and then he adjusted the chin strap. “Climb in.”

“You know we really don’t have to do this.”

Craig just nodded toward the car and smiled as Lindsey reluctantly grasped the top of the doorframe. When she lifted her leg to swing it into the opening, she lost her grip and instead, fell into Craig’s arms. “I’ve got you.”

He held her tight to his body. Their eyes locked on one another. He inhaled her clean, fresh scent, and for a minute was lost in her deep brown eyes. Seeing her tongue lick her lower lip, he started to lean closer.
Fuck. What am I doing?

He tried to clear his suddenly parched throat. “Um, maybe I should give you a hand climbing in.”

She nodded, but while her body turned away from him, her eyes held his gaze for a moment longer.

Standing behind her, his hands were on her waist, feeling her hips as she swung her legs into the opening. He caught another whiff of her perfume as she sat on the edge of the window. Closing his eyes, he inhaled another breath, felt Lindsey lean against him, and then watched as she maneuvered her body to get inside the car. Craig was no longer thinking of driving this car around the track but was instead picturing Lindsey naked, pinned beneath him on his bed, losing control to him.

Taking a moment, he let out a breath and moved his sunglasses to the top of his head before leaning in the window. Reaching for the safety restraints, he fastened them into place one by one. “I think I like you like this.” He snapped the last buckle. “Tied up and definitely
not
in control.”

“You like me not being in control?” she asked a little breathily.

“Yeah, I do.” He winked. “A lot.”

Stepping away, he grabbed his helmet and walked around the front of the car, groaning at the ache between his legs. After setting his sunglasses over to the side, he put on his helmet and carefull
y
jumped into the driver’s seat, thinking how he’d like to be jumping into something else with the woman sitting next to him.

* * * *

Lindsey closed her eyes tight as Craig pulled out of the pit. The car vibrated more than the spin cycle of her washer when it was off-balance, and the sound from the engine was so loud it vibrated through her body. Every nerve ending in her body was on fire, and she wasn’t sure if it was the fear and excitement of being in the car, or being so close to Craig that was causing it.

“Here we go!” He pulled out onto the track, the car jerking as he changed gears.

Lindsey stopped breathing as she felt her body forced into the seat due to the speed of the car. She tightened her grip on her seat and looked at the turn ahead. She had no idea how fast they were moving, just that the yellow barrier wall was quickly approaching. Covering her eyes with her hands, she screamed as the momentum of the car took them into the turn and near the wall.

“Um, Lindsey, we’re not even up to speed yet.”

Spreading her fingers, she peered through them looking at Craig then slowly dropped her hands as she looked back at the track.
Holy crap!
As they drove down the straightaway, she felt the car pick up even more speed, and tensed as the next corner approached. She quickly glanced at Craig, unable to speak or swallow as she held her breath and felt the car slide through the turn and straighten on the straightaway.

By the second lap, Lindsey began to relax a little and kept her eyes open during the turns. She found herself holding her breath and watching the yellow wall grow closer and closer and then suddenly disappear as they drove away. As she grew more comfortable, she watched Craig as he maneuvered the car around the track. He held the wheel as if it was an extension of his own body and pressed on the clutch and changed gears instinctively.

Without even realizing it, Lindsey began to enjoy the ride as Craig took her around the track and into each turn. Thrill ran through her body each time the car sped out of the turn and hurled itself down the straightaway. Glancing at the empty stands that surrounded the track, she wondered what it was like on race day—seeing thousands of fans cheer lap after lap.

“One more time around.” Craig yelled while raising his finger.

Nodding, Lindsey watched the track rush by as they took one turn and then the next. Each turn took her breath away as she felt the car slide closer to the wall. But on the last turn, the car drifted higher, nearly brushing against the wall, causing Lindsey to jump. “Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!”

“Oops.” Craig laughed as he began to slow the car.

“Oops! We almost hit that wall.” Lindsey yelled as she smacked him. “You did that on purpose!”

She heard his deep laugh, and although she wanted to be mad at him, she found herself grinning instead.
Damn him.

* * * *

Craig sped into the pit and locked up the tires before coming to a stop and turning off the engine. He pulled off his helmet and looked over at Lindsey, who was having trouble unsnapping hers. Reaching over, he tugged on the snap and then watched as she pulled the helmet from her head. Her hair was a tangled mess, which she quickly tried to brush into place with her fingers. All he could think about was running his fingers through her hair and pulling her into his lap for a chance to be deep inside her.
God, I want you.

Pushing the thoughts from his head, he smiled at her. “You loved it, didn’t you?”

“What? No! You scared me to death!” She couldn’t stop from giggling. “But yeah, that was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.” She looked down for a moment then met his gaze again. “Thanks.”

Craig’s grin grew as he leaned closer. “See, not being in control can be fun.” She rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face said so much more to him. When he looked into her eyes, he knew at that moment that he was a goner when it came to her—and it wasn’t her that was out of control, it was
him
.