Daring Her Love (13 page)

Her eyes darkened, as she said with a soft laugh, “Well, that’s a stupid promise.”

“If I take you to bed, I’m a player. If I’m a gentleman, I’m stupid. You’re going to be the death of me.”

She dragged her finger down the center of his chest. “But what a fun death it will be.”

With another groan, he took her hand and led her toward the track.

“Fast cars and fast men go hand in hand, don’t they?” she asked as he unlocked the gate.

“It takes a certain mentality to want to push limits to the extreme and risk your life every time you’re on a track, and that need for danger probably does play out in several other parts of our lives.” When their feet hit the pavement, the lights came on, illuminating the empty track and the bleachers beyond. Eric’s pulse kicked up at the spectacular sight. It happened every damn time, whether he was racing or not. The thrill of the race and his incessant need for speed sent a burst of adrenaline through him.

“Wow, how did you get them to let us come in all alone?” Her eyes were wide as she looked around the track, finally landing on his silver Jaguar XJ220. “And holy cow, whose car is
that
?”

He took out his cell phone and sent off a quick text thanking his buddy Clay for taking care of the arrangements for tonight and sticking around to handle the lights. “Celebrity has its benefits, and I rarely pull strings, but tonight”—he took her hand and led her to his car—“is special.” He loved the look of awe in her eyes, but not because he needed the ego stroke. He loved seeing Kat happy, knowing
she
was being treated special, like she deserved to be. He wasn’t kidding that he wanted to make this night unforgettable for her, and if that meant that he had to pull a few strings, her smile made it all worth it.

He opened the door to the Jag and motioned for her to climb in. “This is your night, darlin’. Take her for a ride.”

Kat took a step back and shook her head. “Oh no. I can’t drive a car that costs more than I’ve earned in my entire life.”

“You have no idea how adorable you are, do you?” He placed his hands on her hips and tipped her chin up with his finger. “It’s a car, Kat. Not an airplane.”

She shook her head. “I can’t.”

“You can. I thought you were all about conquering your fears.”

“I am, but—”

He pulled her in close. “Okay, then, I’ll take you for a spin first, and then you can drive.” He helped her into the passenger seat, loving the way her fingers played over the rich leather seats. “You look like you belong in this car,” he said as he hooked her seat belt. He couldn’t resist kissing her again before settling into the driver’s seat.

The car roared to life, and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, then kissed her knuckles. “Hang on tight, Kitty Kat, because you’re in for the ride of your life.”

“Don’t crash,” she said as she clutched the edge of the seat.

“No chance of that when I have such precious cargo.” He leaned across the seat and kissed her again, because really, it was torture not to.

THE NIGHT WAS cool, but Kat’s entire body was on fire. She couldn’t believe Eric had made these special arrangements for her, and she wondered how he’d gotten his car here when he’d rented one at the airport. But those questions went out the window the minute he took off around the track, leaving her heart in the dust.

“Holy crap! This is so fast!” She couldn’t stop from yelling. There was too much fear, too much elation, rushing through her. Everything outside her window was a blur. She’d never been more frightened in her life, but Eric was the picture of calm, confident, and badass race car driver. His eyes were focused on the track, his chin was set tight, and his hands gripped the steering wheel with the strength of a hurricane and the grace of a new father.

“This is nothing. I’m just getting warmed up.” He winked without taking his eyes off the road ahead. “I’d hold your hand, but safety first at this speed.”

“How fast is
this speed
?”

“Not very. One forty.”

Ohmygod!

“Relax, darlin’. I have a little experience with driving fast.” He kicked up the speed, and Kat felt her whole body push back into the seat.

“Close your eyes,” he said. “Feel the rush.”

She closed her eyes, focusing on her heart slamming against her ribs. She wasn’t sure if it was the speed or purely Eric.

“Inhale deeply and blow it out slowly.”

She did, and then she did it again.

“That’s it, darlin’.”

“I can’t even feel any bumps in the road!” With her eyes still closed, it was the most incredible experience in the world, turning her trust over to him and really letting go of all control. “It’s like we’re aboveground, floating. But more intense, like a roller coaster without all the peaks and valleys.” She unfurled her fingers from around the edge of the seat and laid them in her lap. Her limbs prickled with adrenaline, but the fear began to slip away.

“One day I’ll take you out in one of my convertibles, and then you’ll really feel the rush. There’s nothing like the gust of wind blowing by. It’s rejuvenating.”

She felt his energy, his confidence, and when she opened her eyes, she saw that he had a big smile on his face, which calmed more of her anxiety. He was usually darkly intense, and now all that intensity was layered in light. “Wow, you
really
love this.”

“There are few things I love more than driving fast. Look straight ahead, not at what’s passing by. Feel the energy of the track, feel the control, the power beneath you.”

She tried to focus on everything he said, but her eyes kept darting back to him. Energy, power, and control radiated off of him, not the car, and it drew her further in to him.

He slowed as they drove the long stretch of track leading to where they’d first begun, and when he came to a stop, Kat’s heart was still racing. She was breathing hard, but it wasn’t fear that had her pulse skyrocketing; it was seeing the elation on Eric’s face, sensing the thrill he took from the ride. When he reached for her hand, she realized she was gripping her thighs. He took both of her hands in his and placed them between his own.

“Are you ready to take a spin?”

“I’m scared shitless, but I want to do it. I mean, I’m used to driving fast, but this is a whole new level of fast.” She trapped her lower lip between her teeth with the confession and placed his hand over her heart. “Feel that?”

“The thrill of the ride.” He leaned across the console and placed a kiss where his hand had been, sending shivers of lust rippling through her.

When he came around to her side of the car and helped her out, her legs were shaking.

“You’re trembling.” He pulled her flush against him and rubbed his hand down her back. “That’s totally normal. Don’t let it worry you.”

“I won’t go that fast, but you’ll be with me, right?” She felt his heart beating harder than he let on.

“Of course. I’ll be right there with you every step of the way.”

“Your heartbeat is going so fast, but you seem so calm.”

He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. He was as strong as he was gentle, and she loved getting to know all of his complexities.

“My whole life has been about moving fast.” His eyes turned serious, and a look of something darker, deeper, washed over his face and quickly disappeared, as if he was used to doing that, too, locking away parts of himself. “Let’s get you started.”

He helped her into the driver’s seat and buckled her in, tugging the belt to test it out before letting go.

“Uh-oh.” She covered her mouth with the realization that she couldn’t drive the car. “This is a manual transmission. I can’t drive it.”

He laughed. “You’ve never driven a stick?”

She shook her head. “I feel so stupid. I was so caught up in the excitement that I didn’t even realize you’d been shifting gears.”

“Well, then, it looks like you’re in for a driving lesson.” He closed the door and went around to the passenger seat. “Do you know the mechanics of driving a manual transmission?”

“Sure. Push the clutch, shift, use my right foot for the gas.”

His lips quirked up in that sexy way he had. “Awesome. Go for it.”

“Wait. What? Can’t I ruin the clutch or something? I’ve seriously never done this before, and this car must have cost a small fortune.”

“Darlin’, I have a small fortune, and you’re not going to ruin the clutch. Let’s give it a try.”

“I like when you call me
darlin’
,” she admitted, trying to distract herself from being nervous.

“That’s good, because I like calling you
darlin’
.” His eyes darkened.

“Do you call all your women that?”
Oh shit. Word vomit
…Her nerves definitely had the best of her.

He shifted his eyes away, and when he turned back, they were serious. “It’s not like I have a harem of women that I keep around for the hell of it.”

“That’s not what I meant. I’m sorry. I’m just nervous and not thinking before I speak.”

“Kat, I’ve been with plenty of women, and I have no idea what I did or didn’t call them, but I can tell you that I’ve never felt with anyone what I feel when I’m with you.
Darlin’
comes naturally when I’m with you, but if it makes you uncomfortable, I can call you something else.”

Now she felt stupid for asking. “I’m sorry. Please don’t change. I do truly love it when you call me that. It makes me go all gooey inside. It was a silly question.”

“Gooey, huh? Why does that turn me on?” He leaned across the console. “It wasn’t a silly question at all. It was real, and I like real. Believe me. I have a million questions I want to ask about the men you’ve been with, but the answers would only torture me, so I’m pretending you’ve never been with another man, and for now, that’s working mighty well.”

She laughed. “I’ll try that.”

He tipped her chin up again with his finger—she loved when he did that because he was giving her his full attention, and she knew he wanted her to give him hers, which meant that whatever he was going to say was important. “You just continue being yourself. I’ll answer all of your questions honestly.” He kissed her softly, then settled back into the passenger seat.

“Any more questions before we get started?”

“Just one.” She paused for a moment before asking, afraid of how the answer might feel. “Have you ever done this before for a woman? Taken her to the track after it was closed and let her drive your car?”

His intense gaze never wavered from hers. “Not once. I’ve never let a woman drive any of my cars. Hell, I’ve never let anyone but my team drive them.”

“Then why me?”

He stared at her for a long moment, and when he finally spoke, he began with a knitting of his brows and a smile. “I told you there was something about you that makes me want to be closer to you. I feel like you’re part of me. Like you have always been part of me. I know it’s crazy, but crazy has never felt so right.”

She exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “The camp.”

He settled a hand on hers. “Have I scared you off yet with my directness?”

“Not even a little. I’ve felt like you were familiar, too, and after last night, I can’t stop thinking about you. About us.”

“I think that’s the best thing I’ve ever heard. Now let’s see if we can make you a race car driver.”

“Okay.” She smiled at the excited glint in his eyes. “But here’s the thing. If I
do
ruin your car, you’ve been duly warned. All my worldly belongings would not be able to pay for whatever I might break. Of that I’m one hundred percent certain.”

“I’m sure you can pay me back in more interesting ways.” His face spread into a devilish grin as he placed his hand on her thigh.

“Gosh, you do know how to keep a girl on her toes.”

“On your toes is not at all where I’d like to keep you.”

How was she supposed to concentrate with
that
on her mind?

“Shall we?” He nodded to the track. “Some people like to get comfortable while the car is off, pretending to gas up and change gears, but I’m all for feeling your way through things. Why don’t you start her up and let her roll.”

“Start her up. Let her roll. Got it.” Her heart was racing from his innuendos. She tried to focus on shifting the car into first, and it jolted forward and stalled.

“That’s okay. Try it again.”

“I’m sorry. I suck at this.”

“No, you don’t,” he said with a comforting smile. “You’re learning, and learning to do anything can take time. Stop thinking about getting in my pants and think about driving.”

She laughed. “Oh, that’ll help.”

“You know you want me.” The heat in his tone made her cheeks flush. “I’ll tell you what. If you can get us around this track safely, I’ll think about giving you a shot at the old bod.”

She glared at him. “Like you wouldn’t if I couldn’t drive?”

He shrugged with a too-fucking-sexy smile. “Let’s not find out. Focus on the road and drive this baby so we can get to the fun stuff.”

She eased into first gear, then second. “Maybe I don’t want fun stuff.”

“Not likely,” he said as she shifted into gear. “Look at you. You’re made for this kind of driving. Keep it up, darlin’, and I might just let you drive my Ducati.”

“I don’t know what that is, but if it’s slang for your penis, you ain’t seen nothing yet.” She flashed what she knew was her best flirty, smug grin, while watching the road, and took the speed up to seventy-five. “This is awesome!”

He chuckled. “You’re incredibly sexy when you’re driving. How does it feel?”

“Amazing.”

“Give me real feelings, Kat. You’re too smart for cliché answers, and I want you to really experience the thrill of the ride. Focus on how it makes you feel inside. Tell me what
you
feel.”

She loved the way he challenged her, and she loved that he cared enough to ask for her real feelings. Feeling more confident with his words, she kicked up the speed to eighty. “It feels dangerous and exciting, like you.”

“I feel dangerous and exciting?”

“Definitely, and I wish the windows were down and I could feel the world racing by.”