Faster Harder (16 page)

The “l” word snags my focus, but I barrel on. I can’t even
begin to consider what leads down that road just now.

“So what,” I continue, “We keep seeing each other under the
cover of darkness and hope that no one figures it out? What about after the
tournament is over?”

“Can’t we cross that bridge—”

“I’d rather just speed over it now, to be honest.”

“Are you...suggesting that we make this thing between us
public?” Harrison asks quizzically.

“No!” I say, “No, that would be insane—”

“Would it?”

“Of course! Harrison, my dad just asked me to launch a media
campaign that would dismantle your reputation and make you look like a
good-for-nothing bad boy. My brother’s no above coming after you on the race
track. I honestly think they might disown me if they find out about us—”

“I just don’t understand,” Harrison says, his jaw clenched,
“Why are they hounding me like this?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” I ask, “They’re intimidated, Harrison.
They’ve never seen anything like you before. Neither have I.”

Harrison stands up from the bed, taking a long sip of his
drink. I can practically see the gears furiously turning in his mind,
struggling in vain to find a solution to our unfixable dilemma. But as long as
I’m a Lazio and he’s a Davies, I don’t see any way for us to be together
without weathering a pretty awful shit storm.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” I say softly, setting down
my drink and going to him.

“I’m thinking...” he says, draining the last of his martini,
“That you don’t deserve this.”

“What?” I say, taken aback, “What is it that I don’t
deserve?”

“To be dragged around through dark side streets to meet in
shady hotels,” he says, exasperated, “Look at us, Siena! Hiding out like a couple
of delinquents, sneaking behind your family’s back? I don’t want you to feel
ashamed of what we’re doing.”

“I don’t.”

“But you said yourself that your family would kill you if—”

“They probably would,” I say, laying my hands on Harrison’s
cut biceps, “But what I didn’t get around to saying is that...it would be worth
it.”

“What?” he breathes.

“What we have, whatever it is, is too amazing to throw away
because of grudge that I don’t even hold,” I tell him, trailing my fingers down
his arms, “I’m not saying we need to run to the presses. I just...I want you to
know that this is important for me. Someday, maybe a long time from now when
this rivalry bullshit with my brother has blown over...I don’t know. Maybe we
can be more to each other than shady hotel companions.”

“That’s something that you’d want?” he asks earnestly.

“Absolutely,” I tell him, “And you...?”

“Yes,” he says, running his hand through my hair, “Siena, I
told you that I’m in this with you. All in.”

“I still don’t think we should parade around or anything,” I
say, growing dizzy with the closeness of him, “We have to make sure the time is
right.”

“Mhmm...” he murmurs, bringing his lips to my neck.

“The moment has to be...just perfect...” I purr, softening
into his arms as he runs his fingers along my spine.

“Sure,” he whispers.

“Because if we...spring this on people, on my family,” I
breathe, “Harrison...it could get ugly. I mean seriously...irrevocably...”

“Siena, I’ll follow your lead with this,” he tells me,
running his hands down over my ass and pulling me against him, “If you want to
step out into the daylight with me, when you do, I’ll be ready. But right now,
I don’t want to think about that. Right now, I want to lead. May I?”

“Oh god, yes,” I moan, throwing my arms around Harrison’s
shoulders.

My feet leave the ground as he scoops me up into his
powerful arms. He carries me like a new bride back across the room toward the
bed. One martini in, and the lush room is already whirling around us. The deep,
rust-red walls enclose us, encasing us against the world. Every thought of the
universe beyond these four walls runs from my mind like sand in an hour glass.
Nothing can touch us when we’re alone together. All the exists in my world
tonight is Harrison Davies. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.

He lays me out across the bed, and kneels before me. Pulling
my hips, my brings my ass right to the edge of the bed, and I plant my knees
firmly in his broad shoulders.

“I know what you want,” he says, his voice thick with
wanting me.

“Show me, then. Lead me...” I whisper, laying back against
the plush golden bed.

Harrison pushes my knees apart, running his fingers down
along my denim-clad thighs. I lean into him as he brushes his hand against my
sex, relishing the friction between my clothing and his touch. Knowing that we
can strip each other down at any time only adds to the hot anticipation.
There’s nothing that can truly stand between us... certainly not a pair of blue
jeans.

Suddenly, Harrison pulls away and comes to standing. I gaze
up at him in the warm, shrouded light, curious. His eyes gleam excitedly, and
his rising desire stands out clear as day. I stand up on my knees, and the foot
of space between us crackles with urgent need.

“I want you to take off your top,” Harrison growls. The note
of mischief in his voice sends a grin playing across my lips.

Without a word, I take the edge of my blouse between my
fingers. I’ve never done anything like this before, following the leader. Every
other man I’ve slept with has forced me to take the reins. That’s not to say
that I don’t enjoy it, taking charge. But to have someone who will share that
with me, then turn around and snatch back the lead when the moment is
right...Talk about having your cake and eating it, too.

As slowly as I dare, I draw my top up over my torso, my
breasts, my shoulders. Harrison’s eyes bore into my, raking along my olive
skin. I can practically feel the heat of his gaze as it lingers on my flat
stomach, the sumptuous rise of my chest. I fling my top away and look up at
Harrison, awaiting further instruction. If we’re going to play follow the
leader, I’m going to give it all I’ve got.

He grins, game as hell. “Now your jeans,” he says.

Sitting back, I lower my hands to my waist. I pop open the
button of my jeans and let him glimpse the smallest peek of my navy blue
panties. I lay back on the bed, letting my hair splay out against the
comforter. I slide my jeans down off my legs, exposing inch after inch of skin.
I know that I’m driving him crazy, upping the ante on his desire with every
moment that passes. And I love it.

I let my jeans fall off the bed and pull myself onto my
elbows. My knees part, and Harrison can barely contain himself. He takes a step
forward, standing right between my legs. But he knows full well that I’m losing
my mind in time with him. It’s like a game of chicken—who’s going to break
first?

“Your bra,” he says, his voice riding along the bottom of
his register.

I arch my back, knowing that the very shape of me is driving
him mad. My fingers unclasp my bra, and the garment falls away. The twin swells
of my breasts are set free, and my nipples stand hard and erect. What I would
give to feel his lips around those tender peaks right now, to feel his tongue
flick against them, driving me absolutely wild.

“The rest,” he growls, not an inch away from me.

My fingers tremble as I hook them into my panties. I slip
them down over my ass, tilting my hips up, and fling them across the room. I’m
entirely naked before Harrison, spread wide and shaking with desire. He’s fully
clothed, straining at every stitch. There’s something so forbidden, so hot
about being stripped down for him. Giving up control like this is new, and so
thrilling. I can feel myself growing wetter with need, my sex aching for his
touch.

“Just lay back,” Harrison says, his voice quiet but rock
hard in its firmness.

I sprawl out across the bed, my every cell crying out for
those strong hands of his. Harrison plants his knees on the bed, and moves to
kick off his heavy boots.

“Wait,” I say, planting my hands on his chest, “Leave the
boots for now. Please?”

“You’re full of surprises, aren’t you, Siena?” he asks,
looking down at me in wonder.

“Oh, we're just getting started,” I grin breathlessly,
“Now...tell me what you’d like me to do next.”

My mind is subsumed by pleasure as Harrison leads the way,
teaching my body what it means to be adored.

Chapter Fourteen

A Night Together

I feel myself beginning to wake up, but keep my eyes closed
firmly against the day. The cushy bed is far too comfortable to abandon just
yet. I turn over and nuzzle against Harrison’s side, and he slings a muscular
arm over me, pulling me closer. A slow smile creeps across my face as I feel
the rise and fall of his firm chest. His breath is smooth and even, and nearly
lulls me back to sleep...

But then it hits me.

My eyes spring open, taking in my surroundings. I don’t even
remember falling asleep! Harrison and I have had our fair share of hot and
heavy moments by now, but we’ve never spent the night together. Somehow,
sleeping beside him feels more daring, more intimate, than anything we’ve done
together.

I gaze up at him in the darkness, mesmerized by his
slumbering face. In sleep, his confident grin and mischievous eyes are calm. He
looks so at ease, so peaceful. So staggeringly gorgeous I could weep. As I
watch him sleep, I feel something clarify inside of me. All of the
overwhelming, new sensations I’ve felt since meeting Harrison Davies suddenly
make sense. The big questions that I’ve been wrestling with can all be answered
by a single, simple truth.

I’m falling in love with this man.

As if he’s sensed my revelation, Harrison swims up from the
depths of deep sleep. His eyes open slowly, and focus on my face. A smile
unlike any I’ve seen him wear spreads across his full lips.

“Good morning, Beautiful,” he murmurs.

I rest my cheek on the pillow beside him, feeling
unaccountably shy all of a sudden. Now that I’ve finally admitted to myself
just how much I care about Harrison, I feel like some sort of blushing young
bride.

“When did we even fall asleep?” I ask.

“Sometime after round three,” he grins.

Fragments of last night flit through my memory, and I’m glad
that the darkness of the room hides my flushed cheeks. Harrison led me to
entirely new levels of bliss last night, places I never even knew existed. I
can only imagine what else he’s bound to introduce me to, what other illicit
delights. I’m no stranger to sex, but with Harrison everything feels new again.
But even so, he never makes me feel embarrassed or somehow lacking. I’ve never
felt better about myself than I do now that we’re together.

That little word, “together”, tugs at the corners of my
heart as we lay in bed together. It’s hard enough figuring out the finer points
of a relationship, but our circumstances make it a Herculean task. Between the
tournament, my family’s animosity, the media frenzy that would ensue if word
about us got out, and Harrison’s bad boy mentality, we’ve really got our work
cut out for us. But even with so much working against us, I don’t want to back
down. If anyone’s worth fighting for, it’s Harrison Davies.

I just hope he feels the same way about me. 

“What time is it?” I ask, sitting up in bed.

“How am I supposed to care about the time when you’re lying
naked beside me?” he asks, setting his hand on the small of my back.

I glance down and realize that I
am
totally in the nude. This has got
to be a first as well. I’ve never been so spent after a night of lovemaking
that I forgot to throw something back onto my body. Hell, I’m usually the type to
fetch an oversized tee shirt and brush my teeth after having sex with someone,
even if it’s a one night stand. But Harrison knocks any such mundane ideas from
my mind. Having sex with him is an entirely new experience—one that I’m more
than happy to revisit as often as humanly possible. In fact...

“Maybe let’s forget about the time altogether,” I say,
letting my hands rest on Harrison’s cut chest.

“I can get on board with that,” he says, taking my wrists in
his hands and pulling me toward him.

Our mouths meet, moving together in a slow, sleepy rhythm. I
can’t believe how comfortable it feels, kissing him. There’s no awkwardness, no
adjustments, just us. He knows exactly how to kiss me, touch me, make love to
me. And all after a matter of weeks. A ripple of anticipation rolls down my
spine as I imagine what we could do to each other after months, or even years.

He can taste my excitement as his tongue brushes against
mine. I let my hands skim along his pecs and abs, working down inch by inch.
He’s totally naked, too...and totally hard as well. I wrap my fingers around
his thick length, marveling at the enormity of him. A low groan rises from his
throat as I stroke him slowly.

“I love how hard you get just from kissing me,” I purr,
pulling myself up to straddle him on the soft bed.

“What can I say?” he breathes, his hands cupping my ass,
“It’s what you do to me, Siena. The second you touch me, I’m a goner.”

“Is that so?” I ask, tightening my grasp just a hair.

“You know it is,” he moans, “And you love it, too.”

“You’re damned right I do,” I say.

I release him, planting my hands on his chest. Eagerly, I
lift my hips and let the very tip of him brush against the slickness between my
legs. Harrison’s hold on me tightens as we glance lightly against other in the
most intimate of places.

“Guess I’m a goner, too,” I whisper.

“I love that,” Harrison says.

I
love you
, I think, keeping the words close to my heart, deep inside of
me. There may come a time to tell him as much, but it certainly isn’t now. I
gasp as Harrison’s stiffness brushes against that tender spot, the very center
of my bliss. There’s no way I can hold out any longer. I poise myself above him
and begin, very slowly, to take him inside of me. I lower myself onto him, inch
by inch, my silky flesh parting to accommodate his enormous girth. Harrison’s
eyes are closed in bliss, his mouth hanging open ever so slightly. I let out a
moan as I finally sink down onto him, feeling the fullness of him within me.

“You’re so tight,” he groans, planting his hands on my
waist.

I rock against him gently, feeling him work further inside
me with every slight movement. As much as I want to pull him in deeper, I know
that I have to ease into it. If I’m not careful, he’ll go right through me.
It’s amazing how I trust him even more, knowing that he has the power to hurt
me more than any man ever has. And I don’t mean in bed, of course. I can feel
myself coming to care about him more deeply than I even knew was possible.

There’s real danger in letting someone know you. And I’m
sure that falling for a bad boy speed demon is the last thing any sensible
person would do, if they were interested in preserving their fragile heart. But
even though it’s risky, borderline insane, I’m ready to give myself over to
Harrison. I’m ready to put my aching heart in those strong hands of his and see
what happens. And even if I get wrecked along the way, I’ll be better off for
having felt the thrill of loving him.

I feel myself lifted up into the air, and wrap my arms
around Harrison’s shoulders. He carries me to the edge of the bed, planting his
feet on the ground. I swing my long legs around his back as he pulls me tightly
against him. I cry out as his cock collides with that spot deep inside of me,
driving me right up to the edge of bliss. I let my head fall back as we buck
against each other on the edge of the bed. He holds me up, as I lean back, his
eyes fixed on my bouncing chest, my firm stomach. We’re rocking madly, revving
each other up as hard as we can.

“I’m gonna lose it,” he growls.

“Lose it,” I urge him, “I want to feel you...”

Holding me tightly with one firm hand, he brings the other
down to where our bodies meet. In a heartbeat, he finds my desperate, throbbing
clit with his deft fingers. I scream out into the darkness as he rubs and
kneads me, sending me barreling into unspeakable pleasure. A searing orgasm
rips through my entire body, and I clutch onto Harrison for dear life. I feel
him explode within, gushing into the very depths of me. We ride the sensation
together, hanging on with all we have. The rest of the world goes entirely
blank. For that moment, Harrison Davies
is
my entire world. It’s a world I wouldn’t mind staying in forever.

Harrison pours me back into the bed beside him, enclosing me
in his arms. Our chests rise and fall together as our breath finally evens out.
We don’t say a word, simply pull each other closer. I don’t think I could
muster any pillow talk if I tried. It’s like I’ve forgotten every word I ever
knew.

I’m just about to slip back into sleep when a buzzing sound
invades my consciousness. It’s a sound that’s far too familiar in my line of
work—the persistent vibration of a cell phone. Groaning, I pull myself onto my
elbow.

“Leave it...” Harrison urges, running a hand along my curvy
side.

“I just want to check...” I sigh, dragging myself out of
bed.

I hunt around the room, a sheet clutched against my naked
body. It makes me a minute to locate my phone, buried as it is under my
discarded clothing. Blinking at the harsh glow of the screen, I check to see
who’s calling. My stomach flips as I see that it’s my dad. What is he calling
about so early in the morning?

The call goes to voicemail, and I see with mounting worry
that I have seven missed calls and a slew of text messages. My eyes search for
the time, and I let out a cry of surprise.

“What is it?” Harrison asks, climbing out of bed, “Siena,
what’s wrong?”

“It’s ten o’clock!” I say, whipping around to face him.

“Oh, shit...” he exclaims, leaping out of bed.

“We should have been at the course—”

“I know, I know,” he says, snatching his phone up off the
night stand. “I have about thirty missed calls to prove it.”

“What are we going to do?” I ask.

“Act natural?” he suggests.

“Funny,” I say, “But seriously...”

“Seriously, it will be OK,” Harrison tells me, “Just say
you...fell asleep in the gutter.”

“How is that even a remotely good idea?” I cry.

“Sorry. I’m not used to making excuses. Usually, I just do
whatever the hell I want and let everyone else deal with it,” he says.

“You’re kidding,” I drawl, throwing on my clothes. “I’ll
think of something along the way, I guess. Kidnapped by traffickers? Roofied?”

“And you thought my excuse was bad,” he says, getting
dressed in a hurry.

“At least you can just say you had a one night stand
somewhere,” I say, “My team would never believe me if I told them that.”

“And yet, here we are,” he says lightly.

I pause and look up at him, hurt despite myself. Is that how
he’s thinking about all this? As a drawn out one night stand? Could my feelings
for him really be as completely one-sided as all of that? No time to press the
issue now. Harrison has a preliminary to run in an hour’s time, and I need to
get back to my team as quickly as I possibly can. The whole “share your
feelings” thing will have to wait.

We leave the tangle of bed sheets behind and slip out of our
room. The hallways are quiet as we race through them, and thank god. Most of
the teams and spectators will be staying at the bigger hotels closer to the
course. Our fancy little love nest isn’t on anyone’s radar. We draw up before
the elevator and pause.

“How should we do this?” I ask.

“You take the head start,” Harrison says.

“This is reaching a whole new level of sneakiness...” I say.

“Well, it’s either sneak around, get caught, or make some
grand announcement,” Harrison says, “I know which option I prefer.”

“Fine,” I say, “I’ll go first.”

“Hey,” he says, taking my hand in his, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” I say, giving him a quick smile, “I guess...This is
just a little more unconventional than what I’m used to.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I’m out of my element
too,” Harrison tells me.

“Yeah?” I ask, leaning up against the wall, “How so?”

“Well usually, I’m something of a...”

“Hit it and quit it kind of guy?” I offer.

“Yes, exactly,” he says, planting a hand on the wall above
my shoulder, “To be completely honest, I’m not used to feeling much for the
women I spend time with. I’ve always been in love with my sport, after all. And
every dalliance feels a little like cheating on that one big love...”

“Uh-huh,” I say, my heart beginning to sink.

“But with you...” Harrison goes on, looking at me intently,
“It’s something else entirely. With every other woman, I’m a driver. But with
you...I’m just a man.”

My heart slams against my ribcage. “So...you have feelings
for me, then?” I ask.

“And then some, my dear,” he smiles.

“You better,” I say cheekily.

“Oh come on,” he says, “I’ve spoken my heart to you. Now
it’s your turn.”

All I want to tell him is the truth. That I can feel myself
falling more in love with him by the minute. That I’d happily risk everything,
forsake the life I’ve always known, betray my family and my career, if it meant
being by his side. But everlasting love is a pretty heavy thing to drop on a
guy at ten in the morning. “I’m really very fond of you, Harrison,” I tell him,
“Fonder than I’ve ever been of anyone before.”