Authors: Audra North
Shit. He turned to Grady. “Think he’s gonna catch her?”
Grady shook his head. “I sure as hell hope not.”
Not exactly comforting.
“Here they are now, the leaders rounding the curve. Meadows shoots ahead and the white flag goes up! Ladies and gentlemen we are heading into the last lap. Here comes Simms, gaining on Meadows, with Hart fast on his heels, and Nolan dropping back, dropping, now on the back straightaway, looks like there’s gonna be a battle for first between Intercomm Cup veterans with an unprecedented third and fourth finishes from Diamond drivers.”
Ranger didn’t realize he was holding his breath until he nearly choked when he had to gasp for air. His hands were clenched into tight fists, waiting for Kerri to come around the corner and pull into the straight to finish the race. He found himself praying, actually
praying
, that Nolan wouldn’t pass her.
He hadn’t wanted anything this badly in a long, long time. That passion that Kerri had … it seemed it had burrowed into him, too, because right now, the desire to see her beat out Nolan and the other drivers surpassed even his desire for a promotion. By a long shot.
“She’s coming in, boys!” Grady was shouting at them, shouting into the mic, but Ranger didn’t care. He wanted to shout, too, as he watched Meadows and Simms whip onto the straight, with Kerri only a handful of yards behind. Nolan was right on her ass, but there was no way he’d be able to make up the distance. No way he’d be able to—
“Shit!”
Nolan bumped Kerri’s car on the right rear. Ranger shouted. He’d fucking
kill
that bastard.
“Nolan trying for a last-ditch bump and run!” Even the announcer sounded incredulous.
But Kerri didn’t spin out, like Ranger thought she would. Instead, her car seemed to surge forward like a bullet, shooting down the track toward the finish line—
“But Hart saves it and pulls away, following the leaders and—yes! The checkered flag is up! It is up! Meadows and Simms, one and two with Hart bringing it in for third!”
Holy. Shit.
Next to him, Grady let out a whoop and whipped off his cap, chucking it down at Danny in the pit. The entire crew was going wild. The next thing Ranger knew, Grady had pulled him into a crushing bear hug, smacking him on the back. “She did it! Aw, man! She did it!”
Grady spun away and jerked the mic close to his mouth. “That was some damned fine racing, sis. Damned fine racing.”
Kerri’s voice crackled back, and Ranger could hear her grin when she spoke. “I’m just enjoying the thought of Nolan finishing the race by sucking on my exhaust pipe.”
Jesus, that wasn’t supposed to be dirty, but Ranger’s mind made it that way. Between the thrill of that victory just now and the firsthand knowledge of her amazing mouth, he couldn’t help but feel a rush of arousal.
“She’s bringing it in. Let’s get down there.” Grady gestured to Ranger to follow him down into the pit.
When her car pulled up, she nearly fell out, she was trying to exit so fast. Grady immediately scooped her up, whirling her around as the two of them shrieked at the top of their lungs. When he finally set her down, Ranger didn’t hesitate.
He reached out for her. She came to him. Her arms went up around his neck while his hands found her waist, and their lips met in a hot, welcome kiss. He could taste her joy. He could taste her
vibrance
. It shot through him like the purest drug, hitting every pleasure center as it moved through his body like a pinball. Blood surged through his body, pumping between his legs, making him slide one hand down to her sweet ass to push her up against his arousal.
She arched against him and hummed her pleasure. He could feel the vibration of it against his lips, and it made him insane.
Someone tapped Ranger on the shoulder. He growled and then ignored it, nibbling at Kerri’s lower lip. Another tap, and he finally pulled away long enough to glare at Grady. “I’m busy.”
Grady was flushed from his ears to his nose. “Yeah. Uh, I see that. But so does everyone else.” He pointed up to the large screen at one end of the track, finally realizing that they were being broadcast on the Jumbotron.
Kerri turned her head, too, and he watched in the giant monitor as her jaw dropped with the realization right before she hid her face in his shoulder. He was left standing there rather helplessly, holding her body against his.
Aw, hell.
There was nothing he could do about it.
And perhaps more interesting … there was nothing he
wanted
to do about it.
So he simply shrugged and gave the monitor a sheepish smile, raising one hand in the air in a victory wave.
The crowd went wild.
“Well, looks like you two are the sport’s new favorite couple.” Grady observed with a frown. “But I can’t say I’m all too happy about having to witness it. I mean, shit. That’s my sister.”
Ranger could feel Kerri laughing, her body vibrating against his as she kept her head tucked into his neck. He grinned. It was working. Turning things around—it was going to happen. With that win, Kerri had set them up to start attracting big sponsors, and the fans seemed to love them.… He’d be out of here in no time, sitting in his corner office as executive vice president of Colt International.
But the thought didn’t give him the same rush he had felt when he’d kissed Kerri just now.
He stepped away from her, unsettled by the thought, and ran a hand through his hair, trying to get his emotions under control. He had to get out of here. He
had
to.
Time to step up his game.
After the race, Kerri was wrapping up an interview with a local news reporter when another driver walked up, dressed in a blue racing suit practically plastered over in sponsor logos. Ranger narrowed his eyes at the guy, assessing. Tall for a driver … shoulders as broad as Ranger’s … light brown skin … chiseled jaw. Dark brown eyes that matched the color of his hair, which was just long enough to show the tight curl in it.
All Ranger could think was
That guy is
competition
.
And he wasn’t talking about racing.
The unexpected surge of jealousy only intensified when Kerri broke into a wide grin when she saw him and excused herself to the reporter. She bounded over to the guy, arms flung wide. “Ty! What are you doing here?”
Ty?
As in Ty Riggs, her biggest rival for Rookie of the Year? Who immediately swept her up in a hard hug, so close that her feet left the ground as he held on to her. “I’m coming by to say congratulations.” He set her down and gave her a teasing smile. “Maybe see if you had any tips for making fun of Nolan.”
Kerri let out a loud laugh. Ranger barely suppressed a territorial growl.
Seriously, where was this jealousy coming from? It’s not like he was
really
her fiancé.
Besides. She promised she wouldn’t see anyone else while they were pretending to be together. He could keep his cool and hang back. No big deal.
Ty ruffled her hair.
On the other hand … no one would believe Ranger was her fiancé if he didn’t act like it …
He stepped forward, sticking his hand between Ty and Kerri. “Ranger Colt.”
Ty smiled and slid his hand into Ranger’s, giving it a firm but friendly shake. “Hey, Ranger. Great to meet you. I’m Tyler Riggs, but folks call me Ty. I heard the news about Colt buying into Hart Racing. Saw the announcement about you and Kerri planning to get married, too. That sure came as a surprise, but it’s good to have you around.”
Damn, Ty was a nice guy. Welcoming, easygoing … Ranger feel like an ass. Yet he still couldn’t bring himself to relax.
“Thanks.”
It was impossible to manage anything more than that terse reply, and after a couple of seconds, Ty turned back to Kerri, grinning.
“I’d better be off. Dad’ll probably want us all on the podium with Colby.”
Ranger assumed that meant that Colby Meadows raced for Riggs, too.
Kerri frowned but nodded. “Sure. Thanks for stopping by, Ty. Let’s catch up tomorrow.”
Ty gave a little salute. “Nice to meet you, Ranger.”
Ranger merely grunted.
“Right, well. See y’all around.” Ty walked off, heading back down pit road toward the Riggs Racing pit.
Kerri turned back to Ranger. “What the hell was that?”
He didn’t pretend he didn’t know what she was talking about. “I didn’t like the way he was touching you.”
Her look of disbelief was almost comical. “You didn’t like—”
“No, wait. That’s not what I meant.”
They both spoke at the same time. Ranger cursed. What
had
he meant? Where had that come from?
He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking at her over his knuckles. “Forget it.”
When she opened her mouth as though to ask him about it again, he dropped his hand and smiled. “During the race you were saying the car was loose in and loose out. What does that mean?”
For a second, he could see her waver, but finally she rolled her eyes and shrugged, seeming to dismiss the confrontation. “It’s the way the car steers in a turn. Loose means it oversteers—the rear tires slide out.” She sighed. “Look, as much as I’d love to be your personal fact dispenser, I have things to do. Why don’t you go read up on this stuff or something and I’ll see you later?”
At that, he shook his head. “Before you run off, I ran into an old contact on my way down here before the race. He’s a big shot over at TelTex Systems now. Wants to talk sponsorship. I told him we’d find him in the box afterward. Come on.”
He started heading out of the stall, but she didn’t budge. He stopped and turned, jerking his head in the direction of the exit. “Well?”
“What do you think I am, a dog?” She must have realized that she was speaking too loudly, possibly setting them up for drama on camera, because she immediately quieted, casting a glance around before stepping closer to him. “You can’t just snap your fingers and expect me to follow you. You might not think of me as anything more than a commodity, but I’m a person, Ranger. And I can’t join you and your little TelTex buddy because I have a prior engagement.”
The image of Ty hugging Kerri close flared at the forefront of his mind. “What kind of engagement, exactly?”
She was standing so close, he could feel her muscles tighten in offense before she hissed, “Fucking fuck, Ranger! You are
such
an asshole!”
“Kerri.” Bit ambled up, a grin splitting his wrinkled face.
“Hey, Bit.” Her tone softened and she grabbed the older man in a fierce hug. “We did it.
You
did it. There’s nothing more satisfying than being able to bring it home to the best pit crew on the row.”
His blue eyes twinkled. “Aw, now, Bambi. I bet that’s what you say to all the old men.”
Kerri laughed, that same wild, joyful sound that she’d used when Ty was joking around with her.
Ranger felt the jealousy return.
What was wrong with him?
Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was just the excitement or whatever the hell else he’d used as an excuse so far. But a part of him couldn’t help but envy the closeness that Kerri seemed to have with everyone. The relationships, the trust … everyone working together as a team toward something that they simply
loved to do
.
There’s more than one way to define success.
What was he doing, trying to muscle his way in with Kerri? He didn’t belong here. Hadn’t he thought that a million times today already? He might want her more than he’d ever wanted a woman in his life, but she detested him.
Not that he blamed her. Whatever was between them was throwing him off, too. Usually, he wouldn’t give a damn what anyone thought of him. But somehow, with Kerri … things were different.
Bit’s expression sobered, just a bit. “I came over to tell you that we’re gonna start breaking everything down. You need anything else before?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m good. Thanks, Bit. You and the guys—it was great. I’ll see y’all in Kansas City.”
Bit nodded. “Sure thing.” He turned and gave a curt nod to Ranger. “Ranger.” Then he walked off, back to where the rest of the crew was starting to clean and put tools away in their chests.
“Why does he call you Bambi?” Ranger knew it was changing the subject again, deflecting their argument from earlier, but he truly wanted to know.
“Because of my last name. Hart.” She gestured to her head, miming horns. “You know, like a stag? For some reason, I got stuck with the nickname.” She rolled her eyes. “Well, I know the reason. Because I’m a girl. Even though the real—or real cartoon, anyway—Bambi was a boy.”
“Huh. Interesting.” He paused for a beat before adding, “Bambi.”
“Call me that and I’ll bite you the next time you kiss me.”
The thought of her nibbling on his lip, scraping her teeth over his chin made his body react. He sucked in a sharp breath. “Next time? Was that supposed to be a threat?”
The thing about passionate people was that they usually weren’t good at concealing their thoughts. And from the wide-eyed Bambi-in-the-headlights look that Kerri gave him, he could guess that she had suddenly realized the direction she had led him in, even if not on purpose.
“I … it … I mean, yeah. Yes! Hell yes.” But her words lacked the usual fire behind them. In fact, she sort of trailed off, continuing to stare at him with that doe-eyed expression.
He took a step closer, watching her eyes change from greenish gray to a dark, deep brown.
Yes. Hell yes.
Another step forward, and the color deepened, her gaze—
Shuttered.
She turned away, blinking, and fiddled with a wrench on the table nearby. “Look, I’ve taken all the time I can right now. I’ve got to go to the booth for a while and sign photos and stuff.”
Her shoulders were turned in. Avoiding him.
“Which booth?”
“Cran-Tasty.”
He scoffed at that. “Why? I saw the numbers. Cran-Tasty is paying you peanuts. Why are you sitting out there after a race like this for
nothing
when we could be working a deal with TelTex?”