SCORE (A Stepbrother Sports Romance)(94)

I shook my head, trying to rattle loose all the dark thoughts so they would drop away. I told myself I was just being crazy. Yet the reason I’d been so happy for so long was by staying away from relationships. Was I about to fuck all that up? And had I been happy all this time? I thought so, but I’d never felt as good as when I was with Summer. My head started to spin and I began to feel sick. It was a relief when Nick came in to tell me Keith needed me outside.

The sun broke through the clouds at lunchtime and began to bake the damp track dry. I sat under our little awning at our plastic tables, working through a plate of home-cooked pasta, courtesy of Nick and our race truck’s little stove, when it hit me. Through the smell of grease, rubber, gasoline and smoke, I sniffed the delicate aroma of freshly made cotton candy, sweet and promising.

“Hi, James.” Her soft, slightly anxious voice was behind me.

This was not how I pictured this moment. I spun around. Summer stood there, her hair as full and gorgeous as I remembered, her makeup light and perfect, dressed in dark tank top, short denim skirt, and brown cowboy boots. She looked stunning and effortlessly sexy, as she had the countless times I’d fantasized about her being here.

I wore scuffed race leathers with sweat baked into the lining, undone to the waist to display an old Mot?rhead T-shirt. My hair was a mess, I had a mouth full of pasta, and there were probably black smears of grease on my face, none of which had been in my imaginings. I chewed and swallowed as fast as I could.

“Hello, yourself,” was all I could manage. My heart was thumping in my throat and I couldn’t breathe. We stood still, facing each other, for about a decade. Was she happy she came? Was she about to tell me it wouldn’t work? Was she about to elbow Other James out of the way, grab my race bike, and rocket out of here as fast as she could? I didn’t know until, finally, her face melted into a wide smile, mine mirroring hers exactly, and we dove into each other’s arms.

She leaped onto me, wrapping her legs around me. Holding her gorgeous body against mine again brought back vivid memories of the first time I was inside her. I held her tight, kissing her neck until she brought her face in front of mine, our lips about two inches apart. Our eyes locked. I stared into those beautiful green circles for a second, and it felt as if we understood each other. Our mouths finally met. Her lips were softer than I’d ever imagined, her breath as sweet as the rest of her. Her lips parted slightly, and my tongue caressed their velvet softness. My head started to spin from the pleasure of it, and responding with same kind of helpless need, she moaned with our mouths still pressed together.

I’d missed the feel of her, the smell of her, so much. I wanted her so badly, and I could feel blood rushing to my loins as we kissed. It was like the first time. It was the first time our mouths met, our tongues touched, and I just wanted to devour her right there. We broke our first kiss.

“Holy shit!” laughed Summer, as she pressed her forehead to mine. “I’m about ready to fuck you right here!”

“I’m flattered.” I smiled back. “But not in front of the boys.”

Ray and Other James pretended they weren’t listening as they fiddled with my broken bike. Summer saw it for the first time.

“What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I reassured her. “Listen, are you hungry?” She nodded. “Okay, come with me. We should probably talk.”

***

There was a pretty decent French restaurant just down from the pit lane used to catering to high-level racers and team owners. I convinced Summer to get on the back of the little dirt bike we used to zip around the circuit. She was not enthusiastic because of her short skirt, but when I pointed out it was about a half-mile walk, she hopped on.

“I have about another hour before qualifications start,” I told her as we entered the building. The host showed us to a table overlooking the track, and I ordered a single malt for her and a sparkling water for me. “So…”

“So…” she agreed, and we both burst out laughing.

I took her hand across the table. “I was so pleased to see you,” I told her. “I was really worried you weren’t going to come.”

“Worried?” she asked, raising a beautifully sculpted eyebrow.

“Well, concerned,” I conceded.

“Listen, James,” she began, taking on a very straightforward tone. “I don’t commit. I’ve never been in a relationship longer than six months, and I’ve never lived with a man. That was just me. But…a few things have happened over the past couple of weeks to make me rethink my outlook.”

“Well, that’s good to know,” I said as the waiter brought over our drinks and a menu. I waited for him to leave us before continuing. “The lobster bisque and steak entrec?te are pretty good here, depending on how much you want.” Summer nodded and put aside the menu. I took a breath and summoned the courage to tell her what was worrying me. “I’ve never been one for commitment either. I don’t think I’ve ever had what could be described as a relationship.”

“Why not?”

“A couple of reasons,” I explained. “One, I was pretty sure they would want me to give up racing, which I’m not ready to do. Two, I’m never entirely sure if they are into me or my money, and I only have an expensive divorce to look forward to in six months’ time.”