Love's Second Chance (Second Chances #1)(9)

Galen arrived on time to pick me up and I was surprised to see that he came in the old blue truck he had when we were in college. I couldn’t believe he still had it after all those years. “With all the money you make, I would think you could afford a newer car,” I teased.

He scoffed playfully and caressed the dashboard. “You can’t tell me you didn’t miss ole blue.” The corner of his lip curled into a smirk and he turned to look at me. “I do have other cars, Korinne, but I thought you would enjoy seeing Big Blue again. He’s been kept away for far too long.”

“I don’t care what car you drive, Galen. Big blue is perfectly fine. It gives you character. Most men with your money would be flaunting it around like crazy and using it to impress people. You’ve never been like that, and I’m glad you aren’t now,” I admitted whole-heartedly.

He smiled warmly at me, and for the rest of the drive we continued on in silence. It didn’t take long before we reached our destination. Peering out the window, my jaw dropped the instant I saw the sign on the building. I then understood why he told me to wear jeans and a T-shirt. It was because we were at an indoor race track.

“What exactly are we doing here?” I asked, curious and bewildered. The race cars at that place were known to be fast and powerful. Surely he wasn’t expecting me to race one. Galen must have noticed my hesitance, because he grabbed my hand and tried desperately not to laugh at me. He failed miserably.

“Trust me, you’ll be fine. It’s been a while since I’ve been here, but it’s really fun. You’ll enjoy it.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and to my surprise I leaned into his touch. That reaction was not what I was expecting, but what really concerned me was that I actually liked it. Get it together, Korinne, I thought to myself.

No words were spoken as we both smiled at each other before getting out of the truck. Grabbing the two duffel bags out of the backseat, Galen carried them with us inside. We made it to the counter and were given disclaimer forms to fill out before we rode. If I was scared before, this made me even more anxious. Squeezing my shoulder, Galen whispered in my ear, “You’ll be fine. Just relax and have fun, okay?”

Taking a deep breath, I gave him a nod before signing my life away on that dotted line. “If I die, I’m going to haunt you in your sleep,” I promised.

He laughed. “Stop being dramatic. They have to make everyone sign those forms just in case something did happen. As far as I know, no one has ever gotten hurt here.”

I used to not think twice before doing stuff like this, but after Carson’s accident there was always the fear that something could go wrong with anything I did. I knew it wasn’t a way to live life, but I felt more comfortable taking the safe road. When it was time to pay, I reached into my back pocket to pull out my money. Galen pushed me out of the way and laid his own money out for the guy at the counter. When I scowled at him he laughed.

“Now what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t pay?” That earned him a smack on the arm and a low growl from me, which in return I was graced with a smug expression.

“I can pay for myself you know. I don’t expect you to pay for everything,” I argued.

“You haven’t changed a bit, have you? You used to say the same thing to me when we were in college,” he pointed out.

“I remember,” I said, laughing. “I felt bad for you paying all of the time.”

“I tell you what, next time you can pay. How does that sound?” Galen asked.

Shaking my head, I narrowed my eyes at him. “It’s no use. You’ll still find a way around it.”

“Not if it means I get to spend more time with you. It’s been so long, and I want to catch up,” he admitted.

“We’ll see,” I told him. “I’m sure you don’t want to hear everything about my life.”

“Actually, I do,” he said, looking deeply into my eyes.

I averted my gaze from his hypnotic stare and asked, “So what do we do now?”

Taking my arm, Galen directed me into another room where there were gray jumpsuits of various sizes hanging on the racks. “We need to get you fitted for your jumpsuit,” he advised.

“Do I have to take my clothes off in here?” I shrieked. I was definitely not going to undress in front of him.

Galen shook his head and laughed. “No, you put it on over your clothes.”

“Whew … thank goodness.” I sighed.

After getting fitted for our jumpsuits, Galen finally opened the two bags he brought in with us, which happened to be motorcycle helmets.

“Are you trying to tell me you ride motorcycles now, too?” I asked incredulously.

“Maybe. Would you want a ride some time?” he asked, giving me a wicked smile. It seemed like Galen had gotten a little more adventurous over the years.

“No, not really.” I shivered when I spoke.

“Very well, but I think you would like it if you gave it a try.”

“I don’t think so.”

As we waited for our turn to drive, Galen inched closer to me so our arms were lightly touching. It had been a while since I’d been this close to a man, and what made it more complicated was that Galen wasn’t just a man, he was a man that I had fallen in love with and become intimate with many years ago. There was a past there that I couldn’t escape from. The heat from his closeness sent tingles shooting straight through my body. Even the barest of touches had me yearning for more. How could I want the feel of a man so badly? Had I been deprived from a man’s touch for too long, or could it be that it was Galen’s touch I craved?