Race for the Heart: Book Two in the Racing to Find Love Series

by KT Shears

  ‘Your friend seemed to be in a hurry.’

  The voice of the dude – what had he been called? Asher? – interrupted the pity party she was throwing in her head.

  ‘Yeah, I’m afraid it was pretty obvious,’ Ava said, shrugging helplessly.

  She saw Asher’s eyes linger on her breasts for a second. What a creep. A gorgeous creep though, she couldn’t deny that. She was starting to feel a bit tipsy from the cocktails she had been glugging.

  Asher smiled at her and she felt a funny fluttering sensation in her stomach. She hadn’t felt that for a while, either. Maybe Elise hadn’t been talking complete nonsense.

  ‘Do you live here?’ Asher asked, ‘Or on holiday with your millionaire husband?’

  Ava laughed at the not-so-subtle way of finding out if she was available. How did you go about telling someone you were available for sex but nothing else? But then she thought of what Elise had said, about Asher looking like someone who was only after sex himself.

  ‘I do live here,’ she said. ‘And no millionaire husband. Just little old me.’

  Asher nodded, grinning.

  ‘I am also lacking a millionaire spouse,’ he said. ‘Just little old me, too.’

  ‘You aren’t very little,’ Ava pointed out, and then blushed when she realised how that sounded.

  ‘Would you like to find out?’ Asher asked, winking at her.

  To her surprise, Ava thought that yes, she did very much want to find out. But she pursed her lips and looked disapproving.

  ***

  Asher gazed at her pouted lips, imagining how they would feel wrapped around his cock. He shifted in his seat, uncomfortable at the growing hardness in his jeans. Damn, she was hot. Hotter than he had thought, now he was right up close. She had come-to-bed eyes and those lips. Fuck. Her breasts too, large and full, just the smallest hint of cleavage showing in her dress.

  ‘Nice tattoos,’ she said, indicating Asher’s arms.

  He smiled and spread them out so she could see properly.

  ‘Thanks.’

  He watched as Ava pored over the inkings on his arms. He’d like to see her head bent like that somewhere else.

  ‘You like tattoos, huh?’ he asked, watching her as she straightened back up.

  ‘I do,’ she said, and then she leaned across the table slightly. He leaned forward too, his cock throbbing as her foot accidentally grazed his ankle under the table.

  ‘I have a few of my one too,’ she said, quietly.

  ‘Oh yeah?’ Asher said, scanning her body. ‘I can’t see any.’

  Ava sat back, smiling coquettishly.

  ‘I don’t have them in places you can see easily.’

  Fucking hell, Asher thought, his dick uncomfortably hard now. This girl was smoking hot. He had to take her home, his balls ached for her.

  ‘Is that so? What would one have to do to be given a private show?’

  He thought perhaps he’d pushed a bit too far as she had looked away suddenly. He was just about to chalk the whole thing up as a loss when she stared back at him, twirling a strand of hair round her finger.

  ‘Let’s go,’ she said, and she stood up.

  Asher stood up too. Was it really going to be this easy? Fuck, he could pick them well.

  ‘Where? We can go back to mine,’ he said, trying to disguise the raging hard-on he was sporting.

  Ava shook her head.

  ‘Mine,’ she said, and headed towards the door. Asher stared for a second, wondering if he should find Felipe and tell him he was leaving. Ah, fuck it. He followed Ava out of the door.

  ***

  Shit, shit, shit, Ava thought as they sat in the cab, Asher’s hand stroking her leg. What the hell was she doing? She must be out of her tiny mind. She was in a cab with a boy. No, he was definitely a man. A gorgeous, big, muscular, and tattooed man. But she didn’t get in cabs with men, and she certainly didn’t invite them back to her house after a five-minute conversation. Maybe she should tell him to leave when they arrived. Fuck, this was dangerous, too. He could be an axe murderer. Damn Elise for leaving her.

  The cab pulled up and she stepped out, Asher pressing a few notes into the driver’s hand. She was about to tell him that this had been a mistake, when suddenly she felt his lips on hers. She sank into his kiss, parting her lips to let his tongue dart into her mouth. She could feel the blood pumping in her body, and her heart racing. Surely she wasn’t about to do this? But when Asher slipped a hand inside her dress, stroking the skin around her collarbone, she knew that she was. Fuck, it had been long enough.

  They stumbled to Ava’s door and she fumbled with the key, Asher eventually taking it from her and turning in the lock. They fell into the living room, their hands all over each other, the door slamming behind them.

  ‘The bedroom’s this way,’ Ava murmured but Asher shook his head.

  ‘I can’t wait,’ he said, his voice sounding strained. ‘Here.’

  He lifted her and carried her to the sofa. She could fell his hard penis against her and rubbed herself against it slightly as he carried her.

  ‘Fuck,’ Asher breathed, laying her down on the sofa.

  He tugged at her dress and Ava raised a hand to help him take it off. She saw Asher’s eyes roam over her body – and her tattoos – and she suddenly felt vulnerable. No one had seen her naked since Shay. But Asher seemed to like what he saw and he bent down to kiss her neck and throat. She moved her hands across his broad back and muscular arms, tracing the shapes of the tattoos. Man, he was really hot.

  His mouth was moving downwards now, and she let out a little gasp as his lips reached the top of her underwear. He raised his head slightly and winked at her, and then tugged them to the side. Ava moaned as his tongue flicked out, touching the tip of her clit. One of Asher’s hands worked up her body, finding her bra and slipping inside to brush against her nipple. Ava quickly undid the hook and Asher whipped it off, throwing it on the floor.

  Ava realised, suddenly, that she was completely naked – and Asher still had his jeans on. She tugged, ineffectually, at them, and Asher unzipped them and slid them off, so he was just in his boxers. Ava could see how hard he was, and how big he was too. She pulled at his boxers and he stepped out of them.

  She took a moment just to drink his body in. He was magnificent, she thought. Beautiful hard muscle and tattoos. She took his penis in her hand and Asher moaned. She could feel it throbbing, and Ava knew from the way Asher’s breath came in short bursts that he was struggling to control himself. She felt pleased at that; pleased that someone found her so attractive.

  ‘I need you, now,’ Asher said, the words coming deep and guttural from his throat. His hand felt around for his jeans and she heard the ripping of a packet. Then, suddenly, she felt him slide inside her and she gasped at the pleasure of it. It had been so long.

  They lay still for a moment, Asher clearly trying to collect himself, and then he started to slide in and out. Ava felt him rubbing against her clit and she moaned loudly, suddenly finding she was the one struggling to control herself. Asher increased the pace and she felt the tension building.

  ‘I can’t hold on,’ he said, through gritted teeth, and that pushed her over the edge. She let out a cry as her orgasm hit, and that did the trick for Asher, too. He gave a shout as he came, ramming himself inside her as far as he could go.

  They lay there, side by side, panting. That had been good, Ava realised. Better than good. Maybe Elise had been right.

  Sitting up, she grabbed a blanket hanging on the back of the sofa.

  ‘That was great,’ she said. ‘Thanks. Do you need to call a taxi?’

  Chapter three

  ‘She kicked you out, man?’ Felipe Gotteri howled with laughter, clutching his sides. Asher glared at him as he pulled on his racing suit.

  ‘Shut up,’ he said. He was still feeling a bit raw about the whole thing. And embarrassed that he even cared.

  After the sex was over, he had been looking forward to a second
round in the bedroom and maybe another round in the morning. But Ava had sat up, covering herself up, and basically told him to get out. He shook his head. This had never happened to him before. He was always the one leaving, the girl begging him to stay at least until morning.

  The sex had been fucking amazing, and he had really wanted to be inside her again. He had just about come when he saw her naked body, her back covered in a large rose tattoo that wound itself up her body and around to her breasts. Damn, that had been hot.

  Asher had looked at her, confused, when she asked if he needed a taxi.

  ‘What, now?’

  She had nodded, wrapping herself in the blanket and edging along the sofa.

  ‘Ohhh,’ Asher had said, knowingly. ‘Husband?’

  She had stared at him.

  ‘No,’ she said, finally. ‘I just have to get up early.’

  ‘But it’s the weekend,’ Asher had pointed out, feeling quite put out. But he had gotten dressed and left. He had paused on the doorstep, wondering if he should kiss her goodbye or ask for her number. But then the door had slammed in his face.

  ‘Didn’t you make her come or something?’ Felipe said, adjusting the straps on his helmet.

  ‘Fuck you, man, of course I did.’

  Asher knew he had made her come – he had felt her tighten around him, heard her crying out. He was sure she had enjoyed herself. So why had she kicked him out?

  Felipe shrugged.

  ‘You need advice pleasing ladies, I give you advice.’

  Asher laughed.

  ‘I certainly don’t need advice from you. Didn’t a girl tell you your dick was too small last week?’

  Felipe shook his head, grinning. Asher thought he was possibly the happiest man in the world. Nothing seemed to offend or annoy him.

  ‘Yes, but I tell her my dick not too small. I tell her that her pussy is too big!’

  Asher was still wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes as he climbed into his car. Felipe was an idiot, but he liked the little guy. He was glad they weren’t in a position where they were going to have to fight each other for a championship – he had seen what that did to relationships between drivers. He thought of Devlin and his teammate, Erik. Jeez, he would have to meet Erik; you couldn’t avoid the other drivers all season, it was impossible. He thought of Devlin almost killing the guy last year and shook his head. It was unlikely he and Erik were going to get on, he thought. Fuck Devlin – not even here and still making his life more difficult.

  He watched as Felipe pulled out onto the track and followed. He had done a couple of days in the car earlier in the week, so he was beginning to get used to the feel of it. It was pretty different to driving a touring car – he felt a lot more exposed. He took it easy as he drove around the first lap of the test track, acclimatising to the car. Felipe shot past him and gave him the finger as he did so. Asher laughed and increased his speed. It was time to see what this baby could really do.

  ***

  ‘I knew you would go home with him,’ Elise crowed, triumphantly. She and Ava were standing in the small coffee room at work.

  ‘Keep your voice down,’ Ava said, furtively looking around.

  ‘Was he good?’ Elise asked, pouring herself a steaming mug of coffee from the pot.

  Ava thought back to the other night. The way Asher’s lips had grazed her skin, the feel of him as he pushed inside her, those tattoos.

  ‘Yes.’ She smiled to herself. ‘Very good.’

  Elise squealed with delight.

  ‘And you won’t be seeing him again?’

  ‘I don’t even know his last name,’ Ava said, her smile growing bigger. ‘We had sex and I asked him to leave.’

  Elise boggled at her.

  ‘Seriously?’

  Ava nodded, feeling proud of herself.

  ‘Wow, check you out!’ Elise said, sounding impressed. ‘Way to go.’

  ‘I know, I couldn’t believe it myself. It felt great.’

  Ava thought back to the look on Asher’s face when she had asked him to leave. Utter confusion. She laughed at the thought of it – she bet he had never been asked to leave before.

  She and Elise headed back to their desks – they sat opposite each other, although it did tend to reduce their workflow somewhat. A huge TV hung over their desks – it usually had the news on, but neither of them paid much attention to it these days, it was all background noise.

  Suddenly Elise stopped dead, and Ava nearly walked right into the back of her.

  ‘What the hell?’ Ava began, but Elise pointed at the big screen.

  ‘Um, isn’t that your guy from the other night?’

  ‘What?’ Ava squinted up at the screen. Fuck, Elise was right. That was definitely him – she would recognise those tattoos anywhere.

  ‘What the hell is he doing on TV?’ she asked, utterly perplexed.

  ‘Pegasus driver Asher Carter,’ Elise read off from the subtitle under his name.

  Ava felt her blood run cold. He was a racing driver? Fuck, she should have known. Monaco was crawling with them. She realised they hadn’t even discussed what they each did for a living, they had been so desperate to get each other’s clothes off.

  ‘Oh my God, Ava, he’s a Formula One driver!’ Elise shrieked, staring open-mouthed at the screen.

  Ava felt a bit sick. She had sworn off men who were even remotely interested in sport, let alone those who took part on a professional level. She thought of Shay. She’d had a lucky escape. Thank God she had kicked him out.

  Elise was staring at her, obviously waiting for her to say something. What was there to say, though?

  ‘So it seems,’ Ava said, forcing a smile. ‘Hardly surprising, though, living here.’

  She sat at her desk and began tapping at the keys, not even sure what she was writing.

  ‘Are you ok?’ Elise said, softly, sitting down at her own desk.

  ‘Fine,’ Ava said. But she wasn’t. Not really.

  ***

  ‘Man I will have you in the first race,’ Felipe said, waving his bottle of beer.

  ‘Fat chance,’ Asher scoffed, drinking from his own bottle.

  Testing that day had gone well, but Felipe had managed to get a slightly quicker time than Asher. And had been going on about it ever since. They were now back in the bar where Asher had met Ava the other night, and his eyes scanned the room.

  ‘Are you looking for tattoo lady?’ Felipe asked, following his gaze. Asher flushed – he thought he was being a bit more subtle than that.

  ‘No,’ he said, but wasn’t sure he sounded truthful.

  Felipe laughed.

  ‘You are,’ he said. ‘You want round two, eh? You want to get kicked out again?’

  Asher shook his head, annoyed.

  ‘Shut up, Felipe,’ he said and Felipe laughed louder.

  Asher glared at him and then resumed scanning the room. Maybe someone else there would catch his eye. But as he surveyed the women dressed in their evening finery, he realised none of them held a torch to the girl he had gone home with the other night. She had been utterly gorgeous and his groin tightened as he thought of her.

  ‘Man, I’m going home,’ Felipe said, downing the last of his beer. And without waiting for Asher to finish his, he got up and left.

  Asher sighed, shaking his head. His new friend was peculiar, he thought, seemingly oblivious to social convention and the value of tact. He quite liked that, though. You got no bullshit from Felipe, he said what he meant and meant what he said.

  Asher took a sip of his beer. He would finish it and then go home. His apartment was still in total chaos. He had only moved in a few days before, and there were boxes strewn around everywhere. He hadn’t exactly been on a pauper’s salary before; touring cars were a popular sport and he had been paid well enough for driving one. But nowhere near the megabucks he was making now.

  When Nigel Hollingsworth had shown him a piece of paper with his salary on, he had stared at it, unable to comprehend.
He was earning $1million a year, with the promise of bonuses if he performed well and of salary rises if the team became more successful. He knew Felipe was on the slightly more – he hadn’t asked, feeling it was rude to, but Felipe wasn’t bound by those kind of considerations and had told him, proudly, just a few minutes into their first meeting. He didn’t have a problem with that, though. Felipe had driven last year, whereas he was new to the scene. It made sense they would be reluctant to pay him too much. At least until he showed them what he could do.

  He had lived out of mid-range hotels when he was touring, after giving up his rented apartment in the UK. He had hardly spent any time there, and it seemed a waste to keep it on. But his new team, Pegasus, were based in Monaco, and he would be spending a lot of time there. So, he had decided to go looking for a suitable apartment.

  Colin had found him a property agent who seemed to specialise in homes for racing drivers. Asher figured that there were enough of them in Monaco to be able to make a pretty good living. She had met him at the hotel he was staying in with a list of properties, and then whisked him to each one, pointing out the pros and cons.

  Asher had fallen in love with the final apartment she had shown him; a smart two-bedroom property overlooking the famous Monaco marina. He had stood and gazed out of the window. He had made it, at last.

  The rent was enough to make his eyes water, but he signed the lease. Colin had already approached him with sponsorship deals that would make him more than double his salary, and he wanted to be part of the real racing scene.

  He drained his beer bottle and stood up. Yes, home.

  ***

  Ava was in her favourite pyjamas, curled up on the sofa with a book. After the shock of seeing her guy from the other night on television, she had willed the rest of the day at work away. She knew Elise wanted to talk about it – wanted to have a full debrief – but she couldn’t face it. The whole thing had been a mistake, and she had learned her lesson. From now on, she would assume every man she met was either a hockey player or a racing driver; that seemed the safest bet.