by Amy Gregory
“Oh, Lord have mercy, Brody,” Molly said as she started to stand up, “you have shit knees, a bad hip, a bad back, and a laundry list of other problems. You couldn’t keep up with a three year old.” She looked down at Carter and raised an eyebrow. “Have you been drinking all afternoon?”
“Na, this is only my second,” he replied, holding up the empty bottle.
“It’s up to you, then,” she said with a smirk and a shrug before she turned and crossed to Brody and held out her hand. “Can I have the keys to the motorhome?”
Carter shook his head. Molly West was something else. Brody stood up to pull them out of his pocket. “You going to take it easy on him?”
She looked back over her shoulder just as Carter climbed to his feet. “Why would I?”
“Ah, that’s my girl.”
Eli nearly choked on his beer. “Oh my God, I adore her! You and Brody are going to make the weekends a whole lot more fun.”
She smiled mischievously at Eli and Jesse, then back at Carter with a question on her face.
“I want to go, if that’s okay?”
She turned to walk to their motorhome. “It’s up to you, Hollywood,” she hollered as she walked away without looking back.
“Hollywood?” Carter yelled after her. She didn’t answer, but he could see her shoulders move as she snickered to herself.
He looked at her friends. “Hollywood?”
A tease of a smile lit Erin’s face. “I think she thinks you’re hot.” She winked at him. “But I can’t believe she said that out loud, in front of all of us. She never gives any guy the time of day…much less admit it like that.”
He sucked in his cheek hard as he tried not to blush, but failed. He shook his head, turning bright red as they all started to give him shit. “Oh, you all laugh now, but she thinks I’m good looking,” he laughed and flipped them all off as he left to go change.
Carter rushed to his motorhome, quick to throw on a pair of running shorts, a t-shirt, and running shoes and was back in less than ten minutes. Maybe it was ridiculous that he was so into this girl so fast, but he couldn’t help it.
“Dude, you are whipped.” Joey chuckled as he approached. “She ain’t worth that kinda pain.”
“I think she is,” Carter mumbled as his jaw dropped open.
Molly had changed into a pair of short spandex running shorts and a tiny tank top. She pulled her hair up in a long pony tail as she walked then tossed the keys to Brody. “Here.”
Carter watched as Brody forced out a heavy breath as he looked at Molly, muttering, “I really wish you would’ve put a t-shirt on.”
“Why?”
“Never mind.” He shook his head. “It’s too late now.”
She frowned, then turned and grinned at Carter. “You ready?”
Uh, yeah, he was definitely ready.
Brody watched the two heading off toward the stadium, completely on edge. He dragged in a long breath through his nose. What the hell was Molly doing taking off with a guy she didn’t even know? This was so not Molly. His dad would kill him and Carter both if he found out.
“Hey, relax.” Brody glanced over at Erin who reached out to rub his back. “She’s a big girl, Brody. You need to learn to step back and give her some space. She’s never going to heal completely with you and James suffocating her all the time, and she’s sure as hell never going to learn to trust anyone. She has good instincts, Brody.”
Brody sighed and shook his head in worry as the two disappeared. “She doesn’t even know that guy. Hell, we don’t know that guy. That isn’t like her, and you know it, Erin.”
“And that’s a bad thing? You should be happy she’s found somebody that she seems interested in. He seems really nice.”
Brody looked at his girlfriend who squeezed his shoulder, trying to encourage him. He wished he could just relax and watch her go, but protecting Molly had been his job since he was fourteen. He wasn’t going to stop now, especially with some cocky rider who was obviously just playing the nice guy. He wasn’t about to let him take advantage of his little sister. She wasn’t the only one who still lived with the nightmares of her past.
~
Sweat slicked her palms, and she tried to casually wipe them on her spandex shorts. Her heart was racing before she’d even started warming up. Molly just couldn’t figure out why she was drawn to this guy.
Yes, he was hot. And he was nice. Okay, he was funny, too. But he was still a guy. A stranger.
He’d been showing her light affection all afternoon, which he was a damned fool to be doing in front of Brody. That right there proved he was a crayon short of a full box. On one hand, the girly side of her wanted to giggle and bat her eyes. It plain pissed her off that her heart was doing its own thing. Her head, on the other hand, told her to keep a safe distance.
She let out a shaky breath, racking her brain for something to say. Normally she could laugh and joke with the guys she’d just met when she was around Brody and Erin. But now? Alone with him, she was clueless. She didn’t know what to say, she didn’t know how to act. She felt like a silly middle-school girl who got a note slipped to her by the cutest boy in the class.
“So? Do you like to run or are you just trying to earn points?” Molly asked Carter as they walked.
“Earn points?”
“With me.”
“Well, it’s not my favorite form of exercise.”
Her brain was right. She stopped dead in her tracks. Here she really liked this guy and he was just like all the rest. Damn it. She should have listened to Brody when he warned her to never trust a rider.
Carter stopped and looked back at her. “What?”
She closed her eyes and shook her head.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Gorgeous.” She felt him approaching. “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant I’d rather ride bicycles or lift weights, stuff like that.”
Wait, what? Molly took a deep breath and silently berated herself. “Sorry,” she said quietly as she started walking again. There were just so many guys like Dylan she’d had to deal with over the years.
Karen, Brody’s mom—well, she considered Karen her mom, though she’d never called her that—had been telling her for years she couldn’t assume all men would be like Dylan. She’d told her that one day she’d meet a guy she could trust, someone good like Brody or James. But then she’d had James and Brody talking in her other ear, telling her that men were all like Dylan. Time and time again, James and Brody had been proven to be right, an unfortunate event on both counts.
What if? What if this was the guy? Man, she needed some space to get her thoughts in a row.
“What are you sorry for?”
“Automatically assuming something, like I told George, occupational hazard.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it, Gorgeous.”
She rolled her eyes at his apparent nickname for her, her cheeks flushing. She averted her attention to the ground.
He slowed and she could feel his eyes burning into the side of her face. “You don’t see it, do you?”
She peeked up at him. “See what?”
“You are absolutely gorgeous and you have a killer body.” He looked her up and back down, smiling.
“Whatever.” She turned away. Maybe he was just like all the rest, only caring about what she looked like and how fast he could get her in bed. Little did he know the nickname she had been given years ago—she earned that one. Even after the silent treatment, the brush off and any other avoidance tactic she could employ, a few guys took the challenge. All she ever had to do was mention it to Brody or James and those men were never allowed to ride the Noland track again. No, she didn’t mind her nickname at all. As a matter of fact, it seemed to help. Ice princess. She snickered silently to herself.
Well…James did treat her like a princess.
He chuckled. “See…that’s what makes you even more beautiful.”
“What’s that?”
“I can tell it’s just who you are, t
hat you aren’t trying to impress any of us with your looks. Yeah, you’ve got a killer body and this face.” He brushed the back of his hand over her cheek. Molly gasped, not expecting the jolt she felt with his touch. “But it doesn’t even matter to you.” His smile was gentle. “That’s what.”
She changed the subject. “We’re here.”
“Where here?”
“Here, the track,” she said as they walked through the rider’s entrance and out onto the dirt track. Smiling, she eyed the hills and let out an I’m home sigh. She breathed in, forgetting her discomfort of a few moments before, excitement taking its place. “You ready?”
Carter looked around the track and back at her like she was crazy. “Seriously? We’re running here?”
Molly nodded, rubbing her hands together in anticipation, chomping at the bit for her runner’s high.
“Okay...you mean like the perimeter of the track, right? You know, nice flat surface.”
She laughed and bumped him on the shoulder. “C’mon. You’re in shape, Sterling, I can tell.”
Maybe she hadn’t been as obvious as he had been, but she couldn’t help but check him out when she’d come back from her motorhome. She could tell by his muscles that he worked out hard, too. She knew he had to so he could keep up his endurance to race. Working out for him was as much a part of the job as winning races. She could appreciate that. Molly took off at a pace a little more than a jog, grinning happily at the thought.
Carter caught up easily, only because his legs were longer. “So, I thought George didn’t want anyone on the track until tomorrow?”
“On a bike, and that’s to stay out of the way of the builders, but they’re pretty much done and we’ll stay out of that corner where they’re still working.”
“And…” he drew out, grinning at her.
“And what?”
“And…George will let you do pretty much whatever you want, huh?”
“Um, sometimes.” She tried not to grin.
“So how long do you run for?”
“Normally or tonight?”
“Is there a difference?”
“Usually I go for about two hours or so. Then I do weights or Pilates.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah. I usually run our property line and it takes about two to two and half hours, depending on the weather. Then move to the gym for the rest.”
“What about tonight?”
“Well, you’re kinda cute, I don’t want to kill you.”
“So, you think I’m cute, huh?” He grinned.
She turned red instantly. Oh my God. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Yes you did. You think I’m cute.” The way he smiled at her was so adorable, with this little dimple in his cheek that appeared as he teased her.
She couldn’t believe she just said that. Oh my God.
Yeah. He was cute. But, oh God, she was so out of her element.
What the hell was she thinking? She didn’t know how to flirt.
She didn’t want a boyfriend, but then why did her cheeks feel like they were on fire and her heart feel like it was going to pound out of her chest? Why didn’t he just stay back with his friends? Where was Erin when she needed her? Why, why, why?
“Well, now you’re just fishing,” she said, gathering up all the courage she could to play his game. Maybe then she wouldn’t look like captain innocent.
“Fishing?”
“Yeah, fishing…for compliments.” She cursed the giggle that escaped. Could she sound stupider if she tried? “You’re such a guy.”
He nudged her shoulder and took up a pace beside her.
The gentle pounding of their feet on the dirt and the grinding of the dozers in the background were a relaxing god-send. They ran for a long while, each in their own thoughts. This was okay. Running with him was enjoyable. She could almost relax, at least enough to be herself.
She broke the silence and even teased him. “I’m impressed. You drank two beers and you’re still upright.”
“Don’t be. It was two too many. You’re about to kill me.” Out of breath, he slowed down. Way down.
“Ah, the truth comes out. So you did want to run with me just to continue flirting, eh?” Molly bit her lip, taking herself by surprise that she was the one who was flirting.
“Yeah.” He dragged in a breath. “You gonna take pity on me now since I’m being honest?”
“Sure, you go back and I’ll be there in a little while.” She grinned, but she would have to admit she was a little disappointed. She had really enjoyed being alone with him like that. No pressure, just two people that were running. And it hadn’t even been that scary without her brother to protect her.
Carter bent over with his hands on his thighs. He looked up, his blue eyes meeting hers. “I’ll stay.”
Her lip and eyebrow both went up in confusion. Huh? “You’re going to hang out here…bored?” Why in the world would he want to sit in the dirt, in the middle of the track, by himself?
Carter didn’t do fake. It was what turned him off about most women he met. They only cared about their looks, his fame, and what he could do for them.
Molly obviously cared about none of those things.
She stared at him now as if he were crazy for wanting to stay.
He smiled at her. He was crazy all right—crazy about her. The last few hours had been the most fun he’d had in, well, he couldn’t remember how long. There was no way he was going to pass up spending time with her, even if she had just tried to kill him with her so called running. When people said they were going running, it usually meant a nice, even pace, easy to chat through. Oh no, her special kind of hell meant they were booking it, and with those damn hills to boot. But one look at her body and he could do nothing but appreciate her effort.
“I won’t be bored.”
“Whatever.” Molly rolled her eyes and grinned as she took off running even harder than she had been with him. He snorted in slight embarrassment as he realized she’d been holding back for him. Chuckling to himself, he let out the deep breath he’d finally caught. She was something else all right, a walking, breathing contradiction. The most beautiful girl he’d ever seen and as sweet as she could be. He certainly had never met another woman with those two qualities combined. Plus she had a childlike innocence to her, he found it refreshing, and very frightening.
She made her way back to him about forty-five minutes later. “Okay, you just look lonely sitting here.”
He’d been sure that he wouldn’t be bored, and he’d been right. He’d watched her the entire time, lost in his thoughts, trying to figure her out.
Most of the time she seemed so free, so fun, and at other times it seemed as if a wall suddenly went up around her.
She smiled down at him, toying with her ponytail, red-faced again.
“Nope, just watching you, Gorgeous.”
Her blush grew. “I don’t know if I should feel flattered or…creeped out.”
“You’re not even breathing hard.” He patted the ground beside him. “Have a seat.”
“I do this every day. Ugh, I’m sure I smell great.”
“You smell fine. Besides, you owe me.”
Her head cocked to the side at the same time her hand flew to her hip. “For?”
“Because I protected you from all the boogie men.”
Standing twenty feet up on top of the hill of the finish line, under the framing, she looked around at the empty stadium. They were completely alone except for a handful of workers putting the finishes touches on the track and the sound of dozers.
“Oh, I guess those track builders are a pretty scary crew, huh?” she replied sarcastically.
He patted the dirt again, laughing. “I won’t bite, well…unless you want me to.”
She backed up a step, her eyes wide and her smile instantly wiped away.
Shit.
“I’m kidding. I’m kidding. I’m sorry. Come sit, please?”
She look
ed at him for what felt like ages before she hesitantly sat down beside him. He bumped her with his shoulder and lowered his voice. “Hey…I’m sorry. I was just joking around.”
She drew her knees to her chest and nodded.
He ran a hand through his hair, feeling like an idiot. He should’ve known better than to have said something so overtly sexual to her. He got the feeling that she was really…innocent. Damn it. He should have seen it, but it just didn’t make any sense.
Carter sat beside her for as long as he could without touching her, until he just couldn’t stand it anymore. He brought his finger up under her chin to raise her face to his.
“Are you nervous?” he asked quietly when he heard her breathing catch.
“Um.” Big sapphire blue eyes blinked up at him, wide with emotion.
He’d never wanted to kiss anyone more than he wanted to kiss Molly in that moment.
Carter watched her eyes as he leaned in, still holding her chin. She shivered and turned her head toward the ground, biting her bottom lip.
Sighing, Carter pulled away. “I’m sorry,” he barely whispered. He really was an idiot. The first girl he had ever really wanted, and he had to ruin it by pushing her when obviously she needed time.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said as he reached out to turn her face back to him, those eyes now sad.
Molly brought her hands up to hold his wrist. “I’m so sorry,” she said as she released a shaky breath. She tightened her hold when he tried to scoot away to give her room. “Don’t go,” she begged. “I don’t want you to go.”
Carter brushed back the piece of hair that had fallen from her ponytail and smiled softly at her. He could feel the war going on in her. He could see the pulse tick in the triangle at her throat, he could hear the choppy breathing she couldn’t control. “I want you to trust me, Molly. I won’t hurt you. I’m not like other guys.” He knew she probably had to deal with a lot of men like Dylan, but he was pretty sure it was more than that. “I won’t hurt you, I promise you, Gorgeous.”