by Alexia Adams
“As bootiful as the Boo-cat-ee?” Daniel teased.
“No, but she’s a girl, not a car.”
Daniel laughed. “We’ll work on your priorities when you get older, my friend.”
“Here, Max, come with me. I’ll show you where I put Dude.” Lexy reached for her son, but he tightened his arm around Daniel’s neck.
“No. I want to stay with Daniel.”
She expected a horrified look from Daniel, but instead she saw an indulgent smile. “I have to go to a boring party, Max. And you need to get your rest if you’re going for a drive in every one of my cars tomorrow.” He handed Max to her, who snuggled into her neck and started to snore within seconds.
Daniel sure knew the way to Max’s heart. Was her own in jeopardy, too?
***
Daniel slipped into the library, careful not to disturb Lexy who was curled up with a book on the sofa. The flames from the gas fireplace danced light across her features. A plastic receiver sat on the coffee table next to her, the background white noise not disturbing her concentration. For a moment he just stared. She was so beautiful. And seeing her interact with her son this afternoon had created a queer feeling in his gut.
He tossed his tuxedo jacket onto the chair beside her and she jumped with a startled gasp.
“Oh, Daniel, I didn’t think you’d be home until the wee hours. Max went right to sleep, and Genevieve’s gone home to pack. She’ll be back in the morning.” She shut her book and moved as though to leave.
“Please, don’t go. Not yet. I just want to talk.” Well, that was a bare-assed lie, but he’d stick to his word.
She sank back into the sofa and curled her feet under her. To resist touching her, he sat on the chair where he’d thrown his jacket.
“How was the party?” She ran her hand over her cheek and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Exactly the path his lips longed to take.
“It was okay. After a while they’re all the same.” He’d expected to enjoy being back in his element. In control—hiding behind his playboy mask. Not floundering in desire for a woman he shouldn’t want, excited to show her son his car collection. Instead, he’d found himself listening for Lexy’s laugh and looking around to see where Max had got to.
“Did you at least get photographed with a woman?”
He searched her eyes. Was she really trying to set him up?
“Not sure. There were a lot of women and a lot of cameras. I’m sure something will show up in the press.” In reality he’d barely spent half an hour at the party. He’d met his contractual obligations and exited. The rest of the evening he’d spent at his apartment in Paris. Alone. Wondering when his life had become so complicated. He needed to keep his focus on the next five races, on winning the championship. It had to be the novelty of his situation that intrigued him. He’d never spent much time around kids. And when Jacques and Maya came out of hiding, he’d probably have a handful of nieces and nephews to interact with. So he’d decided to give himself until he boarded the plane for Russia to relax and enjoy the change of pace.
“I still have your shirt,” Lexy said softly, a faint blush tingeing her cheeks with pink.
If she wanted to keep her clothes on now, she shouldn’t remind him of how her dark nipples had shown through the thin fabric. He yanked off his tie. “Keep it. I’ve got plenty of others.”
She was biting the side of her finger again. “Daniel … about last night.”
Dieu, why did women always want to get into the gory details? “What about it?”
“I don’t want you to think I only wanted to have sex with you because you’re a playboy racer. It was the guy who taught me to drive and laughed at my jokes I wanted to be intimate with.”
That hit him between the eyes. He had to clear his throat before he could answer. “Good to know.”
“And I didn’t tell you about Max because, as selfish as it seems, I just wanted to be a woman for a few weeks.”
“I’m pretty sure even mothers get to have sex now and again. Otherwise, there’d be a lot of only children around. You’re a mother, not a martyr. Turning yourself into one isn’t going to help your son.”
She glanced at him then, her eyes flashing anger. “I’m not being a martyr. And I can’t just switch off being a mother. It’s not a job. It’s who I am.”
“It should be part of who you are, not your whole being. Otherwise you risk losing yourself. And then what will you do when Max grows up and leaves home?”
“Who’s the psychologist today?”
He sat back in the chair. He hadn’t meant for this to be a confrontation. He just wanted her to enjoy herself. And maybe him. “Will you try over the next two months to do one thing each day that is just for you?”
She stared at him as though the idea was completely foreign to her. “Why? Why do you care?”
“I just do.” And let’s not psychoanalyze that, please.
“But Max—”
“Is not here right now.” His gaze drifted down to the swell of her breasts. His mouth watered. So much for her kid proving to be an abstinence incentive.
“But he’s here.” Lexy put her hand on her heart. “You’re on a fast track to being his hero. He’s car-obsessed and your whole life revolves around them. If he gets the vibe that there’s anything other than just a professional relationship between us, he’ll be devastated when we both go back to our separate lives at the end of the season.”
He nodded. Hurting Max would be unforgiveable. But he wasn’t sure he’d be able to hide his, um, “interest” in Lexy.
“So what do we do?”
“Ignore this chemistry between us.” The heat in her gaze as it roamed over him belied her words.
“Not going to happen.”
She threw her hands in the air. “For God’s sake, can’t you tone down the playboy routine?”
“It’s not the playboy who wants to kiss every inch of your body, making you writhe and scream with pleasure. I may be many things, Lexy, but at the base of them all I’m a man who wants you. This isn’t going to go away just because you say so.”
Her eyelids closed for a moment and another blush colored her skin. When she opened her eyes again there was resignation but also a hint of excitement in them. “Can we at least agree that if Max is around we’re hands off, colleagues only?”
“I’m willing to play that game.” And several others he had in mind. “Let’s start now. I believe it’s your move.”
She rose from the sofa, put both hands on the arm of his chair, and leaned in. She’d had a glass of wine after dinner, the scent lingering on her breath mingling with her flowery perfume and the essential essence that was all Lexy. “I’ll probably regret this. But at the moment I can’t think why.” Her voice was husky. When she licked her lips his internal temperature skyrocketed.
“Don’t think. Just feel.” ’Cause that’s what I’m doing.
He threaded a hand in her hair to bring her head down, his other palm already cupping her breast. When their mouths were a mere millimeter apart, a wail came screeching through the plastic receiver. “Mummy! Where are you?”
Lexy straightened with a resigned sigh. “My son and his perfect timing.”
Before he could wish her a good night, she was gone.
And so was any hope he had of getting to sleep anytime soon.
***
Lexy pulled her ringing mobile phone from her pocket as she searched for Max and Daniel. They’d disappeared after lunch, and it was time for Max’s nap.
“Yes, hello?” She answered without bothering to look at the caller display.
“Alexandra.”
Bloody hell. What did her boss want now? He’d already emailed her several times to make sure she was getting along with the client’s golden boy. If he knew just how close to “getting along” they were, he’d probably have a heart attack. At least Max’s constant presence had prevented any further slip-ups in her newly discovered sexuality. But, man, was it hard
to be with Daniel all day long and not jump his bones.
“Mr. Petersen, how are you?”
“Wondering what’s going on. You’ve been with”—God, she wished he hadn’t used that term —“Daniel for five days now and not a single photo of him with a woman has appeared in the press.”
“Um, yes, I know. It’s just that he’s between races so he’s been hanging out at his brother’s house. And the photographers at the party he was at on Saturday must have missed him before he left with … a woman.”
“Not good enough. You need to restore his playboy image. Take him to a club or something. Whatever it is you young people do to waste time.”
“It’s Monday, Mr. Petersen. No one goes clubbing on a Monday.”
“Make an exception. If there are fewer people there, it’s more likely he’ll be seen. Use your womanly charms. Tell him you need to get out.”
“I’ll do my best.” Misogynistic old bat. I should report him to HR. Use her womanly charms. For God’s sake, it was the twenty-first century. The problem was that the way she wanted to use her womanly charms wouldn’t result in Daniel being seen with another woman.
Talk about a conflict of interest. She’d thought she’d at least be able to rely on Daniel reverting to his playboy persona in public. This assignment was going to be more work than she imagined. And, given her personal interest, possibly one of the hardest things she’d ever done. Was there some reason Daniel hadn’t been photographed with a woman on Saturday? Did it involve his still-unexplained relationship with Jacqueline?
Mr. Petersen’s nasally voice interrupted her musing. “I’ll expect a photo on the Internet by tomorrow. Or perhaps I need to find someone else to take your place. That girl on reception seemed keen.”
Asshole doesn’t even know the name of his receptionist.
“I’ll take care of it. And we leave for Russia tomorrow, so the media coverage should pick up once the practice sessions start.”
“I’ll be watching.” And with that he hung up.
His parting words sent a shiver down her spine. Thankfully, Max had taken quickly to Genevieve, although he called her Vivi. So, with a bit of luck on their side, they’d be able to keep him out of the spotlight.
“Marie, have you seen Daniel and Max?” Lexy asked the housekeeper as she passed.
“I took cookies and milk into the petit salon about half an hour ago for them. Your little boy is an angel. I hope that soon this house will be filled with many children. It has been too long…”
Well, they wouldn’t be Lexy’s children. But she didn’t want to deflate the housekeeper’s good mood. “Thanks, I’ll look for them there.”
There was no sound coming from inside the petit salon when she arrived; which, where Max was concerned, was a sure sign that she wasn’t going to like what she saw when she opened the door.
Slipping quietly into the room, she stood staring for a long moment until emotion clogged her throat and the tears threatened to fall. Daniel lay on the sofa, Max sprawled on top of him, both of them fast asleep. Max had a toy car clutched in one hand, his other fisted on Daniel’s t-shirt. Daniel’s arms were wrapped around her son, keeping him safe. She took a couple of photos with her phone, wanting to cherish this memory.
Maybe even after the racing season was over Daniel could still be part of their lives. He could pop over to their flat in London and … what? Try to fit his six-foot length onto her tiny sofa? She wasn’t delusional enough to believe that would ever happen. At the end of the season Daniel would go back to his life and she to hers. The photo would be all that remained.
Genevieve waved at her from the doorway, so Lexy tiptoed over.
“I offered to take Max, but Daniel said to leave him. He also told me to remind you about what he said on Saturday night.”
She assumed he was referring to her promise to “do one thing for herself” and not the implication that that one thing would be him. It was pouring rain so that ruled out a walk around the gardens. There was a huge claw-foot bathtub in her en suite bathroom. When was the last time she’d had a soak in bubbles? This side of never.
“Thanks, Genevieve. I’m going to have a bath. Will you look after Max when he wakes?”
“But of course.”
Lexy had achieved prune-level of wrinkledness when there was a soft knock on the bathroom door. Arranging the remaining bubbles strategically, she called, “Come in,” expecting either Marie or Genevieve. The knock was too quiet to be Max.
Daniel entered, his eyes blazing with desire when he saw her lying in the tub, barely covered by the bubbles. He held a glass of red wine, accompanied by a smile that could evaporate the water in the tub.
“Glad to see you’re taking my advice. I have it on good authority, though, that bubble baths require a glass of wine for complete enjoyment.”
She was pretty sure complete enjoyment would come from sharing the bath with him. But lying here naked, and sober, she was too shy to suggest it.
“I was just about to get out.”
“Don’t let me stop you.”
“Daniel.” She used her firm mother’s voice, but he just smiled in return.
“Lexy.” He mimicked her tone as he handed her the wine glass and then leaned against the sink. “I’ve already seen you mostly naked, or don’t you remember?”
Oh, she remembered all right. In fact, her body was clamoring for a reenactment. She was about to suggest that maybe he could scrub her back when a tiny body hurtled into the room yelling, “Bubbles!”
Daniel groaned. And for the first time since she became a mother, she wasn’t happy to see her son.
“Bet you regret insisting he come along now, aren’t you?” she asked with a laugh.
“You have no idea.” He tousled Max’s hair then left the room.
Actually, she did know.
Chapter 8
The drivers’ meeting was taking forever—the usual reminders to keep within the track limits, respect the blue flags, and cautioning about pit lane speeds. What, did they think they were all new to this? By this point in the season, even the rookies were checking their social media feeds, pretending to be listening.
He’d arrived in Russia two days earlier to acclimatize and go over a few things with his team. They’d made a couple of minor aerodynamic adjustments to the car since Japan, and he was eager to get behind the wheel and test them in free practice.
Annoyingly, he was even more eager to see Lexy, and, he had to admit, Max as well. Lexy, to appease her boss, had convinced him to let her take a photo of him holding Genevieve, which she then leaked to a gossip site. Within five minutes, speculation was all over his social media accounts about the new woman in his life. If only they knew it was the woman behind the camera and not the one in his arms.
Tonight was a big gala event, and he’d convinced Lexy that she had to attend with him. He almost rubbed his hands together at the chance to spend some time with her without her delightful son and his terrible timing.
At last the meeting was over and he could retreat to the relative chaos of the team garage. There followed three more meetings with the team principal, his chief mechanic, and the PR person advising him which events he had to attend and the ones that would be nice if he made an appearance. Team sponsors trumped all, and showing at their parties was mandatory. At least there would be enough photo ops that hopefully he’d be able to keep Lexy’s boss off her back.
Speaking of whom, Lexy, Max, and Genevieve should have arrived by now. He sneaked out the rear of the garage and scored a ride with one of the other drivers back to the hotel. He had to duck into his own room for ten minutes while a couple of F1 hangers-on had a chat in the hallway. Didn’t these people know that bars and lobbies were for talking? Finally, the coast was clear and he made his way to Lexy’s room, knocking gently in case Max was sleeping.
Lexy answered but before he could even step into the room, Max flung himself at Daniel’s legs. Don’t get too used to this—it’s only tempor
ary. With his arms full of wriggling boy, Lexy pulled him into the room and shut the door. He gave Max a tight hug and slipped him a toy car from his pocket before lowering the child to the floor. Excited, Max ran to Genevieve to show her his new treasure and explain to her all about the vehicle. There weren’t many cars that boy didn’t know. He was an automotive savant.
“I don’t think anyone saw us arrive,” Lexy said.
“And hello to you, too.” It would’ve been nice if Lexy had thrown herself at him as well.
“Sorry; I’m on edge.” She shook her head as if to restart her brain. “How did your meetings go today? Did they get the new aero package working?” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear; the rest was tightly restrained in a severe bun at the back of her head. His fingers itched to remove the pins and let the silky strands flow through his fingers as he kissed her. She chewed the side of her finger as she watched Max play.
He eased her hand away from her mouth, and, after making sure Max was absorbed in his new toy, kissed the tortured digit. “Relax; it’ll be fine. If anyone asks, we’ll hint that Max belongs to Genevieve. But most people here are so caught up in their own lives I doubt they’ll even notice.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry—”
He kissed her then. Kissed her long, kissed her soft, kissed her hard. Kissed her until she clung to him, her fingers wound in his hair, her other hand on his back holding him as tightly as he was her. He kissed her like a starving man would devour his first meal in weeks.
“Max,” she whispered against his lips as he pulled back fractionally to readjust his position.
“Is now in the other room with Genevieve.” Smart woman. He’d have to add a bonus to her salary.
He lowered his head again, but Lexy put a hand on his chest. “Wait. I can’t do this.”
“Why not? Max isn’t watching. I thought that’s what we agreed. We can’t take things all the way with your son in the next room, but we can at least have a taster.”
“No, I won’t be able to pretend there’s nothing going on if we make out every time we’re alone.”