by Alexia Adams
“Not yet,” he said more to himself than her.
“Box, box, box,” she screamed as an orgasm ripped through her. The command to come into the pits for a tire change took on a whole new meaning. She grabbed his head, pulling his mouth from where he’d been pleasuring her.
He slid immediately into her heat, thankful he’d put a condom on earlier. With a passion-filled laugh she wrapped her legs around his ribs, and he followed her into a vortex of pleasure. As they lay side by side several minutes later, staring at the stars, Lexy’s husky voice filled the room. “Damn, Daniel. That was amazing.”
Amazing was an understatement. He had enough experience to know when the sex was phenomenal. The connection he’d felt that first night in the library had been magnified tenfold. He hauled in an unsteady breath. “Are you sure one night is all you want?”
“What I want is to do that again. When you’re ready.”
His cock stirred to life at her words. As she rolled on top of him and flicked her tongue on his nipples, a meteor streaked through the sky above them.
His need to not lose focus was soon incinerated in the heat of their passion. Had he just killed his championship hopes?
Chapter 10
Lexy paced, wishing she’d worn flat shoes. At least she was burning off the calories from last night’s dinner. Although she’d probably have already done that with the two rounds of lovemaking with Daniel. He certainly wasn’t the type of man to climb on top, lift up her night shirt, and jiggle it about for two minutes before collapsing on top of her. No, he wasn’t satisfied until he’d wrung every ounce of pleasure from the moment, until she begged him to fill her.
Now said man was hurtling around the track with nineteen other cars, each trying to out-accelerate and out-brake the other. And this was only qualifying. She’d be a complete mess during the race tomorrow if she didn’t find something to distract her. A lock of hair slid across her face, surprising her with its softness. There was a lot to be said for a £200 cut and blow dry. Even more fun had been the girl-talk with Mandy, Louisa, and Tara. Although they were beautiful, wealthy women for whom dropping a couple hundred on a haircut wasn’t a problem, they were still down to earth and dedicated to the men they loved.
“And that’s session one done,” the TV announcer said. “The only surprise elimination is one of the Ferraris. Get ready for round two. We’ll be back on track in ten minutes.”
Three rounds of qualifying determined grid position for tomorrow’s race. The five slowest cars were dropped in the first session, then the next five slowest, until in the final round the top ten cars battled it out for pole position. To be first on the grid was an advantage every one of the drivers coveted. Daniel wasn’t the fastest man on the track at this point. But it was the final session that mattered. The fact that he hadn’t had to use the quicker tire at this stage gave him another advantage for the race tomorrow.
Lexy unclenched her hands and tried to sit until the next session began. She was too nervous to be in Daniel’s garage, and she didn’t want to distract him when he needed his entire focus on the track. So she’d retreated to his trailer to watch the proceedings on the monitor. The other reason she was hiding out here was she’d spotted her father wandering down the pit lane just before qualifying began. He looked so much older. And surprisingly enough, he didn’t have a woman on his arm. Was he going through another divorce? After her mother, not one of his marriages had lasted more than two years.
The pit lane was also swarming with media from every country with an F1 fan base. So far she’d managed to stay hidden. But if her father saw her and threw a wobbly, she could pretty much guarantee the paparazzi would be all over it. With the next race in Texas, the very last thing she needed was for her picture to be splashed all over the Internet. She couldn’t avoid her father for long, however. She’d need some way to contact him discreetly so they could have their reunion in private. After qualifying, she’d find out which hotel he was staying at and then arrange to meet.
The advertising break was over and the two announcers were analyzing the performance of the cars from the first session. They noticed the different line that Daniel took around turn eight and commented on his innate feel for the track. Nothing innate about it, she wanted to yell at the TV. It was his dedication that made him examine every inch of track. A trait he also carried over to his lovemaking. There wasn’t an inch of her body he hadn’t touched or kissed. Her face grew hot just remembering.
“Knock, knock,” a female voice called out. For God’s sake, why didn’t the person just knock? Probably didn’t want to risk damaging a perfect manicure. If it was one of the grid girls hoping for a hook-up with Daniel later, Lexy’d set her straight. Although, what right did she have to do that? They’d had their one night.
Instead, standing at the door was Jacqueline Lefebre. From her position a few feet above Jacqueline’s head, Lexy could see that all was not great in the other woman’s world. She really wanted to be alone to watch the rest of qualifying. But Jacqueline was Daniel’s friend, so she invited her in.
“So, you are the Lexy I have heard so much about.” The woman’s French accent was thick, unlike Daniel’s. Should she offer to converse in French? Or keep the discussion in English and thus to her advantage?
“You must be Jacqueline. I’m afraid Daniel hasn’t been as forthcoming in information.”
“Typical Daniel. He is so loyal. I wonder what I would do without him.”
It was what she was doing with him that interested Lexy. How many calories were in fingernails? She just may take up Tara’s habit after all.
“You’re not watching the qualifying?” Lexy turned the telly down but not off. The second session was due to begin in five minutes and she hoped this visit would be over by then.
“It only gets interesting in Q3. And I wanted to meet you without Daniel around,” Jacqueline said. She ran a shaking hand through her hair. Several strands fluttered to the floor. Lexy looked closer. Jacqueline’s skin was gray and stretched tight across her cheeks, and not from filler injections. Her eyes were dull and slow to react to the darker interior inside the trailer. This woman was not healthy.
“Would you like to sit down? Can I get you a cup of tea or coffee?”
“I will sit, but I do not need a drink, thank you. I just came to introduce myself. It seems we have a lot in common.”
“Oh?” Lexy leaned against the chair but didn’t sit, needing the height advantage to give her confidence.
“Yes, we both love Daniel Michaud.”
Lexy let the words hang between them, not quite sure how to respond. She could deny it, but she doubted she could say it convincingly enough for the other woman to believe her. A catfight hadn’t been on her agenda for today, but she wasn’t ruling it out.
“Are you here to tell me to stay away from Daniel?”
“Feisty. I see what Daniel likes about you.”
“Why are you here, Jacqueline? If it’s just a social visit, perhaps we can put it off until the reception tonight. I’d really like to watch the qualifying.” And it would give her a chance to mentally prepare for this.
“I have come to explain that photo in the papers after Japan. I know Daniel will not. But he says I can trust you.”
Lexy swallowed, not sure she wanted to know now. “You have my word.”
Jacqueline stared at her chipped manicure. “I am a drug addict. With my husband’s position as F1 doctor, if the general population knew, he would have to resign. Everyone will assume I get my drugs through him. I had been clean for almost six months, but I relapsed in Japan, in Daniel’s room. I overdosed in his bathroom and passed out. He must have found me after he started to undress for bed. He was carrying me to my hotel room where my husband could take care of me when the photo was taken.”
And why Daniel said it wasn’t his secret to share. Lexy sank into the chair opposite Jacqueline. “Are you getting help?”
“Yes. It is just so difficile.”
“Just be good to Daniel. He is special.”
“I know.”
“Daniel Michaud spins in turn twelve—” The announcer’s excited voice swung Lexy’s attention back to the TV.
“Oh, God,” Lexy said, her eyes glued to the screen until she saw Daniel’s car returning to the pits on the monitor. The announcer resumed his calm delivery of the events happening just outside her door. “That’s that lap ruined and probably those tires as well. Will he have enough sets for tomorrow’s race?” The rest of the commentary droned on, and she turned back to Jacqueline.
The other woman had left already.
***
Daniel got pole position by two hundredths of a second over his teammate. The difference came down to the time he gained by taking the alternate line at turn eight. Lexy sat in his trailer, stopping herself twice from going to the garage to congratulate him. She knew the international media would be hounding him and she wasn’t practiced enough in hiding her emotions to fool anyone. One look at her and everyone would know she’d had sex with Daniel. If she got called back to London now, she’d forever regret not getting to spend the next seven weeks with him, even if it was just as a colleague.
So she sent Daniel a text telling him she was waiting in his trailer. She waited. And waited. Maybe he’d not seen her message and gone back to the hotel. Her phone buzzed with an incoming text and she rushed to read it.
“Just spoke with your father. Are you ready to meet him? I can suggest he comes to the trailer so you can have your reunion in private.”
Was she ready? “Yes, okay,” she texted back.
Her stomach roiled and she gulped down a glass of water to quell the nausea. The trailer door flew open—no, no, no. This is a bad idea—but only Daniel appeared. His cocky grin sent her heart into overdrive. God, he was gorgeous.
“Congratulations on pole,” she managed seconds before he swept her into a tight hug, lifted her off the floor, and swung her around, and then kissed her until she nearly blacked out.
“I’ve made a terrible mistake,” Daniel said as he finally set her on her feet. She could feel the adrenaline still pumping through his veins in the tightness with which he held her and the hardness of his kiss.
“What’s that?” From where she was, everything was going swimmingly.
“I should have told your father to meet me here in an hour rather than five minutes. That way we could properly celebrate my pole position.”
“Rookie mistake,” she acknowledged as his lips descended once more.
Five minutes flew by when you were playing tongue tag with an F1 driver. A knock on the door sprung them apart. Lexy straightened her top and smoothed her hair.
“Did you tell him I’m here?” she whispered as Daniel shrugged off the shoulders of his overalls and tied the arms around his waist to hide his erection.
“No. He thinks I want to talk to him about the possibility of driving for Ferrari.”
There was another knock on the door, this one more impatient. Her father had never been a man who liked to be kept waiting.
Daniel ran a hand down her bare arm then opened the door. Gian-Franco’s gruff voice boomed through the enclosed space. “You ask me to come see you and then keep me waiting?”
This was not going to go well if her father was already angry. They’d just pick up exactly from where they parted ten years ago.
“Sorry, sir. But I’m sure when you see who’s here to meet you, you’ll forgive me.”
“Who is it?” Before Daniel could answer, her father pushed his way into the trailer and stood, hands on his hips, staring at her. His eyes widened, his mouth flopped open, and all the color drained from his face. Oh God, was he having a heart attack? Had she just killed her father?
“Papa!” Lexy raced forward and grabbed her father’s wrist to check his pulse. Her touch seemed to bring him back to his senses.
Color flushed back into his face as he turned angry eyes on Daniel. “You think hooking up with my daughter is going to get you a drive with Ferrari?”
“I don’t need a woman to get a drive.” Daniel’s tone could have cooled the brakes on his car. “My work on the track does that.”
“Then this meeting is over,” Papa said before storming out of the trailer.
Lexy stared at the door, unaware tears were spilling down her face until Daniel wiped one away.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured against her temple. “I had no idea he would react like that.”
It would be so easy to sink into his embrace, let him take away her pain. But she needed to handle this herself. If she became reliant on him, where would she be in two months? Calling up the strong woman who had sat beside her son’s NICU bed, she pulled out of Daniel’s arms and scrubbed the wetness from her cheeks with the heels of her hands.
“It’s fine. I’d better get back to the hotel. Max will be waking from his nap soon.”
“Lexy…” Daniel tried to pull her back against him.
“No.” She wrapped her arms around her torso. “Look, Daniel, my father has disappointed me all my life. I’m not sure why I expected it to be different this time. You may be my lover, if a one-night stand even qualifies for that title. But that’s where it ends. You don’t need to hold my hand or make things better for me.”
“And that’s where you’re wrong. There is way more going on between us than one night of sex. And if you’re not willing to admit that, then you’re not the woman I thought you were.”
Her eyes searched his. “I can’t deal with this now. I have to go.”
His trailer door slammed for the second time in ten minutes.
***
Daniel rinsed the shampoo from his hair in the shower. All his excitement at having taken pole position died when Lexy had said he was nothing more to her than a good lay. It was bad enough that he’d spun out on a corner when his chief mechanic had told him to “box” at the end of the lap. Remembering Lexy’s command had distracted him for a split second and he’d put a wheel on the grass. If that happened during the race tomorrow…
It was exactly what he’d feared if he let a woman close during the race season. But for the life of him he couldn’t break it off. Not yet. Tomorrow he’d force himself to concentrate on nothing but the tarmac in front of him and the cars behind. He’d done it last year as his life fell apart—first with Jacqueline’s addiction spiraling out of control, and then his brother and pseudo- grandfather disappearing off the face of the earth. But it had taken its toll. He’d come in second in the championship. This was his year.
Or it had been. Until Lexy showed up. So now he needed a better plan. Sleeping with her once hadn’t worked—it only made the longings worse. He’d convince her that they could have an affair until the end of the season. Having more of her would be less of a distraction than not having her at all. He’d win the championship with a grin on his face, she’d get her bonus and go back to psychology school, and everyone would be happy. Maybe he’d even keep in touch with Max and take him to some cart races or something, give him a tour of the team HQ. The kid would love that.
Daniel finished his shower, dressed, and was standing outside Lexy’s hotel room door before he’d figured out what to say. He just knew he had to sort things out with her before he went to a reception in a nearby hotel. At least he wouldn’t have to stay long, as he had the excuse of resting up for the race tomorrow. And Lexy had already arranged for him to be seen leaving with a woman—the sister of another driver’s wife. Evidently she was a struggling actress and could use the publicity of a rumored affair with him. It sat like a bad taste in his mouth.
“Daniel.” There was genuine relief in her voice.
“What’s up?” He wanted to take her in his arms but daren’t, even though Max was nowhere to be seen.
“My father just called. He’s on his way up. He apologized for his reaction this afternoon and wants to talk. Do I look okay?” She smoothed her hand down a pale blue dress, one he hadn’t seen before. It had a high neck and the hem fell an inch below her knees. It was fitted to the waist and then flared out over her hips. It was demure, practical, and pretty. Undoubtedly chosen with her father in mind. She’d also done something to her hair and now it fell in a smooth cascade of silk to the middle of her back, caressing her shoulders as she turned. He’d noticed it in the trailer but had been too impatient to kiss her to comment on the change.
“You look beautiful, as always. I like what you’ve done to your hair.” He reached out and snagged one of the strands, letting the silky tresses slide through his fingers. It was impossibly soft.
“Thank you. I mean, do I look okay to see my father?”
“You saw him this afternoon, Lexy. What’s up? Are you sure about seeing him again?”
She waved her hands in the air as if they would express her feelings. Sometimes, like now, she was pure Italian. “I have to give him another chance. He’s my father.”
“What about me?”
“What about you?” Her eyes turned wary.
“Do I get another chance with you? One night wasn’t enough for me.”
Her gaze shifted to the door, avoiding his. “It was for me.”
“Liar.” He took a step closer and ran a finger down the side of her face and over her lips, which quivered under his touch.
“Has Max’s epical bad timing rubbed off on you? My father will be here any second.”
“And there’s a door between me and him. I want an answer. Do I get another chance with you?”
His lips were inches from hers, but he refused to bridge the distance until she answered. Her sigh was part wistful, part resignation. “Possibly. Tomorrow, after the race—we can discuss it then.”
He feathered kisses from her mouth to her ear. “I hope discuss is a euphemism.”
Before she could reply, Max came hurtling into the room and Daniel scooped him up, reluctantly releasing Lexy. “My mummy says a man is coming and all he says is ‘no,’” Max said, wrapping his chubby arms around Daniel’s neck as though seeking protection.