Page 32
Author: Jaci Burton
They’d argued that point in every city the past few weeks.
She told him she had an expense account and she had to book a hotel room in each city, otherwise everyone would wonder where she was sleeping. Gray said it was no one’s business where she was sleeping. She disagreed. She had a reputation that mattered to her, so she continued to book a room in each city, and not once had she spent a single night in said hotels.
And as she looked out over the racers from her perch on the pit box, spotting Gray’s car instantly, she was reminded of last night, when she’d tried to admonish Gray that it was late and he had a race today and he should be asleep.
Instead, he’d kept her up and kept her coming time and time again with his hands and his mouth and his beautiful cock until she couldn’t remember how many orgasms she’d had.
She wondered if he was tired, if her staying with him every night at his trailer would affect his concentration on race days. She’d have to monitor his performance today, because she wouldn’t want to be the cause of him wrecking or having a poor race result.
She sighed and leaned back, trying to relax but finding it increasingly more difficult to do so.
She was embedded so deep in this relationship with Gray, and she had no idea what she was going to do when it was over.
Walk away with a giant smile on her face and a heart in tatters, she supposed. She’d promised herself she’d guard her heart, and she’d done a lousy job of it, because she kept growing closer and closer to him, which was dangerous not only to her heart, but to her career.
She hadn’t come here to fall in love. She’d come here to work, which was heating up and keeping her busy, thankfully. It was becoming clear to her, to the senator, and also to the media, that Senator Preston was the front-runner to be selected to be on the ticket with John Cameron as his vice presidential running mate. It wouldn’t be announced officially until the convention in a few weeks, but the time was drawing closer and her time with Gray would soon be coming to a close.
It was an exciting time for her, politically. She couldn’t wait to get to Atlanta for the convention. This was the moment she’d dreamed about since she first went to work for the senator. It would be his time in the spotlight, something he’d fought so hard for—something everyone on his team had fought for.
But for some reason the idea of packing up and leaving Gray brought nothing but a giant knot of anguish in the pit of her stomach.
She shook off thoughts of her impending departure. There was still a lot to do here.
Her campaign to gain potential votes for Governor Cameron and for Senator Mitchell still lay with Gray. She’d beefed up his social media accounts, and tied him in with the senator by reminding people that Gray’s father was running for political office, and that Gray had endorsed his father’s campaign. She listed all of the reasons Gray thought his father and Governor Cameron would make good candidates for vice president and president. He’d been generous in allowing her to post photographs and even these few political sound bites, something he’d sworn he’d never do.
Week by week he’d been bending. She knew it was for her and not for his father.
She wished she could mend that relationship somehow. Not for the good of the campaign, but for father and son.
For Gray.
If she could just get the senator to show up here, to come to a race, to show Gray that he was here for him. She knew that would go a long way to show Gray that his father cared.
But she wouldn’t interfere, wouldn’t dare meddle in their relationship. That was going to have to be something that flowed naturally and on its own.
So instead, she hung out in the pit box, becoming something of a statistician after several races. Ian had been great about teaching her everything there was about all those screens and what they meant. She was too curious to remain ignorant. Now she knew how many laps Gray could go before he ran out of fuel and how his engine was running.
He had come in fifth and seventh the last two races. Respectable, but not what Gray wanted. Of course, he wanted to win every race.
Today, though, was a road race, a totally different animal according to Gray. The track wasn’t oval but more like driving a twisting, winding road along the countryside, though at much higher speeds. And instead of going really fast and making a lot of repetitive left turns, it was a harrowing event where drivers blocked other drivers, and restarts were a free-for-all, especially as they neared the end of the race, when it was critical to be up front.
Gray had already told her road courses weren’t his forte. He’d explained his talent was speed and the standard track, not constant downshifting, braking, and right turns then left turns.
And it showed. He was twelfth at the restart. Donny, his teammate, was fifteenth.
She bit her lip and leaned forward as they got the green flag. Within four laps, Gray had moved up to tenth, which wasn’t bad, but it was so hard to pass on this tight, twisty course, and as the laps counted down and drivers were shoved off the course by other more aggressive drivers, she worried for Gray, especially as Cal McClusky hit him from behind. She squeezed her hands together, certain he was going to spin out. He corrected, though, and barreled forward, maintaining control.
She exhaled, watching him pass one car, then another, leaving Cal two cars behind him. But he couldn’t make enough headway in the time left, and he ended up in eighth place at the finish line.
All things considered, not too bad. Donny finished twelfth and neither of them wrecked.
At the end of the day, they met in the trailer. Gray invited Donny and Stacie to join them for pizza. Evelyn and Stacie had already picked it up when Gray called her to tell her their interviews were almost finished.
The guys grabbed water and fell into the booth while Evelyn and Stacie got out the plates and napkins.
“Rough one today?” she asked.
“I hate road courses. ” Gray grabbed two slices of pizza and put them on his plate.
“Me, too,” Donny said. “They’re hard to maneuver. It’s not even racing, man. ”
Stacie gripped his arm. “You did good. You got a top fifteen finish on a course that’s not your strong suit. ”
Donny shrugged and bit into his pizza.
“She’s right,” Gray said. “You suck at road courses, and a top fifteen isn’t bad. I’d call that a win. ”
“And you’re still leading in points,” Donny said with a wide grin.
“Which is important for our team right now,” Gray said. “We’ve got some tough races ahead. It’s only going to get more competitive. I’m only leading by thirty points.
McClusky and Stellen are right on my heels. They’re both hungry. I have to drive every race like it’s the championship. ”
“I don’t know how you do it,” Evelyn said. “There must be incredible pressure on you. ”
Gray shrugged. “You just have to focus on each individual race, not look too far down the road. ”
“That’s what I keep telling Donny,” Stacie said. “One race at a time. ”
“It’s a good philosophy,” Gray said. “If you start overthinking, you’re screwed. ”
After they ate, the guys parked in front of the television to watch recaps of the race and to dissect their team performances. Evelyn and Stacie hung out in the kitchen.
“So, how are things going between the two of you?” Evelyn asked, keeping her voice low so the guys wouldn’t overhear.
Stacie grinned. “Better. I’m going back to school in the fall. ”
“Are you? That’s great. ” She took a quick glance over to where Gray and Donny were engrossed in the sports station before turning her attention back on Stacie. “And how does Donny feel about that?”
“Actually, he’s being very supportive. He told me I can’t help him with his career until I finish my education. He wants me in schoo
l, and he told me even though he’ll miss me, he promises to pull his head out of his ass and become the best driver on the circuit. ”
“Good for him. And for you. ”
“I’m excited. I’m going to miss him like crazy, but I’m also so close to being finished with school that I know if I just concentrate my efforts, I’ll be done in no time and then the two of us can be together permanently. ”
“I think you’re making the right move. ”
“I do, too. Plus, he’s hinted he wants to get married in the next year or so. I told him we need to take it one step at a time, but this is the first time I’ve really seen him so focused and committed. ”
“I’m happy for you, Stacie. ”
The glow emanating from Stacie was evident in her wide grin. “Thanks. I’m happy for me, too. For a while there it looked like there was no way things were going to work out for us. Now, everything’s falling into place. I just had to have faith in him.
And he has to learn to trust me. I love him and he has to realize I’m not going to leave him just because I’m not with him every second. ”
“I have faith in both of you. I know it’s going to be fine. ”
Stacie looked over at Donny, who caught her gaze and winked at her.
“See?” Stacie asked, lifting her shoulders and holding out her hands. “Freakin’
perfect. ”
Evelyn wished she had the same confidence in her relationship with Gray, but there was no way things would work out between them.
There would be no miracles at the end of their relationship. Technically, they weren’t even in a relationship. They were working together, and they were bed buddies. And that’s as far as it went.
But being with Gray made her crave a relationship. Someone to come home to at night, to discuss the day’s events with, to snuggle under the covers with and make love with. She’d gotten used to that with Gray, and despite having spent the majority of her adult years alone—contentedly at that—now she wanted something different.
The idea of some nameless, faceless stranger, though, didn’t appeal to her in the least.
But that person wasn’t going to be Gray, and she’d just have to deal with that.
After Stacie and Donny left, Evelyn put away the leftover pizza and pulled the trash bag out. She was headed to the front door with it when Gray came out of the bedroom.
“Where are you going with that?”
She stopped and turned. “The Dumpster. ”
He laughed. “Give me that. I’ll take it. ”
She put a fresh trash bag in the can while he took out the trash. When he came back in, he leaned against the wall near the kitchen while she finished wiping down the counter. She looked up to find him staring at her.
“What?”
“Nothing. Me taking out the trash, you wiping down the kitchen counters. This just seems so domestic and . . . comfortable. ”
She laughed. “Uh oh. Is that a bad thing?”
He came over and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against him. “No.
It’s a good thing. ”
He kissed the side of her neck, one of her favorite spots. She tilted her neck to the side to give him better access. And when he began to use his teeth to scrape across the tender spot between her neck and shoulder, she shuddered and let out a low moan.
“Aren’t you tired?” she asked as she rested her head against his chest.
“Is that your polite way of saying you’re not in the mood for sex?”
She smiled and snaked her arm around his neck. “I’m always in the mood for sex. ”
“See? This is why we’re compatible. And no. I’m never too tired to make love to you. ”
He cupped her breasts, massaging them through her T-shirt and bra, driving her crazy because she wanted his hands on her naked flesh, while he was content to tease her with caresses. She finally pulled her T-shirt off and flicked the front clasp of her bra, popping it open.