Sex Drive (Country Roads 1)

“She drinks alcohol and she goes home,” Rex said, coming to a complete halt and taking an authoritative tone, the Dom from within surfacing in record time and commanding respect. Luke wondered if Lucy could handle the Rex she’d never experienced.

He was colder now, brash. Rex had always been dedicated to the lifestyle, mostly through role play, but he was on the search for something more. He’d confided in Luke many times. He wanted a submissive woman willing to abide by his rules. And he’d waited for one woman in particular.

Lucy cocked her head and pursed her lips. She was thinking about her options. After some thoughtful consideration, she said, “I’ll take a bottle of water.”

Rex grinned. He collected an easy win.

This time.

“That’s our girl,” Rex said, satisfied.

Luke grabbed three water bottles, tossed one to Rex, and set another one in front of Lucy. Taking a seat on the edge of the dining room table, he quietly observed her, appreciating her shape, each curve. “So what do you do in Dallas?”

“Are we making small talk now, Luke?”

“I’m interested,” he said, admiring the new and improved Lucy, the woman who only became prettier as she aged.

Her mouth twitched. “Since when?”

“I care,” he replied, wondering why she’d even question his interest.

“Hmm,” she said. “And here I thought I was coming home to strangers, to men who’d forgotten all about me.”

Rex stalked her again. This time his pace quickened and his jaw set. “You left us. We never walked out on you.”

“I had a job to do,” she said, backing up a few steps. “Grandfather invested a lot of money in stock cars. He wanted to build the largest racing team in the world.

“My cousins were running through the money. No one could manage the team. Grandfather had a lot of dreams for Mason Malone’s High Performance Group. MMHPG was the only company he owned to ever bear his name. Then after he got sick, he went downhill, and it became clear to me, he wouldn’t live forever. He wasn’t able to head up a new company, and I didn’t want him to die unsuccessful.

“If our racing investments hadn’t been profitable, he would’ve viewed that as a personal failure. I had no other choice. I stepped in as CEO, turned a profit, and here I am today.”

Luke understood her train of thought. At the same time, she never v

isited. While Mr. Malone used to tell Mrs. Carpenter when he’d spoken to Lucy, she’d never bothered calling the McDavid phones. She disappeared and other than the old man, never checked on those she left behind.

Rex closed the distance between them. She inched away from him until her hips landed against the formal table. Placing his palms flat against the glossy surface on either side of her body, he leaned toward her. “You chose a career over family.”

“You weren’t promising a white wedding, candlelight dinners, and a storybook ending.”

“You weren’t asking for one, best I remember,” Rex reminded her.

Luke cleared his throat, more of a diversion than anything else. He wanted to talk to Lucy, find out how she spent her free time and ask questions—how many lovers had she had, what did she do on weekends, how many lovers had she had, what did she do late at night when loneliness set in, something he knew a lot about. “How many lovers have you had?”

Rex jerked, and Lucy paled.

“Are you really asking me that?”

“Are you really asking her that?” Rex asked, averting his gaze and then staring at Lucy once again. “Answer the question.”

Lucy dropped her jaw. “Are you serious?”

“Do I look like I’m kidding?”

Lucy grunted, slid away from the table, darted under Rex’s arm, and shot toward the door. “You really have some nerve.” She couldn’t decide which brother she wanted to scold first, or at least that’s how it appeared with her gaze bouncing back and forth between men. “You haven’t seen me in five years. Five years! Do you know how long that is?”

“Sixty months?” Luke asked, being a smart-ass.

“Yes. Damn it. Yes. That’s not just a few days ago. That’s a lifetime. Some folks finance cars for five years, and by the time they pay the damn thing off, they don’t even want the same make and model anymore!”