“What are you laughing about?”
“My granddad let me drive his Cadillac when I was fourteen…see that statuary near the stairs?”
“Um…yes.”
“She used to have a mate on the other side.”
“So your driving skills weren’t always that great?”
“No. But my granddad didn’t mind.”
“Was this his house?”
“Yes. And my mom grew up here. That’s why I always attend the Bea and Thom Mellon Foundation Event. My family has supported it for years, and my grandparents were on the board when they were alive.”
“I really enjoyed myself tonight.”
“I did, too.”
He turned off the car and got out. He opened her door and her legs emerged first. The slit in her dress fell open to reveal her shapely thigh. Oh, man, she was killing him.
“You’re staring at me,” she said, a wry note in her voice.
“Am I?” he asked, stroking his finger down the side of her neck.
She shivered as he rubbed the pad of his finger over her pulse.
“Yes, you are,” she said.
“You have gorgeous legs,” he said, putting his hand on her back and leading her up the stairs and into his house.
“I can’t believe you are just noticing,” she said.
“I’ve noticed before but tonight…in that dress…I just can’t take my eyes off of you.”
“Then don’t,” she said.
He drew her down the hall toward the living room. He tossed her wrap and purse over the back of the leather couch. He shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it aside, too. Then he leaned back against the marble-topped wet bar and stared at her.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Exactly what you told me I could do,” he said.
She shook her head, bringing her hand up to cover her face. “Stop it.”
“Now you know how I feel when I catch you with your camera trained on me.”
“It shouldn’t bother you. You are a very handsome man. I could spent all day photographing you and still not capture that energy you exude in person.”
“So you’re trying to capture me?”
She raised her eyebrows at him. “Yes, I am.”
She closed the gap between them, resting her hands on his chest. “I’ve had you in my sights for a while now.”
“And tonight you’re closing in for the kill?”
“Mmm-hmm, but I promise it won’t be painful.”
“You’d be worth it,” he said, drawing her back into his arms.
She flushed. “You flatter me.”
“No, it’s the truth. Every lush curve of your body makes me want to sink my fingers into it. When we’re apart I’m distracted wanting to be with you, wanting to hold you closer in my arms.”
She slid her hands around his neck and drew his head down to hers.
“What are you going to do now?” she asked.
“I’m thinking about kissing you.”
“Just thinking about it?”
“Yeah, I’m just thinking…wondering if your mouth tastes as good as I remember. I always think that it can’t possibly.” He whispered the last words against her lips.
She licked her lips. His eyes narrowed as he followed the movement with his gaze.
“Annie?”
“Hmm?”
“Last chance…” he said, brushing his lips over hers. He hoped he could be a gentleman and walk away if that was what she wanted.
She pulled back. He forced himself to let her go. But then she lifted her eyes to his. Taking his hand in hers, she led the way down the hall to his bedroom.
DAVE EXITED the media center. He liked racing in Atlanta, as did most of the other drivers. The track was high-banked, repaved back in ’97 and reconfigured into a quad-oval, making it one of the fastest tracks they raced on.
He glanced across at the grandstands where a few die-hard fans were already seated and waiting for the drivers to take their practice runs.
He’d done a couple of media events during the week leading up to arriving in Atlanta and he was tired. He was tired of rehashing his loss last week to Tucker. But he knew it was part and parcel of the life he’d chosen, so he forced a smile to his face as a couple of other drivers who also drove for Jenner Racing waved at him.
His dad’s health had been one topic of conversation in the interview. Dave thought it had gone well until that last second when the reporter had asked if he was going to win on Sunday…for his dad.
He’d smiled, said something glib and glanced at Melissa, his assistant, who came over and said the interview was over. He couldn’t blame the reporters or anyone else. He was just in a funk.
Part of it was Annie and her relationship with Jared. Another part was Daddy and his health. And his mom’s well-meaning calls to update him on his father’s slow recovery. He felt the pressure building inside him to not let anyone down. He wanted to be the hero he’d always been to his sister, but she was spending more time in Tucker Aldridge’s garage and hauler than his, hanging out with Jared and making friends with the man who rubbed him the wrong way.