Craving Her Enemy's Touch

‘But I’m a skilled driver; I test drive for Seb’s team.’ Her expression served only to exasperate him further. Couldn’t she see the similarities between her and Seb? He was a skilled driver too and now he was dead.

‘Skill isn’t everything, cara. Seb was incredibly skilled.’ Her eyes widened and he had the strangest sensation that he’d walked into a trap. One of his own making.

‘Seb went out in a car that should never have been on the test track. Is that what you are saying?’ The accusation was hurled at him, but he knew it was the driver that shouldn’t have been out on the track that night. If he hadn’t been meeting with potential customers, maybe he would have seen the state Seb was in. Stopped him from taking the car out to the test track.

‘Nobody knew he was here, Charlotte. He took it upon himself to take the car out.’ He desperately tried to instil patience into each word. She was hurting and this was the moment he’d been dreading, the moment she’d accuse him of negligence and he wouldn’t be able to deny it. Not if he kept the horrible truth from her.

‘I thought he was staying with you. Surely you knew he’d gone to the test track?’ Her eyes narrowed and he knew for certain she blamed him.

‘He was staying with me, but he also did his own thing. I thought he was on a date that night.’

‘And you just happened to be at the track within minutes of the accident.’

‘Am I on trial here?’

‘By me, yes.’

‘Va bene. For the record, I was on my way back from a meeting and called in to collect paperwork. I wanted to go over the problem we had with the first prototype. The second had just come out of the workshop so I wanted to talk to Seb about it.’

Her face watched his expectantly and he wondered if she’d already heard this from her father, or read about it in the press. It had been a tough few months after the accident and he’d had to deal with the guilt he felt, even though no blame had been apportioned to him or his company.

‘But Seb was out in the car?’ she asked, pre-empting him.

‘I’d seen Seb’s car outside when I parked, but thought he’d gone out with one of the mechanics. When I noticed the test car gone, I knew he was out in it and jumped into the pickup. That’s how I was able to be there just minutes after it happened.’

He could still hear the sickening thud and scrunch of metal, then the protest of the engine before the ominous silence. He’d known instantly it wasn’t going to be good and was on his phone, calling for the emergency services as he’d pulled up alongside the twisted wreck.

‘Thank you,’ she whispered, her gaze lowering so that her thick long lashes brushed against her cheeks and he had to fight hard not to reach out to hold her or offer her comfort. He just didn’t trust himself, he wanted her so fiercely.

‘Come, that is enough for today. I’ll take you back to the apartment.’

A little sigh escaped her as she got out of the car and, without a backward glance at it, walked towards the door. Quickly he caught up with her and as soon as they were outside the workshop he put his arm around her shoulders in an attempt to console her.

‘Don’t.’ She pulled away from him and stood by the passenger door of his car, looking anywhere else but at him and very much like she was hurting.

Damn it. He should never have responded to her kiss last night and certainly shouldn’t have done what he had today. Now he couldn’t offer her comfort, couldn’t keep his promise to Seb and look after her—like a brother. How could he go back from that intensely heated moment they’d shared at the trackside?

* * *

The drive back to the apartment had seemed to last for ever, but Charlie kept up the act of hurt and betrayal. It was hard, but more preferable to the role of wanton seductress that she’d just played out with him at the trackside. She was completely shocked by her behaviour. She’d never thrown herself with such abandon at a man and couldn’t understand what had possessed her to do that today—other than hot lust. All she wanted now was to lie on her bed and be alone, to calm her body and her heart.

‘I have work at the office this afternoon.’ His words were firm but she knew he was looking for a way out, trying to avoid a discussion about what had happened between them. Well, that suited her just fine. She didn’t want to acknowledge it either, much less discuss it.

‘I may go shopping,’ she said, trying to sound light and carefree. ‘I need something to wear at the launch tomorrow evening.’