Текст книги "Whipped"

Автор книги: Elizabeth Lee

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 2 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

“Hey buddy,” I said as I brought the phone up to my ear.

“Hey yourself,” Hoyt Travers answered. “How’s the knee coming along?”

“Getting there. Slowly but surely,” I replied.

“And the blueprints for the track?”

“Same as the knee, man.” Staring over the plans for the new Travers Track was getting stale. Straightaways, holeshots and berms were all I saw when I closed my eyes these days. Since Georgia had blown me off, I’d thrown myself into coming up with as many layouts as possible. I’d already sketched out thirteen possibilities and I was growing bored with it. With Reid out on a PR tour, Hoyt coaching a new rider for Throttled Energy, and me laid up, this was the only role I could really play in our new business partnership.

When springtime rolled around, we were going to be ready to start moving dirt. The sooner the better. The end goal for the track and shop may have been to expand the Travers Racing brand and offer riders a top-notch facility, but short term was ruining Gregurich. After the shit he pulled with Reid and Nora, and landing me in the ER, the least we could do was give karma a jump-start on biting him in the ass. With a new track and ProShop in Halstead, there was no way Beau Gregurich was going to be able to stay in business. Especially with professional motocross riders names attached.

Hoyt chuckled and I took the opportunity to change the subject before he asked for details about the track I was tired of discussing.

“How’s the coaching gig going?”

“It’s going,” he replied with a sigh that told me it wasn’t going quite as well as he’d expected it to. He sounded as drained as I felt. “That’s actually why I’m calling,” he continued.

I had only heard from Hoyt once since he’d left to go back to Texas over a month ago. He’d called to check in on me right after surgery, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember what we’d talked about. Hospital drugs and anesthesia will do that to you. Hoyt might have been Reid’s little brother, but the two of us had grown close over the past couple years. Hoyt was working as our manager/trainer/keep-us-out-of-trouble liaison. He was a good guy and I was stoked for him when he’d been hired to train a new up and coming rider for Throttled Energy.

“Well you know I’m a wealth of knowledge,” I teased. “What’s up? Your sexy new rider giving you a run for your money?”

Shortly after Hoyt left Halstead, Reid and I had discovered that the rider Hoyt had been hired to train was a chick. When we searched the name Chayse McCade on the Internet, we found out that not only was she a female rider, but a very attractive one at that. I was actually happy to hear from Hoyt and down to listen to his girl problems. Maybe whatever was going on in his life could take my mind off of the fact that the girl I was interested in had no interest in me.

“She’s definitely proving to be a handful,” he said, followed by a deep breath. “She doesn’t listen worth a shit. She already thinks she knows everything there is to know about riding. I’m not even sure what I can do to possibly get her to listen to me. I just need some advice, and you seem to know how to get a response out of a woman.”

True. Well, most women. “I’m not sure if that’s the kind of response you’re looking for.” I laughed, thinking about the response I’d gotten from Georgia. Hoyt probably should have called his brother about this one. “I mean, I’m pretty good at getting some women to listen, but not on a race track. I could tell you how to unhook her bra with one hand, but as far as getting her to take direction when it comes to riding…I might not be the best candidate.” There was a long pause on the other end of the phone and I wondered exactly what kind of advice Hoyt was looking for. Maybe the track wasn’t where he wanted advice. “I mean, does she think you have any idea what you’re talking about? Maybe you need to show her what you can do on the track and how you helped Reid. Or do you think she’s un-teachable?”

“Not completely,” he said. “But no, she doesn’t seem to think I know what I’m talking about. At all. I was hired to help her, but she acts like I’m an idiot. It’s so frustrating. When she does take my advice she rides so much better. So much cleaner. It’s her stubborn streak that’s holding her back, you know?”

“I’m familiar,” I replied immediately picturing Reid. “Sounds like she might be a bit like your brother.”

“If Reid had a killer figure and long dark hair that’s exactly who he’d be.” We both let out a laugh.

“Can you imagine your brother in a bikini?” I teased.

“Why the hell would I want to?” he asked, sounding mildly repulsed but laughing just the same. A moment passed and we regained our composure. I wanted Hoyt to know that despite my constant joking, I heard what he was saying. “Actually, Sally, she’s more like you. You know, all wild and untamable.”

“I’m not untamable. Not completely.” I mean, he wasn’t wrong. I liked doing things my way, but I liked to think that I wasn’t a complete lost cause. Too bad the girl I was interested in behaving for had no desire to try and tame me.

“Well, maybe she’s a little worse,” he countered. “And she is the only female on the team so there’s the whole gender chip on the shoulder thing. But she definitely has your no-fucks-given style.”

“You just need to make her listen just like you made your brother listen,” I suggested. “Make her see that you do know what’s best. Stick with it,” I encouraged. “Help her realize that what you helped Reid to accomplish is possible for her too. I’m sure she’ll come around.”

“I’ll try.”

“Don’t try... do. You were hired because you are the best. Now earn that title,” I continued my pep talk. “You got this, man.”

“You’re right,” he finally said, more confidently that he’d seemed at the beginning of our conversation. “I got this.”

“There’s that Travers’ can-do-attitude.”

“Yeah, we’ll see. The McCade don’t-want-to-listen attitude might actually be stronger,” he joked. “So what’s up with you? How’s the physical therapy and all that?”

“Pretty good. Just focusing on getting back on the bike,” I told him. “Doc says I’m a beast. As per usual.”

“Good to see you haven’t lost your drive.”

“I am what I am. Besides, I need to get back on the track and remind people that Travers isn’t the only game in town.” I paused and I could practically hear him shaking his head. “Hey, can I ask you for some advice?”

“Shoot.”

“It’s not about riding.”

Hoyt hesitated. “Okay…”

“How in the hell do I get Georgia Bennett to give me the time of day?”

A snorted breath came through the line. “I’d say she’s already giving it to you.” His tone sounded like he meant it. “Reid said she volunteered to help you out and you spend a lot of time together.”

“Yeah, but I made a move yesterday and she kicked rocks so fast she nearly put my eye out.”

“What do you mean you made a move?”

“It was nothing really. Innocent, but she freaked.” Had I imagined that Georgia and I were getting more comfortable around each other? I mean, Christ, we’d been hanging out on and off for months now. I’d seen the way she’d looked at me. The way she flirted with me. I must not have been as good with reading women as I thought.

“Not surprising. From what little I gather, I don’t think she’s dated anyone since Jamie.”

“I hear about Jamie every time I mention her to Reid. So, what’s the story there? All I know is that he was her fiancé and he died serving overseas.”

Hoyt cleared his throat loudly. “My brother isn’t big on details. Jamie was more than that to Georgia. They had been together practically their whole life. Hell, I was just a kid when I left Halstead, but I remember the two of them being glued at the hip even then.”

“Hmm.” It was no wonder she didn’t act too enthused about dating. Childhood sweetheart was killed and now she was going to be a nun for the rest of her life. No way. This girl needed a rebound and bad. “Makes sense, I guess. She’s kind of…closed off.”

“She’s been through a lot. And, from what I know about her last relationship, you’re competing against some pretty stiff competition. Childhood sweetheart, war hero, all around good guy.” He gave it a moment to let it all sink in. “I’m not saying she won’t go out with you, but—”

“I don’t stand a chance.” A sinking feeling hit my stomach hard and I wondered if chasing after her was even worth my time. What if Hoyt was right? Maybe I wasn’t good enough for her. It wouldn’t be the first time a Travers told me I was reaching for something out of my league. Reid had mentioned it a month or so back when he caught on that I was into her.

“I didn’t say that, Sally,” he said, probably trying to soften the blow. “I’m just saying that if you want a girl like Georgia Bennett, you’ve got to step up your game. The usual ‘hey baby, how’s it going’ thing isn’t going to work on her. She’s not a track bunny. She doesn’t give a shit what you can do on a dirt bike, man.”

“Yeah,” I surmised. “I should probably just give it up. I won’t be here much longer anyway.”

“Now where’s that Sallinger-can-do-attitude?” he laughed. “If you want to get to know her, get to know her. Find out everything you can about her and decide if she’s worth the effort. If she’s anything like her sister, then you’ll be a lucky man. I’ve never seen Reid happier than he is with Nora.”

“That’s true. He’s all hearts and flowers these days.” I tried to make light of what Hoyt was saying. As much as I wanted to think I could change my ways with women, I wasn’t sure if it was possible. I didn’t know the first thing about hearts and flowers. I wasn’t even sure if I really wanted to. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that kind of thing. I mean, look at my past dealings with women. Is that even possible for me?”

“It could be,” he said. “But, seriously, you need to decide if that’s the kind of guy you want to be, because if it’s not, don’t play games and put her through more than she’s already been through.”

His words were well meaning, but the seed of doubt he’d planted was there. It was unnerving to say the least. I normally had no problem getting what I wanted. Or who I wanted. If I was going to get Georgia Bennett, even if it was just to be her rebound guy and help her move forward with her life, then I needed a new game plan.

“Thanks, man,” I said before wishing him luck with his own girl troubles. “I’ll think about what you said.”

* * *

There was a knock on the door about an hour after I’d gotten off the phone with Hoyt and I hoped that my prayers of food delivery to the middle of nowhere had been answered. I’d already finished off the box of Froot Loops on the counter and my supplies were getting low. I really needed to make a trip to the grocery store. Seeing as how I’d spooked my local Uber driver, I was nervous about calling Georgia to ask for a ride. Dr. Forlani needed to release me to drive as soon as possible.

What was I thinking staying in a town where I knew no one?

I asked myself that question a few times over the past twenty-four hours. I wasn’t ready to go back to Texas and be surrounded by motocross twenty-four-seven. Or my overbearing mother. Her trip out after my surgery had been enough. I loved the woman, but she was a lot to take. Three days was my maternal limit…and hers. She’d flown back to Texas telling me, “I’ll see you at Thanksgiving,” after she’d made sure I was still alive. In my family, we all loved each other, but we all did our own thing, which was fine by me.

I’d stayed in Halstead for the simplicity of small town living. The quiet and calm that would allow me to focus on my recovery and come back stronger than before. The calm and quiet had given me exactly what I’d asked for. Almost too much time to focus on recovery. It was all I did to the point of excess. Every time I started to doubt that I was going to be able to ride again, I tried to focus on something else. Most of the time it didn’t work. Luckily, the other reason I stayed was standing on my front porch holding a pizza box when I opened the door. The second I saw her I knew that she’d provide plenty of distraction. I swallowed back that chip my conversation with Hoyt had put on my shoulder. If Georgia was here on her own freewill then that meant there was still a chance.

“Hey there,” she said with a nervous smile. “Peace offering?” She held out the pizza box. She was dressed from head to toe in green scrubs with her hair pinned back on both sides. Maybe not the sexiest outfit I’d seen, but seeing it on her made my mouth water. “Can we talk?”

I waited a second before answering, Hoyt’s suggestion about getting to know her replayed in my head. “Sure.” I stepped aside and let her in. My eyes didn’t miss the opportunity to check out her ass as she walked over to the kitchen and place the pizza on the counter. Old habits, I guess. “What’s up?” I asked, shifting my eyes up before she turned to catch me staring.

“I’m sorry about yesterday,” she blurted out. “You caught me off guard and I—”

“No. Hey. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.” I tried to apologize. “I didn’t mean to do anything to make you uncomfortable.”

“You didn’t. It’s okay.” She shook her head. “I overreacted. You can touch me.” I could? It was okay?

“Okay…that might be dangerous permission to give me.” I couldn’t help but grin. Well, now I was beyond interested in what she had to say.

She bit her bottom lip and took a step closer. “Yeah. I mean, you know, people touch each other. I just wasn’t expecting it.” She smiled. “Not that I shouldn’t have been. We flirt. We tease each other. I get that whatever there is between us would normally be headed in the direction you tried to take it yesterday.”

“And what direction is that?” I folded my arms across my chest. Now I was caught off guard. I wasn’t sure who was steering this conversation and where it was headed.

“The direction that two normal twenty-somethings who are attracted to each other might go.” Her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink and she looked away as I took a seat across from her at the small kitchen table. Seeing her shyness was both adorable and enlightening—her reaction to our relationship, or whatever it was, only proved to me that I needed to be extra careful. Treading lightly was something I definitely wasn’t used to, but if it meant getting closer to her I’d do it.

“Well, it’s nice to hear you admit that you’re attracted to me.”

“Come on. I’d figured you’d caught on by now.” She grinned nervously.

“The feeling’s mutual.”

“It’s just that I’m not...” she paused and blew out a breath, making a pouty expression with her mouth that caught my attention. “It’s been a while since I’ve dated anyone. It’s been a while since I’ve done anything with anyone.”

I nodded. “I understand that, Georgia. Hell, I’m sure you’ve Googled me. I’ve never really dated anyone,” I confessed, earning a chuckle from her. The heaviness between us started to pass, but then I opened my mouth. “I don’t want to pressure you. I’m not asking you to marry me.” I realized immediately that I’d said the wrong words. The hitch in her breathing proved it. Bringing up marriage was not a joking matter to a girl with a dead fiancé. “Shit. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” she said shortly.

“It’s not fine.” I shook my head feeling like a complete asshole. “I’m an idiot,” I bumbled on while my chest constricted with each word out of my mouth. What was it about this girl that made me unable to think straight? I took a breath and tried to get it right. “What I was trying to say is that I just want to get to know you. I want to hang out with you. I want to...” I trailed off, I didn’t know how to say it without coming off as just wanting her physically.

“You want to what?”

“I like spending time with you. Getting to know you,” I said. “And, I want to be able to touch you in a way that two people who are more than friends touch each other.” I held her gaze for a moment and when she didn’t look away from me I knew she was at least considering the idea. When she reached out across the table and placed her hand on mine, I felt my heart stutter. “But I don’t want to scare or overwhelm you. And I definitely don’t want to piss you off and send you running for the hills again. So if you need a warning before I touch you, say the word and we’ll come up with a signal or something.”

Her chest rose as she took a deep breath. “I’m not saying that I’m ready for us to jump into bed, but I’m not opposed to the idea of seeing what this is between us.” She sucked in a shallow breath as soon as the words were out of her mouth. She had no idea how much I appreciated her saying that she’d give me a chance. Hoyt was right. The girl sitting across from me was special and I had a lot to prove if I didn’t want to screw this thing up. “Maybe just keep it casual,” she suggested.

I didn’t really know any other way to have a relationship so I’d play ball.

“Casual,” I told her. “Simple.”

“Yeah,” she nodded her head in agreement. “No pressure. No expectations. I mean it’s not like you’re going to be in Halstead forever. Not to mention, I’m so busy with work and school that I don’t really have time for anything serious.”

“Serious isn’t really my thing anyway.” At least according to most. If she wanted a fling, I’d be more than happy to help her out in that department. It was my specialty.

Part of me felt relieved and part of me felt…conflicted.

I didn’t want anything serious. Did I?

“Perfect.”

“Then it’s settled. We’re into each other. We’re adults. We’re on the same page. I’m all for seeing what happens,” Brett accepted my proposal with a smile. “And we can take it as slow as you’d like,” he promised.

I might not have been completely ready for a relationship of any kind, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what it would be like if I denied myself the opportunity to find out if there was anything between us. Maybe the goosebumps in the diner were a fluke. Maybe once I knew him better I wouldn’t be as physically attracted to him as I thought I was. Maybe this whole thing would fizzle out before it even got off the ground. Whatever the outcome was, I had to know.

I had to take a chance.

I nodded. “Slow sounds good.”

Once we’d agreed that the idea of something more was on the table, we shared the pizza I’d brought and picked up our normal conversation like our weird encounter yesterday had never happened and no major changes to our relationship had been made. It was easy with him, nothing ever felt forced or uncomfortable. He somehow managed to keep my mind off of a lot of things I felt constantly bombarded with. He asked me about school and I had asked him how he spent his day.

One thing I liked about being with Brett was that he seemed genuinely interested in what I did every day. My routine had been so rigorous for so long, most people didn’t even ask anymore. They knew my schedule, and me. I’d been in this town my entire life, so there weren’t many surprises. But to Brett I was all new and shiny and kind of a mystery. I had to admit, I liked being intriguing to someone.

When he asked if I wanted to watch a movie, I had a better idea. The television screen in the living room was displaying a still screen of the motocross game I’d seen him playing before.

“Teach me how to play?” I nodded toward the game console.

His answering smile made me smile back.

“You bet.” He grabbed one of the wireless controllers from the coffee table and directed the game back to a home screen where he selected two players. “So who do you want to be? The best?” He winked giving me a devilish grin.

“You’re on a video game?” A character of his likeness popped up on the screen. The semblance was uncanny. His dishwater blond head covered by a backward flat-billed hat. The animation of his face was even spot on. The signature smirk and cocky lean as he crossed his arms, waiting on the player to select him as their avatar. “Oh my God.”

“Pretty cool, right?” He chuckled as he sat down on the sofa next to me. His weight caused the leather cushions to sink and me to shift in my seat until our shoulders were barely touching. I could feel the heat of his body against mine. He briefly bit on his bottom lip before grinning. “I’m kind of a big deal, huh?”

“Only person I know who has his own video game character.”

“Not true,” he replied with a shake of his head. “If you feel like coming in second place, you can always go Team Travers,” he said, taking the controller from my hand and scrolling over until Reid popped up on the screen. I wondered if Nora had seen this yet. It was surreal to see people I actually knew on a video game.

“That’s crazy.” I shook my head as I pointed up at the screen. “Look, they even got that serious scowl thing he does so well.”

“You can even see that little vein that pops out of his neck when he’s trying to look all tough.”

“Holy crap, you can!” I laughed as I picked up the other controller and started to scroll through the available players. Reid and Brett were the only familiar faces. “Maybe I’ll be this guy.” I settled on one with a red and black jersey. He wasn’t bad to look at and the stats on the screen said he was capable. Not that it mattered. I was a novice gamer at best. The last video game I’d played was Mario Kart when I was in the eighth grade. With Jamie.

I tried to push back the memory—even though it was a good one—and focus on what was happening right then. I had to do this. I had to move on and make new memories with new people. I wanted to. It was time.

“Yeah, he’s all right.” Brett shrugged. “He’ll get the job done.” He selected himself—of course—and the screen split between us. “Okay, you’re on the right. I’m on the left.” He gave me a quick tutorial of toggles and buttons and I nodded my head when I thought I had it down.

“Let’s do this,” I said feigning confidence. The race started and our two racers took off on their dirt bikes. It took all of two seconds for me to realize I was in completely over my head. I couldn’t steer straight. I kept hitting the gas when I wanted to hit the brake. My rider fell off his bike almost instantly. “Shit.” I huffed.

“Get back up. Press X.” Brett laughed as his rider zoomed through the pack and 1^st Place flashed on the top of his screen.

I did as he said and my rider was back on his bike. I did my best to keep my guy on two wheels, but by the time I’d made one full lap the race was over. 12^th Place.

“That’s last isn’t it?” I asked.

“Best last place finish I’ve ever seen,” he said sweetly rocking his body against mine. “You’ll get it. It’s a hard game to master.”

“I’d say you’ve got it down.” I laughed, pointing out that his character was standing on a podium surrounded by two top-heavy women in bikinis and holding up a first place trophy. The smile on screen matched the one in real life.

“I’ve had a lot of practice. Especially now that I can’t actually ride a dirt bike. This is the next best thing.”

“Is that what a real win is like? Girls hanging all over you and a big trophy?” If that was Brett’s real life, it was no wonder he’d gotten himself such a reputation. Beautiful women fawning all over him. Constant applause and accolades. The game was painting a very interesting lifestyle.

“It can be.” He shrugged. “It has been,” he confessed. “Some of the excess gets old after a while. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”

“You’d mentioned Googling you earlier. I did.” I winced slightly. It was as good a time for any for full disclosure.

“Oh yeah,” his demeanor suddenly shifted from casual to concerned. “What did good old Google have to say?”

“It said that races ended like that,” I pointed up at the screen, “on more than one occasion.”

“That’s a fair assessment.” He nodded. “I’ve been a single guy on a professional motocross circuit for a while now. I have a corporate sponsor who pays a lot of money to keep us all happy, I suppose. But it’s exactly what it looks like. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“I’m not going to judge you, Brett,” I assured him. “I mean, I don’t really have a good leg to stand on considering that I’ve dated all of one person in my whole life. Who am I to tell anyone how to live their life?”

“I literally only have one good leg to stand on.” He patted his knee. “But for the record, I think I’m ready for a change. That, those girls, they’re all kind of the same. It gets kind of boring to be honest.”

“Oh, because I’m so exciting,” I said under my breath.

“Seriously?” He placed his hand on my arm, letting me know he’d heard full well what I’d said. “You are exciting. I actually want to get to know you. Them,” he said nodding toward the television and the two girls hanging on his character’s arms, “If I wasn’t on a bike they wouldn’t look at me twice. They aren’t worth the effort.” Looking into his eyes, I believed what he was saying. Well, except for the not looking at him part. He was wrong. You couldn’t not look at him. I did believe that he wanted to get to know me, and not the me that everyone else thought they knew. I just wasn’t entirely sure why.

“Good to know.” I had to admit his words were comforting. I’d said I wouldn’t judge him, but his past did have me thinking about what it would be like to be with someone like Brett. It was far too soon for me to think about it, but the thought was there nonetheless. Could I date someone who had women throwing themselves at him? How did my sister do it? Nora seemed happy with Reid, so there was no reason to believe that I couldn’t be. There I was getting far too ahead of myself again.

Brett winked at me and rested his weight on my side. “A guy who’s been with too many and a girl who’s been with too few. This could get interesting.”

I swallowed hard. “That it could.”

* * *

The rest of our night together continued in the same vein. Light and fun. Just what I was looking for, and judging from Brett’s attentiveness toward me, him too.

“I don’t think we need to go out for a fancy dinner,” I told him. “I’m good with pizza.” He’d been suggesting date ideas for the last twenty minutes, insisting that he take me out somewhere proper the next time we hung out.

“Fine,” he huffed. “But for real, how about a movie or something?”

Spiderman. The last movie I’d seen with Jamie flashed in my head. Only a week before he’d shipped off for basic training. I swallowed back the guilt that seemed to rear its ugly head when I thought about Jamie while I was with Brett. I had to stop letting everything I did remind me of Jamie. It had become a habit and as much as I wanted his memory to live on, it was keeping me from being present.

“I’m getting real sick and tired of beating all Hoyt’s high scores on X-Box.” Brett ran his hand down my arm and I reminded myself that I wasn’t doing anything wrong.

“I don’t know,” I said, thinking about everything I had to do. “I’m swamped with classwork this week, plus I need to put in a shift at the hospital.”

“You do realize that you’re not getting paid to work at the hospital, right?”

“It counts as experience on my resume,” I argued. “Not all payment is in the form of money.”

“False. Money is better.” He laughed, obviously amused with himself. “Nothing is more important,” he added, facetiously.

“You’re terrible.” I laughed.

“I’m only kidding,” he assured. “But seriously. Money is kind of awesome.”

I shook my head but couldn’t help but smile at his smirk.

“I want to take you out and repay you for helping me out,” he dropped the playfulness from his voice. “I know you didn’t sign up for all of this.” He motioned to his injured leg. I had actually signed up for it. Reid had to leave for work and my sister wanted to go with him. With Brett staying behind in Halstead to receive treatment from Dr. Forlani, there was no one else to help him out so I volunteered. Like I said, I like to keep busy. And, well, he’s pretty to look at.

“Are you planning on paying me to take you to movie?” I teased. Brett hadn’t been released to drive yet, so if he wanted to go somewhere he had to get a ride. Believe it or not, taxis had yet to become a thing in my small Midwestern town.

“I hadn’t,” he paused, “but I will let you get the large popcorn. Maybe some M&M’s if you play your cards right.”

“Oh my,” I said. “You really know how to treat a lady.” I shook my head. A movie did sound fun, but it also sounded like an official date. Especially if he was buying. That didn’t exactly fit with the casual arrangement we’d just agreed to earlier.

“You know it, sweetheart,” he said with a wink.

You can do this. You can date a guy. Casually. That’s all this is. Killing time while he’s stuck here.

“Come on, Georgia,” he pleaded. “You need to have a little fun once in a while too.”

“Okay. It’s a date then, I guess,” I agreed as he walked me to the front door. Three hours had passed in what seemed like three minutes. I didn’t see the harm in us continuing whatever it was we started on a date.

“For real? You’re sure?” He slipped his hand around mine. He tugged slightly, and I turned to face him. His action, much like the one in the car, was small, but I felt my pulse speed up as he looked down at me. “A real date?”

“A real date,” I agreed with a slight nod. “You’re right. It wouldn’t kill me to have a little fun.” That giddy feeling was coming over me again and I did my best to not look like a fool standing there grinning.

“I’ll try to keep the fun having to a minimum,” he joked. “Night, Georgia.”

“Goodnight, Brett.” We both reached for the doorknob at the same time and our bodies nearly collided. His face was just inches from mine, and I watched as he wet his lips with a quick slip of his tongue. His hand drifted slowly down my arm and back up to my shoulder while he closed the distance between us. The anticipation of knowing exactly what he was going to do had my stomach fluttering with feelings I hadn’t experienced in a long time.

I was frozen in place as I watched him move. His eyes remained on mine, silently asking if I wanted him to continue. I did. I inhaled the clean male scent of him and leaned toward him, letting my eyes fall shut.

Brett Sallinger, the bad boy of motocross, the one they said could not be tamed, kissed my lips softly, sweetly, and it felt… incredible.