Page 55 of Octane

Her eyelids flutter gently, and she looks like she’s having a hard time finding her words.

Did she move toward me? She seems closer than she was a second ago.

Now I’m imagining things. Like the step to the right that I just took. That didn’t happen.

Or did it?

Suddenly, we’re so close to each other that our arms graze. I drop my hands to my sides, and the moment my finger finds hers, I grab her by her wrists and back her into the wall. Our lips crash together, and it’s like fireworks on the Fourth of July.

My hands roam her body. They move with fervor, needing to familiarize themselves with every inch of her. She runs her hands through my hair, her fingers grabbing at the strands like she needs something to hold onto to keep her grounded on this earth.

We pass the other floors too quickly. I need to stop before we’re seen, but I can’t let her go. She’s the one to finally break the kiss, and my lips immediately ache from her absence.

“Second floor,” she pants out a warning that we’re almost to the garage between heavy breaths.

She pushes on my shoulders, and somehow, my body allows space to fall between us.

I fix my suit coat, pulling it back into place as she smooths out her shirt and runs her fingers through her hair. My own hair must look like a complete mess, not that I care, but I run my palm over it, flattening the strands so I don’t look like a Troll doll.

When we make it to the garage, without a word, Sawyer walks off the elevator to her car, and I walk to mine. I click the unlock button on my key fob then open my door. Looking up, I see Sawyer across the garage. She’s still standing next to her car, but she’s staring at me. Her tongue snakes across her lower lip before she sucks it between her teeth. I flash her a sly smile as my cock twitches.

Now that I’ve gotten a small taste of her, I want more. No, Ineedmore. I need her like I need my next breath. This weekend, while we’re in Florida, I’m going to convince her to leave Daniel.

Even if it’s the last thing I do.

SAWYER

It’s beentwo days since Jackson and I kissed—okay, made out like horny teenagers—in the elevator and I can still feel his lips on mine. Daniel tried kissing me the other night and I freaked out. He let it go when I told him I felt like I was getting a fever blister and that I didn’t want him to get one too. I just couldn’t let him kiss me. He would have tainted the memory of Jackson’s lips on mine and I wasn’t ready to let that feeling die.

I haven’t seen Jackson since then, and I miss him way more than I should. It scares me how quickly I’m falling for him. It’s good that we haven’t see one another because I don’t trust that we wouldn’t have finished what we started. Today, however, the team is flying to Florida for the second race of the season, and we will be together all weekend long.

Plenty of time to get into trouble.

I’m at the airport waiting for the rest of the team. Sitting at the gate, I take in the sight of the people around me. There is one couple across the row of seats who are snuggling into one another. I can tell how in love they are, and it makes me jealous of them.

A strange feeling comes over me then. Like all of my senses are on high alert. As if my body knew he was close by, I look up and see Jackson walking toward me. He looks dangerously hot in a white button-up, khaki’s, and a knowing smile. The closer he gets to me, the harder it is to breathe. The tingling feeling that I felt all over in the elevator is back, and damn if the feeling isn’t even stronger now. I feel my breath hitch when he stops in front of me.

“Have you been here long?” he asks.

I shake my head because I can’t speak. Being eye level with his dick makes it impossible.

“Come on,” he flashes me the same mischievous grin that he gave me in the garage on Tuesday. “We usually wait in the first-class lounge. All the other guys are already there.”

* * *

It’s beena few hours since we landed at the Daytona Beach International Airport and checked into our hotel. When I got to my room, I showered to get the airplane funk off of me. I always feel like I’ve been in a Petri dish when I fly; there are so many germs on an airplane.

Now I’m dressed in clean clothes and am getting my belongings settled. I always have to unpack my things when I stay in a hotel; I can’t live out of my suitcase. I’m used to keeping everything neat and tidy because that’s how Daniel likes it.

My stomach rumbles as I try to push all thoughts of Daniel from my mind. As I begin to wonder about dinner, I hear a knock on my door. Looking through the peephole, my eyes go wide when I see Jackson standing on the other side. With a quick look in the mirror, I make sure my hair and makeup look okay before answering.

“Jackson, hi.”

“Hey,” he smiles. “Do you mind if I come in for a minute?”

“Sure.

I swallow the thick lust lodged in my throat and move out of the way so he can come in. The thought of us being in a tiny room with a bed scares me. I need to put a stop to whatever it is we’re doing before it gets out of hand.

---