Page 41 of Endurance

“Racing was, and still is, my first love.”

“I’m okay with that,” she responded.

I spun to face her again, shocked to hell by her acceptance. “You are?”

I didn’t know any woman who would be okay with being told she was second fiddle to a motorsport. I expected to have to explain more.

“Sounds crazy, right?” She sighed and began to pile up our dinner dishes. “The thing is, I appreciate the honesty. I just got out of a serious relationship, and as I said, I’m not looking for another. However, I needed to make sure I wasn’t going to be a one-shot deal for you. Being another notch in someone’s bedpost has never worked for me. Your response may not be acceptable for some women, but it’s enough for me. I know my limitations, and now I know yours. If I think I’m getting in too deep, your honesty tonight will help me keep my emotions in check. I only want something real and authentic—someone who wants to be with me for who I am and not an idea of what they want me to be. Does that make sense?”

Taking a few steps toward her, I stopped her from clearing the table and turned her to face me. Using one finger, I tilted her chin up until her eyes met mine. “I told you once before that you deserved someone who would love you and leave you wild. I meant what I said.”

She didn’t respond but looked away, seeming somewhat nervous. I followed the direction of her gaze to see the sun had lowered further in the sky, creating a rainbow mirror on the pool for the surrounding landscape. When I looked back, I saw worry lines creasing her forehead again. She took a step back and returned to clearing the dishes, but I stopped her by wrapping my arms around her waist.

“Sloan, the dishes. Let me just—”

“What is it? Tell me what’s bothering you.”

“I…it’s…” she faltered. “It’s the sunset.”

“What about it?”

She released a small laugh and shook her head. “You’ll think I’m nuts.”

She pulled away once more, but this time I didn’t stop her. Following her lead, I helped bring the dirty dishes into the house. We cleaned up in silence as I waited for her to explain. When the last plate was stacked into the dishwasher, I took her hand and led her back out to the patio. Taking a seat on one of the lounge chairs near the pool, I pulled her onto my lap.

“Kallie, what’s with you and the sunsets?” I asked, pointing to the sun that had almost completely disappeared. “You had the same look on your face that night on the beach.”

Apprehension momentarily clouded her features before being replaced by a look of resignation.

“It goes back to something a gypsy fortuneteller told me at a carnival when I was eighteen. Her name was Madame Lavinia. I didn’t want to see her, but my brother, Austin, literally pushed me into her tent, and I didn’t have much of a choice. Austin knew how much I believed in destiny and fate, and he used to get a kick out of it. Still, if I’d had any sense, I would have run right out of there.”

“What did she say?” I asked with genuine curiosity. I had a feeling that whatever she was about to say would give me a bit more insight into the free-spirited woman who could drive me wild with just one look.

“She said destructive love would surround me, and the man who kissed me under a California sunset would be the one to break me. That’s why I ran before you could kiss me on the beach. As for tonight, I was hoping it would be dark before… Well, before anything happened.”

I raised my eyebrows and grinned, amused by the solemn set to her jaw as she told her outlandish tale.

“A gypsy fortuneteller. You’re serious right now?”

“I knew you would think I was nuts,” she mumbled, then let out an exasperated sigh and stood up to pace. “Forget I said anything.”

“No, I’m glad you told me. All this time, I thought I’d done something to spook you,” I said, trying my damn hardest to stifle the laugh threatening to burst forth. “I’m happy to hear it was just a… a carny influencing you.”

She stopped pacing and narrowed her eyes at me.

“You can think it’s funny all you want, but it’s more than what she said about being kissed at sunset. It’s also about what happened with us right out of the gate. I’m a Gemini and tend to let my emotions rule me. Madame Lavinia predicted that would be my downfall. I broke up with Dean, then the very next day, I got hot and heavy with you—a virtual stranger at the time—in a public restroom.”

As ludicrous as it all sounded to me, I could tell her concern was wholly genuine, and I tried to adopt a more somber tone.

“Kallie, I don’t believe in psychics. I decide my fate—nobody else. But you’ve obviously had considerable worry over this. What can I do to help you get past it?”

“You don’t have to do anything. I decided earlier today that I was going to let it go and just live in the moment—as long as there’s no sunset involved.”

I glanced in the direction of the setting sun. It had completely disappeared behind the landscape, having left behind a rainbow watercolor painted across the sky. Reaching up, I clasped her hand.

“Kallie, I don’t care about the sunset. I want you. Here and now.”

Her long lashes dropped before lifting to boldly meet my stare. Her demeanor shifted, and her eyes glimmered with a barrage of conflicting emotions—desire, longing, apprehension.

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