Page 144 of Lemon Crush

AUGUST

My panic was recedingwith every beat of his heart under my palm, every stroke of his tongue against mine. I wanted to sink into him and never let go.

His words were a balm for my soul. An aphrodisiac that had my body straddling his hips without my permission. He groaned, his large palms gliding down to cup my ass and rub me up against his hardening flesh.

It struck me that I’d written a scene in—and on—a car without testing out the mechanics. He was so big that I could feel the top of my head brushing the roof, which was fine for now but might end up giving me a concussion in the heat of the moment. Too late; the book was already out in the world. But next time I’d have to be more thorough with my research.

Wade was too tall to be comfortable folded into the back, and I had no idea how we could easily get our clothes off, especially since I was wearing my bizarre cooling suit underneath my overalls.

Not that I wouldn’t be willing to try under the right circumstances. When he managed to find my breast with his hand,I knew that if a very important, life-altering event weren’t fifteen to twenty minutes away from happening, I’d find a way to make it work.

He growled in denial when I started softening my kisses, reluctantly parting our lips and trying to get my breathing under control.

“We better get back. The team needs their mechanic.”

“Dalton can handle it,” he said in that melting-honey voice I loved, his gaze hot on my mouth and promising long, sweaty hours of endless debauchery. “We could spend the day at home with no interruptions. Todd and Phoebe have the dogs, and everyone else is here. We could be alone together. Maybe go for another swim. Only this time, skinny-dipping would be mandatory.”

My thighs clenched, because that sounded pretty damn good. But somehow, I found the strength of will to place my hands on his chest and keep him from his goal.

“You have no idea how tempting that is, but I’ve got a race to drive in. I know Gene has the first couple of hours, but I should be there to support the team, shouldn’t I? Yes is the only acceptable answer to that question when I’m already wearing thisTronoutfit for the occasion.”

My thin white cooling shirt and the upper section of the pants were covered with squiggly tubes that eventually met on one side and dangled at my waist. I was apparently supposed to attach them to a cooling system in the car in lieu of air conditioning.

The entire team was wearing the same thing, so it couldn’t be a prank.

“You’re driving?” Wade sounded disgruntled and confused as I slid off of him and out the car door. “You changed your mind again?”

I straightened my overalls and opened the honesty bottle for a much-needed drink to cool myself off. “Yes, I did. Well, you did,thenI did. It was a teameffort.”

“I’m lost.”

“You were my pivotal moment, Wade.” At his blank expression, I took a breath and tried again. “You’ve read my books.”

He nodded, even though it wasn’t a question.

“Well, in every book, there’s that pivotal moment where the main character is given the chance to bow out. To give up their quest or stated goal. It’s the test before the ordeal part of the hero’s journey. Not that I see this car race as a monster I need to slay or anything.” But I sort of did. Somewhere in my mind I must have.

“What I’m trying to say is, you gave me my out. With no judgment, total support and the promise of more orgasms, the way you always do. But you didn’t offer it because you didn’t think I could do it, like before. That made the difference.”

“I’ve never had anyone turn me down with an excuse that creative before.”

“I will never turn you down, to be clear. I’m only postponing.”

When he smiled, I kept going. “Anyway, when you helped me stop worrying about letting everyone else down, I knew I needed to do it. Not for the team or my sister. Not even for Mom. But because I said I was going to, and I need to go slay that racetrack in the face.”

“In the face, huh?”

I dipped back into the car to kiss him on the cheek, dancing away from his strong, roving hands. “I have to leave before I change my mind again.”

Tossing him my keys and the water bottle, I started fast-walking back to the paddock/pit/base, not looking back, even when he called my name, sounding frustrated.

I dazzled him.

It was out there now. He couldn’t take it back and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Sam Retta had been a dazzler. I’d seen men of all ages andprofessions tumble head over heels for my mother. Stumble over themselves to pump her gas or show up at an airport with a mariachi band and a drunken minister (The last was a true story. That really happened. And it didnothave a happy ending for him).

Don’t even get me started on Morgan, who dazzled without even trying. She activelydidn’ttry and men still lined up to be her bffs or love interests. Until she found the one guy who was more dazzled by what she had to say than what she looked like.

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