She Who Dares (21 page)

He sprinted to the driver’s door, flung it open, yanked her out. ‘Are you alright? Just tell me you’re alright.’ His hands went to her waist, tugged her t-shirt free, started fiddling with the fastening on her shorts.

‘Sebastian Prince, stop that right now!’ Her voice was high, shocked, but he didn’t care. He didn’t stop. He couldn’t. Not until he saw every inch of skin and knew that it was unharmed. And if that meant the whole street saw her naked, so be it.

She grabbed his wrist. ‘What are you doing?’

He yanked his hand free, silenced her with a look. ‘Did you hurt yourself?’ His hands shook, worse than useless. ‘Dammit Nic, answer the question!’

She stepped back and lifted her t-shirt, exposing the patch of skin where she’d once raged war on her body. ‘I didn’t do anything,’ she said quietly. ‘I promise you.’

Sebastian pulled his hands away from her clothes, set his palms to her cheeks then lowered his head and kissed her, over and over until she put her hands on his hips and gave up fighting.

He rested his forehead against hers. ‘God, Nic, I love you so much. You scared me half to death. Don’t ever do that to me again.’

‘I…’ she said, and then she faltered. And then she was kissing him again, and it didn’t matter. ‘Tell me that again.’ The words came in between touches of her mouth to his,
possessive, hungry touches that had more than a little desperation in them. He liked her desperate.

‘I love you.’ The words came out roughly, painfully, but they felt and sounded right. ‘I thought…I shouldn’t have raced. You needed me, and that should have been more important.’

She buried her face in his neck, hiding her eyes. ‘I shouldn’t have been so damn needy,’ she muttered. ‘It’s pathetic. I’m a grown woman, for goodness sake. I just…I’m so insecure, Sebastian, and I hate myself for it, but I don’t know how to get past it. I don’t know if we can get past it. Racing is your job. It’s your life. I’ve no right to stand in the way of that. I won’t stand in the way of it.’

‘Yeah, well.’ Sebastian set his fingers to her chin, forced her to meet his gaze. ‘Do you want to know why winning is so important to me? Why I nearly killed myself for it?’

Her dark eyes went huge, and she nodded her head, the smallest of movements.

‘People love me when I win. My parents especially love me when I win.’

‘I don’t give a damn whether you win or not,’ she said hotly, but Sebastian stopped her, first with his mouth, then with his fingers.

‘I know that,’ he said. ‘But it’s hard for me to accept it, Nic. No-one has ever loved me like this before. I’m a little scared of it, to be honest. I raced because I wanted to win. For you. I was going to stand on the podium and dedicate the trophy to you, and then you would know.’

‘You don’t need to win for me, Sebastian. You’ve got nothing to prove. Winning is amazing, of course it is, but I wouldn’t stop loving you if you never won again. I don’t care. I only want you. Just you.’

‘And I only want you,’ he said. ‘You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met, Nic. You’re not afraid of anything.’

‘I’m afraid of everything,’ she said. ‘I’m afraid of this. I’m afraid of myself, and what I’m capable of.’

Sebastian caught her mouth with his. ‘You never have to be afraid with me,’ he said. ‘I know what scares you, princess, and I won’t let it happen. You have my word on that.’

‘And I won’t let you push that limit either, Sebastian. You don’t get to die on a racetrack. I won’t allow it. You know that, right?’

‘Yes,’ he said, holding her tightly against him, a painful smile curving his mouth. Emotion swelled in his chest, until he felt like he might break apart with the force of it. ‘That’s exactly why we’re so perfect for each other.’

They were also outside, fully clothed, and in full view of the rest of the street, three things which Sebastian found himself suddenly unable to accept. He scooped her up and carried her round the side of the building, loving the way she felt in his arms. His. ‘Open the door,’ he ordered her.

A brow went up, but she did as she was told, twisting the key in the lock and pushing the door open, then disabling the alarm with trembling fingers. Fingers that would soon be on his body. A shiver moved its way down his spine, a feeling of anticipation, hot and thrilling, and of something more. Because there was more. There had to be. ‘Go to the office,’ he said. ‘Take all your clothes off, sit on the desk and wait for me.’

She sucked in a sharp breath. Then she turned, her hands shaking as she unlocked the inner door that led through into the garage. He could hear her feet hitting the concrete. No leisurely stroll. She was running.

No other woman could ever have proved how much she loved him by running in the opposite direction, he thought. But before she got what she wanted, there was one more thing he needed to do. He shoved a hand into his pocket, pulled out one of the bags of sweets he’d bought in the newsagent’s. The top ripped easily, and he tipped the whole lot out into the palm of his hand until he found what he wanted. A yellow sweetie ring with a disturbingly red jelly gemstone. The corners of his mouth turned up.

Who’d have thought having a business partner could be so much fun?

‘Dear Ella’,
Nic began, smoothing the paper flat with her hand. ‘
Didn’t want to wake you, but we found a 1957 baby pink T Bird for sale on the internet and we’re going to take a look at it. It’s somewhere in Redwood City, hope we don’t get lost! After that, Sebastian’s promised to take me to see that tattoo artist Adam recommended. If I lose my wedding ring one more time I think he’ll ban me from working — at least this way I’ll always know where it is. Love, Nic.’

She grinned as Sebastian leaned in and nuzzled her neck then pressed a to-go mug of coffee into her hand. They’d spent a fantastic ten days in California, hanging out at the beach with Ella and Adam, sightseeing, generally soaking up the sun and the atmosphere. A couple more days and they’d be heading back to Cornwall for a few weeks. Then on to France for some pre-season testing. Sebastian might not be racing any more, but his experience and knowledge made him a highly sought after test driver, and Nic never turned down the chance to mess with an engine at the developmental stages.

‘Ready?’ he asked.

‘Sure,’ she said, half rising from her seat. ‘No, hang on. Just one more thing.’ She picked up the pen. ‘
P.S’,
she added, ‘
did you get the email from the organisers of Misses and Motors? They’re dropping the Misses this year. From now on, it’s just going to be Motors. Sebastian is pretty unhappy about it. He was hoping they’d take his suggestion on board and make it Men and Motors. No chance!’

Setting down the pen, Nic stuck the note on the fridge with a Cinderella magnet, then glanced up at the clock. Time to go. Outside, sunshine was already pouring down as Sebastian revved up the Harley they’d hired for the holiday. She settled herself in behind him and wrapped her arms round his waist. ‘Truth or dare,’ she yelled over the roar of the engine.

Sebastian slowly turned his head and glanced back over his shoulder. He grinned. ‘Either way,’ he said, ‘you win.’

Once a Bad Girl

by Jane O’Reilly

A bit of glitz, a bit of glam, a bit of bargaining...and a wardrobe malfunction. In the style of Victoria Dahl, a fun, flirty contemporary romance that explores how far one woman will go to save her family’s business
—
and the one man that stands in her way.

It seems like a dream come true when whispers of a reclusive film star fallen on hard times meets Lottie Spencer’s ears. Desperate to save her family’s auction house, she knows that Hollywood memorabilia could be the answer to her prayers. Unfortunately, she’s about to find out that this client comes with strings attached – an overprotective son who will do anything to shield his mother from the prying eyes of the press. But Lottie is sure she can handle it.

If only being around a bad boy didn’t make it so hard to be good...

King Hall

by Scarlett Dawn

A fresh, meaty, sink-your-teeth-in-and-hold-on-tight new adult fantasy series kicks off with
King Hall
…

King Hall —where the Mysticals go to learn their craft, get their degrees, and transition into adulthood. And where four new Rulers will rise and meet their destinies.

Lily Ruckler is adept at one thing: survival. Born a Mystical hybrid, her mere existence is forbidden, but her nightmare is only about to start. Fluke, happenstance, and a deep personal loss finds Lily deeply entrenched with those who would destroy her simply for existing —The Mystical Kings. Being named future Queen of the Shifters shoves Lily into the spotlight, making her one of the most visible Mysticals in the world. But with risk comes a certain solace —her burgeoning friendships with the other three Rulers: a wicked Vampire, a wild-child Mage, and a playboy Elemental. Backed by their faith and trust, Lily begins to relax into her new life.

Then chaos erupts as the fragile peace between Commoners and Mysticals is broken, and suddenly Lily realises the greatest threat was never from within, and her fear takes on a new name: the Revolution.

Lost in Kakadu

by Kendall Talbot

An action adventure novel set in the Australian jungle where two unlikely people prove just how attractive opposites can be...

It’s pretentious socialite Abigail Mulholland’s worst nightmare when her plane crashes into an ancient Australian wilderness. Things go from bad to downright hellish when rescuers never come. As she battles to survive in an environment that’s as brutal as it is beautiful, Abigail finds herself also fighting her unlikely attraction to Mackenzie —another survivor, and a much younger man.

Mackenzie Steel is devastated by his partner’s death in the crash, the only person with whom he shared his painful past. Now, as he confronts his own demons, he finds he has a new battle on his hands: his growing feelings for Abigail, a woman who’s as frustratingly naïve as she is funny.

Fate brought them together, but they’ll need more than luck to escape Kakadu alive. Could the letters of a dead man hold the key to their survival?