Stick Shift (16 page)

“Oh fuck off, asshole!” Alli sneered at the man in front of them.

Lily turned her gaze to her friend, her eyes wide. Alli was definitely more outspoken and more brash than Lily, but she'd never heard that kind of language from her. Lily grinned.

They quickly made their way down the steps and out the gates. They ran in the direction of the tunnel that went under the track. Once they showed the pit passes Cam had left at will call for them earlier in the day when she'd told him they 118

would be sitting in the stands, security let them through, and they were quickly on the other side, headed toward pit road.

Halfway to Cam's pit stall, Alli called out, “Grant!”

She let go of Lily's hand and ran at a faster pace to reach the jack man before he disappeared into the garage area. Lily caught up to them a few seconds later.

“How is he?”

“He's talking. I think he's okay. He finally got the window net down, and the safety crews are getting him out. He'll be going to the infield care center again.”

“Okay.” Lily couldn't express her relief, but she wanted to cry with it. He was okay. That's all that mattered.

“Y'all can come back here with me and wait on him. He'll be glad to see you,”

he said, nodding to Lily. “He asked about you a few times tonight, wondering if you'd gotten your fill of the stands and had come to the pits.”

“I wish. Why did he do it? Why did Jake do it again?”

“I don't know, but that man needs a good ass kickin'.”

Lily couldn't disagree. Grant took Alli's hand, and Lily followed them. Cam's garage bay was the same as the week before, and she took up residence in a corner to be out of the way as more of his crew began arriving with some of the equipment from the pits. They would pack up the garage and load everything into the hauler soon. She wished she didn't feel so helpless, so out of place, yet there wasn't anywhere she could think of wanting to be other than right there waiting for him.

Fear for him made her restless, and she hated being restless. She needed something to do to occupy her hands, her mind.

She loved him, and there was nothing she could do but wait.

Oh God. Had she just admitted that to herself? She loved him? It was true, she knew that, but knowing and actually admitting it were two different things, even if she was only admitting it to herself.

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Ronnie walked in, muttering and cursing like a sailor when he turned and saw her. “Lily.”

“Hi.” They stared at one another briefly before he nodded, his eyes soft. “I'm sorry, Lily. You must have been scared out of your mind up there watching, not being able to hear him.”

She didn't know what to say, didn't know how to be around Ronnie after their conversation. She knew he hadn't meant to hurt her or her relationship with Cam.

Ronnie was just trying to protect him. She couldn't fault the older man for that, because she too wanted to protect Cam.

She stood in the corner and watched everything around her, watched as the crew moved as a unit, each person having one particular job to do. She turned around and looked out the open bay door just as the flatbed wrecker drove by with what was left of Cam's car. She couldn't read the sponsors' names, couldn't see the car number anymore, and could hardly tell what color the car had been.

“Jake's been black-flagged for the duration of the race.”

She turned away from the sight of the wrecked car. “Good. They should fine him and suspend him. He's done this two weeks in a row.”

“I know. He'll be sanctioned. He'll have to be.”

“How is he, Ronnie? Is Cam okay? I tried to stay away. I wasn't going to bother him, wasn't going to try to see him until after the race, but…” Lily couldn't stop the trembling in her voice, though she tried. She really had meant that she wasn't going to see Cam until after the race. She hadn't wanted him thinking about anything but the race.

“I know. He'll be okay. They'll check him out and let him go. He asked about you all night. Every time there was a caution, he was asking if you'd come to the pits yet.”

“Yeah, Grant told me. I'm sorry.”

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“I've never seen him so hung up on a woman before. To be honest, I don't know if you're a distraction or a help to him. I just know he's a different man since meeting you. Not any less of a driver or any less determined on the track, he's just…” Ronnie's words trailed off.

“I never meant to cause a problem.” Tears formed in her eyes. She blinked them back as best she could. She couldn't let Cam catch her crying, or she'd never hear the end of it until he found out what was wrong.

“Damn, little girl, I know that. It'll all work out. Somehow, some way, it'll all work out. He should be here any second, and I have some things to do. You take him home.”

Ronnie walked away, and Lily looked around for Alli. She was standing on the other side of the garage with Grant, smiling and laughing as Grant packed up some tools. There was something sweet about them together. He was much younger than Alli, at least by ten years, but it didn't seem to bother either one of them. They were crazy about each other, at ease with one another.

A hand on her shoulder startled her, and she turned quickly to find Cam standing behind her. She was in his arms before she could say his name, crushed against his chest before she could breathe again. Her tears did fall then. He was there, and he was holding her.

“Sshh, baby. It's okay. I'm all right,” he whispered, rocking her.

She couldn't talk, couldn't do more than stand there, gripping him tight. She loved him. The thought weaved its way around her mind. She'd fallen in love with him almost from the first moment he'd smiled at her. She couldn't believe it was true, but she couldn't deny it either. And it made what she knew she had to do that much harder.

He held her for long moments, just held her, let her compose herself, let her listen to the strong, steady beat of his heart.

“Let's go home.”

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Home. She did need to go home, but unfortunately, home wasn't with him. Not for her. They lived such different lives, and the sparks between them burned too hot that when they flickered out, she'd be devastated. “I drove tonight. I'll meet you at your place.” She was pleased with the steadiness of her voice.

“You sure?” His look was quizzical, but he didn't argue with her.

“Yes, I'm sure. How about you? Are you okay to drive?”

“Yep. I'm good. I'll see you in a bit, then?”

Lily smiled at him. He was still searching her face, watching her closely, but she kept herself well composed. “Yes.”

“C'mon. I'll drive you around to wherever you parked. Traffic shouldn't be one-way yet out on the roads.”

* * *

Cam sat in his driveway waiting for Lily to pull in. He'd lost her on the highway somehow, but then, he'd zoned out a little on the way home too. He really shouldn't have been driving, but he needed to do something, focus on something other than his anger, or he was going to go pull Jake Curtis out of his trailer and beat the ever-lovin' shit out him. Cam didn't know what the problem was, but before they got out to California, they were going to solve it. He wasn't going out on another race track with someone out to get him like that.

Then there was Lily. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about her all night, wondering where she'd been sitting, if she was catching flack for being a fan of his, if she was defending him and giving others crap. He could well see her good-naturedly passing smart-ass comments back and forth with other fans. He knew Ronnie thought she was keeping him from focusing, thought she was causing him to lose his head during the races, but that wasn't the truth at all. If anything, she was helping him. Oh, he was still driving aggressively and not taking shit from anyone.

He was still racing hard and racing to win, but he was also racing for her, to make her proud of him. He needed that. He needed her to smile with pride as she watched him, as she cheered him on.

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She calmed his restlessness; she centered his focus. He hadn't expected it when he'd met her, hadn't expected the effect she would have on him, but he wouldn't trade it for the world. He had more to race for now than trophies and big paychecks.

He had her.

Her headlights were bright in the rearview mirror as she pulled into his driveway. He jumped out of his truck and tried not to wince. His right ankle was still a bit sore from the crash, but he didn't want her to know that, didn't want her to worry. There were other things he wanted to do to her that didn't include making her worry about him.

He met her at her car and helped her out, then held her tight against his side as they walked up to the front door. Inside, he kissed her deeply, softly, insistently.

He had her backed up against the wall, his tongue in her mouth, his hands gripping her hips, his cock pressed against into the V of her thighs. He wanted her naked and in his bed. He wanted that now.

“Upstairs, Lily,” he uttered roughly, not releasing her.

“You'll have to back up, then,” she whispered, nipping at his chin and jaw.

“Don't wanna.” He wanted to stand there and hold her, smell her, feel her alive and hot against him.

“Then I can't go upstairs.”

She had a point. With great effort and reluctance, Cam let go of her and stepped back. She walked ahead of him to the stairs and turned, extending her hand to him. He was there in a flash, his hand holding hers as she led him up to his bedroom.

“Have I ever told you how much I love your ass?”

Lily laughed, and the sound warmed him all the way to his soul. “Yes, I think you've mentioned it a few times.”

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“Good. I just wanted to make sure you knew that I think it's the most perfect ass I've ever seen on a woman.”

“Then you need to have your eyes examined. Do you want to shower?”

“No. I want you to get naked and get on the bed on your hands and knees.

We'll shower after.” He shucked his shoes and stripped off the jeans and T-shirt he'd put on in the infield care unit after removing his firesuit so they could examine him.

Cam stared at Lily as she stared at him. Her gaze was riveted to his cock, and he couldn't help but grin. He loved that she lusted after him, loved that she wanted him so much, and he had no doubt she wanted him. Every time she looked at him, touched him, smiled at him told him she wanted him, and he hoped it was the same for her. He hoped every time he looked at her, touched her, smiled at her told her just how much he wanted her, how important she was to him.

“You're a bit overdressed, baby. Do I need to spank that perfect ass?”

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Chapter Twelve

“Yes.”

She blushed a pretty shade of pink and pulled her T-shirt over her head, then set to work on her jeans after toeing off her sneakers. She wore a soft cotton-and-lace bra against her creamy skin. He'd learned over the last few weeks how she valued comfort. She didn't wear fancy lingerie to entice him; she simply came to him normal, wearing nothing more special than she would have for anyone else, and he admired her for it. He loved how understated her vanity was, how real she was, both inside and out.

Once she was as naked as he, she crawled onto his bed, poised on her hands and knees as he'd told her he wanted her. “Spread your legs a little wider and lower yourself down on your elbows. Yes, that's right. I want that ass in the air for me.”

He stroked the pale skin of her behind, then dipped his fingers lower between her legs, drawing a moan from her. She was wet already. God, he loved how responsive she was for him. Somehow he knew it was just for him. This hunger between them brought out something in her that no other man ever had. She'd never said as much to him; it was just something he'd realized on his own as he'd gotten to know her.

Lily had been uncertain of her womanly power and grace when he'd first met her, but soon she'd started to understand how special what he made her feel was. She was not shy with him, not embarrassed at needing him. She no longer cared about what others might think. She was falling in love with him, and knowing that, even though she hadn't uttered the words, made his dick that much harder and made his heart swell with the same emotion.

“You've got the hottest, tightest pussy too. Did you know that, Lily?”

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She shook her head, and another moan drifted from her lips when he sank one, then two, then three fingers inside her. Her inner walls clutched at him, drew him in, and protested when he tried to pull out. He loved that. When his cock slid in, her pussy didn't want to let him go.

He drew her wetness up to the tight hole of her ass, and he rubbed against it in a gentle, insistent circular motion, putting pressure on it. He wanted inside her ass, had wanted it since the first night he'd spanked her. He wanted to sink into that forbidden channel and fuck her while he spanked her again. He wanted to feel that incredible heat, that choking tightness.

Again, he dipped his fingers into her wetness, and again, he withdrew them, only to press one against her ass, this time pushing lightly but insistently. She tensed. “It's okay, Lily. Try to relax. Don't fight it. Just like the first time out on the deck.”

“It…it feels weird, Cam. Different from the first time.”

“I know, but I promise you, once I get inside, you'll beg me never to leave. It'll feel so good, baby, that place between pleasure and pain. All you'll feel at that point is need, hunger, and a fire so hot, you'll start to burn.”

Her groan was one of pure desire. She might not know what it would feel like, but she knew she wanted it. She wasn't scared of it; she didn't shy away from it.