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I HONESTLY COULDN’T put a label on it if someone had asked me what she had awoken inside of me. Animal lust? Primal need? This thing between us... this insane, breath-stealing thing was too powerful to be identified as something as simple as chemistry. Perhaps our planets were aligned in some sort of fiery way that made everything else I should be focusing on tonight pale in comparison to the call of her lips to crush mine own against hers. And those curves... oh, God, the slopes of her generous ass and hips ached for my hands to wildly explore them, and the innocence in her eyes and instant reaction to me told me there wasn’t anywhere else on the planet I’d rather be right now.
“You want to stay for the concert?” I asked breathily, forcing myself to flog down the beast consuming me and get back to my logical, thinking brain long enough to gain her consent.
She nodded. “As long as it’s with you.”
That stirred something in me instantly, and my pants shrunk another size. Just then, the cue of fireworks announced the end of Krash’s mini concert. “Oops, too late, sounds like it’s over.”
Smiling, I grabbed her warm, soft hand and led her out the back door and watched as the crowd made its way to the track for the midnight race. I had to be there; I had no choice in the matter. And I wanted to be there. However, what else I wanted was her by my side tonight. I didn’t want to be apart from Charlyse for a second.
WHEN CHARLYSE EXCUSED herself to the powder room, I took that minute to go grab the car and bring it around to show it off. When I pulled the race car up, boldly presenting the vintage ride to the excited crowds gathered in the stands, cheers and claps erupted. They were waiting with palpable anticipation for the midnight race to begin, knowing this was the start that kicked off the season.
But it couldn’t start without me. I was the one who made the magic happen at the Dalton Mansion, and the very reason they were all gathered here.
Charlyse returned, and her gaze seared into mine when I exited the car and made my way around to her. Extending my hand, I gave her a small, reassuring smile at the nervous look on her face. I could tell she was not used to being in the spotlight, and as of now, there were a few hundred pairs of eyes on her. I’d driven the car to the edge of the track where the media waited to take the first pictures of the midnight race debuting my newest racing star, Kristoff Vance.
I could tell she was fighting nerves as a flutter of lights burst and temporarily blinded us, but I smiled easily, trying to make her feel comfortable as the press snapped photo after photo of us. It was an odd moment for me, to be honest, since I’d never taken a photo with a woman in such a way before. Usually, I was surrounded by a circle of girls at parties, hoisting up a drink in my photos, definitely casual-like. Taking pictures with her so openly exclusive like this almost seemed like a claim, but it didn’t feel wrong. Even though I’d only just met her, I couldn’t deny the force of our attraction, and something in me made me want to show her off. The only thing I didn’t want was for her to become a paparazzi target or have gossip rags pay people to go through her garbage. So when a few press members began to shout out, asking her name, I smiled and ignored their requests.
Eventually, the media fanfare died down, and I leaned against the hood of the racer, pulling her close to me, my body language territorial and protective.
As the race cars pulled up, I felt her relax against me under the flashing lights illuminating the small track in the deep of the night.
Every eye in the crowd was fixated on the five cars lined up there, all of them proudly belonging to the Dalton Enterprise team. Kristoff Vance’s car revved in the middle of them, the center of attention before any of the cars even left the line. When the horn sounded and the flag was lowered, the crowed roared as loud as the cars as they all peeled out of their spots in order to start circling the track.
Excitement raced through me, as it always did at the beginning of a race. Looking down at Charlyse, my hand reached up and closed around the base of her soft neck. Unable to control myself, I claimed her lips in an open-mouthed kiss amidst the flutter of clicks and the cameras’ flashing bursts, showing the whole arena that she was mine.