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I TOUCHED A FINGER to my lips, remembering the breathless pull of his kiss. A man like Tyler leaves a mark, and I was still swept away at how his kiss had made me see stars behind my closed lids.
Already the questions were forming in my mind. Questions I typically didn’t ask this early on when it came to men. I was usually the first to leave, not willing to give a man a chance to snatch my dignity from me, or use me and leave me. But this man... this man who was all man, he’d acted like he never wanted me to leave his side.
And I hadn’t even slept with him yet.
I wasn’t quite sure how to compute that yet, but I knew I shouldn’t read into it. He was a billionaire bachelor with his pick of any woman in the nation, hell... even the world. There was no reason to assume that I was anything more than a passing fancy.
One he happened to have ridiculous chemistry with.
Nothing to read into, girl. Just go with the flow.
Yes, go with the flow. That was precisely what I’d do. Better to just enjoy the attention.
Eventually, the media fanfare died down, and Tyler leaned against the hood of the racer, pulling me close beside him, his body language almost territorial and protective. I liked it, even if did make me slightly uneasy. At least his desire for me was clear. There didn’t seem to be any cryptic riddles or smokescreens in Tyler Dalton’s approach.
As the race cars zoomed their final laps around the track, I could feel Tyler’s grip on me tighten as two cars were suddenly vying for first. He had told me Kristoff Vance was his prized driver, and I knew he wanted him to finish first—to win. The guy was a good driver; I had seen him race before. And now, here seeing it live, really solidified my opinion. Even though I had heard Kristoff was a bit of a loose cannon, I did understand why Tyler wanted him on his team. I felt Tyler relax a little and then let go of me, clapping and whistling with his fingers between his teeth as Kristoff’s car pulled up to the finish line just a hairsbreadth ahead of the second racer.
“Yes!” he said under his breath. I looked up at him under the flashing lights illuminating the small track, amused at his reaction.
He looked down at me and smiled, and then kissed me on forehead, then on the nose.
Swoon.
“BUT... I DON'T HAVE anything to wear,” I said, feeling slightly panicky.
“We’ll go shopping in the morning,” he replied with a reassuring smile.
I blinked at him, incredulous. “You want me to take off with you... in this dress?”
Tyler grinned, his stare lazily drifting up and down my body, taking me in with unconcealed admiration. “Yes.”
He was direct like that and somewhat demanding, and I would have to get used to it. The man had asked me to attend the Vegas NASCAR race with him, just like that—barely knowing me. And he wanted to leave right away. Like now.
I’d be a fool to pass up something like this, but my heart registered a warning I was having a difficult time ignoring. If he moved this fast with me in the beginning, how quickly would our fire burn out? It couldn’t actually last at this pace, could it? Should I just chalk this one up to being young and living my life?
I could, of course, but I liked to choose my course a little more wisely. Tyler seemed to convey my pause, and making his way over to me, he pulled me close to him, his eyes consuming me with a raw desire.
I’d known alphas before, had even dated a few, but Tyler was something else entirely. He had the power and the means to indulge in any whim that crossed his mind, and his sights were very clearly set on me now. It made me more than a little dizzy. Especially because I could see how real it was, no matter how short- or long-lived it might go on to be.
Even Colton had been a little uneasy when I’d given him the green light to go home. It wasn’t typically my way to run off with a guy I’d just met, no matter how high-profile he might be. I’d assured my best friend that I’d be all right, and in the sense of safety, I would be. I wasn’t sure how my heart would fare when this wild ride came to an end, but at least we knew Tyler wasn’t an actual stranger, some serial killer.
But this man... this force, might be quite a bit more than I could handle. I chewed my lip and stared at the smoldering hot man standing in front of me.
He cocked his head with a charming half-grin. “You’re not sure.”
He said it with a confidence I was beginning to consider his default setting. Leaning me up against the wall, he lowered his lips to brush my neck, nipping and licking a soft bite of skin.
“It’s not that, I—”
A moan escaped me before I could finish my sentence. I felt my hips respond to him as he pressed every inch of hard manhood against me. Already my body was making up my mind about what it wanted. The effect Tyler had on me was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.
“What? What is it? I know it’s something,” he whispered into my ear before moving his lips back to my neck.
His words were breathy and insistent, and already I felt myself folding in to him; giving in. How did he expect us to communicate when we were pressed this close, our bodies fevering with hunger for something more?
“It’s not important,” I groaned back.
He licked a stripe along my neck, and I shivered. “Are you sure?”
Giving him the meekest of nods, I answered him, quick and hurried, ready to move past the talk and get to the touching part. I wanted to feel him pressed against me, taking me, staking his claim like a beast overtaking his prey. The things this man made me want to do...
“I want you to be sure.”
His words almost came out in a growl, and I mewled when I felt him lift the hem of my dress, his fingers drawing soft lines up the insides of my thighs, his touch like velvet. It was the softest, most maddening thing I’d ever had to endure.
“I’m... sure.”
A soft half-laugh escaped him. “You don’t sound sure.”
“I am.”
“One more question,” he said between kisses.
“Yeah?” I breathed.
“That guy you were talking to. He your boyfriend?” he asked, peppering kisses along my neck and collarbone.
I laughed. “No, not even close.”
Nodding, he pressed a kiss to the fevering flesh of my neck, and then another before lifting his mouth to kiss my cheek. Eyes fluttering open, I searched the sea-blue depths of his gaze and saw the drive behind his possession. A drive that told me he’d stop at nothing to make me his. That he would dominate me completely, body and soul. Because he had to own me somehow. He barely knew me, but he was the sort of man who didn’t have trouble knowing exactly what he wanted.
Something inside of me felt a burst of relief realizing that.
Most of the men I’d known were struck dumb figuring out what they wanted to wear each day. But this one knew the cut, and brand, and color of the suits he wanted in his closet. He knew the accessories that should accompany them. He knew the cologne that would permeate from the slightest spritz against the collar.
Tyler Dalton wasn’t a man who charged ahead full-force for something he considered trivial. He only moved on those things he considered essential. Like a hungry lion. He decided what should be his and made it so. And right now, his sights were trained on me. I couldn’t have denied him if I wanted to.
“Tell me you’ll come.”
“I’ll come.”
A SMALL SMILE FOUND my lips as I eased myself into the seat of the Bugatti. We were taking it to the big race in Vegas, and I had to adjust myself slightly to angle my body so the feel of him throbbing between my thighs eased off a bit.
I shot off a quick text to my dad: I’m not gonna be able to make it in tomorrow. I’ll see you on... I paused and looked at Tyler. “When will we be back?”
He grinned and lifted a shoulder, then let it fall. “Whenever we feel like it.”
I scoffed. “No seriously, when? I have to let my dad know.”
“Well, I guess you do have responsibilities.” He gave me a cheeky grin, then said, “Tuesday night. That okay?”
I nodded and said, “Yep.” I continued typing: Wednesday.
I had told Dad I’d come in tomorrow to help him get a particularly difficult repair we’d had come in get finished, but that wasn’t going to happen. Hopefully, he wasn’t too upset. I never flaked out on him like this, so I would hope he’d forgive me.
He replied: Everything all right?
Me: Yep, just taking an impromptu trip to Vegas.
Dad: Wow. With who?
Me: A new “friend.” ;)
Dad: That’s fine, enjoy your long weekend but be safe, you hear me?
Me: Of course. Love you, Dad.
Dad: Love you too, princess.
I glanced at the dashboard clock inside this breathtakingly beautiful car we were in, and it read 2:16 a.m.
After the whirlwind of an evening, I had no idea how Tyler planned to drive and keep focused. But this was Tyler Dalton we were talking about. I felt safe in his hands. If he didn’t think he could handle the drive with the aid of a few choice energy drinks, I believed him.
A thrill shooting through me at the rev of the engine, I sipped the soy latte Tyler grabbed for me in the Starbucks at the edge of town. He’d got himself a six-pack of some sort of java-infused energy drink, and had already drunk two.
“You ever been to a NASCAR race?” he asked in the dark silence of the car.
“A few times. Mostly as a child. Dad gets a lot of business now. We try to get away, but something always comes up.”
“It’s never-ending in this business.”
I nodded. “That it is.”
Stopping to look at me before pulling out of the lot, his gaze swept through me. “I’m glad you decided to come.”
It was my turn to grin. “You didn’t make it easy to say no.”
He winked. “Why should I make it easy for you?”
He left the question to hang in the air and then pulled off, no doubt feeling my eyes searching him before I realized I’d been staring. I returned my attention to my coffee cup. It was weirdly easy sitting next to him now. I couldn’t have felt more comfortable if I were luxuriating in a Jacuzzi built into the back of the sleek machine he was whipping us around in.
I had long ago developed a habit of over-analyzing things, but I’d gotten a handle on it years ago. However, I’d felt the stirrings of it rise back up to plume my thoughts when we first left the Dalton Mansion. What we were doing was wild and crazy, and it made me breathless. He made me breathless.
Reaching to flick on the radio, Tyler found a talk radio station, and we listened to world politics and the opposing views of several talk show hosts before he finally tired of it and clicked it off.
“How long have you been working on cars?” he asked me after we’d been on the road for a couple hours.
It was an icebreaker sort of question, one meant to pierce my outer shell and get to know me a little better. After all, we didn’t know the first thing about each other, outside of my knowledge of Tyler’s racing stats and highly publicized inheritance, and his knowledge of the fact that I worked on cars and my dad owned Owen and Sons.
“For as long as I can remember, actually. I started hanging out at my father’s garage when I was about five.”
“I bet you were a bright and precocious child.”
“Curious, more than anything.” I smiled.
He let the time stretch a minute before responding. “I was the opposite.”
This intrigued and surprised me. “Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah. I’d have been a total fuck-up if it wasn’t for the old man,” he said, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.
I moved my gaze from his hands to his face. “I somehow doubt that.”
“Believe me. I was a hothead. Had no sense of focus. Dad put a stop to all of that early on, and taught me how to focus my will; to actually accomplish things.”
I put my hand on his arm and smiled. “Well, it’s certainly paid off.”
He nodded and exhaled as if the conversation had been upsetting him, but he was now calm. “It has. I owe everything to him. The money is obvious, but what I really treasure are the things he gave me money could never buy.”
“Your father’s story is an impressive one. I read about him.” I laughed softly. “I even did a report on him in the sixth grade.”
With wide eyes, he glanced at me, taking his eyes off the road momentarily. “Get out.”
I laughed at the reaction I expected he’d have. “Really. I got an A on it. My father helped me fill in the details his memoirs didn’t have.”
Tyler fell quiet hearing that last bit about the memoirs, and something about his reaction made me worry I’d broached a topic I probably shouldn’t have. His father’s death had to be still so fresh in his mind, and he wouldn’t want to be reminded of that, especially not on a recreational trip.
Nice going, Charlyse.
Lifting my fast cooling latte, I took a quieting sip and turned my attention to the scenery passing us by, not that I could see much. The sun wasn’t quite up yet, and a semi-darkness still covered the long stretches of farmland I was sure held herds of prized cows and gorgeous horses.
The click of the radio confirmed my conversational misstep, but I went with it. No point in freaking out about that. I wouldn’t make the same mistake again, and we had plenty of time to get it right.