Chapter Fifteen

Later that evening Mel knocked on the door of Aiden’s motorhome. She wasn’t completely sure why she was here. It was clear the brothers had a lot of bonding to do and she and Aiden hadn’t exactly parted on the best of terms earlier. He’d texted to remind her of her promise though, and here she was.

As the door swung open she was hit with a sharp and pretty spectacular reminder of why she found any request from Aiden impossible to resist. Dressed in ripped, faded jeans that sat low on his hips, a white sponsor polo shirt and sexy bare feet he personified everything that was irresistible about the male form. Only a few hours ago he treated you like a lackey.

‘Hey there,’ he greeted her with his genuine, mega watt, dancing grey eyes smile.

Damn the man. She’d put up with just about anything from him as long as he continued to smile at her.

‘Thanks so much for coming.’ He reached down for her hand and gently pulled her up the steps. ‘Are we still friends?’

Her pulse tripped. ‘Yes.’

‘Good.’ He bent forward, his mouth hovering tantalisingly near hers. Her mind screamed pull back – friends don’t kiss, not the type his eyes told her he wanted to deliver. But her heart, her instinct, every cell in her body moved towards him.

He planted the softest of kisses on her highly sensitised lips before smiling and taking a step back. ‘I’ve cheated and got the catering guys to bring food over. It’s warming in the oven, so ready whenever you are.’

‘Where’s Tom?’

‘Why, afraid I’ve ditched him already?’

She held his mocking gaze and returned it with one of her own. ‘Well, I know how you hate distractions.’

‘Touché.’ He sighed and walked over to the gleaming kitchen area, taking a bottle of wine out of the fridge. ‘Tom’s in his room so before he comes out can I please ask that we not fight over that again? I know I’m a selfish bastard.’

‘No, not selfish. You want to win the title. I can understand that.’

‘Can you?’ he asked quietly, putting the bottle aside so he could give her his full attention. ‘Can you really understand quite how much I want to win it?’

There was an intense, almost desperate edge to his voice and it made her realise how little she really knew him. ‘No, I guess I can’t. Why don’t you help me understand?’

‘I … I’m not sure if I can. I want to, you have to know that, but—’

‘I’m hungry.’ Tom slunk into the living area, glancing from Aiden to Mel and back to Aiden.

Aiden drew in a deep breath. Frustration at the interruption or relief he’d been let off the hook?

‘Okay then, let’s eat.’ He picked up the bottle again. ‘White wine okay for you?’

Mel knew she’d be the only one drinking, but a quick glance at the stony look on Tom’s face told her alcohol would be very helpful.

‘What do you think of your living quarters, Tom?’ she asked in an attempt to break the stiff silence as they started to eat.

‘It’s okay.’

‘Okay?’ Her eyes swept round the living-area-come-kitchen, taking in the shiny chrome surfaces, walnut cupboard doors, soft cream leather sofas and over-the-top media system. ‘It’s not like any caravan I’ve ever stayed in, that’s for sure.’

‘Caravan?’ It was Aiden’s turn to look horrified. ‘This is a state-of-the-art, top of the range motorhome.’ He nudged Tom’s elbow. ‘Tell Mel about your en suite bathroom.’

Tom didn’t raise his eyes from his plate. ‘I’ve got my own sink.’

‘Mate, you’ve got more than that. You’ve got a shower with hydro massage jets, mood lighting and a touch-screen music system.’

Aiden’s attempt at cajoling any further response from Tom fell flat and the older brother looked ready to tear his hair out. The younger one looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. Except maybe back at boarding school.

‘Are you starting your lessons with Helen tomorrow?’ Mel tried a different topic.

‘I suppose.’ Tom shovelled another forkful into his mouth. At least he had an appetite.

‘Maybe after your lessons we can show you round the garages. You can meet some of the crew who work on the cars.’

‘Did that today.’

With a jerky motion, Aiden pushed his plate aside. ‘Right, that’s it. I’ve had enough.’

Finally Tom’s head snapped up.

‘You’ll treat Mel with the respect she deserves. That means looking at her when you’re talking to her.’

Tom’s face set into stubborn lines. ‘You can’t tell me what to do. You’re not Mum. You’re just my stupid half-brother.’

Aiden sprang to his feet and began to clear away his and Mel’s plates with tight, controlled movements. ‘Right now, buddy, I’m your brother, your father and your mother all rolled into one. While you’re living with me, you play by my rules. Otherwise you go straight back to boarding school.’

‘So? That’s probably better than hanging around a boring racetrack all day.’

Mel watched as the two brother’s squared up to each other. Tom might be half Aiden’s height but he didn’t look ready to give in.

‘Fine, in the morning I’ll phone the school,’ Aiden replied with an icy calm. ‘With luck you’ll be back there by tomorrow night.’

Tom visibly gulped. Then he shoved away his plate and scrambled to his feet. ‘See if I care. I hate you. I hate being here. I want to go home.’ With that he darted across the motorhome and back into his room. There was a loud slam as the door closed.

‘Bloody perfect,’ Aiden muttered, swearing softly and clattering the plates into the dishwasher. When he’d finished he placed his hands either side of the sink and stared rigidly out of the window.

Mel’s heart went out to him. After giving him a minute to calm down she joined him, awkwardly patting his arm though what she really wanted to do was hug him. Then nestle into his arms and hug him some more.

His eyes flicked over to her. ‘That went well, don’t you think? At least now I get to pack him off with a clear conscience, eh? After all, it’s what he wants.’

She placed her hand over his, squeezing gently. ‘What about you, Aiden? What do you want?’

Heat swirled in the eyes that stared down at her. ‘You,’ he told her hoarsely. ‘What I want right now, is you.’

Suddenly his mouth was on hers and he was kissing her hungrily, so different to the soft kiss when she’d arrived. This was a kiss that meant business. A kiss designed to make her want to tear her clothes off; tear his off, too. And it was working. She moaned as his hands pushed their way underneath her shirt, warm and rough as they slid over her fevered skin.

‘God, Mel, you have no idea what you do to me,’ he muttered thickly.

She could feel his hard, heavy arousal against her stomach and pushed against him. ‘I think I do.’

He choked out a laugh as he drew back. ‘Yeah, maybe you do.’ With a gentle tug of her hair he brought her face up to his. ‘I want you to stay.’

Heat pulsed through her blood as her heart flip flopped. ‘I can’t. You know that.’

‘Why not?’

She nodded towards the room where Tom had fled. ‘Haven’t you got something more important to do right now?’

‘And if Tom wasn’t here?’ he asked darkly.

She extracted herself from the drugging warmth of his arms. ‘We’ve been through this. Please, don’t ask me that.’

‘Why the hell not? I want you, Mel. I’m crazy about you. I know you feel something for me, too, only you’re too flaming scared to admit it.’

Mel bit her lip and turned away. ‘Yes I’m scared, and I’m right to be. Getting your heart stomped on isn’t something you forget in a hurry.’ Ignoring her racing pulse she went to pick up the handbag she’d left by the sofa, knowing she had to leave before this all spiraled out of control again. ‘I wish I could be more like you and enjoy a relationship based solely on sex, but I can’t.’

Aiden’s heart sunk as he watched Mel walk stiffly towards the door. He wanted to argue, to drag her back, to spend the rest of the evening proving that though sex was key to a relationship, there was more than sex between them.

But Tom was in his room, probably fighting his tears, definitely wishing his older brother all kinds of painful death.

Cursing the timing of it all he followed Mel to the door and put an arm around her waist. ‘You and me are about more than just sex,’ he whispered in her ear. ‘And I’m not going to keep taking no for an answer.’

She pushed open the door and hared down the steps without a backward glance.

Aiden let out all his frustration in one deep, angst-filled sigh. Then he turned and knocked on the door to Tom’s room.

‘Go away.’

He pushed open the door. ‘Nope.’

Tom lifted his head off the bed and glared at him. He was trying so hard to be tough, to act like he didn’t care. Something shifted in Aiden’s chest as he realised that had been him at ten, too. Put a brave face on, kid the rest of the world that you’re fine. Hide your feelings so nobody knows how much it hurts that they don’t give a damn about you.

Carefully he perched on the end of the bed. ‘Here’s the thing, Tom. You’re stuck with me. I’m your brother. I’ll always be your brother. I’m sorry I wasn’t around for you before. Maybe when you’re older you’ll understand why I had to go when I got the chance. But from now on, I’m not going anywhere. When your mother comes back, you’ll still have me, whether you like it or not.’

Tom blinked. ‘Does that mean I’m not going back to that school?’ The relief on his face would have been comical had it not been so sad.

‘That’s right. I spent most of my childhood in a school like that so believe me, I understand why you don’t want to go there.’

‘I didn’t say that.’ Then, as if he realised there was a chance Aiden could change his mind, Tom added hastily. ‘But if you’re making me stay here instead, I guess I can put up with that.’

Aiden smiled and automatically went to rough Tom’s hair. God it was soft. He spent so much time trying to act tough, Aiden had forgotten how much of a child he still was. ‘Right then, time for bed. Lessons begin at eight a.m.’

‘Can’t I watch you practice?’

He knew Tom was only asking because the alternative was schoolwork, but he felt a twinge of victory nonetheless. ‘Sorry, no, not tomorrow. If you’re good, and don’t drive Helen away, then I’ll see if I can find someone willing to sit with you so you can watch the qualifying and the race.’

‘Mel said she would.’

He cocked an eyebrow. He was pretty certain Mel hadn’t said that. Even more certain that after this evening, and his apparent inability to stop pushing her for more than she wanted to give, she wouldn’t be rushing to do any more favours.

‘She said she wanted to get me to change my mind about the racing,’ Tom protested.

‘We’ll see. But first you’ve got to work hard tomorrow.’

Tom spent the next day with his tutor while Aiden went through two practice sessions and a lengthy debrief. As the meeting wound down Aiden found his thoughts turning to Tom, wondering if he was concentrating on what Helen was saying rather than on her breasts. He couldn’t remember what age breasts became interesting but he had a feeling it wasn’t too far away for Tom.

‘You’re looking a bit more comfortable out there,’ Frank remarked when the others had left. ‘Getting used to the car?’

‘The car and the people.’ He smiled awkwardly at his engineer. ‘It’s the fifth race of the season, probably about time I started to feel settled.’ And he would be, if he could stop dwelling on the thought that twenty odd years ago Frank must have had similar discussions with his father. Not that he’d ever have had to reassure Seb Foster of his driving ability.

‘Like I told you before, learn to relax, to rely on your instincts, and you’ll win more.’ Frank looked at Aiden long and hard. ‘You know, despite what you think, you don’t have anything to prove to the guys here. They respect you for the driver you already are.’

Aiden tried to smile but his mouth felt too tight. ‘I appreciate the sentiment, but I guess there is still one person I have to prove myself to.’ He stood and walked towards the door. ‘And that’s me.’

And probably you, too, he thought grimly as he escaped towards his motorhome. And let’s not forget the rest of the Delta hierarchy, or the hundreds of reporters ready to shoot him down if he failed again this year.

But failure wasn’t an option.