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Boy had she misjudged him. Her stomach clenched at the assumption she’d made that he was interested only in a piece of ass. She noticed that Hugh and Bree were finished setting up, and she didn’t want to hold them up, but she felt bad for judging Eric so unfairly, and apologizing to a man who was doing so much for others couldn’t wait. Not one single second.

“Eric, I think I owe you an apology. I know I’ve been a little off-putting, and I’m sorry. I misjudged you, and I had no right to judge you in the first place. I hope you can forgive me.”

He stepped in closer, and the earth shifted beneath her. The vortex that was Eric James sucked her right in. Her heartbeat quickened, her breathing went shallow, and the familiar sparks that she’d come to expect when they were together sizzled and popped. How he went from one extreme to the other so seamlessly intrigued her even more.

“Darlin’.” His gaze moved slowly over her face, returning to her eyes with all the heat that was missing when he was discussing work, along with a new flicker of unexpected tenderness. “Don’t apologize for being cautious. You’re making a big change in your life, one that takes insurmountable courage and determination. The last thing you need is to fall for the wrong guy.”

She swallowed past her fear of the answer and asked, “Are you the wrong guy, Eric?”

“Only you can make that determination. I told you where I stand. Have you given any thought to what it is that you want, Kat?”

His words from this morning sailed through her head.I find myself completely and utterly captivated by you. I want to explore and enjoy you, Kat. Present tense. She was completely enamored with him, from his aggressive sexuality to his intelligence and passion to help others. But Kat wasn’t naive, and he’d made his intentions clear.Present tense.Not future tense. Not that she expected him to think past today after having just met her, but for her own sanity, she needed to acknowledge what she was considering.A weekend hookup.

In the space of a breath, she decided that she was probably overthinking the situation. They were visiting friends, and staying at Hugh’s father’s house, so there weren’t going to be many chances to be alone anyway. It wasn’t like they were going to have wild sex on Hal’s kitchen table—although her tightening nipples seemed to love that idea. The most she and Eric could do was sneak a few kisses, and she knew by the vibrations thrumming through her that a few kisses would never be enough.

He touched her arm, bringing her mind back to the moment.

“I think I’d like to get to know you better,” she said.

He smiled, and just as it reached his eyes, it turned sinful.

She quickly added, “But I respect Hal and our friends, and I’d never want to jeopardize our friendship over a tryst, so we should just keep that in mind.”

He leaned in close and said, “I can promise you that I will try to remain discreet, but honestly, Kat, I’ve never been as drawn to a woman as I am to you, and there may be times when that attraction surpasses even my most valiant efforts to keep it concealed.”

THE SWEETAND sultry look in Kat’s eyes sent Eric’s stomach tumbling, but the tilt of her chin when she turned at thesound of Brianna calling her name sent a shock of recognition through him. It was the same wave of familiarity he’d had from the moment he’d first seen her. Only now that faint familiarity mingled with what he intimately knew about Kat—the feel of her body pulsing with need and wet with desire, the claw of her nails against his skin, the strength of her inner muscles when she was in the throes of ecstasy, and the sound of his name as she cried out in pleasure.Arouseddidn’t begin to describe the feelings building inside him. It wasn’t just the desire to have her naked beneath him, to run his hands and mouth over every inch of her flesh. He wanted to know more about the woman who was strong enough to walk away from everything she’d known for ten years and start anew. The woman who said she faced her fears and didn’t fawn over him because of his celebrity.

He watched her join Brianna, her eyes sliding to him every few seconds. The late-afternoon sun danced off her blue eyes as she let Brianna guide her into position, and she adjusted her stance and posed for the camera. A rosy blush spread across her cheeks as Brianna called out commands as if Kat were a model. She could have been, with that silky blond hair and a body that could—was—stopping traffic. Determination filled Kat’s eyes, as if she’d decided that this was just another fear she had to overcome, and he wondered if he, too, was one of her fears.

Hugh came to his side, watching Bree with the same intensity that Eric was watching Kat.

“You okay? Do you mind waiting while she does the shoot?” Hugh asked.

Eric was still stuck on the idea of being one of Kat’s fears. He didn’t know if it was because he was around Hugh and Brianna, who radiatedcommitment, or if it was Kat herself, but he swore then and there that he wasn’t going to allow himself to be slated asthatguy.

“’Course not. What could be better than watching a beautiful woman pose for the camera?”

“Watching a beautiful woman take her picture,” Hugh said, eyeing Brianna.

They both laughed.

“You’re a lucky guy, but I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. How’s Brianna holding up with Christian and the race schedule?” Their schedule was grueling for a single man, and Eric had wondered how the racers’ wives held up with children to care for while they were on the road. Layla was already six when she and Bree had begun traveling with Hugh, but a baby took all sorts of preparation, not to mention that it couldn’t be easy getting a baby to sleep in unfamiliar surroundings.

“You know Brianna. She loves our kids and she loves me. Even if it were too difficult, she’d never admit to it. But I’m ready to slow down. I’m cutting my schedule back even further next season. I want Layla to have more stability, and I don’t want to be racing around the country without my family.” When Hugh and Brianna had first married, Hugh had cut his schedule way back, and he’d made no secret of wanting more for his family than life on the road.

“That’s a huge step, but it’s not unexpected.”

“It’s time,” Hugh said at the same moment Brianna took Kat’s hand and led her farther down the sidewalk, breaking their spell. “Think about how crazy our schedule is. This is the one weekend we’ve had off in months, and we had to coordinate seeing our friends and family on the exact same weekend—at myfather’shouse of all places.” Hugh patted Eric on the back. “I’ve won enough races to last a lifetime, but there’s never enough time to spend with my family.”

Eric imagined that if he’d grown up with a father like Hal and five siblings who all looked out for one another, he’d crave thatsettled-down feeling, too. He watched Kat come out of an office building, where she must have changed her clothes. She looked hot in a pair of jeans and a low-cut white blouse, the perfect blend of sexy and professional. Brianna fiddled with Kat’s hair, and they both laughed. Kat’s eyes shifted toward Eric, and her lips curved up in a sweet smile that erased all of Eric’s thoughts with the exception of one. He didn’t want this weekend to end.

CHAPTER 7

“AREWE GOING to pretend that the sexual tension between you and Eric isn’t thick enough to cut with a knife?” Bree asked as she parked at the racetrack.

“If I say yes, will you believe me?” Kat had already filled Bree in on their airport sexcapade, and she knew it didn’t matter what she told Bree; her bestie would see right through to the truth. And it was the truth that worried her. She couldn’t stop thinking about him, wondering about all sorts of things, not just the incredible sex.

“Not likely.” Bree cut the engine and turned a serious gaze to Kat. “He’s a good guy, Kat. When he’s with us, he’s so great with the kids, and he’s done amazing things with his foundation.”