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“Shall we?” He nodded to the track. “Some people like to get comfortable while the car is off, pretending to gas up and change gears, but I’m all for feeling your way through things. Why don’t you start her up and let her roll.”

“Start her up. Let her roll. Got it.” Her heart was racing from his innuendos. She tried to focus on shifting the car into first, and it jolted forward and stalled.

“That’s okay. Try it again.”

“I’m sorry. I suck at this.”

“No, you don’t,” he said with a comforting smile. “You’re learning, and learning to do anything can take time. Stop thinking about getting in my pants and think about driving.”

She laughed. “Oh, that’ll help.”

“You know you want me.” The heat in his tone made her cheeks flush. “I’ll tell you what. If you can get us around this track safely, I’ll think about giving you a shot at the old bod.”

She glared at him. “Like you wouldn’t if I couldn’t drive?”

He shrugged with a too-fucking-sexy smile. “Let’s not find out. Focus on the road and drive this baby so we can get to the fun stuff.”

She eased into first gear, then second. “Maybe I don’t want fun stuff.”

“Not likely,” he said as she shifted into gear. “Look at you. You’re made for this kind of driving. Keep it up, darlin’, and I might just let you drive my Ducati.”

“I don’t know what that is, but if it’s slang for your penis, you ain’t seen nothing yet.” She flashed what she knew was her best flirty, smug grin, while watching the road, and took the speed up to seventy-five. “This is awesome!”

He chuckled. “You’re incredibly sexy when you’re driving. How does it feel?”

“Amazing.”

“Give me real feelings, Kat. You’re too smart for cliché answers, and I want you to really experience the thrill of the ride. Focus on how it makes you feel inside. Tell me whatyoufeel.”

She loved the way he challenged her,and she loved that he cared enough to ask for her real feelings. Feeling more confident with his words, she kicked up the speed to eighty. “It feels dangerous and exciting, like you.”

“I feel dangerous and exciting?”

“Definitely, and I wish the windows were down and I could feel the world racing by.”

“Loosen your hands on the wheel just a little. While it’s important to be in control, it’s also important not to forget that you’re in control. Part of that is recognizing the power it takes tomanage the vehicle and where that power comes from. If you’re too tight, your reflexes will be slower.”

She loosened her grip a tiny bit, the ache of her death grip easing around her knuckles. “That does feel better. It’s like you have experience with this driving stuff,” she teased.

“Feel the power, Kat. Feel it everywhere. When you get out of the car, you’ll realize your entire body—back, legs, feet, hands, neck—were all tightly wound. Allow yourself to ease up just enough to remain in control of the car without the fear. Become one with the energy. Let it sink into you but not take you over. You control it.”

She focused on each muscle and realized that he was right. Her body was like one big bundle of nerves. “Amazing. Wait…” She wanted to dig deeper, to give him more. “Once I got past the dizzy, anxious feeling, it’s like a feeling of euphoria. It feels unreal, like I’m infused with a sense of freedom and power. I totally get the allure of driving fast.”

“My fearless wonder.”

She loved hearing the possessiveness in his voice.

“Are you ready to conquer more fears?”

“More? Should I pull over?”

“It’s up to you. This is your night. Take her around as many times as you’d like. I could watch you drive all night long.” He lowered his voice and said, “But there are other, more pleasurable things I’d like to do, too.”

That was too enticing to pass up. She could only imagine whatmore pleasurable thingswould mean with a man like Eric.

CHAPTER 14

“I CAN’T BELIEVEyou trusted me to drive that luxurious car. Thank you so much. That was more fun than any date I’ve ever been on.”