Page 18 of Wrecking Boundaries (SteelTrack Racing #2)

I lay the t-shirt across her book, covering the pages so she’s forced to see it. “Wear this.”

Sarah arches a brow, moving it off her book. “What is it?”

“Mine.”

Intrigued, she unfolds the material and gives me an amused grin. “It’s your shirt from Richmond last week.”

“And I want to see it on you.”

She stands and puts the t-shirt on for me. One shoulder droops, baring skin. The hem sits where her thighs start.

I sit on the room’s only chair and pull her between my legs.

“How do I look?”

We’ve managed to spend several nights together every week, and it’s still not enough. We hide in hotel rooms like teenagers after curfew, or I sneak her into my house because no one in her life knows where it is.

“Like you belong to me.”

A streak of impatience courses through me. Earlier, Bert cautioned me on the importance of going slow and recognizing when you’re in a marathon. It seemed sensible then, but now I’m not so sure.

I stroke her thighs, letting my fingers graze her soft skin, moving until they reach the wisp of cotton underneath. The feeling inside me darkens, and I pull until she wears nothing underneath my shirt .

“Spread your legs,” I tell her, and she does. I part the soft curls to reach the even softer skin between her legs and stroke. “You’re soaking wet,” I say. My voice is hoarse and sounds strangely far away to my ears.

For once, Sarah stays quiet, content to study me and wonder what I might do next. Her eyes remain rooted on my face, her expression curious. Most nights, she teases me, either pretending to misunderstand or feigning disinterest. All of it comes with a laugh until her arms wrap around my neck, and she demands another kiss.

I reach behind to pull my shirt off and toss it on the floor. My belt is next, and then, at last, my shorts.

Sarah begins to pull the shirt off, so I gently grab her wrist first. “Leave it on for me.”

I draw my hips slightly forward, and she picks up my intent. “There isn’t enough room for both of us.”

It’s wing-tipped, with a high back. “Get on.” After a moment’s hesitation, she does. “Look at that. We fit together perfectly.” My voice grows even rougher. I put her hands on my shoulders for support.

It’s cramped, with her on me and my thighs supported by the soft cotton beneath us. Our position constrains her ability to move, and I don’t care.

Our cheeks touch, and I whisper, “Hold on to me, and I’ll do the rest.”

Sarah’s body relaxes, and her head lolls back, so I kiss her exposed neck.

I breathe in and thrust. Sarah’s gasp moves through her body and into mine. The sound stirs me further, and I drive a second and third time.

Her fingers grip my shoulders, and her nails dig in.

Our eyes meet again, so I pull her down for a kiss and keep up the desperate movements. I won’t last long, not in this position or with the urgency pulsing through my body.

She mews against my lips, and I swallow the sound. I grasp her hips and squeeze, forcing her body to take every last inch of me as I roar, slamming her down on me one last time.

My heart thunders, and I can’t decide whether it or our hurried breathing is louder. The room’s chill hits, and I notice my damp skin.

My breathing slows, and I let myself enjoy her weight on me. “I didn’t plan that,” I say, feeling a strange need to defend myself. My dick softens, and I leave her body.

She pinches my chin, and her dark eyes bore into me. She studies me, slowly moving from feature to feature, and I let her. “It will all be over soon,” Sarah says with such confidence that I wonder if my recent action has done more to earn her faith than all my other efforts during the past several weeks.

She knew what spurred me on without me telling her, or maybe that’s her anxieties speaking.

I stroke along the edge of her jaw, and for once, I can’t get any words out, so I kiss her instead.

∞∞∞

We lay across the bed, facing each other. We’re still in the same attire—or lack thereof, in my case.

“I spoke to Bert, like you suggested,” I say.

I stroke her hip and side, letting my hands wander and explore.

“It’s folding,” she guesses. “You’d have told me straight out if that wasn’t true.”

“He’s not giving up, but that’s because he isn’t ready to admit it. You have to admire the old man for that. He doesn’t want to quit, and I can respect that.”

She glances down at my naked body and then up at me. “Once it happens, you can go free agent or try to form your own team. That’s what you’re after.”

“You already know that’s what I want. Well, most of what I want.” I wink at her.

Sarah strokes my side, mimicking my movements. Her touches are light enough to tickle. I don’t ask her to stop.

“You’ll need investors. Have you done the go-cart charity before? Sign up. There are big names there, including from the rich and curious.”

“That sounds like the name of a reality show. The go-carts require a partner,” I say, hoping she’ll pick up the hint.

“I usually do it with Julian,” she says, picking up the hint and lobbing it back at me. “We’ve done it together the last two years. I’ll also find some social event invites.”

Dread fills me at the idea. “Thank you.”

I’ve done plenty of business work for sponsors and NASCAR. Big society events? Not so much.

“When does the food get here?” she asks, closing her eyes.

“Soon. Don’t get dressed when it does. I’ll answer the door.”

Her eyes open, and trust radiates. I swallow, once again unsure of what to say next.

Sarah still refuses to tell me the driver’s name. His actions wrecked her ability to trust me and almost permanently destroyed our relationship. If I didn’t find her on the side of the road, we may not be together now.

I started as a sixteen-year-old kid, excited for my future while filled with guilt over my dad. The years after were the most difficult of my life. Losing my father was painful enough; then life grew even more miserable.

Now, years later, there’s nothing but possibility.

“What are you thinking?” she asks me.

I grab a lock of her hair to twirl around one finger. “I shouldn’t have let you go.”

“Let me go where?”

“Last year. I shouldn’t have let you go.” I smooth her hair, tucking the stray lock behind one ear. It quickly falls out. “I believed you when you said you were dating someone else, and that was dumb of me. I wanted to respect your wishes and won’t make that mistake again.”

Her laugh is quiet and sweet. “You won’t respect my wishes.”

“Not if it means another man, no. I should have ignored everything you said. We’d be better off if I had.”

“How so?”

Her surprise at my statement surprises me. “We’d be engaged by now.” Sarah gasps my name, so I grab her waist to pull her even closer. “You know we would be. I shouldn’t have let you walk away. I won’t do it again. Know that.”

“Boone and Maddie are engaged. They announced it last week,” she tells me.

My lips twist sourly. “I would have proposed earlier than him. He should have done it months ago.”

“Jake, are you in a hypothetical competition over imaginary proposals with my brother?”

I smile at her. “We’ll have kids first.”

Her lips part with genuine shock. “I can’t tell if you’re serious. It’s a serious topic, but you have that smile.”

“What smile? ”

She points at my lips. “You’re doing it again. We’ll be in the middle of a conversation, and you’ll smile.”

“That’s because I enjoy being with you. It’s good you agree on having kids first; it’s one less problem for us to solve.”

Sarah climbs over me so she straddles my hips. It’s an effort to gain some control rather than any effort to flirt. “Please don’t joke.”

“There’s no joking. I’m being honest with you.”

She stares down at me. Her expression is the same as she wore while straddling me on the chair.

She accused me of being cocky, and perhaps I am sometimes. I’m good at what I do, and I discovered a big trick in life is to project confidence, no matter the challenge. People will believe it, and often, you can convince yourself to believe it, too.

The silence between us stretches out so long that I ask, “How can I convince you?”

Sarah merely shakes her head and lays back down beside me. “Everything you’ve said means we go public.”

“No more hiding. You and me.”

Sarah struggled to trust me, which I didn’t understand the first time. She insisted on being casual, and I played along, not realizing she was protecting herself. I mistakenly gave her what she wanted; all it did was break our hearts.

“You and Boone will need to make peace.”

“I already planned to tell him about us.”

“I should do it,” she says. That doesn’t sit well with me.

Boone will want to get some hits in, and I’ll take them. He’s earned it. “Together, then. We can figure out the timing later.”

“You promised, Jake,” Sarah says, and I don’t know whether that’s a plea, a threat, or something else. There’s no mistaking her vulnerability.

My throat tightens, and I swallow. “I haven’t forgotten.”

I promised to protect her heart, and I’ll keep it.