Page 8 of Driving Force

“Honestly, I love to read, and being able to take part in the process has always fascinated me.”

“You had said your parents live on the coast. Do you get to see them much during the school year?”

“Not as much as I might like. We usually Facetime each other a few times a week. I’m close to them, so I miss them when I don’t.”

“Tell me about your traveling with the racing series. How in the world do you keep balance in my life with being gone almost nine months out of the year?”

“Honestly, it’s not that hard. It’s just me, so I don’t have to worry about being late. Brad keeps me organized and just points me in the direction we are going next. I’m not sure what I would do without him by my side.”

The conversation flows easily with Tinley.

When the server returns with our meal, seeing a woman that eats is so refreshing. Attending events with models, I’ve noticed they always go the liquid super route my ex Serena was always watching her weight and never wanted to go out to eat for fear of people watching her, which I always found odd, but it was her career to be in front of the camera. When the waitress comes back with my burger, I can't help but think, Wow, this is the first time I’ve been on a date in a long ass time.

“How’s your burger, Ryan?” Tinley asks.

“It’s really great. How’s yours?”

“Really good. I love mushrooms on a burger. Some people think it’s odd, but I’ve always loved them,” she says.

“Well, I’m not a big mushroom person myself, but I’ve had them on a burger before, and it’s not that odd,” I say before taking a bite of my own bacon burger. I try hard not to groan out loud, but damn, this is a good burger. I should have known this place was going to have some great food. It’s a dive bar in a college town. They always know how to cook.

After paying for the meal, we head out to the truck. I don’t want the date to end. Talking with Tinley and just being around her has made me want her even more. Reaching for her hand as we walk toward the truck, I’m going to soak up every bit of the woman I can until I have to leave in the morning.

I can’t help but think this was one of the best dates I’ve ever been on. Ryan wanted to know more about my passion for writing and my drive to go into the publishing world. It’s a nice change from the ones I’ve been picking. As he opens the door for me, I can see he wants to ask a question but is unsure how to, so I finally say, “Do you mind if we make one stop before we go back home?”

He smiles. “Sure, what do you have in mind?”

“I want to show you my favorite spots on campus if you have time.”

Driving toward school, I’m a little nervous. Normally, I save this spot for myself. For some reason, I feel pulled to show Ryan. I smile a little when we stop at the top of a parking deck.

“Umm, Tinley, are you planning on murdering me?” A small laugh comes from Ryan, and I can’t help but laugh too.

“No, not yet, but I must warn you, I have watched enough FBI shows to have a good idea where and how to hide a body.” I give him a wink. “Come on, big tough NASCAR guy. Get out. I want to show you something.”

Getting out of the truck, I approach the far corner of the parking deck. This is my favorite place to come when I want to be alone, miss home, or have a bad day or a great day. You can see all of campus and clear to the blue ridge parkway, lit up like a huge Christmas tree. Maybe that’s why I love it so much. Christmas was my favorite time of the year growing up. Looking out over campus, I sense Ryan coming to stand behind me. When I turn around, those beautiful green eyes watch me. He reaches up, brushing my hair away from my face, and I know, in that moment, I slowly falling for this man, but also that I need to be very careful with my heart. It has only been a few hours since we met, but this isn’t just a one-date kind of thing between us. He sets my body on fire with just the simplest touch, running his hand down my side and resting it on my hip. I can only imagine what sex would be like.

“Tinley, I’ve been wanting to kiss you since the moment you opened that door tonight,” he says into my ear, making goosebumps erupt all over my skin.

My cheeks heat at the thought of him wanting me all night. Gazing up into his eye, I ask, “Well, why haven’t you?”

His lips are on mine before I finish my sentence. The kiss starts out tender, making my knees weak. Then it turns into an urgent all-consuming kind of kiss, like he’s a dying man and I am the only thing keeping him alive. As he pushes past my teeth with his tongue, I know I’m a goner, and a small moan spurs the kiss on even more.

Pressing my body into his, I can feel just how much he wants me, and that turns me on even more, eliciting another moan from my lips. Knowing that this gorgeous man is turned on by me makes my core heat with such an awaking I didn’t even realize I had inside me. I see pure lust as I break our kiss and stare up into his eyes.

I shake out of the lust bubble for a second. Ryan is going to have to put in the effort with me. He’s not going to snap his fingers and have me on my knees. Granted, I so want to go there, especially with how he’s looking at me, but I have to be strong for a little bit to see how this plays out. My mind races trying to imagine how beautiful he must look naked and how perfect his dick must be. I can already tell it’s a little more than average but not so big it would scare the crap of a woman, and that’s just from the friction during the mini-make-out session we had.

I take a step back from Ryan, catching my breath and thinking to myself, Good god, woman, what the hell are you doing? This could be the dumbest thing on the face of the planet to not go full force at him. Because if the kiss was that amazing, the sex will be too. But with the life he leads, I’m sure he has girls throwing themselves at him on a weekly basis, and I don’t want to be in that group.

Ryan clears his throat slightly, adjusting himself.“Tinley, I’ve had a great time tonight. I’d really like to see you again. I’ve got to head back to Charlotte in the morning to get ready for next weekend's race. I’d love to call you this week, maybe Facetime also, if you're able to.

Looking up at him, I can’t help but smile, “I would love that.”

“Okay, great,” he said.

We walk back to his truck, holding hands. The ride back to my house is quiet, with just the radio playing in the background.

Pulling into the driveway, I can’t help feeling a little sad that I’m not sure when I might see him again. When I got home from the race earlier tonight, I decided to do a little research and see how much Ryan traveled during the season, and it’s a lot. They kind of jump all over the US during the nine to ten months period. They even spend almost a whole month in Florida at the start of the season.

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