Page 7 of Driving Wild

“Well, Red, you need a ring if this is going to look real,” he says matter-of-factly.

“It’s beautiful, but I really don’t need a ring,” I reply as I go to make my coffee.

Grabbing my arm, Matt spins me around to look at him. “Listen to me very closely, Grace,” he says, snatching the velvet box off the counter. “For the next two months, you’re MINE. And having a piece of jewelry on your hand will show that to others. I don’t share. Just in case you have any ideas.” With that, he slides the emerald-green stunner onto my finger.

Looking up at this man, I can’t help but smile just a little. I’m his for the next little bit. This may be all for show, but it’s a show that I’m going to enjoy. The issue is whether my heart will survive the sudden emotions that I’m feeling.

I move my hand up to his chest. “Well, Cowboy, if I'm yours, then you belong to me. So I better not even hear a small rumble of another woman anywhere near you. Are we clear?” Running my hand down his body once more, I keep my eyes on him, seeing them burn with desire. I reach the band of his sweats and move lower, feeling his erection growing larger the closer I get. His breath hitches just a little as I touch him. With a smirk, I turn and finish my coffee before heading to work, leaving him standing in the kitchen.

“See you tonight, husband,” I say as the door closes behind me. I need to get the hell out of Dodge before I drop to my knees as a thank you for the beautiful gift that’s now on my left hand.

I’m standing in the kitchen, hard as steel after her little show with that damn ring. Why the hell did she have to tease me like that this morning? I’m holding on by a thread, wanting to kiss her, take her, and make her mine in all the ways that I can think of.

The ring was something I thought she needed. I went to a few different shops, looking for the one that reminded me of her. When I saw the green diamond, I knew it was the one. She can act like she hates this arrangement all she wants but that won’t stop me from being the husband she needs outside these walls.

Quickly finishing up my omelet and coffee, I head toward my home gym to work out the pent-up feelings that are starting to become more prominent. She’s only been here for one day, and she’s making it hard not to want her in all the ways I can’t have.

I step into the gym and turn the music up to ten, heading for the treadmill. Maybe if I run enough, I’ll be able to outrun these feelings.

Eight miles and a million songs later, I’m no closer to kicking this edge. My legs are screaming, and I am soaked in sweat. I’ve never had an issue getting a woman out of my system before; why is Grace so different? It’s because we only had one night, and that one itch is just the tip of the very big iceberg that we’ve crashed into.

One thing’s for damn sure—I cannot fall for my fake wife. No matter what might happen, I don’t have time for relationships. I'm trying to bring home a championship for our team. But damn, if I don’t want to do everything else with her.

After taking a shower, I head out toward the race shop.

“Well, look who decided to grace us with his presence. Did you have a good night, princess?” I hear Ryan say as I step out of my car, walking faster than needed. But I started my morning off behind, and I’m going to need to play catchup all day. Heading toward the inspection area to check on my car for this weekend, I can feel Ryan hot on my heels.

“Just trying to keep up with you and the little missus is all,” I say, laughing as I head toward my stock car.

“Hey, seriously, how did your night go?” Ryan asks.

“Man, are we a bunch of women this morning? Playing gossip on the night before,” I say with a little snark.

“Nope, just trying to figure out which one of y’all might kill the other first is all. Tinley and I have a little wager going. She swears that Grace might smother you in your sleep at some point. But I’ve got more faith in you than that,” he says, laughing as we turn the corner, passing crew members and other office personnel headed into work.

“Well, if you must know, I gave her a ring last night. So you can just fuck off,” I say, opening the door as we head toward the drivers’ office space. “She doesn’t want to murder me just yet.”

“Jewelry is one way to get a woman on your good side, but you know, if you would both just stop being grumpy toward each other, you might find you’re a lot alike. That's all I’m saying,” Ryan points out.

“Thanks for the talk, Dr. Know-it-all, but don’t you have something else to do today instead of making sure that my ‘fake marriage’ is up to par?”

“Nope, I’m free as a bird until later, so you're stuck with me,” he says, laughing.

“Well, aren’t I the lucky one this morning?”

After checking out the car for the weekend and finally getting rid of Ryan, I’m able to get in some sim time before lunch. The tracks we have coming up have always been ones I’ve done great at. I’m lucky the season is in full swing, and the super speedways are a little way off, so I’m not stressing too hard about that part of the job. The issue I’m going to have before the race is that I have never been one to have a woman on my arm at pre-race events, and I’m not sure how much Grace needs to be in front of the camera to make it look like we’re in love and newly married.

Guess it’s time to head to see the little missus and figure that out since we work in the same building.

Knocking on her door, I hear her grumble, “Come in.” When I step into her office, I can see she has papers all over her desk, and she looks like she’s ready to cut someone.

“Hello to you, wife. Just wanted to stop by and talk about some things for the weekend. But honestly, I don’t want to be missing a body part when I leave this room. Because you look ready to castrate someone right now,” I say, shutting the door behind me and taking a seat across from her desk.

Breathing out a rough breath, I watch her rub her temples as she says, “If you must know, I’ve been dealing with my father most of the morning, so the only one I want to remove something from right now is him. I have gone over this ‘situation’ with him so much my head hurts. It’s like he couldn’t care less about us being married but does about you being a driver.”

“Wow, I’m not sure what part of that sentence to be more offended about, Red. I think I’m quite the delight, to be honest,” I reply, laughing to myself. “And that ring sitting on your hand looks good.” I’m laughing to myself yet again, trying to lighten the mood just a little.

“Did you need something?” she asks.

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