Page 53 of Hook Up

“Bullshit.”

“Okay, maybe you’ll miss me a little bit.”

“I already miss you.”

“Damn, I wish we had time for another quickie,” she smirks, sending me a saucy wink. “I’ll jump your bones the next time I see you.”

“Two weeks, right? That’s it. And then you move to Charlotte.” Yes, I’m pressing her. I want her near me. For some reason, even though we’ve only been together a minute, I feel whole with her by my side.

That and the idea of going without her luscious curves for fourteen days sounds like an experiment in torture.

“I’ll do my best. Ryder, I have to pack my entire life, while also settling up at work. Not an easy feat in two weeks.”

“I’ll hire movers to pack your stuff.”

“Most of it isn’t worth anything, to be honest. I also need to find work in Charlotte.”

Grasping her hand, I pull her onto the bed with me. “Let’s explore that after race season, okay? I’ll take care of you. Hell, you never have to go back to work as far as I’m concerned.”

“I enjoy working. Besides, you’d get sick of me, eventually. Always there, bumbling about.”

“Not a chance.” Sliding my hands along her jaw, I pull her mouth to mine, my tongue tangling with hers and earning a purr of approval. “I need you there. You’re my good luck charm.”

She fingers the medallion around my neck. “I thought that was your good luck charm.”

“Don’t need him when I’ve got you. Talk about one hell of an upgrade.”

We dally for the next twenty minutes, until the knock at the door snaps us from our reverie, reminding us that time isn’t on our side. The drive to the airport seems to take a minute, and her flight is an hour before mine.

Figures.

I walk her to the gate, pulling her against me and hating that I have to be more than three feet from her side. “My first race is in two weeks. Sunday. Promise me you’ll be there. At least promise me you’ll try.”

Tears roll down her cheeks as they announce first-class boarding. “I don’t want to leave you.”

“Don’t. Screw your job and come home with me. I told you, I’ll take care of you.” I mean it, too.

“If only I was a total asshole and capable of that. I have to go. You be careful, Ryder. Promise me? I only just found you.”

“I’ve always been here, Gigi. Waiting for you.”

I force a bright smile for my wife as she hands her ticket to the attendant, turning back to blow me a kiss before walking onto the plane. I know it’s only two weeks, but having to watch Greer walk away from me—again—tears at my heart.

I’ll always be a fool for that woman. Glancing down at the ring on my hand, I give it a twirl, feeling the connection between the two of us.

There’s another hour before my plane boards. Time for a drink and some catch-up.

In the last ten days, I tossed my phone—and cares—aside, choosing to focus all my attention on Gigi. She’s the first time I’ve ever been able to accomplish that feat, at least since I turned pro. There’s a certain level of exhaustion you learn to live with when you’re a household name, one I wasn’t fully aware of until this vacation in Barbados.

Greer doesn’t want me for my money or celebrity status. In fact, I get the distinct impression it turns her off. I know it intimidates the hell out of her, although she’s worth more than every F1 team combined. She’s priceless.

My only worry? The fear I saw in her eyes when we discussed my racing career. She understands it’s what I do and who I am, but the terror was palpable as I discussed some of my near misses.

My reassurances that I’ve never had an accident did little to assuage her fears. The other women I’ve dated loved the thrill of the race. Likely, they loved the notoriety that went along with it—the flash of cameras, the reporters, and the guarantee that their picture would grace magazines was fodder for their egos.

Looking back, I realize that not one of them had ever worried for my safety. At least none had mentioned the fact before I sat my ass in a car flying around a track at over 200mph.

But Gigi? She’s scared to death I’m going to get hurt. She doesn’t believe me when I say she’s my good luck charm, but that medallion has brought me plenty of wins and no serious incidents. I used to look at it in the mirror, glistening against my chest, and feel her hands when they slipped it around my neck all those years ago.

---