Page 55 of No Fear
“You better be putting pants on, Rach.”
She grinned when she heard him yell from the bathroom. As tempted as she was to see what he would do if she didn’t put pants on before he came back in the room, she hustled to find something to wear. He wanted to take her somewhere special and that was more important for their relationship right now.
Besides, she could probably figure out a way to get him out ofhispants again when they got back.
“Are you sure about this?”
Remy chuckled and adjusted his seatbelt. It was only about the thirtieth time Rachel had asked that question since he’d begun coaxing her behind the steering wheel of the Challenger. If he was another man, he might be worried that she seemed so flabbergasted by the idea of driving his car but he wasn’t. He trusted her, completely, and he couldn’t wait to see that look of pleasure on her face when she crossed the finish line.
He’d brought her to his favorite place in the whole world today. The old, abandoned drag racing strip had been his home away from home when he was a teenager. It was the place he’d first learned to drive. Uncle Auto had taught him because Decker had been too drunk of course. And it was where he and Lincoln and the other Bomar boys would race whatever heap of metal they’d been able to get their hands on in an attempt to outrun their demons.
Most people in Old Settlers had forgotten that the strip existed. According to family legend, Boyd Bomar had it built for his sons when they were just kids. He’d been certain one of his boys would be a race car driver but as close as he’d gotten was getaway drivers. Duke had gone to prison. Decker had become an alcoholic. And after years of running the garage and the track, Auto had shut it down and stuck to what he knew. Cars. Both fixing them and stealing them.
The track had fallen into disrepair. The grandstand and the concession were graffiti covered and buried in weeds. But the strip itself was still intact, run down enough to show that somebody had been using it in the years Remy had been away. He’d have wondered who it was if he’d been alone but since he’d had Rachel, he hadn’t given it much thought.
With Rachel, everything else fell away.
There was nothing but her for him. Nothing and no one else. She was his sun, his light, his reason for being. She was his and he would spend the rest of his life trying to make her smile at him the way she had when they’d first pulled up to the old drag racing track.
The way her smile made his chest feel tight when he pulled to the starting line. The sound of her slightly terrified but mostly exhilarated scream the first time he gunned the engine. The way her laughter had filled the car when he slid to a stop at the finish line. The way she’d bounced up and down and kissed him, begged to do it again with the windows down so she could feel the wind in her hair.
Those were the things that made this the single best day of his life.
No death or destruction. No fists or fighting. No threats. No worries or doubts or fears.
It was just him and Rachel out here. The two of them, spending the day together, like a normal couple. Doing something fun together. Doing something normal, or okay, drag racing in an abandoned field probably wasn’t a normal first date but he was a Bomar so maybe it was. The two of them laughing and smiling and enjoying themselves. It was hands down the best day he could ever remember having and all they’d done was talk and get to know each other better and drag race the Challenger for a couple of hours. It was the best day of his life and it wasn’t over yet. Not even close.
“Rachel, put your hands back where I showed you.” He took her small hands in his and kissed them gently before depositing one back on the wheel and the other on the gearshift.
“I dunno about this Remy.”
She was chewing on that damn bottom lip again so he popped it free and then leaned over the console to kiss it gently, “I trust you. You can do this. It’s gonna be fun.”
“But...”
He nipped her bottom lip and tugged on it with his teeth until she whined. When he released her she swayed closer but he smirked and shook his head. The way she was looking at him, if he kissed her again right now he’d haul her cute little ass over the gearshift and into his lap. And then he’d have her naked and he’d slide her down his now aching erection until he was buried deep inside her and…
“No.” He had to clear his throat because the word came out too husky, “No more buts. You wanted to drive the Challenger. You drive the Challenger. What happened to not being scared of what you want anymore?”
Rachel pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes at him and he fought a laugh. He was using her words against her and they both knew it. Her chin tilted up a degree and she huffed but turned her gaze back out the windshield. He covered his grin by rubbing his chin.
He’d figured something out about his girl today. She liked fast cars, just like he did. She liked that out of control feeling of flying when you hit top speed. It made her breathless and giddy. She liked a little bit of danger even if she’d never admit it and that was fine. Because he’d also realized that the reason she could enjoy this kind of danger, instead of being scared, was because he was there and she trusted him to keep her safe.
“Are you sure about this?” She swallowed hard.
“Yes, you can do this. I showed you how and when to shift and when to let off and brake. You can do this.”
“You really trust me not to wreck your car and kill us both?”
He chuckled, “You’re not gonna wreck the car and kill us, Rach. Stop overthinking it. Matter of fact, stop thinking at all. Just grip the wheel, put your foot on the gas and let go.”
“Let go?” Her eyebrows shot skyward and he snorted.
“Not literally.” He sobered and shook his head, “Do not let go of the wheel, Rachel. No matter what happens. Do. Not. Let. Go. Of. The. Wheel.”
“See, now I’ve even got you worried.”
She kind of did but he refused to let it show. She’d told him that she had a license but had only very rarely driven in her life. She’d had to sell her mom’s car to pay for the funeral and her bastard brother hadn’t let her near his car. She knew how to drive, just barely.
