said.
âYou going to watch the race from pit road or our suite?â Gil asked her.
Marley instantly shook her head. âIâm going to head back to the hotel.â
She caught Linc staring at her.
âRight now,â she added.
âNow?â Gil asked, surprised.
âIâm tired, Gil,â she said. âAnd thereâs really no need for me to stay.â But she was talking to Linc, and he knew it. âBrenda has things under control with the Shelter Home Improvement people, and I need to catch up on some sleep. If I leave early, I might actually get home in time to get some rest.â
Her brother nodded, concern clouding his eyes. âNo problem,â he said. âBut youâre going to miss Lincâs big debut.â
âI know,â she said. âBut heâll do fine.â
When she dared to meet Lincâs gaze, it was clear he wasnât happy. Gil stared between the two of them, his frown causing lines to form above his brows. âCall me when you get home.â
Did he sense something between them? Her brother was no fool, and heâd known her for her entire life. Just the other day heâd reminded her of the raging crush sheâd had on Linc all those years ago. That car sheâd set on fire had not been one of her better teenage moments.
ââBye, Linc,â Marley said, trying to throw her brother off the scent. âBe safe this afternoon.â
âMarley,â he said.
But she walked away before he gave the game away.
Iâm going to call you later this week.
Would he? And what would she do if he did?
CHAPTER EIGHT
S HE WATCHED the race from the airport while waiting standby for the next flight home. Part of that race, anyway. She missed the last half and so it wasnât until she landed that she learned Linc had finished fourteenth.
Not bad.
She was happy for him. And even happier for her brother. She just hoped Linc didnât do as he threatened and call her that week.
He did something worse.
He dropped by her office. âWe need to talk,â he said, slamming her door closed.
âCongratulations on a great finish,â she said.
âFourteenth is not a great finish,â he said, advancing toward her.
She sat behind her desk, but she felt like a lion tamer in the middle of a circus ring, and this feral animal had her firmly in his sights.
âLincââ
âQuiet,â he said.
âI beg your parââ
He jerked her to him. She gasped, used her body as a counterweight. He managed to get her out of her chair just the same, the plastic seat spinning out from under her.
âDonât,â she told him.
âSorry. I canât seem to help myself,â he said, just before he lowered his head.
Her whole body had come alive. Her lips tingled in anticipation. Her breath caught.
It was just as she remembered.
Sheâd wondered if their night together had been an illusion, if the fact that sheâd had a couple glasses of champagne had clouded her perception. It hadnât. If anything, itâd dulled it because kissing Linc in her office was better that morning than itâd been in the hotel room.
Because she knew what he could do to her.
She remembered every exquisite way heâd elicited pleasure. Felt her whole body curve into him in anticipation. She wanted those feelings again, wanted to know the touch of his hands, the feel of his lips against the sensitive skin near her belly.
âNo,â she moaned, pulling back. Dear God, what if her brother walked in? âLinc, no,â she said when it appeared as if he was coming back for more.
âWeâre not going to fight this, Marley.â
âYes, we are,â she said. âDamn it, Linc. This is madness.â
âYou want to know whatâs crazy?â he asked. âWhatâs crazy is that yesterday was my first day back in a race car in years, and I did well. But the joy I felt
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