CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Tires spin and squeal. Dirt spits up in the air as the yellow Camaro comes to a skidding stop on the track. A blond head pops out from the driver’s side window. Bright mischievous blue eyes and a wide boyish grin shine at me. “Sweet ride, huh?” He slaps the car door.

You can’t help but smile back at this kid. At twenty-three, just a few years younger than me, I guess, I should look at David Mooney, the hot, up-and-coming stuntman, as a guy and not a kid. He’s a little reckless, but I like him.

I straighten my smile. “Where’s your helmet?”

“Right here.” He shoves it through the window to show me and waves it.

When my company asked me to travel to Virginia for this job, the first thing I did was check the roster. It’s something I’ve done for the past three months before I consider any job; check the list for Steele Kane’s name. Thankfully, I haven’t had to turn down any jobs yet. And I’ve been able to remain in Chicago until now, but I like the change.

That day Steele walked out on me, he ended up doing the one thing I tried to prevent anyway. What little part of my heart that was left, he took it with him. He hasn’t tried to reach out to me, not a single call, no emails, nothing. He stole my heart and then deleted himself from my world. And when it hurts, when I feel that emptiness—which is daily and usually first thing in the morning when my eyes open—I try to convince myself that this is what I want.

I’d like to believe it’s the truth that pushed him away from me, but I know it was me. I denied him my love and pushed him out of my life.

“Well, then, put it on,” I say in a firm tone, pointing at his shaggy blond head.

“I will.” He gives me a thumbs-up. He does that a lot, along with laughing. He does a lot of that, too. Mostly, that’s how he answers me with a little cheeky laugh. He’s adorable, though, and easy to work with. Unlike Steele, this kid doesn’t like conflict. If I tell him no, he just laughs and moves on to the next thing. Granted, I’ve only been with him for a week.

“I’ll put it on for the stunt, promise. I’m just getting used to handling this baby right now.” He revs the engine. “Oh, hey …” he yells something that I can’t hear over the loud acceleration of the Camaro.

I throw my hands in the air. “What?”

“My … is here.” He points behind him at the cloud of dust.

I angle my fingers to my ears and mouth. “I can’t hear you.”

Cupping his mouth with his hands, he shouts, “Stunt coordinator!”

“Okay!” I wave, not completely sure what he’s trying to convey. I smile and give him a thumbs-up.

He responds with a dimple-revealing smile and another thumbs-up before he sends the tires spinning.

I watch the huge cloud of dust dissipate, and as the air thins, a figure appears right smack in the middle of it. A large, powerful figure. Arms swaying and shoulders swaggering, he swiftly moves toward me. My mouth goes dry. I blink, trying to figure out if the dirt is playing tricks on me but to no avail. Steele Kane is a few feet and a fence away and continues to eliminate the distance between us with each long, determined stride.

Oh, my God! I grab the fence and squeeze tight to protect myself from the quick reminder. The mere sight of him is like a shake to the shoulder, abruptly awakening the truth that I need him.

“Hi.” He stops on the other side of the fence and offers me his hand. “Steele Kane.” He nudges to the track. “David Mooney’s stunt coordinator.”

“S-stunt coordinator?” I reach out a shaky hand.

“Yes.” He engulfs my hand, giving it a light shake, and pulls me toward him. I bump into the safety of the chain-link fence. “Mr. Mooney tells me you’re giving him a hard time with a couple of stunts.”

“Steele,” I whisper, body quivering, heart racing, and stomach flipping. I can’t believe he’s here, standing in front of me, and smiling at me with that confident grin.

“But I told young David not to worry about Miss Rigsby. I informed him that I got her all figured out up here.” He taps the side of his head. “And I assured him that I am completely capable of taking her on.”

I laugh as my heart gets caught in my throat. “Is that right?” I swallow down the huge lump and try to smile through my emerging joyful tears.

“Yep.” He releases my hand, grips the top of the fence, and in a smooth movement, he jumps it. “Yeah, know.” He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me right where I belong, against his strong, warm body. “I always wondered how one gets into a position such as yours. I understand now.” He brushes a few strands back from my face. “You’re doing it, babe.” His eyes search me. “You save Trevor every day.”

I thought I was done with the tears, but like a loose, leaky faucet, they begin to drip from my eyes. He knows me. He gets me. And he’s here, offering me my “one more time” moment, and I’m not going to let it slip away, not this time.

He gazes into my eyes, and I feel it flowing between us—that rare once in a lifetime sensation reserved for that someone special. At least, that’s what I thought when it happened with Trevor, but I was wrong. It can happen twice in a lifetime. Perhaps, my slates been wiped clean, and I’m getting another chance at love. And I do love Steele Kane, and nothing—no running, no ignoring, no guilt, no trying to forget about him—is going stop this from happening. He’s mine, I am his, and the only place he belongs is in my heart.

“I’m done, babe. No more stunts for me. I’m going stand back here with you and help keep Trevor safe too. I’m gonna do it for you and Gracie.”

I gaze up into his sparkling, dark eyes, voice shattering to pieces. “But S-Steele, you like being s-stunt man.”

“Yeah.” He nods, a sly smile slithering over his delicious lips. “But I like you more.” He kisses me, long and tenderly. “And I dare you, Miss Rigsby.” He peers down at me through devoted eyes. “I dare you to like me back.”

I wrap my arms around his neck and smile from the depth of my elated soul. “Challenge accepted, Mr. Kane.”