THE DOOR TO THE BUS flew open and two women came rushing in. Standing, I watched as Deuce jumped up and made a beeline straight to them. They each pushed one another out of the way as they walked up to me.
“I’m Autumn, Malcolm’s sister.”
Feeling slightly at ease, I reached my hand out for hers. “Oh, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Paislie . . . a friend of Malcolm’s.”
His sister looked me over quickly. “Uh-huh,” she said with a wink.
Okay. That’s awkward. Did she assume every female around Malcolm was someone he is sleeping with?
I turned my attention to the other girl. “Hey, I’m Ashley. Malcolm’s recent fuck buddy.”
My smiled dropped and Autumn jerked her head to look at her. “Ashley!”
She shrugged and said, “Well I am, I mean we’ve know each other for a while, but then we . . .” She looked back at me and smiled. “I mean we’re not anymore! I met someone and we started dating.” She frowned as if regretting her loose lips. “Anyway, my brother is also Emmit Lewis.”
“The driver who retired,” I absentmindedly said while I tried to process everything that just came out of her mouth.
She pointed to me and said, “Yep! You know your NASCAR.”
A part of me instantly didn’t like Ashley. I wasn’t sure if it was because she made it very clear from the get-go she’d slept with Malcolm, or if it was because she was so amazingly beautiful. Why wouldn’t Malcolm be attracted to her? From the sounds of it she was more than a one-night stand. How much did this Ashley mean to Malcolm? Did he have feelings for her?
I shook my head. “No, I know nothing about NASCAR. Malcolm told me about him.”
“Oh.” She waved her hand as if to dismiss my lack of racing knowledge. “Don’t worry if you don’t know anything. Malcolm won’t care about that. I mean, even though it’s a huge part of his life, you can pick it up easily.”
My lack of NASCAR knowledge hadn’t even fazed me until she pointed it out. Autumn cleared her throat as my attention fell back on her. “So, this is kind of exciting. Malcolm hasn’t really had a friend since Cas . . . well I mean since high school he hasn’t really been with the same girl. Oh gosh.”
The air quotes around friend made me smile. It was obvious Autumn was younger than Malcolm. I wanted to ask her how old she was. She must have had her daughter young and most likely missed out on a lot of things girls her age did. My heart hurt for her knowing her husband up and left her and her daughter.
Ashley turned to Autumn and said, “Well besides me, but we weren’t dating.”
My eyes snapped back over to Ashley. This time I think it clicked to her what she had said because her face turned red. “Right. Because you were just fuck buddies,” I sneered.
“Um, I wasn’t meaning anything when I said that. I’m not used to someone being in his life seriously or at all really, and oh my God. I’m making this so much worse.”
I plastered on a fake smile. “No worries at all. Like I said, we’re just friends.” I reached down for my purse and placed it over my shoulder. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to take off.”
Autumn reached out and gently touched my arm. “You’re not staying for the race? We usually hang out in here and watch it.”
I looked between both girls. As much as I wanted to pretend like I didn’t want anything serious with Malcolm, the idea of sitting next to the girl he had been recently fucking didn’t seem like a good time to me.
“Thanks, but I don’t think so.”
Both girls stepped out of my way as I made my way to the door; opening it, I ran into Malcolm. “Hey. Where are you going?”
I felt like an idiot for how I was acting, but I couldn’t help it. For once in my life I felt something stronger than just a sexual attraction for a man, and I wasn’t sure I could do this. At least not right now. “I’m going to take off.”
Malcolm’s eyes immediately went to his sister and Ashley. “What happened?”
I placed my hands on his chest and quickly pulled them back when I felt the jolt of energy. He turned back to me and gave me a confused look. “Good luck on the race, Malcolm.”
Pushing my way past him, I quickly walked to where I had parked my car.
Ugh! I can’t believe I’m letting this bother me! What, am I sixteen again?
I picked up my pace, angry that I was letting something like this get to me. I didn’t even know Malcolm when he and Ashley were together. And what did it matter?
I shook my head to clear my thoughts.
“Paislie!”
The sound of Malcolm’s voice caused me to stop on a dime.
I plastered on my famously-practiced smile and turned to face him. He was jogging up and stopped right in front of me. “I’m sorry about Ashley. I have no idea what in the hell she said to you, but I can see it made you feel uneasy.”
“It’s okay. Honestly. Deuce and I will just have to hang out another time. I’ll talk to you later?”
His eyes filled with hurt as I tried to take a step away, but was frozen in place by his words. “Please don’t go. I won’t be able to stop thinking about you if you leave.”
My mind was racing as I tried to come up with a single reason why I didn’t want to stay. Only for the fact that I was letting petty jealousy in the way, I really was interested in what Malcolm was doing.
It was then I noticed all the people around us and I became completely aware that almost all of them were drivers. And they were all staring at us.
I took a step closer to him, trying to make light of the situation. “I’m not upset, I promise.”
“Then stay and watch the race. You’ll have a front row seat to the whole show.”
I was touched Malcolm asked me to watch the race. I’d never had a man treat me the way Malcolm did and it was refreshing. Lifting my eyebrows I asked, “Will it be loud?”
“Very.”
“Will I have to wear those ear things that go over my hair?”
“Headphones? Yes.”
I contemplated for a few seconds and looked around. “I’m not sure. I don’t like loud places.”
Malcolm reached for my hands. “I’d love to know you were sitting there watching me. It would mean a lot.”
I pressed my lips together as I took in his beautiful blue eyes. “I’m still not sure I’m looking for anything serious, Malcolm.”
His hand came up to the side of my face as I found myself leaning into it. “I’m not asking you to date me. I’m asking you stay and watch me race.”
Oh lord. There went my heart.
Before my brain could catch up with my heart, I replied, “Okay.”
The smile that spread over his face caused me to giggle like a little girl.
“You’re going to love it!” he said enthusiastically as he practically pulled my arm out while leading me back toward the track.
I rolled my eyes and let out a sarcastic groan. “Don’t get your hopes up.”
“Hope you’re not afraid of heights,” Malcolm said as he pointed up to scaffolding holding a few chairs and a bunch of equipment.
With a stunned and somewhat frightened expression, I asked, “That’s where you want me to sit?”
The evil sexy grin on his face had me searching for my next breath. “Yep,” he replied.
He was now dressed in his racing gear and I had to admit he looked hot as hell.
The amount of activity going on had my head spinning. The cars were all lined up with Malcolm’s being in the second row. He qualified third, which I thought was good, but according to him he could have done better.
Malcolm’s arm was wrapped around my waist while he talked to two of the guys on his pit crew. People walked by snapping pictures, but pretty much left him and the other drivers alone. Every now and then someone would ask for a picture or for something signed, and Malcolm would comply with that southern charm he had.
Of course, I’d seen the cocky side of him earlier when he was talking shit with another driver.
Men.
This was nothing like when I had been with Trey. If cameras were around, I was not anywhere near him. Looking back, I wanted to smack myself for being so stupid.
Malcolm’s warm breath hit my neck as he softly spoke in my ear.
“Is this too much? If you want to go sit with Dalton you can.”
With a grin, I shook my head. “No, I’m good. It’s all very exciting.”
His smile spoke volumes. I enjoyed being in his company as much as he enjoyed mine.
After driver introductions and the singing of the “Star Spangled Banner,” Malcolm crawled into his car. Panic filled my entire body as I watched them help him get strapped in. It took everything in me not to beg him not to do this, but I knew how unfair that would be. This was his life. I imagined it was his everything.
Malcolm said something to the guys and they stepped aside while he motioned for me to walk up. With a nervous smile, I leaned over and said the only stupid thing that came to mind.
“Hey.”
He grinned so big I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ve never had a girl down here with me before.”
I raised my eyebrows and asked, “Really? Does this mean I get to kiss you before you take off a gazillion miles an hour in a circle?”
His hand came up to my neck as he pulled me closer. “Yes,” he spoke against my lips as my body caught on fire when he kissed me.
I pulled back and licked my lips as I gazed into his eyes. “Be careful, Malcolm.”
With a wink, he said, “I’m always careful, baby.”
I stepped back and watched as he put his helmet on.
Oh. My.
Why did that look hot as hell on him? Shit. Everything looked hot as hell on him. But when he turned and looked at me and all I saw were those blue eyes, I had to force my legs not to go out on me.
Malcolm lifted his hand and I lifted mine. I was well aware of the cameras and I’m sure everyone was dying to know who the girl with Malcolm Wallace was.
“Come on, Paislie, I’ll help you up there with Dalton,” Justin, one of the pit crew guys, said.
It didn’t take long for me to chew half my thumbnail off as I watched Malcolm do what he did as he raced at almost two hundred miles an hour around the stupid track. I could hear everything he was saying as well as his spotter and Dalton. I quickly found out Malcolm Wallace doesn’t like to be pushed around and he had a temper.
Russ came on the headphones and said, “Go the high line in turn four, looks like the number seven might be loose.”
“Fuck, she’s slipping all over the goddamn place. Dalton, we need to adjust the pressure. I can’t drive her.”
Dalton nudged my shoulder, causing me to turn my head. He winked and said, “Paislie, you’re going to bite your lip off. Stop being so worried.”
I nodded my head and let out the breath I hadn’t even noticed I was holding.
“Trouble in turn three. Here it comes! We’re in it.”
“I’m going in blind,” Malcolm said as I dug my fingers into my jeans. I had a terrible feeling something bad was about to happen.
“High! Go high, high, high!”
When I saw his car emerge from the cloud of smoke, I pushed out a relieved sigh. Then another car shot up the track and clipped the back of Malcolm’s car, causing it to start spinning.
I quickly stood as did Dalton. It happened right in front of us. His car flew in the air and proceeded to flip end over end before hitting hard and being hit on the driver’s side by another car and driven up into the wall.
That did not just happen. Please God, no.
Every ounce of air was sucked out of me as I covered my mouth and I fought to hold back my tears. It wasn’t lost on me that a camera had been pointed up to me numerous times since the race started. The last thing I wanted to do was something wrong. This world was so new to me and I was the gossip talk of the track today.
Grabbing onto Dalton’s arm, I turned to him as he spoke. “Malcolm. Talk to me.”
Silence filled the air. I couldn’t hear anything else. Not the crowd, the sirens, the yelling. Nothing.
“Malcolm,” I whispered as fear gripped my chest.
“Russ? Movement?”
Russ didn’t respond and I found myself glancing up to all the spotters. It wasn’t but a few nights ago we were up on that roof, and one single kiss from Malcolm had brought to life a part of me I never knew existed.
I slowly sat down as I focused on Malcolm’s car.
“No,” was all Russ said.
Dalton shot a quick look my way before saying Malcolm’s name again.
Sitting motionless, I watched as emergency crews rushed to Malcolm’s car.
Closing my eyes, I prayed like I had never prayed before.
Please God. Please don’t take him from me.
Not him, I beg of you.
Please.