CHAPTER THIRTEEN
GRAY
I could still vividly remember the last time I saw James—last year in the Daytona 500, one of the biggest events in racing. It had started off pretty well, with all my major competitors in top condition and each of us revving to have the first place spot. That was nothing new, but that year had been particularly competitive, as we each had an agenda: Scott wanted to keep his winning streak, I wanted to break it, Doug wanted to prove himself and be in ranks with us, and James wanted to get a few more wins in before he took things easy and retired.
But what started out great turned into a horrible nightmare as I was trying to outmaneuver Scott in the last few legs. I was steadily gaining speed and the upper hand when Doug suddenly inserted himself in—but he wheeled in the wrong direction.
His car swerved and blocked the rest, and I swerved as well so as not to hit him directly. I was one of the few lucky ones who was able to get out of the way in time, also swerving from the wall I almost hit. Scott’s car was the first to hit Doug’s, damaging the front. Then James’, who was just right behind us, crashed into Scott’s car, the impact making it fly in the air and crumple right on top of Scott’s.
I hadn’t been able to see everything firsthand, just the review shots that followed later. All I could remember that day was hearing the crowd’s deafening silence before their horrified screams, then people rushing all around the mess as they tried to get the race car drivers out. Doug looked injured but conscious, while Scott had to be lifted out and carried on a stretcher unconscious.
Then came James, who was also unconscious—but what was worse about him was that his leg was twisted at an odd angle, and there was too much blood flowing out of him.
That had been the end of his race career and I hadn’t seen him since, other than news that he’d been recuperating. To see him here now and not in the US was something of a surprise.
“Hey, Kinnick,” I greeted once I sat beside him.
“Denton,” he greeted in return. He didn’t reach out to shake my hand, though he did give me a smile. “Congrats on that win.”
“Thanks.” I tilted my head, trying to determine what his expression was behind his glasses. Then I decided that I should just go for it and see where it went. “How have you been since the accident?”
James glanced at me, then smirked. “Never been one to mincewords, have you?”
I shrugged. “There’s no point. I was bound to ask, anyway.”
“True.” He paused for a while, and I let the silence surround us. Then he spoke. “I tell the media and everyone that everything is good and dandy with me, and they are none the wiser. But man, watching those cars fly by now…I miss every damn thing about the race.”
“So there’s really no going back?”
“There’s really no going back,” he confirmed. “I’m still in therapy, but the doctors said any physical activity at this point is a risk. I can probably drive again a few years down the road, but not the kind of driving I want to do.”
Because race car driving was mostly about reflexes and your total control over them, I get what the doctors were saying. I could only imagine the frustration of not getting to do what you loved, and I watched James now to see if that frustration was there. It wasn’t, and all I could see in him right now was a wistfulness that was more melancholy than most. Considering it was almost a year since the accident, I had to wonder what it did to him and how he changed because of it. I wondered how many months it took him to get over the frustration and anger that he must have initially felt and finally get to this stage, and how many more years it would take for the wistfulness to go away.
“Why watch this race of all the races?” I asked.
James shrugged. “I don’t like watching people I used to race with race. Call me odd.”
“It’s not odd,” I said. “And I’m here.”
“Didn’t know you would be.”
I chuckled at his begrudging smile. “Any plans for dinner?”
James nodded. “Yeah. My wife is back in the hotel. We’re just going to tour around and spend more time together.”
I remembered that James had separated from his wife a few years back, and this must mean that he’d gotten back together with her. Maybe something positive came out of the darkness, then.
We chatted a few more minutes before I remembered Kate. I bid James goodbye and told him I hoped to see him again, to which his answer was vague. But it left me pondering, and I noted down to check in on him back in the states from time to time.
I really hoped the guy would be happy someday.
*****
I let James leave first before going back down from the stands to the track, which was somewhat emptier now. I didn’t spot Kate but headed in the direction of the garage, intending to look there first.
But my way was blocked by a female—a particularly familiar female, one I hadn’t seen in a while.
It was Darla, aka the extremely persistent woman I thought was Kate that day. Yes, I remembered her name now.
I stared at her incredulously, unable to believe she was here. I also couldn’t believe I hadn’t spotted or noticed her earlier, unless she was trying to initially hide or stay away from me. She was wearing a peach-colored summer dress, one that stopped mid-thigh, showcasing long legs. It was those legs that got to me when we first met, when I thought she was just a potential good time and I hadn’t discovered her obsession with me yet.
The upper part of her dress wasn’t any different from the lower part, with very thin straps and a neckline that showed off her cleavage to full advantage. She pushed them out in my direction, flipping her long brown hair when she saw me watching and flashing me a rather seductive smile.
“Hey, stranger.”
I raised a brow at the greeting, wondering if she figured out how ironic it actually was. She basically was a stranger to me, because other than our one time together and her obsession, I didn’t know a single damn thing about her.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, not bothering to greet her.
“I read that you would be in this race and decided to come to Spain and see the sights. I wish I’d bumped into you sooner, though, so we could have had an adventure.”
I shrugged, not saying anything. Undeterred, Darla sidled closer, eyeing me up and down. I watched as a gleam entered her eyes, one that was sensual and predatory at the same time. I didn’t make a single move, simply watching her without reacting.
“I came by your place, you know,” she said softly. “I was waiting for you, but you never showed up. What do you say we go out to dinner tonight and see where it leads?”
“I already know where it leads, Darla,” I replied without preamble. “And it’s not anywhere sexual or romantic.”
Darla laughed as if I said something really funny, placing a hand on my arm flirtatiously. “Oh, you only say that now. But you hadn’t even had sex with me. I bet I could blow your mind.”
“I bet not,” I shot back softly.
Darla didn’t like my answer, her smile wavering for a split of a second. But it steadied again. “Oh, come off it, Gray. I know you want to. How about I give you the old blow for now and see where it leads?”
Any other woman asking to give me a blowjob would have gotten a Sure, why not? without me really thinking about it, but I knew she would just blow it out of proportion—literally. I didn’t like playing with women that way and hurting them in the process, because that was just cruel.
“I know where it will lead and where you want it to lead,” I said. “I’m sorry, Darla, but this isn’t going to happen. You need to—”
“But that’s the thing!” she protested, interrupting me. “You don’t want to let me in. I told you, if you just let me have sex with you and—”
“Gray?”
The second female voice came all of a sudden, stopping Darla’s tirade right away. Because it was female, she shifted her attention to the third party with us, who happened to be Kate. Thank God, what a relief. Kate was eyeing Darla almost warily, yet with almost no hint of malice in her eyes—but Darla was a different story, looking Kate up and down with irritation that she couldn’t quite hide.
“I’m speaking with him,” Darla said, her tone full of derision.
Kate raised a brow, obviously not expecting the open hostility. She glanced at me, and our eyes met in silence. Her gaze alone was asking questions, though she didn’t voice them out yet. She settled for saying, “Are you ready to grab that dinner?”
Uh-oh.
As expected, the words had Darla’s eyes widening. Then she was flaring up, turning to Kate with a glare. Her brown eyes narrowed into slits.
“You’re not having dinner with him,” she hissed.
“Why not?” Kate asked.
“Because I am,” Darla announced. “Now take a hike and go back to your hellhole, you slut.”
Wow this chick was crazy. I have never been in this situation and honestly don’t know what to do.
“Unless Gray asks me to leave, then I’m going to stay where I am,” Kate said firmly. Looking at her now, she was such a contrast to Darla—shorter, cute, sexy, natural in her jeans and plain green shirt. But her vibrant personality more than made up for the lack of…whatever Darla was, and the way she went head to head with this nut job had me torn between amusement and concern. “So far, you’re the only one I hear talking.”
“Go away,” Darla repeated viciously.
“You don’t have a say in that,” Kate said.
I was wrong. I didn’t have to worry about Kate because she could handle herself fine.
Darla turned to me, looking very indignant. She placed her hands on her hips and stuck her chest out again, something that had Kate rolling her eyes.
“Gray, can you explain to her?” Darla demanded. “We’re going out on a date and she needs to get lost.”
I eyed Darla. Then I eyed Kate, who had both brows raised at the two of us. Finally, I decided to get right into it and finish this whole headache that was right in front of me.
“We’re not going on a date, Darla,” I said, my voice soft but firm. I was getting frustrated. I am done dealing with this.
“Why not?”
This was the hard part. If I said Kate was my friend, Darla would just continue to pursue me, which I was frankly getting tired of. She just didn’t seem to get the hint, and I was already too close to laying it out on her in a harsh way. So I opted for the second option.
I pulled Kate by the waist towards me, hoping she wouldn’t kill me for it and also noticing it felt really good. Then I wrapped my hand around her and turned as a unit towards Darla.
“She’s my girlfriend,” I said. I liked that way too much.
Silence filled my declaration.
Surprisingly enough, Kate didn’t protest, merely clamping her mouth shut. Unsurprisingly enough, Darla didn’t react well to this. She looked at where my hand was, outraged and shocked at the same time. She turned to me with pleading eyes.
“Please tell me you’re lying.”
This time, it was Kate who answered. “Obviously he isn’t,” Kate replied. As if to prove my point, she placed her hand on top of mine. “Now, can you leave us be to our date?”
Darla gasped. Then Darla cursed, hissing at Kate almost comically before turning to me. I kept my eyes on her but didn’t give her any leeway, keeping my arm around Kate, who was warm and soft. Then we both waited it out, watching as Darla made a fuss before realizing she was defeated and finally turning to leave—but not before flipping her hair one more time and warning Kate that it won’t last.
Then she was out of there, the sounds of her heels clacking loudly on the cement.
When she was completely gone, Kate shook her head.
“Wow.”
Her tone had no anger in it, which had me sighing in relief. I let go of her waist and turned to meet her curious gaze.
“Wow indeed,” I agreed.
“So was that your stalker?”
I nodded. “Darla. I didn’t realize she followed me here.”
“I knew something was wrong as I watched you guys conversing,” she replied. “You didn’t seem…into it.”
“I wasn’t.”
“I knew it,” she muttered. Then she brightened. “Next time, we really need to have some kind of code so I can interrupt you earlier.”
And just like that, she simply accepted and kept to her promise. I chuckled, watching as her eyes twinkled. Then I nodded my head. “We really should. And thanks for going along with it.”
“Of course,” she said. “I always keep my promises. And now you really owe me dinner.”
I smirked. “Any particular choice?”
“Paella,” she confirmed. “Definitely paella.”
Amazing, because that was what I wanted, too. I grinned at her, and she grinned back. Then we got out of there as fast as we could, relieved that we didn’t bump into Darla again.