“I was lucky. I had both Mom and Dad, who were always there. My father wanted me to take over his company practically all my life, but it was never my passion. It was his.”
“Was he disappointed?” I ask, wondering if that’s what he meant earlier.
Kayden leans back on his hands, his gaze on the ocean instead of me. “He was, for a long time, because racing was the only thing I wanted to do.” His voice seems far away, his focus on the past rather than the present, and I allow him to think back and tell me about his story. “And then when I told him I wanted to race, even though I knew he’d be disappointed, he smiled and said okay. He supported me, and he never griped about me not wanting to take over the company. But now that he’s gone—”
“You want to make him proud?” This has me snapping my gaze to his face. All I see is the profile, but the pain is evident in his expression.
“Yeah,” he finally croaks. “It’s been a while, but … You know that pain never goes away. It might ease up, and it might take a backseat at certain times, but it’s always there, niggling away at you until you remember.”
“I know that feeling,” I admit freely. “My dad was always there for me. He would take me to races. He’d even allow me to drive his car in empty parking lots. I fell in love with the speed, the adrenalin, and I even fell in love with fixing up cars. We have an oldie sitting in our garage, one that Dad and I were meant to fix up, but …”
Kayden turns his attention on me, his eyes taking me in, seeing my pain because he looks right into me with those depths of teal emotion. This time, he does reach for me, cupping my face in his hand, and he pulls me in.
His mouth inches from mine, I can’t help but lean into him, wanting the kiss, needing the connection. When our lips touch, heat sizzles through me, and I’m once more lost in the flavor of him. It’s all man. The bitterness of the beer he had still on his tongue as I tangle mine with his. Slowly, ever so gently, he turns all the way over until he’s hovering over me, and I’m lying back on the cool sand. But nothing can quell the ache swirling in my belly.
“I want to do this,” he tells me earnestly with affection swimming in his gaze. The harsh crash of waves on the shore, along with the magical starry night, makes this seem like a fairytale, and it would be so easy to get lost in the fantasy, but I know it’s dangerous.
“You enjoy living life in the fast lane,” I whisper as he presses his lips tentatively to the corners of my mouth. “I’m used to a slower speed.”
“Then we’ll take it as slow as you’d like,” Kayden promises before kissing me hard. His mouth molds to mine, his tongue owning mine, and his body cocooning me, causing warmth to travel from my head right down to my toes. The heaviness of him keeping me pinned down to the ground. I tangle my arms around his neck, holding on for dear life because this roller coaster is going to throw me off course.
When the cool breeze picks up, Kayden breaks his connection to me. A smile dances on his lips as those eyes watch me.
“What?” My voice is a husky whisper.
“I think you’re absolutely exquisite,” he tells me. “I can’t believe you would ever think anything other than that.” He’s not joking. His expression is serious as he kisses me quickly once more before he pushes to his feet, holding out both hands to me. I accept, and he tugs me to stand before wrapping both arms around my small frame.
It’s suddenly chilly, and a lightning strike shoots from the clouds, thunder rumbling in the distance, causing me to jump.
“Oh, god.” I laugh when Kayden looks at me curiously. “Sorry, I’m not a fan of storms.”
“Let me take you home,” he offers, grabbing my hand and leading me back to the car. Once inside, he doesn’t start the engine immediately. Instead, he looks over at me, a grin on his face. “I don’t know how this is going to work, or even how we’re going to be around each other at work, but trust me when I say this isn’t a one-night thing at all,” he insists.
I want to nod, but for a moment, I ponder his words, praying he’s not lying. If he had come into my life a few months ago, I would’ve run in the opposite direction, but right now, I want to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“I’ve never … I haven’t really had a boyfriend before,” I admit shyly. “So, this is new to me.”
Teal eyes widen. His mouth opens then closes. I almost expect him to tell me to forget it, that he doesn’t want to deal with someone inexperienced, but he doesn’t. He nods, then says, “Then I better be on my best behavior.”
“Just don’t be an asshole,” I snap, livening up the banter because I don’t like the seriousness of the air between us.
“Me? An asshole? Never going to happen, speedy,” he tells me with a chuckle, using the name he calls me back on the track.
“You’re so original.” Rolling my eyes, I earn myself a poke in the ribs, the lightheartedness taking over the rather serious conversation from the beach.
“I still want to know all there is to know about you, Haelee,” Kayden says, before starting the car. I know he’s going to need to know where I really came from, who my birth mother was, but for now, we’ll allow that part of my life to remain a mystery.
“What time are we training tomorrow?” It’s the weekend, but I’m hyped to get back behind the wheel. Even though today was a bust after our fight and our kiss, I can’t wait to see his face when I race him around the track again. I know Kayden is good. I’ve watched videos of his races online. But me beating him that first time was most definitely a fluke because there is no way I would’ve gotten by Kayden Mercer.
“Tomorrow, I’m taking you on a date,” he informs me. “Colton said we should be back on Monday, so we have the weekend to go on a few dates.”
“A few dates?” My brows furrow in amused confusion.
Kayden shrugs. “Yeah, I see it as at least four—Saturday we can do lunch, then dinner, and Sunday, I’d like to take you out on a sunrise ride along the coast. We’ll head up north and stop for lunch somewhere you’d like,” he informs me.
“And what makes you think I don’t have plans?” I challenge him but keep the smile on my face. My stomach flutters when he glances over at me, offering me a side smirk that makes the butterflies in my belly dance wildly.
“Because you can’t say no to your boyfriend.” The word coming from his mouth makes me want to giggle. “Also, I don’t often tell anyone about my past. Colton knows because he and my father had business dealings before, but other than that, only my two best friends and my ex-manager know me. Or, at least, really know me.”
“Then, I must be special.”
“Oh, speedy, you most certainly are.” As we weave our way back home, I ponder his words. Him calling me special, saying he’s my boyfriend, has my heart doing silly somersaults, and even though I don’t want to get too excited, the newness of our relationship is fun. I get along with him, even after our initial meeting, and now that I’ve felt his lips and hands on me, I want to feel them again and again.
By the time we pull up to my house, the silence has been welcome but becomes worrying. Kayden kills the engine, but he doesn’t look at me. The tension in the car has skyrocketed within seconds.