Sweet Carolina(25)

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“I want the car I drove last week,” he said. “I know you think this one is something special, but Caro, trust me, it won't win here. Maybe on a short track, but not here.”

“I designed this car myself, Dell. I know what it can do,” Caro argued. “I made some adjustments, so get your ass in the car and take it out again.”

Dell stared her down, but she refused to cower. She believed this car was the right one for this track and convincing her otherwise wasn't going to be easy.

“Unless you found a way to coax more RPM out of the engine, it's a waste of time, Caro. I'll take it out again, but it won't change the facts.”

“That's all I’m asking, Dell. Take it out one more time. If the engine isn't performing up to standards, we'll use the backup car again.”

“Whose standards are we talking about? Yours or mine?” he asked.

“Mine are the only ones that count,” she said, holding her ground. Dell felt, rather than heard, the snickers coming from the crew. Caro could cut a man off at the knees when she wanted to.

Dell climbed into the car, pausing with his ass balanced on the door. “Get the backup car out of the hauler, guys. I'll be back in a minute.” He dropped into the seat and buckled up. One more practice run to get Caro off his back, then he'd take the backup for a spin and show her what was what.

He had to give her credit. This car would be good on a short track where short bursts of speed were called for, but on a track like Vegas, or Phoenix, it couldn't sustain the level of power it needed to be competitive, much less win.

“Are you seeing what I'm seeing?” he spoke into his headset.

After a long pause, Caro came on. “Yes, I see. Damnit, Dell. That engine should be capable of more. I don't know what's wrong.”

“I'm sure you'll figure it out, Caro. Now, can I have the backup car?” he asked.

“Take her to the hauler, Dell. We've already got the backup unloaded.”

“Roger that. Comin' in,” he said.

He switched cars, made a few practice runs with the car he won with in Phoenix, and after making a few suggestions to the crew, he went in search of Caro. He knew he should stay away from her, but goddamned, that fire suit of hers turned him on. All he had to do was look at her in the damned thing, and his body ignited. Add her air of confidence, her I'm-in-charge-so-do-as-I-say attitude, and he was ready to go five hundred laps with her.

He found her in the lounge at the front of the hauler, but she wasn't alone. She'd taken off the fire suit and replaced it with jeans and a Hawkins Racing V-necked T-shirt that hugged her curves like a driver's dream car. She was bent over an open book on the laminated desk that took up two walls of the lounge, pointing out something to the engineers flanking her. Dell's libido shot into overdrive, and he had no doubt the other two men in the room suffered from the same condition.

An unfamiliar emotion mixed and mingled with his raging hormones, and he fought to keep it in check. No matter how much Caro wanted to make her mark in the racing world and be recognized for her abilities, there was no way to avoid being recognized in other ways too. She was all woman – and there wasn't a man on the circuit who wouldn't notice. For the first time, he realized how big a task she'd set for herself.

He stifled his urge to grab her and drag her someplace where they could be alone – someplace he could show her how satisfying it was to be a woman, but she seemed oblivious to the way she affected the men around her, and she probably wouldn't appreciate him going caveman on her.

Instead of acting on his urges, he asked, “Figure it out yet?”

Caro straightened, and in the unguarded moment when she turned to him, he caught a glimpse of something that resembled desire in her eyes. But as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, and Caro, the team owner, spoke. “No, not yet. I have some ideas though. I was going over them with Frank and Terry. I don't know though, this engine may never be anything but a short track engine.”

“Would that be a such a bad thing? We need a new short track car anyway,” he said.

“Thanks to you, we do.”

So, she hadn't forgotten about the wreck at Martinsville, or forgiven him for it. Dell shrugged. “Shit happens.”

“Let's not go around the same old track again, Dell,” she said, turning to her engineers. “Unless you guys have any other ideas, why don't you go make the new adjustment? After the official practice runs are over, we can take her back out for another run.”

Dell moved away from the door as the other men filed out of the lounge, leaving him alone with Caro. Memories of them alone together the day before swamped him. That's all it had been, one day? Jesus, it seemed like forever since he'd touched her. He glanced her way and saw recognition in her eyes. She could deny it 'til the cows came home, but her eyes didn't lie. Desire burned in her gaze. He closed the distance between them, forcing her to look up at him.