“Gotta go, Caro. My ride's here.” Dell waved at the tow-truck driver.
Chapter Fifteen
Caro clenched the ladder rail with trembling hands as she climbed down from the war wagon into the nest of reporters waiting to talk to her. Dell ran a clean race today. Not a single accident until the end. Even then, he'd spun solo. Coming off his latest suspension, his dramatic second-place finish was big news. She pasted on a smile and turned to face the crowd.
A million questions later and she headed to the hauler. Finishing second meant post-race inspections, so they weren't going anywhere for a while. It was a nice problem to have, Caro mused. Maybe the inspection would turn up the problem with the rear wheel. Whatever it was, it happened after the last pit stop. A loose lug? It was the most likely answer. It wouldn't be the first time a tire changer failed to properly secure a lug. She made a mental note to remind both tire changers to practice as much as it takes to get the timing down, though they'd never had a problem before.
Still, Dell's life was on the line every time he took the car out of pit road, so there was no room for error on the part of the pit crew. Racing was dangerous enough without adding unnecessary risk.
Caro pulled a water bottle out of the small refrigerator and brought it to her lips, hating the way her hands still shook. Watching Dell spin out as he crossed the finish line nearly did her in. She curled up in the corner of the sofa and let her head fall back. It wasn't like she hadn't seen Dell wreck before, but after the last one that sent him to the hospital… well, it didn't bear thinking about.
She needed to get a grip on her emotions. She eyed the slight tremble on the surface of the water in the bottle she still held. This is what she got for loving a racecar driver, and now she understood why her father hadn't wanted this life for her. Would it ever get any easier? She didn't see how it could.
Her heart all but stopped when he reported the shimmy in the rear tire as her imagination went into overdrive conjuring up all kinds of horrible wrecks that might result from a tire failure at one hundred and sixty miles per hour. A shudder racked her body. She set the water bottle on the nearest table and wrapped her arms around her midsection.
The door opened, startling her. Caro jumped to her feet. Dell stood there, all in one piece. One delicious, sexy piece. She couldn't help it. She threw herself at him.
He caught her around the waist and held her tight. She splayed her hands over his back and pressed her cheek against his chest. His solid warmth banished the cold she hadn't been able to shake since he'd first mentioned the shimmy.
“It's okay, Caro.”
“Let me hold you, Dell. Just for a minute.”
They held each other, listening to the crew stowing everything in the back of the hauler not necessary for the post-race teardown.
“I thought…” Caro shuddered again. Dell stroked her back in long, lazy sweeps. “I was so scared.”
“Shh,” he soothed. “I know. I'm sorry. I don't know what happened.”
“God, Dell. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you.”
Dell eased her away enough to place a finger beneath her chin and tilt her face up to his. They'd agreed to stay away from each other, but Caro couldn't care less about what anyone else thought of her. Right now, she needed the reassurance of Dell's kiss. Her lips parted in invitation.
“Nothing happened, Caro. I'm here. I'm fine.” Then, to drive home his point, he kissed her.
All the anxiety of the last few laps fueled her need into a raging passion. She needed Dell. Needed to feel his skin beneath her hands – needed the solid evidence of him against her, inside her. She needed Dell like she needed her next breath. Nothing else mattered but having him close to her. And if the rest of the world disapproved, then to hell with them all.
“Dell,” she said when they came up for air.
“I know we said we weren't going to do this, Carolina, but I need you.”
Her heart sped up like a stuck throttle. She nodded in agreement. “I need you too, Dell. I don't care what they say.”
“I do, Caro. I care – a lot.” His words put distance between them, but he didn't move.
Please don't say no. She opened her mouth to protest. His hips ground against hers and the shaft of his desire dug into her belly. The words died on her lips. Her heart raced with the knowledge that he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
“I wanted to wait until the season was over, or at least until you proved your point to the old boys' club, but I can't, Caro. I need you too much. You're all I think about, day and night. And God almighty,” he ran his hand down to cup her ass, “this fire suit makes me insane.”