Fast and Loaded: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (6 page)

A
fter we made love
, we should have parted ways, but it was just too hard. He walked me to my room, and I couldn’t resist the urge to pull him inside. It didn’t seem like he wanted to leave and I wasn’t going to force him too.

We fell together onto my small bed and made love for a second and third time. When we finally passed out, exhausted from the sex, the moon was giving up his terrain to the sun. I had only planned on sleeping a few hours before rising to start fixing Theresa; my body had other plans though. As soon as my eyes shut, the world around me collapsed into darkness and I was out cold.

* * *

T
he buzzing was infecting
the air as I woke up, my alarm going crazy. Next to me, Desmond was still asleep, looking even more attractive than ever. I smiled, thinking about how badly I wanted to wake him with a tender kiss. Once glance at the alarm clock though had me changing my mind. It was already almost noon.

“Shit!” I all but yelled as I jumped up.

Desmond woke up and asked, “What? What’s wrong?”

“It’s almost noon, and we are running out of time to fix Theresa if we want to win this race!” I said frantically as I looked for my work clothes.

I could feel Desmond’s eyes as they traveled over my body. Spinning around, I caught him in the act.

“Desmond!” I scolded. “We do not have time for this! Not if you want to race tomorrow!”

He smiled, “Not even a little time?”

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing at his charm. It was a tempting offer, one that I would have taken him up on any other time. Not today, though. Today I had work to do. Bending over and giving him a good show of my rear, I heard him moan in pleasure.

I picked up his shirt from the floor and tossed it unceremoniously at him. He caught it midair, the playful expression still dancing across his lips.

“Get dressed Keys, we have work to do,” I said with a smile as I finished getting dressed.

He sighed, “But it’s so early!”

I rolled my eyes at him, “Is this how you always are? Too lazy to work?”

I knew that wasn’t Desmond at all, but I was hoping my question would pull him out of bed. It worked as his eyes narrowed and the will to be the best at everything rose up inside of him once again.

“You are a cold woman,” he muttered playfully as he pulled on his shirt.

I smiled before opening the door and stepping into the hallway, “I know, but I really am the best.”

I closed the door before he could argue with me. I knew that he would, it was just who he was. I was the same way, and it was great to finally meet someone who was capable of keeping up the banter with me. I wanted to tell him just how wonderful I thought he was, but it would have to wait.

The last thing that either of us needed was an emotional distraction. Who knew if I was even going to be able to repair the damage done to Theresa?

I rounded the corner and saw her sitting in the middle of the shop where we had left her last night. Seeing her brought back the flood of emotions from our time in bed. His touch, his warmth, his dick.

I felt the butterflies in my stomach start to rise up and my garden growing moist at the memories. I quickly shook my head, I didn’t have time to think about his lips or any other part of Desmond’s body, I had work to do.

Right away I popped open the hood and started looking around. The scanner was already in my hand, and I was working loose a bolt when Desmond finally emerged. It looked like he had fallen back to sleep. I couldn’t say that I was surprised; he didn’t really seem like the type to function on little or no sleep.

“You really need to get ready for the rest of the race,” I muttered to him.

“I know,” he replied with a lazy smile as he leaned against the car. “I would just like to know if there’s going to be a car for me to drive?”

“I think so; I am working on the repairs now,” I replied.

“Do you know that the third leg of the race isn’t just one part but two? It's spread out over back to back races during two days. It’s all about speed and points. Whoever wins tomorrow, will have a huge lead in the last race of the competition.” Desmond said.

I looked at him in confusion, “You mean it’s not just one more race tomorrow?”

He shook his head, “Nope, it's actually two races.”

“Well,” I said to him as I wrenched free the piece that Luke had damaged, “It looks like you should get out there and shake some hands or do whatever it is that you do. Here’s the problem.”

He took the piece from me and shook his head, “That son of a bitch.”

I nodded my head in agreement, “You got lucky though, we have a spare. It will take me a few hours to switch them out. After that though, there’s no reason you shouldn’t kick his butt tomorrow.”

Desmond smiled at me, making my heart race, “Thanks.”

He leaned over and kissed me gently, and I felt myself blush. He was so much more than I had ever hoped for.

“See you soon,” he whispered to me before walking away.

I watched him go, and when the shop doors closed behind him, I let out a sigh of relief. He was the most distracting man that I had ever met. Everything about him made me feel like a giddy schoolgirl again. It was wonderful and infuriating at the same time.

As the part in my hand started to feel heavier, I was pulled back into reality. I needed to get Theresa fixed, no matter what. I needed to show Desmond that I could make up for what Luke had done. More so, I needed to show Luke that I was better than his petty little tricks.

* * *

“
A
re
you sure she’s ready?” asked Desmond.

I rolled my eyes, “I promise you, she is ready. I have checked and double checked, and I tested her out yesterday. What more do you want?”

Desmond smiled at me, “Nothing, everything is perfect. I just don’t want to risk any more damage.”

I knew that he was worried. I had placed a guard at the shop twenty-four hours a day since the last time I had gone over Theresa, but it was still frightening since Luke was able to get to her so easily before.

I had done everything I could, even making more modifications as I went. For Desmond to do anything but win this leg of the race would be almost unheard of. Theresa was now capable of out running every other car there.

“Desmond, I know that you are worried, but I have put every precaution in place. All you have to do is go out there and show those people who the best driver really is, okay?” I said reassuringly.

He smiled at me and clicked his seatbelt, “Okay, I trust you. After all, you are the best mechanic that I have ever known.”

I laughed, “You know that I am going to tell José that you said that, right?”

Desmond grinned, “I think he will understand, he’s not as pretty as you, and that’s a hard thing to compete with. Plus, there’s that thing you do with your tongue.”

“Desmond!” I scolded him before playfully reaching through the window and slapping his arm.

The announcer called for the drivers to make their way to the starting line and I saw him let out a nervous sigh. I couldn’t help but be worried right along with him. This part of the race, he had told me the night before, was the most difficult.

It would push both the car and the driver along the way. It was about speed and precision as the track looped around several miles of steep and dangerous terrain. Most of the race was only going to be watched on giant screens placed around the stadium.

Not being able to see Desmond and Theresa as they went, made me more than a little nervous. Up until that point, I could watch to see what modifications needed to be done to shave off valuable seconds along the way.

A camera view though wouldn’t give me the information I needed. Instead, I would be sitting with the rest of the crew, waiting and watching to see if the past few days had paid off or not.

“Don’t worry, you’ve got this,” I said to him reassuringly.

He smiled and leaned out. I knew what he wanted, and I was more than happy to give it to him. I bent down and kissed him tenderly. The motion was almost as natural to me as breathing now. His lips felt like they had found a home when they met mine. Everything about our relationship was different and new for me. He had been such a pleasant surprise. I knew that we were going to need to talk about what would happen after the race, but it could wait. The next few days were going to be life changing, for both of us.

“Thanks, Amber. I don’t know what I would do without you.” He cooed as he started the engine.

“Well, Luke would have a better chance at winning that’s for sure,” I replied playfully.

He glared at the road ahead, “That bastard is done winning.”

I smiled. Knowing how he felt about the other driver and knowing that I too, wanted to see him get knocked from his high horse.

“Go put him in his place baby, leave him in the dust,” I said encouragingly.

He smiled at me before pulling away. I knew that as long as Luke hadn’t done anything further to Theresa, there was no way that he was going to win the next stage of the race. Between Desmond’s exceptional driving skills and my own adjustments to the car, no one would be able to beat them.

As I joined the rest of the staff to watch the race, the only concern I had was for myself. When the race was over, would Desmond and I just part ways? Would our romance just be called a summer fling or would we be able to make it work off the track as well as we had on the track?

I had questions that needed to be answered, but they would just need to wait until after we kicked Luke’s butt and put him in the loser’s ring where he belonged.

I had never before known a man that was so dark and shady as Luke was and I was positive that by the end of the race, everyone would know what a slime ball he really was. That was a project that I had already started on, a little extra surprise for everyone. Luke would never be able to race again, a fate worse than death for anyone on the racing scene.

I
couldn’t believe
how well Desmond and Theresa had done during the race. Everything about it had gone just as planned, even better. He had won by a landslide and as a little added bonus, he had even put Luke in his place.

I watched as he was carried to the winner’s circle by his other teammates and I couldn’t help but smile. Something looked wrong though and I glanced around to see what could have upset him.

A man was approaching me, and from the looks of it, he wasn’t Desmond’s biggest fan. I knew I would have to think fast. I didn’t think that Luke’s buddy would try anything out in the open, but I wasn’t going to give him the chance to prove me wrong either.

As he approached, I saw Desmond talking with Glen from the corner of my eye and I made my way to the podium. By the time I reached Glen, racing towards me, he had found two large security officers to accompany him.

“Did you see that guy?” I asked him.

Glen nodded. “I did. He didn’t look like he was anyone from the track either.”

Just then, Desmond joined us, moving protectively close to me. I smiled a little at how much he cared.

“I want you to follow him,” he said to the guards.

They nodded before setting off in the direction that the man had gone when he had seen Glen coming to meet me in the crowd.

“Are you okay?” asked Desmond.

“I’m fine. I don’t even care about him. I just want to talk about that race! You did a great job!”

He smiled at me. “Thanks, but you are the one who did great. I can’t believe how well Theresa did!”

I started to blush. “Let’s just call it a joint effort then?”

He smiled and nodded his head. “The shop crew and other drivers want to go out. Some want to drink away the loss and others to celebrate my win. They want me to come, what do you think?”

“I think that sounds like a very good idea,” I replied earnestly.

I needed a stiff drink, among other things. I followed the two men to a waiting car that zipped us out of sight to the bar that only a few outsiders knew about. With a smile on my face, Desmond took my hand as we walked through the door.

The room erupted in cheers as they saw who was walking in. Desmond smiled and waved at everyone. He let go of my hand as people from all over descended on him, wanting to shake his hand.

I saw our crew in a back corner and quickly made a beeline for them. The limelight wasn’t for me. I just didn’t like to deal with people the way that Desmond did. He was so good at it too. I watched from my seat as he slowly talked with everyone who came up to him before making his way over to us. He sat next to me and put an arm around my shoulders. I had to smile at his intimate touch; it felt amazing.

“So what do you think Glen? Am I set to win?” he asked his friend jokingly.

Glen shook his head. “No way man, I’m not getting sucked into this trap! Let’s talk about this woman here, how amazing is she?”

I glared at Glen but he just smiled. “Listen, my skills are nothing compared to how my father used to do things. He was the really amazing mechanic.”

Desmond smiled. “I can’t believe that anyone is better than you, but don’t tell José I said that!”

They all laughed again. José was known for his temper. He liked to do things a particular way and he always kept things simple. He was a wonderful mechanic; it was no wonder that he and my father knew each other.

“I don’t know about anyone else, but I know that for our team, you have been a Godsend in more ways than one,” Desmond whispered in my ear.

His words made me blush as my heart started to race.

He continued. “Even if you don’t think so, I know that one day, you will surpass your father’s skills and your own wildest dreams. You have something special about you Amber, something that I have never seen before.”

I wanted to tell him thanks; I wanted to tell him he was kind for his words but I couldn’t speak. He had made my heart race with everything that he said. I was speechless until the bartender brought over another round of drinks and broke the spell that had trapped Desmond and me away from all the others. Before I could speak though, the front door opened and in walked Luke.

I knew that Desmond would notice right away and I wasn’t wrong. He glared at the man but Luke hadn’t seen us back where we were sitting. Desmond raised his arm to get the bartender’s attention. When he came back over to our table, Desmond whispered something in his ear. I looked at him suspiciously.

“What was that all about?” I asked him.

He smiled. “Nothing really, I just wanted to buy Luke and his crew a drink. It seemed like the right thing to do.”

My eyes narrowed. Desmond was a good sport but after everything that Luke had done to him, I doubted that buying him a drink was the only thing that Desmond was up too. I watched in anticipation as the bartender came back out of the kitchen with a tray full of cups—cups filled with milk.

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing a little bit; it was pretty amusing. As much as Luke pouted when he lost a race, he acted like a baby who did just deserve milk and nothing else. The bartender set the drinks down in front of him and I saw Luke’s face turn a scarlet red as all the patrons around him saw what it was and started to laugh at his expense. He whispered to the bartender and he pointed to where we were sitting.

Desmond raised his beer up in the air to show Luke that it had been him. I had never seen a man so full of hatred in my life. He glared at Desmond and me like he wanted to see us both dead. His reaction to the joke had been amusing, but now his stare was giving me chills.

It seemed like he was a dangerous man; one that I didn’t want to keep dealing with. Eventually, there was going to be a showdown between him and Desmond, and I wanted to make sure I was there to witness it.

Desmond had gone back to talking with our crew but I couldn’t pull my gaze away from Luke. I didn’t trust him not to retaliate. As I watched him from the corner of my eye, I saw him look at me and lick his lips. If Desmond had done something like that, it would make my panties wet. Instead though, it made me sick to my stomach to see Luke do it. His beady eyes and snake-like personality were enough to make me sick.

“Hey, are you okay?” asked Desmond, wrapping an arm around me again.

I nodded my head. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just tired of sitting here.”

“Oh yeah?” he replied playfully.

I rolled my eyes at him, “Want to lose a round of pool?”

“I can think of a few other things I would love to do too,” he said in a sultry voice.

“Tempting, but I think you owe your men a night of fun, not just me,” I replied.

He laughed and rose from the table. We made our way over to where a line of pool tables was sitting. A few of the members of our pit crew joined us at their own tables. I hadn’t played pool in a very long time. The last time I played, it was with my father. He had just found out about his diagnosis and he’d been trying to find a way to tell me.

It had been heartbreaking. He had been too young but after years of rolling his own cigarettes, it wasn’t all that surprising that he had lung cancer. They had caught it late, and he had refused treatment.

Instead, he insisted on spending the last of his time training me to take over the shop. In a lot of ways, I thought this was where the rift between Diana and me came from. She hadn’t been able to accept that my father wouldn’t get treatment.

Even after he explained to her that it would only add a little time, and most of that would be spent in the hospital. She still resented him for making the decision without talking to her. It wasn’t until the later stages that he told her about it at all. She was just too delicate, whereas I was a little better at handling the news.

As a nurse, Diana always felt like she could fix the problems in the family, but that wasn’t the case with my father’s diagnosis and she blamed herself for not noticing the signs earlier and not pushing him harder to quit smoking. I knew he would never have quit though; he was the last of a dying breed who thought a rolled smoke made you who you were.

“Hey,” said Desmond. “You are zoning out on me.”

“Sorry,” I replied. “I was just thinking about my dad. The last time I played pool was with him.”

Desmond leaned over me and kissed my forehead, “I don’t think he would be too proud of your pool game, but as far as being a mechanic, I think he would be prouder of you than you realize. Everything that you have done for this team has been amazing; I don’t know anyone like you, Amber.”

I couldn’t stop the blush from hitting my cheeks as I smiled. “Thank you, Desmond. It’s really wonderful to hear someone say that. You know, I think he would have liked you after he got past the pompous ass exterior.”

He laughed. “Oh man! No respect for your boss!”

With a playful wink, Desmond had pulled me back into the present, and it was a time I didn’t want to leave again. Everything about that moment was wonderful. Even Luke, who was still glaring at us from a distance, couldn’t upset the mood amongst me, Desmond and the rest of the crew. The day had been a victory in more ways than one. It was a victory that none of us would ever forget in our lifetimes and one that we could brag about being a part of for years to come.