“It’s an easy enough question, Evelyn. You either want to go, or you don’t.”

“I should go.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Why should you go?”

“Because it would be inappropriate for us to have a relationship.”

He laughed. “We’re not having a relationship. We’re just having sex. I don’t think either of us wants to get involved. I know I don’t. I have way too much going on in my life to think about settling down with a woman. And you’re going to be President of the United States someday, so you don’t want some auto racer for a boyfriend.”

She couldn’t help the laugh that spilled out. “Well, thanks for thinking so highly of me. But you’re right. I’m not looking for a relationship.”

“Great. Now that we’ve settled on what we both don’t want, why don’t you relax and stay? I want to f**k you. I’ve been thinking about it all day.”

“I think you thought about racing all day.”

“I can handle driving my car and thinking about being inside you at the same time.”

There were no artful discussions with Gray, no beating around the bush as far as his intentions went. His blunt honesty caused heat to settle low in her belly, and all her reservations about him—about them—disappeared. “Okay. Why don’t I stay?”

He grabbed her purse and her keys and threw them on the counter, then backed her up against the wall and slid his fingers in her hair.

“Always give in to your instincts, Evelyn. They’ll never steer you wrong.”

She wasn’t sure she agreed with him on that, but then he put his mouth on hers and kissed her—deeply—and she lost all logical thought as passion took over.

That was the one thing Gray gave her that so many men before him hadn’t—a deep, natural passion that never failed to stoke the fires of her hunger. He grabbed her ass and drew her against the hard ridge of his erection. She loved how fast he got hard, the fact he wanted her with such a desperate need that he groaned against her lips as he rocked against her, deepening the kiss until her limbs felt heavy and she fought for breath. And when he angled her head to the side to press his lips to her throat, her ni**les tightened, her pu**y damp with arousal and pulsing with anticipation.

She’d always been normally sexual, had always enjoyed the act, but it hadn’t been all-consuming to her. She could do fine with it, and equally fine going long periods without it. After all, that’s what vibrators were for.

Since meeting Gray, she’d thought about sex a lot, possibly because he was so damn good at it. His hands were masterful, and when he popped the button on her jeans, drew the zipper down, and slid his hand inside to cup her sex, she let out a soft cry.

“You’re wet.”

“Yes. What are you going to do about that?”

“I’m going to make you come, but goddamn, these pants are tight. You need to start wearing dresses,” he whispered against her ear. “So I can lift them up and f**k you when I’m in a hurry.”

She turned to meet his gaze. “Are you in a hurry?”

He rocked his hard-on against her hip. “When I’m around you, all I think about is being inside you. So yes, I’m in a f**king hurry, and you’re wearing pants that are cutting off the circulation in my hand. You’re killing me here, Evelyn.”

It was nice knowing he was as tormented as she was. She kicked off her sandals and he kneeled, cussing while he struggled to get her jeans down her legs.

She stifled a laugh. “Sorry. I’ll try not to wear tight jeans next time.”

“They do make your ass look great,” he said. “But they’re gone. And these are next.”

He hooked her panties with a finger and pulled those off. Still on his knees, he drew her legs apart, then pressed a kiss to her thighs.

She barely had time to hitch a breath before his mouth was on her sex. She let out a low moan as sweet pleasure flooded her and she arched forward, reaching for him, needing to touch him while he touched her. The silken strands of his hair slid across her fingers and she latched on as he licked the length of her, driving her instantly crazy and so near the brink she was shocked.

She looked down at him, watching him as he swiped his tongue over her cl*tand drove her to dizzying heights. He lifted one of her legs over his shoulder, spreading her further, then speared a finger inside her, followed by another, spreading her while using his tongue in devilish, masterful ways.

She shuddered, so close to orgasm. It was the sweetest sensation, the way he pleasured her with his tongue and his lips. She didn’t want it to end, but oh, she craved the cl**ax that hovered so close. And when he paused, lifted his gaze to hers, and smiled, she knew he owned her, that he could take her there with one swipe of his tongue, one suck of her cl*tbetween his lips.

This shocked her, because she’d been so used to using the bedroom, to being in one position to come. How quickly he’d changed her, turned her into a woman who had lost all her inhibitions. She was so tuned in to him, to his mouth, his touch, that he made her relax and let go.

And he knew it, too, from the smile he gave her. She didn’t care, because her body tightened with the need to let go.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Make me come.”

He captured her cl*tand flicked his tongue over it. She tightened, the first tremors building until he covered her cl*twith his mouth and rolled his tongue flat. She rocked against him as he f**ked her with his fingers. She drove toward the sensation, the orgasm hovering so close she trembled with the need to let go. And when it hit, she let loose a wailing cry, feeling so free to let go with him that it doubled her pleasure.

When the tremors subsided, he rose and took her mouth in a blinding kiss. She wrapped her hand around the nape of his neck and slid her tongue in his mouth, needing to hold that connection that had left her breathless.

He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around him while he carried her back into the living room, depositing her on the sofa.

He undressed in a hurry. Glad to get her hands on him, she slid to the floor and wrapped her hand around the thick, hard part of him that bobbed in front of her. She stroked the length of him, loving the way he hissed as she squeezed his cock.

He swept his fingers over her jaw. “I like your hands on me.”

She licked her lips. “How about my mouth? Do you want that?”

His chest rose. “You know I do. Suck my cock, Evelyn.”

The way his voice went deep made her shudder, made her pu**y clench in anticipation of what would come. She leaned forward and wrapped her lips around his cockhead.

“Ah, Christ, that’s good,” he said, sweeping his hand over the back of her head.

“Suck it in deep.”

She loved the way he talked to her as she drew his shaft deeper into her mouth.

“This is what I thought about today,” he said as she bobbed her head forward, taking him fully between her lips. “Your mouth on me. So hot and wet, making my balls tighten.”

She took his cockhead to the back of her throat and swallowed, squeezing him. He let out a groan.

Something about having a man so hard and strong and powerful brought to his knees by having his c**k in her mouth made her wet, made her ni**les tighten and her pu**y throb. She wanted him to f**k her, but first, she wanted him to come and come hard, to shatter in the same way she had. She pressed the roof of her mouth down onto his shaft, rolling her tongue over him.

“That’s going to make me come.” He thrust into her mouth and she grabbed the base of his cock, squeezing him, tunneling more of it into her mouth.

With a loud groan, he erupted, grabbing a handful of her hair as he emptied himself. She let go of his c**k so he could shove into her, knowing going deep would give him pleasure.

When he settled, his legs were shaking. She let go and looked up at him, licked her lips, and smiled.

“Fuck, Evelyn, I think I lost some brain cells.”

She laughed. He bent and lifted her up against him to kiss her, tunneling his fingers through her hair. The kiss was so deep, so thorough, that it left her languid, her limbs so relaxed she was glad he held her.

“I want you here. From behind, so I can f**k you deep.”

She slid to her knees and draped herself against the sofa, giving him a look over her shoulder. “Let’s get you inside me.”

His swift intake of breath told her he was more than ready. He left only long enough to grab a condom. He sheathed his cock, then swept her hair away from the back of her neck to kiss her there. When his teeth scraped her neck, she shivered and dug her nails into the couch cushions.

“I like that,” she said.

“I’ll remember that.” He trailed his fingers down her back, following it up by pressing his lips over her spine, moving his mouth all the way down to her butt.

When he gave her a love bite on one cheek, she yelped.

He laughed, then gave her a smack on the butt. She turned. “I like that, too.”

His eyes blazed hot. “I’ll definitely remember that.”

She’d never played like this before, had never been with a man she’d felt free enough with to express her desires to. With Gray, it was like she could trust him, could tell him anything. She didn’t know why. Feminine instinct, maybe. A woman could just tell the difference between being with the right guy and the wrong guy.

And when he curved his hand over her butt, then spread her legs and positioned himself behind her, she knew it felt right.

At least for sex. She trusted him wholly there. And when he slid his c**k home, he fit her—perfectly. She quivered, tightened around him, and he pulled out, taking his time to ease inside her again, taking care with her until her body adjusted to him.

She bent over the sofa cushion and spread her legs wider, giving him access to power in deeper. He smoothed his hands over her hips, then grasped them and thrust.

She cried out as pleasure speared her.

“Okay?” he asked, leaning over to press a kiss to her back.

“Better than okay. Keep doing that.”

“This?” He rubbed her butt, using soft, circular motions.

“That’s . . . nice.”

He laughed. “Yeah, you don’t want nice though, do you?”

Not particularly. So when he gave her butt cheek a light tap, her pu**y clenched hard on his cock.

“I didn’t think so. You like it a little harder.” He smacked her again, this time on the other cheek, and a little harder.

The sting made her wet, made her buck back against him.

“Yes,” she said, grinding against him. She reached between her legs to rub her clit, and he spanked her again, then reared back and began to thrust deeper.

She liked it—more than she thought she would. Her butt cheeks tingled, which only made her pu**y quiver and clench around his cock. And as she thrummed her clit, she careened closer and closer to orgasm.

Gray leaned over and kissed the back of her neck, then teased her with his teeth, making her quiver and teeter on the very edge of reason. And when he sank his teeth into her flesh, she went over, crying out and rocking back against his cock.

“Fuck,” he said, roaring out his release as he went with her. He gripped her h*ps and shoved his c**k in, shuddering as he came.

He wrapped an arm around her and held her, gentling his kisses over her neck and shoulders as they both came down from that incredible high.

He finally withdrew, lifting her with him. They went into the bathroom and cleaned up, then climbed into his bed. He pulled her against his chest and stroked her hair and her back.

“I should head back to my hotel,” she said.

“Why would you want to do that?” He still moved his hands over her. All over her.

It was quite distracting, but in a good way.

“Well, you’ll be packing up and leaving tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I need to pack, too.”

“You can do that in the morning.”

“I suppose.” She was running out of excuses not to spend the night with him.

Except spending the night—at least to her—meant a relationship, and she was trying her best to keep this sex only.

“Evelyn.” He tipped her chin so she was looking up at him, their faces so close their lips would touch if he moved a little.

“Yes?”

“It’s okay to have sex and stay overnight. I promise not to ask you to marry me in the morning.”

She laughed, and some of her tension dissolved. “Okay, but only if you promise.”

He made a cross sign over his heart. “You have my word.”

“Then I’ll stay.”

She snuggled back against him.

This whole sex-with-no-strings thing? Not too bad a deal.

As long as she kept her heart out of the equation.

FOURTEEN

GRAY LOVED DAYTONA, AND NOT JUST FOR THE RACING, though this was one of his favorite tracks. He loved the beach, loved the long stretches of highway where he could take one of his cars and head out on a drive. Which was why he’d bought a house out there and stored several of his cars.

He was happy to be home, happy to get out of the trailer and stretch out at his beach house for a while. Before they’d left Kentucky, he’d had a brief meeting with his team to go over the previous race and talk about the upcoming one. They’d reconvene down here after the Fourth of July holiday. He’d told them to be ready to get down to work, because the schedule for this race week would be short and intense. But for the next few days, everyone would have some time off to enjoy their families.

For now, he was content to let his team take care of his race car. He’d rolled in late last night and the first thing he’d done was fall face-first into his bed and pass out.