Riding Into Love

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“Where?”

“Qatar.”

“Oh. Wow.”

“Yeah. I’ll be heading there next week to get ready.”

“How does a motorcycle racer prepare?”

Drew welcomed the change of subject but still wished he could somehow convince her that things were different with him now. “By working out and practicing certain skills.”

“What kind of workout?”

“Well, arm, leg and core strength is important when it comes to handling the bikes, but bulk is not very good because it adds weight. There’s a delicate balance. We schedule track days to practice. You should come to one of my races someday.”

“But you don’t race in the US, do you?”

“Sure we do. We have one at a track right outside of Austin in April. It would be cool if you came to a race overseas. That is, of course, if I’m not too horrible to hang with.”

Alana pressed her lips together and swatted at him.

Drew laughed. “You’d like it. I’ll get you your own hotel room so you don’t have to worry about ending up in my bed having casual sex or something like that.”

“Drew!” She swatted him again. This time she missed completely.

After a few beats of silence, Drew exhaled. “I better get going. I’ve got training to do today. I need to work off all the bagels I’ve been eating since I’ve been home. Those are sure to slow me down on the track if I’m not careful.”

Drew headed to the door, with Alana following behind. He reached for the knob, stopped and turned back toward Alana, studying her eyes again. She looked away. He continued watching her, willing her to look at him again. Finally she did. Their gaze connected and he felt the air swirling on the inside of his chest.

“Alana.” His voice was lower, a little huskier than he intended.

“Yes, Drew?”

Her words felt like a soft feather against his ear.

“You think I’m not capable, but I am.”

At first, Alana looked puzzled, but when Drew closed in on the space separating her from him, realization flashed in her eyes. Drew touched her hand. Heat passed through him, starting in his finger and settling in his core. He could tell by the slight shudder that she’d felt it too.

Before she could protest, he lifted her chin and softly placed his lips on hers. When she didn’t resist, he kissed her again. She hadn’t moved so he snaked his arm around her waist, pulled her closer and devoured her mouth. An intense hunger surged through him and he held her even closer. Drew kissed her as if she were a long-lost love whom he was in jeopardy of losing once again. Backing her up to the wall, he pressed himself against her. When he felt her hand splayed across his chest, he went even deeper, kissing her so passionately that his body began to respond. Heat pooled in his groin and he quickly released her, staring at her closed eyes and kiss-swollen lips.

Breathlessly, Drew said, “I’m coming back for you.” He didn’t know what compelled him to say that.

Drew needed to leave right away before he lost control. Tearing himself away from Alana, he walked out realizing that he was more affected by her than he ever cared to admit.

Chapter 7 (#ulink_a4653bc4-77b4-5853-8993-dafd05b73c74)

Drew’s kiss and sudden exit left Alana confused.

“I’m coming back for you?” she said aloud, repeating Drew’s words and wondering what they were supposed to mean. Instinctively, she touched her lips and realized she was still breathing heavily. Drew’s kiss made her feel weightless.

Alana shook her head, attempting to shake off the hold that Drew’s kiss had on her. If Drew thought he was going to end up in her bed, he was mistaken. She was going to put a stop to him showing up at her house unannounced, as well. She didn’t want to be rude, but she needed to get that message across to him.

She tried to convince herself that his advances weren’t welcome and that his touch had no effect. Yet, he was stirring up a hunger in her that felt potentially explosive. His presence was a threat to her resolve.

Alana headed back to the kitchen to clean up the plates from her and Drew’s impromptu breakfast. She also thought about Cadence keeping Drew’s invitation a secret and grabbed her cell phone.

“Pick up the phone, lady.” Alana tapped her nails against the countertop as she counted the rings. Just when she thought the call would go to voicemail, Cadence picked up.

“Hey!”

“You have some ’splainin’ to do, Lucy!” she said in her best Ricky Ricardo impression. Alana had picked that up from watching I Love Lucy reruns with her mother. She had always loved Ricky’s heavy accent. “I was just thinking about the other night. I don’t like being ambushed!”

“Ambushed, Alana? Really? I told you Drew asked me not to say anything.”

“What’s with him?”

“He was afraid you wouldn’t go.”

“Since when is he afraid of anything?” Alana sucked her teeth and waved her hand, dismissing the notion.

“Never mind that, missy. How about you explain that tongue duel that the two of you seemed to have gotten lost in at the after-party! Your entire mood changed after that. You even avoided me at the office yesterday and then you left early so I never had a chance to interrogate you. What’s going on?”

“I wasn’t avoiding you.” Alana smiled sheepishly, even though Cadence couldn’t see her.

“Hello!” Cadence said after a considerable pause.

“James was there.”

“What? Where?”

“At the party. I didn’t realize it until just before I pulled Drew onto the dance floor. Do you know that fool looked at me, turned to his date, kissed her and looked back at me again? That’s when I—” Alana lowered her voice “—kissed Drew.”

“Come again?”

“Ugh! That’s when I kissed Drew.” Alana’s voice reached its full volume.

“Alana!”

“Don’t scold me, Cay, please! I didn’t know what to do. It was stupid. I know. We can be so intelligent in life, but relationships will reduce us to a pile of senselessness.” Alana grabbed a handful of her own hair and grunted. “You’re not the only one who wanted answers. Drew showed up at my door this morning. He just left a few minutes ago.”

“No way!” Cadence sounded shocked.

“Yep. Get this. Drew spotted James staring at me all night. I didn’t even know he was there until the party was almost over. Drew sensed that something was up so I admitted that James was my ex. That was so embarrassing!”

“Wow!”

“Yeah. I know.”

“I have a question and I want you to be completely honest with me, Alana. Do you still have feelings for James?”

“No. I’m over him. The kiss was a bad idea. I wanted to show him that I had moved on also, but now I have to deal with Drew.”

“What do you mean?”

Alana started pacing. “Before he left, he kissed me again, told me he was coming back for me and then walked right out. I stood there dumbfounded for a few moments before I even locked the door.”

“Whoa! Maybe that was payback for the other night.”

“Here’s the problem. When his lips connect with mine, my brain stops working. I can’t pull away. I can’t believe I just said that aloud, but it’s true. It’s like...I can feel every nerve in my body.”

“Are you falling for him again?”

“No! Drew Barrington is the last man that I would allow myself to fall for. I told you, I’m done with his kind—with him, period. Besides, he spends most of his time in Europe. A relationship would never work. I wouldn’t even waste my time.”

“Sometimes we can’t control who we fall for.”

“Humph. Until I’m ready to get back in the game, I’ll stick to my rules. I want someone accessible. Not someone who just wants to flirt, have sex and then walk away for months at a time. I deserve more.”

“You’re a great woman and your prince is out there somewhere.”

“Please! No more frogs!” Alana whined and both of them laughed.

“Hey, I can’t promise that!” After a few more moments of laughter, Cadence said goodbye.

Alana finished cleaning up the kitchen and got ready to run her Saturday-afternoon errands. As she headed to her bedroom, her cell phone rang again. Assuming it was Cadence calling back, she ran to the kitchen to grab the phone. Perhaps she had left something unsaid. When Alana saw James’s number, she stopped walking and stared at her display.

What does he want? “Hello?” She was going to let the call go to voicemail, but her curiosity got the best of her.

“Hey!”

“Fancy hearing from you. What’s up?” She was collected and proud about it.

“It was nice seeing you the other night. You looked great.”

“Thanks. What can I do for you, James?” Alana shifted her stance and placed a hand on her hip.

“Listen... I’m sorry about the way things went.”

Alana continued to her room and flopped onto the bed. “I just wish you would have picked up the phone or told me face-to-face. I think I deserved more than a text.”

James was silent for a few moments and then said, “I guess that wasn’t the best way to do it.”

“Well. It’s done now.” Alana wanted to tell him not to do the same thing with his current girlfriend. She also wanted him to know that she was over the whole thing and the best way to do that was to remain unaffected. “Take care, James. I wish you the best.” She thought that telling him to have a good life would make her seem bitter.

“Alana!” She heard James yell just as she was about to end the call.

“Yes?”

“Maybe we should meet so we can talk.”

“Thanks, but that won’t be necessary.” It’s too late. Alana ended the call.

This interaction was confirmation for Alana. James had been a walking red flag that she had blatantly ignored, but she was no longer upset with him. In fact, she was grateful for the lesson. She would only give her all to the man who proved he deserved it.

Despite her proclamation, Drew’s words still taunted her throughout the rest of that day.

I’m coming back for you. She recalled his husky voice when he’d said those words and a slight shiver squiggled down her spine.

Chapter 8 (#ulink_2a68a614-b798-5938-ad51-515f769d05fe)

Despite the erratic weather across the States this February, Austin was holding at a comfortable sixty degrees. Clear blue skies stretched over the landscape like a canopy. Drew was able to keep the slight bite from the occasional breeze from getting to him with a light leather jacket and riding gloves. The dry ground was perfect for a day at the track. Drew’s morning workout had him energized.

“Ready to ride?” Drew’s teammate Sean asked as he stepped out of The Charlotte—a boutique hotel that Drew preferred during his visits to Austin. It offered a little reprieve from the fuss of the larger hotels. The two shook hands.

“Ready.” Drew beamed. He knew just what he wanted to work on today. Drew was in his element. He pictured himself tightly hugging the track’s sharp turns, leaning so close to the ground he could reach out and touch it. Many relished the speed. Drew enjoyed the other aspects of racing that challenged him the most, like mastering treacherous curves, where skill and technique ruled.

“Sir?” The young valet brought Drew out of his visions of racing grandeur. Drew handed him the ticket, held his face high to catch the cool breeze passing by and scanned what he could see of the city’s urban landscape.

There was something about Austin that he appreciated, though he wasn’t sure what it was. It had the charm of the south with a cool vibe. It was a hot spot for music lovers of all types. Night offered every possible option to indulge in whatever one was in the mood for. What Drew loved for sure was the fact that Austin was a race-loving town. Just beyond the city’s borders was America’s only MotoGP track—a US home for the best and fastest racing in the motorcycle world. He wondered if a city boy like him could actually live there.

The valet arrived in Drew’s rental. As they drove, the landscape changed from tall buildings jutting toward the sky to cozy neighborhoods and roads both wide and narrow that wound their way through expansive greenery to their destination.

Drew parked and jumped out of the car with Sean by his side. Scores of riders, from novices to professionals, poured into the massive space that spanned over twenty acres with 3.4 miles of racing track, seating for 120,000 fans, an amphitheater, a soaring observation tower and a grand plaza with a promenade featuring retail and concessions shops.

They met the rest of the crew at the entrance. Adrenaline had already begun to pump through Drew’s veins. Track days were like long tailgate parties. Music blared from the speakers throughout the stadium, beer flowed, groupies dressed scantily and motorcycle lovers relished in their element.

“Hey!” A lean man with long, slick hair pulled into a low ponytail greeted the team with high fives and brief hugs. His Argentinian accent was thick.

“Antonio! My man!” Drew greeted him and the rest of the team. He was fond of his former team member, who still raced with Hiroshi. He’d taught Drew a lot about technique.

Gary Hayden walked up just as they were about to enter the building. Continuing the greetings, Drew offered him a cool and distant hello, void of all the enthusiasm he exhibited with the other racers. It was obvious that Gary wasn’t his favorite person and for good reason. Drew knew he was likely to see him there. The two had fallen out with one another years ago when they had raced in the same division. Since then they cordially kept their distance whenever their paths crossed. Fortunately, they were never on the same team, which would have forced them to set their differences aside. That would have been hard for Drew since Gary wasn’t a very likable guy, and his competitive nature extended way beyond the track. Gary had ultimately crossed the line when he had actively pursued Jade Donnelly, Drew’s ex-girlfriend, while she and Drew were still together. She had been the one woman that Drew had considered marrying. Drew and Gary had almost come to blows the time Gary had openly flirted with her right in Drew’s face before one of their races. Drew’s anger almost cost him third place.