Concerned, she asked, “Gray. Are you all right?”
“I’m going to need a minute here, Evelyn.”
She rubbed up and down his arm. “Is something wrong?”
He lifted his gaze to hers and gave her a wry smile. “It would help if you didn’t touch me like that.”
It took her a few seconds, then her gaze drifted to his very obvious erection. She took a quick step back. “I’m sorry.”
He laughed. “Don’t be sorry about that. I’m sure as hell not. Though I’m sorry we’re not seeing things through, but that’s your call to make.”
She blew out a very frustrated breath. “Believe me, if we were anywhere but here, your . . . problem, wouldn’t be a problem for long.”
He dropped his head and gave her a look that scorched her. “Not helping the issue here, Evelyn.”
“Sorry.” She turned around, thinking that might help.
“Neither is that great view of the skin of your back, your very fine ass, and those legs of yours.”
She couldn’t help but smile as she turned back to face him. “I think I’ll go seek out the restroom to . . . repair the damage.”
“You do that. I’ll find you in a minute or two.”
Despite the frustration, she smiled the entire way there.
True to his word, Gray was waiting for her as she exited the bathroom a few minutes later. She couldn’t resist glancing down where his shirt covered his slacks.
“All better now?”
“Not if you keep staring.”
She grinned. “I’m not going to apologize again.”
He laughed and took her hand. “Let’s go find Craig and Miranda. This is going to be a long drive back.”
They found Craig, who was singing with the band, just as Gray said he would be.
And like Gray said, Craig was definitely no expert rapper, but his exuberance was infectious and the crowd bobbed up and down, clapping and singing along. Craig appeared to be having a blast. They waited until he finished, then made their way over to tell him they were leaving.
“Thank you. I had a wonderful time,” Evelyn said.
Craig hugged her. “You keep watch over this one. Make sure he doesn’t drive too fast.”
She laughed. “I’m not sure I can do anything about that, at least when he’s on the track.”
After she gave Gray a hug, Miranda clasped both her hands. “Thank you for coming. And for your offer.”
Gray slanted a curious gaze her way. “What offer?”
Miranda answered. “She’s going to enlist your father’s aid with some of my charities. I’m so grateful. You know how hard it is to get anyone in the political sphere to even take your calls when you’re trying to cut through red tape. She’s going to help me leap a few steps.”
Gray looked over at her, and he didn’t look happy, but he smiled at Miranda. “Isn’t that just great.”
They said good night and made their way back to the car. Gray was silent for at least ten minutes. She could tell from the tight set to his jaw that he wasn’t happy, but since he hadn’t said anything directly to her, she had no idea what had upset him.
“Is something wrong?”
“So you couldn’t resist the opportunity to play politics with my friends?”
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
“Miranda. Her charities.”
“Oh, that. She told me about the issues she’d been having getting funding and access for some of her causes. I know your father could assist with some of that, so I offered. Is that a problem?”
“You also know that Craig and Miranda have a lot of money. My father helps them out, then they help him out. That’ll work out well for the senator’s campaign, won’t it?”
She was momentarily stunned and without a comeback to that, something that rarely happened to her. She was well trained to handle insults. Politics was all about firing insults and innuendo, and she could deal with anything thrown her way. She just hadn’t expected it to be thrown by Gray.
“You’re kidding, right? I didn’t even know where we were going tonight. Do you think I hid in the bathroom and pulled up Craig and Miranda’s bio and financials, then decided to feel her out to see if I could finagle a way to do her a favor so they’d be in the senator’s debt and toss some money his way?”
His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I don’t know. Did you?”
She rolled her eyes. “No. Of course not. And I’m offended you’d even think so.”
“Well, I don’t really know you, do I?”
“No, you don’t. Which is why we will not be sleeping together tonight.”
He pulled onto the highway. “No, we won’t.”
She fumed silently on her side of the car, and he did the same.
“But if we had ended up in bed together tonight, I can guarantee you there wouldn’t have been any sleeping, Evelyn.”
Asshole. He just had to throw that out there, didn’t he? Not that she cared anyway.
He’d pissed her off and she no longer found him appealing in the least.
And she wouldn’t even think about ha**g s*x with him ever again.
EIGHT
IT WAS A DAMN GOOD THING GRAY HAD HIS HEAD screwed on straight, and that he was back on the track where he belonged.
He’d almost done something stupid last night, had almost taken Evelyn to bed. He’d listened to her background story and had actually felt sorry for her, when the whole time she’d been manipulating him behind his back.
What a sucker he’d been. It was just like all the times his dad had shown up at his sporting events at school. Those were such rare occasions, and Gray had gotten his hopes up, so excited to see his father there. And during the opportunities he’d had to glance up and see his father in the stands, it would turn out his dad hadn’t been watching the game at all. Instead, he’d been off wandering the bleachers, glad-handing all the parents and stumping for votes.
God forbid he actually show up for his own kid. No, that wouldn’t be self-serving, and if there was one thing Mitchell Preston did and did well, it was serve himself.
Obviously his father had been teaching Evelyn the finer points of that game, a game Gray wanted no part of.
She’d suckered him in well enough with her sad story of how she wanted a family and a tree swing, how she wanted to be able to balance that with a career. He’d been impressed, and he wasn’t often impressed, especially by anyone in politics. He’d even been dumb enough to believe her, too, which was his own damn fault. He’d started to think she was genuine and honest, that her rockin’ killer body also accompanied a true heart, something so rare in the political world, and even rarer in his father’s circle.
He’d been wrong.
That wouldn’t happen again.
He pulled out onto the track, pushing Evelyn and anything about her to the back of his mind. Now it was time to concentrate on his car and his practice run. He wanted the pole for this weekend’s race. That was the only thing he needed to focus on, because there was nothing better than starting the race in front of the pack.
He hit top speed and his mind went blank, like it always did when he surrounded himself with a great track and an awesome car. Ian and the crew had done their jobs this week. The number fifty-three was running in optimum condition, and by the time he finished his laps he was sure he had a good shot at grabbing the pole in this weekend’s race.
“That was a good run,” Ian said after Gray climbed out. “Keep running like that and you should kick everyone’s butts in qualifying.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for. The car’s running good. The only thing I felt was a shimmy in the left front when I hit top speed.”
Ian nodded and plugged that into his notebook as they walked along. “We’ll take a look at it. Probably nothing.”
Gray hoped not. He was ready to race.
He hung around to watch Donny during his practice run. The kid did decently, seemed to have a little more focus than he’d had the previous week, and his speed was where it needed to be.
He also noticed Evelyn hanging out in the stands with Stacie, the two of their heads bowed together during Donny’s run. He hadn’t spoken to her since last night, figured she wouldn’t even show up at the track today. Instead, she’d been there as soon as the track opened, sitting in the stands. Stacie had joined her there early, too, both of them hanging with the other women watching all the drivers.
Whatever. He didn’t care what she did as long as she stayed the hell out of his way.
She’d shown what she was after last night and he wanted no part of it.
“So what’s the deal with the new chick?” Donny asked as they made their way to the garage to go over their cars’ performances.
He shrugged. “Nothing.”
“Stacie seems to like her. She came back to our trailer the other day busting my balls about ‘Evelyn said this and Evelyn said that.’ Kept me up half the night wanting to talk. Man, I hate talking.”
“Yeah, well, Evelyn doesn’t know everything.”
“So you think I’m right.”
He paused in the walkway, his head filled with track speed and not focused on what Donny was talking about. “Right about what?”
“On wanting Stacie to stay with me this season. She said Evelyn was filling her head with going back to school.”
“Look, Donny. Whatever your relationship is with Stacie is none of my business.
That’s up to the two of you to figure out.” He started walking toward the garage.
When they got there, Donny said, “That’s what I told Stacie. But no, she has to talk to all her girlfriends about what’s best for her. For us. Things are working fine.”
“Are they?”
Donny frowned. “Huh?”
“Are they fine? Because it seems to me your woman isn’t happy.”
Donny looked down at his shoes. “Okay, maybe she isn’t.”
“Then figure out a way to make it work so that you’re both happy. It isn’t always just about you and what you need. Sometimes you have to meet your lady halfway.”
“She wants to finish school. I want her with me. She can do school during the times I’m not racing.”
“Which is what? Two months out of the year? Not very practical for her, is it?”
Donny stared at the ground.
“Do you want her with you because you’ll miss her, or because you’re afraid if she’s not with you all the time she’ll find someone else?”
Gray caught the worried expression on Donny’s face.
“I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, you know,” Donny said. “I barely got out of high school. And Stacie—God, that girl is smart. Sometimes I don’t know what she’s doing with someone like me.”
“She’s here, isn’t she?”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe she loves you, though God only knows why. You’re a dick sometimes, you drink and party too much, and your head is up your ass more often than not. But she does care about you and she sacrifices a lot for you. Maybe you should consider doing the same thing for her. If you love her.”
He lifted his chin, clearly pissed off. “I do.”
“Then trust her. That’s what love is built on, Donny. Without it, you’re toast and so is your relationship.”
Donny clamped his lips together as they walked, then finally nodded. “You know what? You’re right. If I don’t start trusting in her—in us—I’m gonna lose her. I can already feel her slipping through my fingers.”
“Then do something about it. You worrying about your girl makes you lose focus on racing, and that’s where I need your attention to be. Understood?”
Donny gave him a quick nod. “Got it, boss.”
Gray slapped Donny on the arm. “Good talk. Now let’s figure out what’s going on with your engine. I heard something I didn’t like during your practice run today.”
*
EVELYN HOVERED NEAR THE ENTRANCE TO THE GARAGE, having overheard Gray’s conversation with Donny.
Stacie had taken off for her trailer, claiming she had some laundry to do, followed by studying. Since Evelyn didn’t have access to Gray’s trailer, and since she needed access to Gray, she figured the only thing she could do was suck it up and talk to him, much as she didn’t want to.
But then she overheard him giving Donny advice on his relationship with Stacie, and good advice at that, which surprised her.
It seemed like he was always surprising her, either in good ways or bad. The man was utterly unpredictable, which wasn’t a good thing at all. She liked the people she worked with to be dependable in their actions and responses. Gray seemed like a wild card to her, and she couldn’t trust what he’d do or say.
At least in politics she knew all the players. This was Gray Preston, an unknown, who lived in a world she had been thrust into and was utterly unfamiliar with. It was already clear he was nothing like his father, who was a known quantity. Mitchell Preston had played the political game for years. He knew the score, and so did Evelyn.
Gray wasn’t going to play the game her way. He was already angry with her for trying to help out his friend. Favors were done all the time in Washington. Sometimes they came with a price tag. The one she’d offered to do for Miranda last night had been offered without strings. Because Gray didn’t know her, he just assumed she’d want something in return. Or that his father would.
If he’d bothered to ask her, she could have told him that. But no, he’d decided to act like an arrogant douchebag and make assumptions without knowledge, so she’d be damned if she was going to be nice to him.