“Harrison!” Jack Crosby’s sharp tone brought his nephew back to the present. “What is going on with you? All week you’ve been distracted.”
His uncle wasn’t wrong.
It was early Saturday afternoon. The qualifying races had run that morning, and instead of revisiting his performance on the Richmond track, a certain blonde kept popping up in his thoughts, disrupting his ability to stay on task.
His usual hyper focus on the days leading up to a race had been compromised while he’d wasted energy regretting that he’d pulled back instead of making a definite move on her like she seemed to expect.
Yet her conflict had been plain. She’d made it clear that he wasn’t the sort of man she saw herself with, but their undeniable chemistry tempted her. Based on how she’d begged him to kiss her, no doubt he’d gotten beneath her skin. Which was exactly why he’d retreated instead of wearing down her defenses. The woman was too quick to lay down the law. She had definite boundaries and ideas how courtship was supposed to transpire. He needed to set the foundation for new ground rules.
“I guess I’ve been a little off.”
“A little?” His uncle crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ve never seen you like this.”
“I’m sure it’s not that bad.”
“Since the day you showed up at Crosby Motorsports and declared that you were going to be our top driver one day, you’ve been the most focused member of the team. And that’s saying something considering all the talent we’ve assembled. But not this week.”
Harrison spied a trio headed their way along the alley between the garages and felt his lips curve into a giant grin. He’d recognized Maribelle right off. The lean, well-dressed man matching her brisk pace had to be her fiancé. And the leggy blonde trailing them looked like a fish out of water as her gaze swung this way and that, taking in the loud cars and mechanics that buzzed around the vehicles.
“Excuse me a second,” he said to his uncle before stepping forward to meet the visitors.
“Welcome to Richmond,” he said as he drew near enough to shake hands. “Hello, Maribelle. And you must be her fiancé, Beau. I’m Harrison Crosby.”
“Beau Shelton.” The man clasped hands with Harrison. “No need to introduce yourself. We’re big fans.” Beau tipped his head to indicate Maribelle and she nodded vigorously. “We appreciate this chance to get a glimpse behind the scenes.”
“I’m glad you came,” Harrison said, forcing himself to be patient when all he wanted was to push past the couple and snatch London into his arms.
Maribelle winked at him. “Thanks for the invite.”
Harrison approved of her sassy demeanor, even as he noted once again how her outgoing personality differed from her friend’s reserve. Given how close the two women seemed to be, Harrison hoped it boded well for his own chances with London. Obviously she liked—and definitely needed—someone in her life who encouraged her to have fun once in a while.
“Hi,” he murmured to London after the couple stepped to one side to allow him access to their friend. He ignored her tentativeness and leaned down to brush his lips over her cheek. “I’m really happy you’re here.”
London peered at him from beneath her lashes. “You were kind to invite us.”
“You look amazing.”
She’d chosen dark blue skinny jeans with strategic tears that gave them a trendy appearance, an oversize fuzzy white sweater and a camel-toned moto jacket that matched the suede pumps on her tiny feet. She looked as if she’d worked hard to dress down, but hadn’t succeeded in achieving her friend’s casual weekend style. His fingers itched to slide into the low knot she’d
fastened her hair into and shake the pins loose. She needed someone like him to mess up her perfect appearance.
“I like your suit.” Her deliberate scan of his body heated his blood. “It’s very colorful.”
Fighting the urge to find a quiet corner where he could kiss that sardonic grin off her beautiful lips, Harrison stuck to polite conversation.
“How was the flight down?”
“It was a little more eventful than usual.” Her blue eyes shifted past him and settled on her friends. “Beau is teaching Maribelle how to fly and today she did both the takeoff and landing.”
“It was fine,” Maribelle piped up. “Just a little windier than I was used to during the landing. I did a perfectly acceptable job, didn’t I?” This last she directed to her fiancé, who nodded.
His heart was in his eyes as he grinned down at her. “You did great.”
Envy twisted in Harrison’s chest at the couple’s obvious connection. The emotion caught him off guard. Over the last decade he’d watched most of his team and fellow drivers fall in love and get married. Many had even started families. Not once had he wanted to trade places. But since meeting London, he was starting to notice a pronounced dissatisfaction with his personal life.
“That’s my car in the third garage stall on the left, if you want to check it out.”
“I’ve never seen a race car up close before,” Maribelle said, tugging at Beau’s hand to get him going. “I have a hundred questions.”