I’m always alone.
Chapter 7
Serious
One week later
Today is a big day.
Today is one of the first races I will need to place in, in order to show my dad I’m worthy of the DHR mantle. And I’m nervous. Never before have I worried that maybe I can’t do it. But what if I can’t? What if I fall short? What if I don’t deserve it?
Short and simple, I’m off my game, and a big part of that has to do with Skylar King. Interesting name for an interesting man. One I would love to get the hell away from, but every time I ask, I’m denied.
I’ve spent the last week trying to stay the hell away from him, because when he’s close, he makes my panties wet, and I honestly can’t handle the distraction. But while he hasn’t touched me again, he’s stayed no less than a hairsbreadth away. It’s unnerving.
I can’t tell if he’s staying away for my peace of mind, or his. But then he’s still always there. I can’t get away.
When my alarm sounded this morning, I felt like I had barely slept all night. Usually, I wake refreshed and ready to take on the day the morning of a race, but today feels different. I showered, combed and braided my hair, brushed my teeth, and put on my warm-ups.
My car had been loaded into the trailer and driven up to LA last night. King would be driving me up first thing this morning.
I slipped my feet into my sneakers and met him at the bottom of the stairs.
“Coffee?” he asked me.
“No, thank you.”
“Do you need breakfast before we hit the road?”
“No,” I said quietly. “I’m fine. Ready when you are.”
“Then let’s hit it.”
I followed him out while he locked up the house and tried not to notice how little droplets from his shower still clung to the ends of his dark hair. Or the way his T-shirt clung to his shoulders when he turned away from me to lock the door. Noticing things about King has proven to be bad for my health, but if I don’t watch it, I just might develop a heart condition.
I climbed in the passenger seat and buckled my belt while King prowled around the hood of his SUV and climbed into the driver seat. I pulled my phone and my earbuds from my jacket pocket and unwound the cord. I know wireless is all the rage, but I’m old school. I popped my earbuds in and pulled up my race day playlist, and right now, it does little to soothe my frayed edges.
Not to mention, it feels like I’ve been waiting weeks for the other shoe to drop. There has been no news from my stalker—at least not to my knowledge. It was probably all talk, right? Nothing is going to happen to me, and King can go on his merry way. He didn’t want to be on this assignment anyway, so he’ll be happy to go. And then I can get back to my life. I’ll be able to focus, to train, and win races. And then I can take my place at DHR. I can do my job and make my family proud, even if it means I’ll do it all alone.
By the time we pull into the race venue, I’ve convinced myself there is no real threat. That King could move on and he would thank me that he could finally get on with his life away from me. Problem solved, right?
I pull the cord of my earbuds, and they pop out of my ears. I wrap them around my phone and tuck it into my sweatshirt pocket. I unbuckle my seat belt, and while I’m still turned toward King, I decide to take my opportunity to free him while I have the courage.
“Look,” I say. “I know how much you hate this assignment—you know… protecting me.”
“I don’t hate it.”
“And I know I don’t make it easy on you,” I continue and then take a big breath and press on. “Nothing’s happened. I don’t think anything is going to happen. I’ll talk to my dad. You can go back to living your life. And I’ll go back to mine.”
“You wanna fire me,fresa?” he asks low.
“No!” I snap and then pull in another breath, trying to calm myself, but it’s no use. “I know you’re unhappy, and it’s making me unhappy. Nothing is happening. Nothing is going to happen. I’m sure it was all just some crackpot hoax.”
“You’re sure?”
I nod. “I’m sure.”
“We’ll see,” he says and then climbs out of the SUV.
