Chasing Aubrey Read online

  She drove back to the racing spot in silence. By the time we arrived, the place was mostly cleared out. One or two late stragglers remained, but everyone looked to be leaving. She spotted my Jag, all alone on the hill top now and parked next to it, a silent suggestion for me to leave and never return.

  It wasn’t that easy for me though. I couldn’t just forget about her. I couldn’t erase her from my life. She’d infiltrated my being and there was no going back now.

  She patiently waited for me to make my move to get out, but I stayed put. If I exited this car, nothing would ever come of us. I knew that. Maybe that was for the best, but I just couldn’t shake my stubborn streak to accept that as the outcome.

  “One date,” I said, finally breaking the long silence.

  “What?” She clearly hadn’t expected me to say anything.

  “Go on one date with me. A real date. Then tell me there’s nothing here.”

  “Tanner…” she protested.

  “What could one date hurt? If there’s nothing here, then you wasted one night… but if I’m right…”

  She nibbled on her kiss-swollen bottom lip pensively.

  “I don’t doubt that there’s something here…”

  “Then what?” I tried to contain the anger that bubbled just below the surface. I didn’t want to lose my cool with her now. Not when she was actually opening up a little.

  “It’s just not a possibility. Regardless of whether there is or not, there can’t be anything, Tanner.”

  “Just give me one date. That’s all I ask.”

  She shook her head, but I could see how hard it was for her to do it. There was a war behind her eyes and she still didn’t know which side would win.

  “Fine, a race then. If I win, we have a date. If you win, you can choose to never hear from me again if that’s what you want.”

  She thought it over for only a second before she stuck her hand out for me to shake.

  “Deal.”

  I felt the cheesiest smile slide onto my face effortlessly. I didn’t know why I was so happy; there was no way I could win.

  Chapter 16

  There was no way I could lose.

  I still had a ton of pent up energy ready to be let loose after my disappointing race with Rex. I was sure that the internet was all abuzz about my latest event and I didn’t want to hear anything about it. That’s why my phone was on the side of the highway somewhere. I didn’t want to read Rex’s snide tweets or see the smack talk between fan bases. I felt like a failure and nothing on Twitter was going to remedy that.

  Sitting next to Tanner did, though. I hated how rapidly my body responded to him, how easily I slipped into his kisses and how readily I wanted to agree to date him.

  I couldn’t do that though, I was still engaged, whether I liked it or not.

  I knew that no matter what he said, Tanner wasn’t going to stop looking for me unless I could put an end to this now. I hoped he would stick to his word and actually leave me alone after I won. And how could I not win? His car may have been faster and newer than mine, but the car was only part of the equation. Skill was another large component. We both knew that I far out-paced him in that regard.

  So why had he even suggested the stupid race? Surely he knew that I would beat him. Surely he knew that meant there would never be anything between us again.

  My lips tingled at the memory of our kiss in the car. Damn him for being so hot. His lips pressed against mine with that gentle yet firm pressure, his tongue gliding into my mouth, stroking and caressing me, his hands traveling up and down the back of my neck, sending jolts of pleasure straight down my spine to my core… Did I really want to stop that from ever happening again?

  No. Of course I didn’t. But want wasn’t something that I could consider at the moment. This wasn’t something I got to have a choice in. As much as I wanted to pursue things with Tanner, this had to end.

  Maybe he realized that too. Maybe he was just trying to give himself an easy out. He had to know that he was going to lose, so this was a fool-proof way to ensure that he couldn’t be tempted to come after me again. I wanted to be angry that he’d come after me at all. I never gave him any indication that I wanted to see him again. Hell, I didn’t even leave him a note after our night of passion.

  No matter how badly I wanted to be angry, I was only flattered. I couldn’t believe that the sexy and charming Tanner Marx was enamored enough with me to want to figure out who I was. It was thrilling and endearing, but I also acknowledged that it was dangerous to my way of life. If wanted to have any hope of continuing my little second life, I needed to quash this.

  We started up our respective cars and ventured toward the starting line. Unbidden, a swarm of butterflies erupted in my stomach. I knew I wasn’t going to lose, so what was I so nervous about?

  Maybe the fact that I wanted to lose.

  There was no time for thoughts like that though. I needed to wash my hands of Tanner and get on with my dull meaningless life of spousal servitude.

  Yeah, that was encouraging.

  The sensor for the light tripped as we met at the start.

  Red.

  I was Aubrey Red. I was a world-class racer, the daughter of a political legend and the heiress to an American dynasty. I was not going to be unhinged by an attractive man in tight jeans.

  Yellow.

  I glanced to the car next to me. I was not going to chicken out of this race, no matter how desperate I was to feel Tanner inside of me again. There was no time for cowardice. A Van der Poole did not back down from a challenge.

  Green.

  My foot found the gas faster than my brain could even process the change in color.

  Tanner was already lagging behind me, though he was making a valiant effort to catch up.

  I shifted and put a little more distance between us.

  He followed suit and the Jag’s superior power and acceleration came on full display. He passed me, edging me out only slightly. I couldn’t let him win!

  He didn’t know how to handle all of that beautiful horsepower and she was starting to get away from him. I took that as my opening and zoomed ahead, crossing the finish line only fractions of a second before him.

  The Jag cruised to a stop next to me and I couldn’t fight the urge I had to straddle him. I’d never been so turned on in my life as I was racing down the strip with Tanner. That didn’t change anything though. I’d won and now I was free of him.

  We met in between the vehicles and he extended his hand to me in a friendly gesture of concession. I shook it, wishing again that things could be different.

  “Well, you kicked my ass,” he said with a sad smile.

  “Was there ever any doubt?” I teased, not wanting to release his hand.

  He grinned and shook his head.

  “No, I knew you’d smoke me,” he admitted.

  My stomach did a little flip. Could I really just shut him out?

  “She started to get away from you there a little towards the end,” I commented absently.

  He seemed confused. It probably sounded like I was adding insult to injury.

  “Yeah, well, I’m not an expert like you. Just an enthusiast.”

  I nodded.

  “Well, if you’re going to have a car like that, you should really know how to handle her.”

  Now he looked annoyed. I was piling it on a little thick, I’ll admit.

  “Uh, yeah, I’ll work on that I guess.”

  “Well, if you ever need someone to show you a few things…” I trailed off, hoping that my intentions were clear enough. What was I doing? I had my out. Why was I throwing it away?

  His eyebrows raised in surprise. He didn’t know what to say and stammered his way through his next sentence.

  “Uh… y-yeah. That would be great. I’d love for you to teach me a few things.”

  The sultry cadence to his voice was full of suggestion. He’d already taught me so many things. I doubted my lessons would be anywhere near
as exciting, but I couldn’t accept that he wasn’t going to be a part of my life. Now that I’d had my first intoxicating taste of Tanner, I discovered a thirst that would never be quenched.

  “All right. How’s Monday for you?”

  “It’s a date,” he replied with a full-blown grin.

  “You lost, need I remind you? It is not a date; I just think that a car that beautiful deserves to be driven properly.”

  I tried to keep my voice steady and even. I didn’t want to betray myself by letting him know just how badly I wanted him. It was probably obvious, but I couldn’t let that be common knowledge.

  He laughed, clearly not buying my bull shit.

  “Right, of course. You’re just looking out for the underrepresented luxury cars with careless owners, am I right?”

  I nodded curtly.

  “Absolutely. Just because you can afford a car like that doesn’t mean you know what the hell to do with it.”

  He nodded again and stooped down for a quick kiss.

  My hand flew to my lips, shocked at the intimate contact amidst our playful banter.

  “I’ll see you Monday, Aubrey.” His husky whisper dripped with sexual promise and I couldn’t suppress the tiny tremor of anticipation that flowed through me.

  I nodded, still trying to maintain my mask of cool indifference.

  “Monday it is then. 3 o’clock. Here.”

  He waggled his eyebrows at me as he climbed back into his car.

  What in the world had I just gotten myself into?

  Chapter 17

  As I left the drag strip, I couldn’t come to terms with what had just happened. I didn’t know what I was expecting to walk away with, but a date with Aubrey certainly wasn’t it. Not that I was complaining at all. If I had laid out the best case scenario of the day, I was pretty sure that the things that actually happened would match up pretty well.

  I couldn’t believe how I’d so easily accepted that she couldn’t share her real life with me. I wanted any part of her, no matter how small. I hated to think that I wasn’t ever going to be able to know all of her. I hated to think that she was going to keep me at a distance forever. I didn’t even know how long I would tolerate being kept secret, but for now, I was going to take what was offered to me.

  I never expected to be offered anything, really. I was on cloud nine and debated calling my best friend about the whole thing. I remembered that he was on his honeymoon and decided against bothering him and his new wife. I realized that without Bryce, I had no one to share things like this with. Maybe that was the appeal of a wife or girlfriend. I’d never really looked past the sex to notice the companionship that came with a relationship.

  I knew that my giddiness couldn’t last forever though. My phone rang and I scowled at the unrecognized number. What could it possibly be this time?

  “Hello?”

  There was a ton of background noise on the other end and then I heard a sniffle.

  “Hello?” I asked again, trying to eliminate some of the harshness from my tone.

  Another sniffle.

  “Skye?” My heart raced in my chest. As much as I wanted to be mad at her, it was my job to protect her and keep her safe. She sounded in desperate need of a big brother intervention.

  She whimpered and sniffed again before responding.

  “Yeah.” The tone of her voice made my heart hurt.

  “What’s wrong? Where are you?”

  She started sobbing in earnest then and was too distressed to actually form any words.

  “Shh, it’s okay. I’m not mad at you. Just tell me where you are and I’ll come get you, okay?”

  “Um… 4381 West Orion Boulevard,” she finally answered.

  “Okay, don’t go anywhere. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  The call ended and I typed in the address to my GPS as quickly as my fingers could manage. The house was only twenty minutes away, so I hoped that Skye would be all right until then.

  It completely blew my mind how easy it was to change from angry brother to full-blown protective mode. I didn’t even know that I had the capability to be a protective big brother, but it seemed to come so naturally.

  As much as I wanted to think about her and fantasize about our upcoming date, there was no room for thoughts of Aubrey at the moment. All that mattered was ensuring Skye’s safety.

  As I turned down one of the streets nearing her location, I began to realize what a bad area she was in. My car probably stuck out like a sore thumb and I really didn’t want to deal with being a car-jacking target or anything like that. Not that there were any doubts that I could fight my way out of it, but you can’t exactly rely on your fists when others don’t necessarily play by those rules.

  Most of the street lights were burned out and the roads weren’t well-maintained. A number of houses were boarded up and abandoned, though that didn’t seem to deter the homeless from setting up camp inside of them. I didn’t want to imagine what possessed Skye to venture into this neighborhood. I hoped that she wasn’t involved with drugs or some other illegal activity. I knew how easy it was to get roped into that life and I knew even more how easy it was to become a victim once you had.

  I turned down Orion Boulevard and braced myself for what I’d find. I didn’t know what happened; I didn’t know what kind of state I would find Skye in. Hell, I didn’t even know if I was going to have to kick someone’s ass in retaliation. I wouldn’t hesitate to do it, but I would really rather not have to. I tried very hard to put my criminal past behind me and didn’t really want it to come back with a vengeance just because I was protecting my sibling.

  Pulling up to the house that Skye told me to meet her at, it was evident that there was some kind of party or something going on. Hoards of teenagers in various stages of drunkenness and nakedness all stumbled around, in and out of the house. Music blared from the little hovel and the sound of breaking glass could be heard every other minute.

  I spotted Skye sitting on the curb, her arms wrapped around her knees, hugging them to her chest. There was no one around her, no friends, no adults, no one checking to see if she was all right.

  I pulled up next to her and she climbed in the car without a word.

  I tried my best to tamp down my temper, hoping to start a frank and open dialog with her.

  “Are you okay?” I asked first, wanting to make sure she wasn’t hurt before we left.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Please just go.”

  I did as she asked, leaving the raging party behind.

  The drive back to the highway was silent. I didn’t want to press her for information and risk upsetting her more and she wasn’t being forthcoming with any details.

  As I merged into traffic, she dissolved into tears again. That strange pang of desperation clenched around my heart again. I would do anything to make her troubles go away. Even if we butted heads, we were family.

  “Look, I’m sorry for getting upset with you earlier,” I apologized. Even if I thought that I was in the right, she did too. She didn’t have the luxury of hindsight and experience to look back on, so I had to be patient.

  “I know you haven’t always had the opportunities that I can provide for you, so it may not seem like a big deal to you right now. I get that; we come from the same place, remember? But I can tell you now that if I was able to go back and make the choice to go to school, I would take it in a heartbeat.”

  She sniffled and wiped stray tears from her eyes. Dark streaks of mascara trailed down her thin face and made her look all the more pitiful.

  “I know. I’m sorry I called you a dick.”

  I chuckled.

  “You weren’t the first and I doubt you’ll be the last.”

  She rewarded my self-deprecating humor with a small smile.

  I wanted to ask again what happened, but I didn’t want to break the connection we suddenly had. It was more difficult than I anticipated to connect with Skye, despite our similarities. She at least wasn’t trying to rebel a
nd wasn’t hating me at the moment, so I just needed to give her her space.

  I couldn’t take the silence though.

  “So, do I need to beat someone up for making you cry?”

  She giggled and wiped a few more tears from her eyes while shaking her head.

  “No, I don’t think it would do much good. They didn’t hurt me or anything.”

  “Well, that’s obviously not true.”

  She looked down at her hands in her lap, refusing to acknowledge the truth in my statement.

  “I was just stupid. I thought they were cool people and they definitely weren’t.”

  I nodded, my mind coming up with a million horrible situations she could have found herself in. I didn’t want to think about any of them. She was safe now and that was all that mattered. Yes, a ton of terrible things could have happened to her, but they didn’t.

  “It took me a very long time to be able to judge people. There are a lot of people out there that seem perfectly normal until you find out they’re really a monster. I still get caught off-guard sometimes.”

  Her smudged blood-shot eyes focused on me.

  “Really? You seem like you’ve got all your shit together pretty well.”

  I laughed; actually laughed out loud.

  “You have no idea, kid.”

  A wide grin split her face and she turned in her seat to face me with rapt attention.

  “Tell me!”

  “Oh… it would bore you to tears,” I tried to dissuade her, realizing what a can of worms I’d just opened.

  “Bull. Spill!”

  I chuckled and filled the rest of the car ride home with my insecurities and confusion surrounding Aubrey. She interjected every now and then with a question for clarification or a small comment, but let me explain everything uninterrupted for the most part.

  I parked the car and we filed into the elevator for the long ascent up to my apartment.

  “So, you have no clue who this chick really is?”

  “No, not really,” I frowned.

  Her expression mimicked mine.

  “That’s pretty fucked up.”