Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

RYAN

" Y ou're really not coming?"

Alex's voice did that thing it's always done to me, ever since we were kids. My stomach bottomed out, the rollercoaster inside me hitting yet another high, followed by the low.

Of knowing the girl I'd been in love with since she was five and I was eight, running around the infield at the racetracks while our dads worked and won races, didn't love me. And while I was so fucking happy she found Luc, it still hit me hard every time I saw them together. At the track, the shop…there was no way I'd survive the annual party the Rossetti's held every year.

This year, the invitation was extended to the entire Anders Racing Team.

"I'm already boarding the plane, Alex," I sighed with a chuckle, "and my mom kinda insisted."

Alex, the girl I grew up with and had a crush on since we were six, let out a huff of air. In the background, Luc yelled something indecipherable. "I am not telling him to get laid, Mav! Sorry," she said, her voice breathless. "There. Now my nosy fiancé has to press HIS EAR UP AGAINST THE BATHROOM DOOR." She let out a giggle that pierced my heart, and it was everything I could do to ignore the pang hit me like it had been for the past eight months.

Who was I kidding?

More like twenty years. The best friend I hid my feelings for grew from the little girl with the infectious laugh into the woman I admired more than anyone. Until Luc came back to the States after five years driving in F1. Instead of driving for his dad, Sal Rossetti, he ended up signing with Bobby Anders.

Who just happened to be his dad's fiercest rival on and off the track. And fell for Bobby's daughter. After breaking her damn heart five years ago, he redeemed himself. Not only by winning the championship, but by winning back Alex's heart.

Luc became one of my best friends in the process. Didn't hurt our chemistry on race day, either.

But I needed space to come to terms with the situation, and visiting my mom in Love Canyon, (God help us all with a name like that), seemed like the best solution for everyone involved.

And space from anything resembling love, a relationship. Or even a one night stand, at this point.

"Well, I don't have to like it, but I will just have to deal until you come back. Hey, Ry?"

"Yeah?" I shifted my bag to my other hand as I opened the overhead compartment in first-class. A gift from Bobby. My dad was his best friend and engineer for his entire career.

"I agree with Luc. Get laid," she laughed.

I bit back a groan. "Plane's getting ready to takeoff." Connecting flights always made me nervous, and I didn't feel comfortable until I hit the ramp to the plane. Missing a flight meant delays and complications, both of which I hated. Control freak.

"Just think about it, ok?"

"I'm not going to think about getting laid, Alex," I said as I pushed my bag and turned to sit in my seat.

And came face to face with the biggest pair of green eyes and the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in my life. The breath rushed from my lungs.

One brow quirked up as she asked, voice throaty like she just woke after a long night of doing things best not mentioned in mixed company. "You're not? Phew, I was so worried." She tilted her head to the side, blonde-streaked chocolate brown hair falling to the side as I swallowed and tried to find my fucking words.

Words escaped me. Shit, there goes all that carefully planned out not anything with the opposite sex vow. Five minutes in, and I couldn't form a coherent sentence because of the creature silently laughing at me. Her lips twitched as she continued to watch me struggle.

"Ry?"

The words found me but refused to escape, and I muttered a quick goodbye and hung up, eyes locked on her.

She gestured to the seat next to mine, a smile playing on her lips, a shade of red that made my cock twitch. WTF ? I pushed my glasses up my nose, a habit I picked up when I was gathering my thoughts, but before I could utter a single consonant, she said, voice like honey, "Mind if I take my seat?"

Flustered as fuck, I nodded. "Sorry."

Her green eyes sparkled, but there was a mischievous gleam I didn't quite trust. In a good way.

"That‘s what happens when you try to not think about getting laid," she murmured as she slid past me, her scent enveloping me like a damn enchanted cloud.

Heat crept up my neck, and I tried to act normal. The flight attendant walked by, probably doing her preflight whatever checklist. I didn't hear a word she said, or notice if she even talked to either of us. Her scent made my mouth water.

Cinnamon, sugar, and fuck knows what else. Colorful ink sneaked out from her arm under the black distressed jacket sleeves she had pushed up just enough to give a peek of what was hiding. Her tits barely concealed beneath a white tank. Frayed faded denim shorts with more holes than fabric, tan legs for miles.

Now I was thinking about getting laid. But for once, Alex was nowhere in my thoughts.

"Sir? We're getting ready to takeoff soon." The flight attendant smiled at me, and I nodded like a mute idiot at him. Fucking words ran away again, like someone lit a fire under their ass.

Amusement danced in her eyes as I pivoted to let him by, then sat in my seat. The soft, cushioned leather and the seat were not unlike the ones I flew to the tracks all season, but the scent of her skin hit me and I bit the inside of my cheek. Unadulterated desire hit me, but, fuck, there was no way in hell a girl who looked like her would ever look twice at a guy like me.

Except she was.

But like I was a puzzle she couldn't figure out. Hell, maybe I was an amusement for the five-hour flight. A puzzle for her to solve. With the way she kept eyeing me, I had no doubt her interest stemmed from my being so obviously not her type. Glasses. Laptop in hand. White t-shirt, jeans. Hell, I even had my fucking calculator in my laptop case, just in case I wanted to pass the time working on differentials.

"Thinking about getting laid?" she teased, tongue darting out to lick her lips.

Fuck. If she only knew.

I shook my head. More like thinking about how she tasted. Much different from getting laid. The click of our seatbelts filled the space until I cleared my throat. I opened my mouth, but then she let out a squeak as her hand gripped the armrest.

Was she afraid of flying?

The plane pulled back from the gate and began taxiing the runway. Blueish green eyes widened. Her hand grabbed mine as she drew in a deep breath.

"Hey," I said, low and soft, doing my best not to scare her anymore than she already was. I squeezed her hand gently and rubbed the back of it with my thumb in slow circles. Her eyes, wide and so damn beautiful, darted from the front of the plane to me. "Just look at me, and nowhere else. What's your name?"

She tried to speak, but only a squeak came out. I continued to trace circles on her soft skin and nodded for her to try again. "Mikayla."

God, her eyes were the prettiest shade of blue/green I'd ever seen. But not like the green of leaves. More like the clear blue green you thought only existed in screensavers of some place where the damn huts were on stilts above the water.

"Hi, Mikayla. I'm Ryan. My friends call me CK. Or Ry."

"CK?" Her brows drew together.

I pointed to my glasses with my free hand. Realization dawned on her face.

"Ah, Clark Kent." She licked her lips. "I bet a girl gave you that name."

The smile I gave her crept up slowly. "She did."

"Girlfriend?"

"Gia? Not even close," I said. I leaned in closer and stage whispered. "Gia is like the girl you want on your side in a fight, but you never want to get on the other side of things with her."

"She sounds like a badass," she said. "Especially if you're afraid of her kicking your ass."

I chuckled. "Oh, she'd never physically do anything. It's the look." The shudder I let out was real, because I'd seen Gia, Alex's best friend, bring grown men to their knees with that look more than once. "She's a great friend. And has a secret thing for comics, I think. Definitely Star Wars. But, again, glasses."

She smiled, and though it was still small and not what I imagined she looked like with a full-blown one on her face, it was devastating. "I bet you're pretty ‘super' with them off."

I laughed again. Heat flushed across my face. "I wouldn't know."

" Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached our cruising altitude of 38,000 feet. Our flight to Palm Springs International Airport should take five hours and 35 minutes. I'll do my best to get you there a little early to enjoy the holidays with loved ones. Weather looks good, should be a smooth flight."

"Oh my God," she breathed. "We're in the air." Her skin felt warm in my hand, and fuck if I wasn't enjoying every second of her hand in mine. The wonder on her face as she looked out the small window next to her, then back at me, made her softer yet sexier at the same time.

I wondered how she would look underneath me. Coming undone.

"We are."

Blonde and brown stands bounced as she shook her head, as if she didn't believe what she saw. Or what I said. "No, you don't understand. We are in the air, and I didn't even notice takeoff."

"Would you care for a drink before we serve lunch?"

Mikayla, damn the way her name would roll off my tongue, nodded. "Please." She eyed the card the attendant handed her. "We'll have."

"Oh, we will?"

"Come on, have a drink to celebrate with me. I'm terrified of takeoffs and landings. Terrified." Her nose wrinkled, the tiny stud on one side winking at me. "But you kept my mind off of it. So, we celebrate. One drink. With me. And no worrying about getting laid." She winked.

I groaned with a smile. This girl was going to be the death of me.