Hard and Fast (18 page)

This was sounding more and more appealing to Imogen. “This just might work.”

“Good, because I’m glazing over from this conversation,” Suzanne said.

“Sorry,” Imogen said, frowning at her enchiladas. “This is just so much more stressful than I expected.”

“I know and I’m sorry. I wish I could help,” Suzanne said, looking a little contrite for her remark. “And I’m sure tossing mattress play with Ty onto all of this isn’t helping your peace of mind.” Then Suzanne grinned. “But I bet it’s helping other things, if not your mind.”

True enough. “So what on earth do I pack to go camping?”

“Jeans. T-shirts. Boots. It’s going to be hot again this week, in the eighties, so pack a bathing suit,” Tamara said.

“And your tiniest, sexiest underwear,” Suzanne added.

Imogen tried to picture feeling sexy on the damp ground in a tent and could only feel a serious amount of trepidation. “Are there bugs camping?”

Tamara and Suzanne exchanged a look. “Probably,” Tamara said.

“Animals?” Were there bears in North Carolina? Imogen didn’t even know.

“Maybe,” Suzanne said. “But they shy away from humans. Except for raccoons and skunks. They’ll come right on up if you have food or garbage lying around.”

Wonderful. “Can’t wait,” she said weakly. “Everyone should be open to new life experiences, right?”

“Don’t worry about the skunks,” Suzanne reassured her. “Just concentrate on the fact that if anything is going to be open, it will be your legs.”

More likely she’d be too afraid to take her clothes off, but she did appreciate Suzanne’s optimism.

“I can practically hear your brain creating a list of all the things you aren’t going to like about this trip,” Tamara said. “Just relax and enjoy yourself.”

“Do I know how to do that?” Imogen asked honestly.

Her friends laughed, and Suzanne actually descended into a snort.

“You enjoyed last night, didn’t you?” Tamara asked.

She nodded. “Oh, yeah.”

“So it’s the same thing, just in a tent.”

Right. Sex in a tent. No different than a bed, really. Just harder. And earthier. And buggier.

The only conclusion she could reach if she was willing to go to such lengths to spend time with Ty was that she was seriously infatuated with him.

And that was almost scarier than the thought of running into a bear while covered in honey.

 

 

 

RYDER Jefferson was heading to a preliminary meeting with his crew chief in Martinsville when his cell phone rang. Striding across the motor coach lot, he pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at it.

“Shit,” was his opinion. It was his ex-wife, Suzanne. If she was calling him, it usually meant she wanted something from him.

They’d been getting along just fine lately, which was probably because they hadn’t been seeing much of each other since a dinner party incident back in May when she’d tossed a pie in his face. He still hadn’t figured out what that was all about.

Deciding to ignore her call, he sighed when he realized she had hung up and was calling again. Knowing Suzanne and how tenacious she was, she’d keep calling until he answered.

“Hello, Suz, how are ya?” he said, slowing down his gait as he headed for the track.

“Are you busy?” she asked. “Do you have a minute to chat?”

Well, now, that was a good start. She was being all polite and agreeable. “Yes, this is a fine time. Just heading to a meeting. What’s up, darlin’?”

“Why didn’t you answer, then?” she asked caustically.

Ryder rolled his eyes. So much for a good start. “I did answer.”

“But you didn’t the first time . . . Oh, never mind. I didn’t call to fight.”

“That’s reassuring.” Because when he fought with Suzanne, he always felt like he was driving the short track blindfolded and she was the wall.

“Listen, did you know Ty is banging Imogen?”

Ryder stopped walking and stared blankly at the fence surrounding the track. “Huh? Who’s Imogen?” And why did Suzanne feel the need to tell him she was sleeping with Ty?

“Tammy’s teaching assistant. You met her at Tammy’s house a few times and at the wedding. She’s become a really dear friend to me and I’m all sorts of worried, Ryder. I think she and Ty are like oil and water, and while she is saying the sex is freaky-deaky, I just don’t know if I should encourage this.”

And this involved him how? “Umm . . . Suz?”

“Yeah?”

“Didn’t we have a talk about interfering in other people’s love lives a while back when Tammy and Elec were first getting it on?”

“I was right to interfere with those two. They might have kept insisting they didn’t want to date if I hadn’t thrown that dinner party.”

“
We
threw that dinner party. Then you threw a pie in my face.” Apple. He could practically still feel that sticky mess ooze down his nose and chin and taste the sweet tartness on his lips.

“You deserved it,” she said breezily. “And this isn’t about you. This is about Imogen and Ty and their happiness. We can’t be letting Ty take her for a ride. She’s just not the kind of girl who is into casual sex.”

Ryder rubbed his forehead, wondering if he really was supposed to give a shit who Ty was sleeping with. If the guy had a thing for the skinny chick with the glasses, more power to him. Ryder wouldn’t have thought she was Ty’s type, given that she was pretty in a more conservative, understated way than Ty’s usual full-blown beauties, but it wasn’t really any of his business. “I believe you said Tammy wasn’t that kind of girl either, and she was all about bouncing Elec. I just think we need to let people work these things out themselves, darlin’.”

“If Ty breaks Imogen’s heart, I’m going to be seriously pissed off.”

“I don’t imagine Ty is really taking your feelings into account, nor should he. It’s his life.”

“So here’s what we need to do,” Suzanne said as if he hadn’t spoken at all. “I need to see the two of them together and decide for myself if Ty actually likes her or if he’s just playing her, so you and I need to have another dinner party.”

The hell they did. “No. Absolutely not. It’s none of our business and I’m not taking another pie in the face to support your meddling in your friends’ love lives.”

“Oh, I wasn’t going to make a pie. I was going to bake a pineapple upside-down cake.”

Damn her. She knew that was his all-time favorite dessert. He paused, closing his eyes to gather his willpower. “No . . . it’s not a good idea.”

“I’ll bring one to the dinner party, then I’ll follow up with the dessert of your choice on the first of the month for the next three months.”

“Sold.” The woman knew exactly how to manipulate him. He had a killer sweet tooth, and Suzanne had always been able to bring him to his knees with her amazing baked goods. It was something he should probably be ashamed of, but it was only one dinner party, and chances were Suzanne would do it with or without him, so he might as well reap the benefits of cooperation.

“I’d better make sure I leave condoms on the counter in my bathroom. Last time we did this, Tammy and Elec ransacked my medicine cabinet before doing the deed in my bathroom. Maybe we can just eliminate the stress of that for them and the cleanup for me. There was aspirin flung all over the place.”

“Imogen and Ty are not going to be doing it in the bathroom,” Suzanne said, scoffing.

“You said that last time.” Frankly, it seemed the only one not having sex lately was him, bathroom or anywhere else. He didn’t even want to contemplate the last time he had been with a woman, because it was bound to make him cranky.

“Alright, so maybe they’ll have sex in the bathroom. Imogen is blushing every time his name comes up. But I guess that doesn’t matter if he’s treating her well and is serious about her.”

“Easy for you to say since it’s not your bathroom. So when are we doing this little night of forced fun?”

“A week from Monday. This Monday, Ty is taking Imogen camping.”

Ryder tried to picture serious and studious Imogen hiking through the woods in her sweater set and shiny black handbag. “She doesn’t really seem like the camping type.”

“She’s not. Which is why I’m worrying. She’s willing to get dirty for him and that scares me.”

Not wanting to explore Suzanne’s logic with her, given that he still didn’t really think it was any of her business, Ryder just said, “What do you need me to do?”

“Just invite Ty. I’ll invite everyone else.”

“Okay. And I guess there will be one good thing about this.”

“What’s that?”

Ryder grinned. “Nikki won’t be there.”

Suzanne laughed. “No kidding. Lord, that girl tries my patience.”

“You and everyone else.” Ryder honestly hadn’t been able to figure out how Ty could stand five minutes with the girl.

“Alright, I’m going to let you go. Thanks, Ryder.”

That was nice to hear. “You’re welcome, Suz. You have a good heart to care about your friends, ya know that?” Even if it was misguided, he knew Suzanne’s plans came from a place of concern.

“Thanks. I’ll talk to you later. I lo—”

Ryder froze as Suzanne cut her sentence short. It had sounded like she had been about to say “I love you” before she hung up, just like she used to.

“Bye,” she said quickly, and then Ryder heard nothing but a dial tone.

It must have just been habit, conditioning, from when they were married. Suz didn’t have those kinds of feelings for him anymore. Ryder frowned at his cell phone before jamming it back into his pocket. He and Suzanne had been divorced for damn near two years. This was his reality.

So why did he suddenly feel lonely as hell?

“Ryder, what’s up?”

Grateful for the distraction from his unexpected thoughts, Ryder looked up to see the very man he and Suzanne had been discussing striding toward him.

“Hey, Ty, not much. How about yourself?”

Ty looked like he was in a great mood. He was whistling a cheerful tune. He paused and gave a grin. “Same old, same old.”

Because he was mildly curious, Ryder shifted on his feet and said, “Heard you’re not seeing Nikki anymore. You don’t look cut up over it.”

“Nope. I should have ended that a good long while ago.” Ty shrugged. “But it doesn’t matter. I’ve started seeing someone else this week, and it’s looking good.”

“She put that stupid grin on your face?”

Ty laughed. “I imagine so. You remember Imogen Wilson, Tammy’s student? It’s her.”

“No kidding?” Ryder pretended like he didn’t know. “She’s a nice girl. Not your usual type, but she definitely seems like she has her act together.”

“She’s not my usual type, but maybe that just goes to show you I’ve been barking up the wrong tree. Imogen is the whole package, you know what I’m saying? She is beautiful, sexy as hell, and smart. I mean, we have great sex
and
great conversations. Who knew that was possible?”

Ty looked so bemused at the concept, Ryder grinned. “I think a lot of people knew that was possible. You’re just a slow learner. But I’m glad things are going good for you.”

Suzanne’s fears about Ty playing Imogen seemed totally unfounded to Ryder. Ty looked like a man with a massive crush.

“Things are damn good.”

“Well, bring her around my place next Monday. Suzanne is throwing a dinner party.”

Ty’s eyebrow went up. “How did you get roped into doing that again?”

Ryder realized he’d never been told what excuse to give for the party, so he just shrugged. “I don’t know. You know I have a soft spot for Suz and she likes these things. Please say you’ll be there or she’s going to give me hell.”

Ty clapped him on the shoulder and grinned. “Sure, we’ll be there. But you might want to think about why it is you’re whipped by a woman who’s not even doing the dirty with you.”

He had no intention of thinking about that and hated being reminded of it. “Screw you, McCordle.”

Ty laughed and said, “I think you’re the one getting screwed. Screwed over.”

Ryder felt a wave of anger roll over him.

It was becoming more and more clear to him that he and Suzanne had some unfinished business.

But he wasn’t going to deal with that now. He had a meeting to attend. So he told Ty in total irritation, “Suck my dick.”

Which only made Ty laugh all that much harder.

 

 

IMOGEN smiled across the table at Tabby Stephenson, an attractive woman in her midthirties who had been married to driver Jack Stephenson for the past seventeen years.

“Thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed,” Imogen said, glad she had chosen to meet Tabby in the quaint tearoom. It seemed like the appropriate place to discuss dating and marriage.

“Oh, are you kidding? What woman doesn’t like to tell the story of how she met her husband?”

“One who isn’t happily married.”

Tabby laughed. “True enough. But I have been about as happy with Jack as a woman can expect to be, so I’m happy to tell you whatever you’re willing to listen to.” Tabby tucked her honey-colored hair behind an ear. “Jack will love this, by the way.”

“Good. I certainly appreciate you both being so agreeable. So to start off, just tell me how you met Jack. Was it by chance or did you have your eye on him? Was he already racing professionally?”

“Not at all. I was only fourteen when I met Jack. He was sixteen and a total hell-raiser. We didn’t go to the same school because I was in the eighth grade and he was a sophomore in high school, but I met him at the ice cream shop after church one Sunday. My older sister and I were allowed to walk up there by ourselves for a cone, and that’s where I saw him, drinking a shake and showing off the engine of his stock car to his buddies. Honey, I took one look at that backside in those worn Levi’s and the whole boy-girl thing clicked for me. I’d never looked twice at a boy before that, but between those jeans, his devilish grin, and that deep, sexy laugh, I was just gone.”