The Playboy and the Single Mum (Vintage Love Book 2) (10 page)

Pretending it was the greatest sports car ever, Daniel revved the engine. It stalled. “You wanted anonymity. This is the last car on earth anyone would expect me to drive.”

“Reliability trumps anonymity. Do you think it will get us to our destination? Is it far?”

“It just has to get us six blocks to where the real car is parked.” There, they transitioned into a dark blue Ferrari 488 GTB. “Now this is more like it,” he said as he drove away from Sochi towards the mountains. He forced his eyes to remain on the tight, twisty road and off the extra ten centimeters of Lexy’s leg exposed when she’d slid into the low-slung car. The Ferrari did handle great on the curves, but he’d rather be handling Lexy’s.

The lights of the city were far beneath them when he pressed a button on the instrument panel and a set of iron gates swung open. He followed a long driveway steadily upwards until he parked in front of a huge villa. It looked like it had been picked up in Tuscany and dropped here by mistake.

“Where are we?” No trepidation, just curiosity.

“At my friend Sasha’s place. This is his car. He’s traveling at the moment but said we could have dinner here. He has a fantastic chef.”

As he helped her from the car, the front door opened and a uniformed butler ushered them inside. Dinner was set up on the back terrace. The lights of Sochi twinkled below against the darkness of the Black Sea. But the best surprise he was saving for after dinner.

Lexy was still admiring the view when the butler returned with a silver platter and two glasses of sparkling wine. Daniel handed one to her but waved the other away. “I never drink from Thursday night until after the race on Sunday,” he explained. He liked to keep his head clear. At the moment it was fogged with the scent of Lexy’s perfume.

He couldn’t remember anything he ate; his attention was absorbed by the woman across from him. But from the rapturous expression on Lexy’s face, she enjoyed it. When the butler brought the dessert, however, she took one bite then pushed her plate away. She also waved away a second glass of champagne and thanked the man in Russian. At least that’s what he figured she said; his Russian had never progressed beyond thank you.

“Don’t you like it?” he asked as Sasha’s beaming staff member retreated to the kitchen.

“Too much. I’ve already put on a kilogram this week with all the delicious food.”

“I can’t tell.”

“But I can.” She turned her head and stared at the view.

“Do you worry about your weight?”

“I think I always will. It was really hard to break all the bad eating habits my mother forced upon me. When I’m stressed or sad, my first reaction is to eat. But I don’t want to go back to what I was. Ever. However, I also have to make sure I don’t go to the opposite extreme. For a while, every forkful of food I put in my mouth I asked myself, ‘Do I need this or just want it?’”

“How did you handle your pregnancy? Was the weight gain difficult?”

“You know, you’re the first person to ask me that. But yes, it was in a way. I forced myself to eat for Max’s sake, but at every weigh-in I panicked that I was getting fat again. Food is always going to be an issue for me. But as long as I keep the rest of my life in balance, hopefully my weight will stay relatively constant. I’m working hard to maintain where I am now. I know I’ll never be skinny, but I’m healthy.”

“You’re more than healthy. If you think it would help, you could work out with me in the morning. I hate exercising, but I might not mind so much if you were there.”

She smiled, and for some stupid reason his chest swelled and his fingers tingled. What the hell?

“I’d like that,” she said.

He pulled in a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. “Speaking of exercise, want to go for a walk?”

“Here? It’s pitch-black.”

“The path is lit to what I want to show you.”

“Oh, I love surprises.”

He took her hand and led her to the end of the terrace and then along a narrow pathway until they arrived at a special room nestled against the hillside. Daniel unlocked the door with the key Sasha had told him about, and let Lexy precede him.

“Wow.” She moved to the floor-to-ceiling window and stared at the view. All of Sochi was laid out before them. The lights of the Olympic park and the F1 circuit were easy to spot. She was so entranced by the view that she hadn’t commented on the huge bed in the room. With the glass ceiling, it was the perfect place to view the stars in comfort. Or do other things. He was really hoping for other things. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, inhaling deeply of her scent—a mix of shampoo, perfume, and non-distilled Lexy.

“Do you enjoy looking at the stars?” he asked, his lips on her ear. His tongue flicked across her lobe and she shivered.

“Of course, who doesn’t? Although, we don’t see many of them in London. Too much light pollution.” Her last words came out with a low moan as his hands slipped up to cup her breasts, his thumbs tracing the outline of her nipples through her clothes.

“Come see the stars.” He backed her up to the bed and waited for her to climb up. He wouldn’t force her. Not even seduce her. She had to want this.

She sat on the bed, braced on her hands behind her, her head flung back as she checked out the glass ceiling. He bit down on his lip at the erotic image she projected. “Who the hell owns a secluded bedroom with a glass wall and ceiling? Not to mention the biggest bed I’ve ever seen.”

He had to clear his throat before he could speak. “Sasha Kasparov. He plays in the NHL. If you want a real playboy for your next advertising campaign, he’s your man. Doesn’t even restrict himself to one woman a night, or at a time for that matter. But he’s a huge F1 fan and lets me take advantage of his amazing house when we come to Russia.”

“You’ve brought other women here?”

“No, you’re the only one. I usually sleep here at least one night, alone, to get away from the mayhem down in the valley.”

“So, you brought me here to look at the stars and sleep?” Her voice was flat.

Merde
, he should have put the lights on so he could read her expression.

“Well, if there are other things you’d like to do, I’m open to suggestions.”

“Come here, you daft man, and make love to me.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, but he was already unbuttoning his shirt.

“You are officially the worst playboy ever. I’m going to have to give you lessons before the next advertising campaign begins.”

He paused then blurted out, “I’m not really a playboy. It’s all an act.”

“What?” She flicked on the bedside lamp and stared at him, her brown eyes wanting to believe.

“Yep. You’ll find me in bed with a book every night, not a different woman.”

“But the photos … the press … the women…”

“Smoke and mirrors. When I want to leave somewhere or someone, I say I’ve got a blonde or brunette or redhead waiting for me. I just never go on to say they’re the characters in the book I’m reading.”

“But I’ve seen pictures of you leaving parties and events with women, never the same one twice.”

He smiled. “I’m a gentleman. I see my dance partner, or plus one, back to her place, give her a kiss on the cheek, and leave. Then I let my supposed reputation do the rest. If you were a supermodel, would you want to be known as the one who couldn’t get Daniel Michaud into bed? They’re too embarrassed by my departure to ever say anything.”

She laughed. A genuine, from the belly, laugh that bounced off the glass walls. “Are you serious?”

“Deadly.”

“I’m finding this hard to believe. Fess up, when’s the last time you had sex? And you have to be honest.”

So, the gloves were off. It was rather refreshing to have a frank discussion and not have to wrap everything in political correctness.

“Eight months ago, about three months after Jacques and Grand-Papa left. It was pre-season so I didn’t have my team around and I was lonely. I met a woman in a café in Paris. She was far from home and lonely, too.” They’d both gotten what they wanted out of the hook-up—a night of not being alone. He hadn’t heard from her again, couldn’t even remember her full name. “What about you?”

“Three years, ten months, and six days ago.”

Mon Dieu.
“That’s very precise.” Was she kidding? She was a vibrant, sexy woman. What was the reason for her abstinence?

“That’s because three years, ten months, and
four
days ago, my husband walked out the door. Evidently taking my sex life with him.”

“
Merde
. And since then…”

“Nothing. I want this one night with you, Daniel. Not to get over a drought, but because you make me feel things no other man ever has. Now, are you done talking?” She turned off the lamp, bathing the room in moonlight.

“I’m done talking.” He pulled off his shirt and reached for her. If they were only going to have this one night, it damned well was going to be spectacular.

He kissed her. He may not be a genuine playboy, but he didn’t need advice. Just to taste her, feel her silky skin, and hear the sound of her enjoyment.

When he released her lips she pushed away from him and moved to the middle of the room, where she slithered out of her dress. He swallowed at the sight of her red lacy lingerie against the paleness of her skin in the moonlight. Soon even those scraps of fabric fell to the floor, and he was mesmerized as she sauntered over to where he still sat on bed.

“You’re falling behind. Need a hand?”

“Yes,” he managed to get out seconds before she pushed him onto his back and straddled him. After that his mind went blank as she removed his clothes, her hands and lips caressing and teasing him until all he could hear was his blood pounding in his ears. If he didn’t want to have an aneurysm, he had to get back in control.

“My turn.” He flipped her over so he was on top. He wanted the connection to last long after they left the bed. He wanted Lexy to forget everything but him and how they made each other feel.

“Now, Daniel. Get inside me now,” she begged as her head thrashed from side to side. He was bringing her close to the edge then retreating, desperate to prolong this moment as long as possible.

“Not yet,” he said more to himself than her.

“Box, box, box,” she screamed as an orgasm ripped through her. The command to come into the pits for a tire change took on a whole new meaning. She grabbed his head, pulling his mouth from where he’d been pleasuring her.

He slid immediately into her heat, thankful he’d put a condom on earlier. With a passion-filled laugh she wrapped her legs around his ribs, and he followed her into a vortex of pleasure. As they lay side by side several minutes later, staring at the stars, Lexy’s husky voice filled the room. “Damn, Daniel. That was amazing.”

Amazing was an understatement. He had enough experience to know when the sex was phenomenal. The connection he’d felt that first night in the library had been magnified tenfold. He hauled in an unsteady breath. “Are you sure one night is all you want?”

“What I want is to do that again. When you’re ready.”

His cock stirred to life at her words. As she rolled on top of him and flicked her tongue on his nipples, a meteor streaked through the sky above them.

His need to not lose focus was soon incinerated in the heat of their passion. Had he just killed his championship hopes?

Lexy paced, wishing she’d worn flat shoes. At least she was burning off the calories from last night’s dinner. Although she’d probably have already done that with the two rounds of lovemaking with Daniel. He certainly wasn’t the type of man to climb on top, lift up her night shirt, and jiggle it about for two minutes before collapsing on top of her. No, he wasn’t satisfied until he’d wrung every ounce of pleasure from the moment, until she begged him to fill her.

Now said man was hurtling around the track with nineteen other cars, each trying to out-accelerate and out-brake the other. And this was only qualifying. She’d be a complete mess during the race tomorrow if she didn’t find something to distract her. A lock of hair slid across her face, surprising her with its softness. There was a lot to be said for a £200 cut and blow dry. Even more fun had been the girl-talk with Mandy, Louisa, and Tara. Although they were beautiful, wealthy women for whom dropping a couple hundred on a haircut wasn’t a problem, they were still down to earth and dedicated to the men they loved.

“And that’s session one done,” the TV announcer said. “The only surprise elimination is one of the Ferraris. Get ready for round two. We’ll be back on track in ten minutes.”

Three rounds of qualifying determined grid position for tomorrow’s race. The five slowest cars were dropped in the first session, then the next five slowest, until in the final round the top ten cars battled it out for pole position. To be first on the grid was an advantage every one of the drivers coveted. Daniel wasn’t the fastest man on the track at this point. But it was the final session that mattered. The fact that he hadn’t had to use the quicker tire at this stage gave him another advantage for the race tomorrow.

Lexy unclenched her hands and tried to sit until the next session began. She was too nervous to be in Daniel’s garage, and she didn’t want to distract him when he needed his entire focus on the track. So she’d retreated to his trailer to watch the proceedings on the monitor. The other reason she was hiding out here was she’d spotted her father wandering down the pit lane just before qualifying began. He looked so much older. And surprisingly enough, he didn’t have a woman on his arm. Was he going through another divorce? After her mother, not one of his marriages had lasted more than two years.

The pit lane was also swarming with media from every country with an F1 fan base. So far she’d managed to stay hidden. But if her father saw her and threw a wobbly, she could pretty much guarantee the paparazzi would be all over it. With the next race in Texas, the very last thing she needed was for her picture to be splashed all over the Internet. She couldn’t avoid her father for long, however. She’d need some way to contact him discreetly so they could have their reunion in private. After qualifying, she’d find out which hotel he was staying at and then arrange to meet.

The advertising break was over and the two announcers were analyzing the performance of the cars from the first session. They noticed the different line that Daniel took around turn eight and commented on his innate feel for the track. Nothing innate about it, she wanted to yell at the TV. It was his dedication that made him examine every inch of track. A trait he also carried over to his lovemaking. There wasn’t an inch of her body he hadn’t touched or kissed. Her face grew hot just remembering.

“Knock, knock,” a female voice called out. For God’s sake, why didn’t the person just knock? Probably didn’t want to risk damaging a perfect manicure. If it was one of the grid girls hoping for a hook-up with Daniel later, Lexy’d set her straight. Although, what right did she have to do that? They’d had their one night.

Instead, standing at the door was Jacqueline Lefebre. From her position a few feet above Jacqueline’s head, Lexy could see that all was not great in the other woman’s world. She really wanted to be alone to watch the rest of qualifying. But Jacqueline was Daniel’s friend, so she invited her in.

“So, you are the Lexy I have heard so much about.” The woman’s French accent was thick, unlike Daniel’s. Should she offer to converse in French? Or keep the discussion in English and thus to her advantage?

“You must be Jacqueline. I’m afraid Daniel hasn’t been as forthcoming in information.”

“Typical Daniel. He is so loyal. I wonder what I would do without him.”

It was what she was doing with him that interested Lexy. How many calories were in fingernails? She just may take up Tara’s habit after all.

“You’re not watching the qualifying?” Lexy turned the telly down but not off. The second session was due to begin in five minutes and she hoped this visit would be over by then.

“It only gets interesting in Q3. And I wanted to meet you without Daniel around,” Jacqueline said. She ran a shaking hand through her hair. Several strands fluttered to the floor. Lexy looked closer. Jacqueline’s skin was gray and stretched tight across her cheeks, and not from filler injections. Her eyes were dull and slow to react to the darker interior inside the trailer. This woman was not healthy.

“Would you like to sit down? Can I get you a cup of tea or coffee?”

“I will sit, but I do not need a drink, thank you. I just came to introduce myself. It seems we have a lot in common.”

“Oh?” Lexy leaned against the chair but didn’t sit, needing the height advantage to give her confidence.

“Yes, we both love Daniel Michaud.”

Lexy let the words hang between them, not quite sure how to respond. She could deny it, but she doubted she could say it convincingly enough for the other woman to believe her. A catfight hadn’t been on her agenda for today, but she wasn’t ruling it out.

“Are you here to tell me to stay away from Daniel?”

“Feisty. I see what Daniel likes about you.”

“Why are you here, Jacqueline? If it’s just a social visit, perhaps we can put it off until the reception tonight. I’d really like to watch the qualifying.” And it would give her a chance to mentally prepare for this.

“I have come to explain that photo in the papers after Japan. I know Daniel will not. But he says I can trust you.”

Lexy swallowed, not sure she wanted to know now. “You have my word.”

Jacqueline stared at her chipped manicure. “I am a drug addict. With my husband’s position as F1 doctor, if the general population knew, he would have to resign. Everyone will assume I get my drugs through him. I had been clean for almost six months, but I relapsed in Japan, in Daniel’s room. I overdosed in his bathroom and passed out. He must have found me after he started to undress for bed. He was carrying me to my hotel room where my husband could take care of me when the photo was taken.”

And why Daniel said it wasn’t his secret to share. Lexy sank into the chair opposite Jacqueline. “Are you getting help?”

“Yes. It is just so
difficile
.”

“I understand. My mother has an addiction to food. But she won’t get help. I promise to keep your secret. Thank you for telling me, Jacqueline. I know it took a lot of courage for you to talk to me.”

“Just be good to Daniel. He is special.”

“I know.”

“Daniel Michaud spins in turn twelve—” The announcer’s excited voice swung Lexy’s attention back to the TV.

“Oh, God,” Lexy said, her eyes glued to the screen until she saw Daniel’s car returning to the pits on the monitor. The announcer resumed his calm delivery of the events happening just outside her door. “That’s that lap ruined and probably those tires as well. Will he have enough sets for tomorrow’s race?” The rest of the commentary droned on, and she turned back to Jacqueline.

The other woman had left already.

***

Daniel got pole position by two hundredths of a second over his teammate. The difference came down to the time he gained by taking the alternate line at turn eight. Lexy sat in his trailer, stopping herself twice from going to the garage to congratulate him. She knew the international media would be hounding him and she wasn’t practiced enough in hiding her emotions to fool anyone. One look at her and everyone would know she’d had sex with Daniel. If she got called back to London now, she’d forever regret not getting to spend the next seven weeks with him, even if it was just as a colleague.

So she sent Daniel a text telling him she was waiting in his trailer. She waited. And waited. Maybe he’d not seen her message and gone back to the hotel. Her phone buzzed with an incoming text and she rushed to read it.

“Just spoke with your father. Are you ready to meet him? I can suggest he comes to the trailer so you can have your reunion in private.”

Was she ready? “Yes, okay,” she texted back.

Her stomach roiled and she gulped down a glass of water to quell the nausea. The trailer door flew open—
no, no, no. This is a bad idea
—but only Daniel appeared. His cocky grin sent her heart into overdrive. God, he was gorgeous.

“Congratulations on pole,” she managed seconds before he swept her into a tight hug, lifted her off the floor, and swung her around, and then kissed her until she nearly blacked out.

“I’ve made a terrible mistake,” Daniel said as he finally set her on her feet. She could feel the adrenaline still pumping through his veins in the tightness with which he held her and the hardness of his kiss.

“What’s that?” From where she was, everything was going swimmingly.

“I should have told your father to meet me here in an hour rather than five minutes. That way we could properly celebrate my pole position.”

“Rookie mistake,” she acknowledged as his lips descended once more.

Five minutes flew by when you were playing tongue tag with an F1 driver. A knock on the door sprung them apart. Lexy straightened her top and smoothed her hair.

“Did you tell him I’m here?” she whispered as Daniel shrugged off the shoulders of his overalls and tied the arms around his waist to hide his erection.

“No. He thinks I want to talk to him about the possibility of driving for Ferrari.”

There was another knock on the door, this one more impatient. Her father had never been a man who liked to be kept waiting.

Daniel ran a hand down her bare arm then opened the door. Gian-Franco’s gruff voice boomed through the enclosed space. “You ask me to come see you and then keep me waiting?”

This was not going to go well if her father was already angry. They’d just pick up exactly from where they parted ten years ago.

“Sorry, sir. But I’m sure when you see who’s here to meet you, you’ll forgive me.”

“Who is it?” Before Daniel could answer, her father pushed his way into the trailer and stood, hands on his hips, staring at her. His eyes widened, his mouth flopped open, and all the color drained from his face. Oh God, was he having a heart attack? Had she just killed her father?

“Papa!” Lexy raced forward and grabbed her father’s wrist to check his pulse. Her touch seemed to bring him back to his senses.

Color flushed back into his face as he turned angry eyes on Daniel. “You think hooking up with my daughter is going to get you a drive with Ferrari?”

“I don’t need a woman to get a drive.” Daniel’s tone could have cooled the brakes on his car. “My work on the track does that.”

“Then this meeting is over,” Papa said before storming out of the trailer.

Lexy stared at the door, unaware tears were spilling down her face until Daniel wiped one away.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured against her temple. “I had no idea he would react like that.”

It would be so easy to sink into his embrace, let him take away her pain. But she needed to handle this herself. If she became reliant on him, where would she be in two months? Calling up the strong woman who had sat beside her son’s NICU bed, she pulled out of Daniel’s arms and scrubbed the wetness from her cheeks with the heels of her hands.

“It’s fine. I’d better get back to the hotel. Max will be waking from his nap soon.”

“Lexy…” Daniel tried to pull her back against him.

“No.” She wrapped her arms around her torso. “Look, Daniel, my father has disappointed me all my life. I’m not sure why I expected it to be different this time. You may be my lover, if a one-night stand even qualifies for that title. But that’s where it ends. You don’t need to hold my hand or make things better for me.”

“And that’s where you’re wrong. There is way more going on between us than one night of sex. And if you’re not willing to admit that, then you’re not the woman I thought you were.”

Her eyes searched his. “I can’t deal with this now. I have to go.”

His trailer door slammed for the second time in ten minutes.

***

Daniel rinsed the shampoo from his hair in the shower. All his excitement at having taken pole position died when Lexy had said he was nothing more to her than a good lay. It was bad enough that he’d spun out on a corner when his chief mechanic had told him to “box” at the end of the lap. Remembering Lexy’s command had distracted him for a split second and he’d put a wheel on the grass. If that happened during the race tomorrow…

It was exactly what he’d feared if he let a woman close during the race season. But for the life of him he couldn’t break it off. Not yet. Tomorrow he’d force himself to concentrate on nothing but the tarmac in front of him and the cars behind. He’d done it last year as his life fell apart—first with Jacqueline’s addiction spiraling out of control, and then his brother and pseudo- grandfather disappearing off the face of the earth. But it had taken its toll. He’d come in second in the championship. This was his year.