Malcolm came down and bumped Emmit, causing him to go loose.
“Shit!” I said as I closed my eyes and looked away.
“Motherfucker. I want to talk to, Wallace.”
“Emmit,” my father said in a warning voice.
“Just wanting to say hi is all.”
A few moments later, my father said, “You know you can’t.”
“Fine, tell that motherfucker he cut me off and pay back is a bitch!”
With that, Emmit made a move to the outside.
“Bumper . . . door . . . clear!” Emmit’s spotter said as Emmit overtook Malcolm for the lead.
Emmit was silent for the next twenty-five laps as he led. He had pulled five car lengths ahead of Malcolm and was gaining.
“Man’s on a mission,” Daddy said as he sat and watched Emmit do what he did best.
As I glanced down, I saw Ashley and her two friends. I couldn’t help but stare at Cookie. The insane amount of jealousy that was building up caused me to look away.
“Green flag, no traffic!” the spotter called out.
“Take it easy, Emmit. You’ve got this.”
“Is Addie still there?” Emmit asked as my father and I looked at each other.
“Yeah she is,” Daddy said.
I couldn’t help but notice how my heartbeat increased and my hands shook. To know that Emmit was about to win a race and he was thinking about me did something to me. Smiling, I looked back at the track and watched as Emmit took the checker flag. Everyone started going crazy as my eyes never left Emmit’s car, even when Daddy hugged me.
I smiled until it felt like my cheeks would be frozen in that state; I watched as Emmit did his normal victory spin outs and then took the checkered flag and drove down the track.
“Come on, he’ll be looking for you in victory lane,” Daddy said as he took my hand. Shaking my head, I pulled my hand back.
“Daddy, we’re not together anymore. I don’t think he’ll be looking for me.”
My father gave me a look of disappointment. “Adaline.”
Ashley and her two friends started toward victory lane. “Oh, I’m going to try like hell and kiss Emmit while the cameras are on him!” Cookie said as she skipped by.
Narrowing my eye at her, I said, “Okay, I’ll go.”
I stood off to the side as I watched Emmit crawl out of his car and hold up his fists and yelled out, “Yeah!” The camera crew was there waiting and ready to talk to Emmit. I couldn’t help but glance over at Cookie standing slightly behind everyone and behind Emmit’s sister.
The last time I stood in victory circle, Emmit had won his first NASCAR race and he had searched the crowd for me. This time, he went straight to the camera and began talking as he took small sips of something someone put in his hand. Robert reached over and changed out Emmit’s baseball cap to another sponsor’s hat.
My lower stomach tightened as I watched Emmit’s every move. His sweat-soaked hair peeking out from under the baseball cap lit a fire in my body that I tried desperately to ignore.
Bastard.
I wanted to be angry with him, but I couldn’t.
“He’s so damn good looking. What I wouldn’t do to spend just one hour in his bed,” some girl behind me said. Turning, I gave her a fake smile. “Tell me you don’t agree,” she said to me.
With a smirk, I said, “I’ve graced his bed plenty of times.”
With a huge smile, she said, “Lucky bitch.”
I rolled my eyes as I pushed all thoughts of Emmit and my horny body away.
The freedom of not feeling the need to have Emmit’s hands all over my body lasted for a whole minute. Once his gray eyes found mind, I held onto my breath.
There was so much more to Emmit than how he made my body feel during sex. One of my favorite things he ever did was place his hand on my lower back as he guided me through a room. Or, to a table for two in the corner of a romantic restaurant. Oh, yes . . . there was so much more to him.
Giving me a smile, Emmit said something else to the reporter and then nodded his head and turned to his team as they continued to celebrate. Daddy had gone up and given Emmit a quick hug and said something to him that caused Emmit to let out a laugh and agree with whatever Daddy said.
Emmit took the champagne and shook it up as he sprayed everyone. Security had allowed Ashley to go up to Emmit. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her for a good thirty seconds before pulling back and kissing the tip of her nose. Cookie was jumping and calling out Emmit’s name, but he either didn’t hear her or he ignored her. Both thoughts made me happy.
My heart dropped as I thought about how much I wished that had been me. I started making my way through the crowd. I needed to go back to the hotel and think over what Jack and I had talked about earlier.
I chewed on my lip as I thought about his offer. I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that he had offered me a job. And a job that paid top dollar. I had until next Saturday to give him my decision.
Glancing back over my shoulder, I watched as Emmit posed for pictures and continued to celebrate his win. Turning back to the front, I wondered if he would even notice I had left.
I made my way past the garages and headed back to my father’s bus. After everything settled down, I’d catch a ride back to the hotel. The buses usually pulled out pretty quickly after the race. I was guessing Emmit would be here longer since he needed to do more interviews and pose for more pictures. I’d seen enough guys win to know what the deal was.
As I walked, I glanced and saw another girl walking slightly behind me. Looking at her, I smiled. She gave me a smile back and said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.”
I reached my hand out for hers and that’s when I noticed she was pregnant. “My father is Waldo Morgan.”
Her eyes lit up as she looked me over. “Wow. You’re the girl.”
Taken aback by her comment, I asked, “Excuse me?”
Holding her hand up, she said, “Oh my God, that was so rude of me. I’m so sorry. My name is Kristin Whitmore. Doug is my husband. Number seven. Doug and Emmit are pretty close, as well as teammates. We’ve spent many a night with him and well, when he gets to drinking too much he talks a lot . . . about you.”
I pulled my head back as I stared at her with a dumbfounded look as my stomach dipped. “W-what?”
“Adaline!”
His voice invaded my mind, and my body immediately came to attention as I spun around and watched as Emmit ran up to me.
He came after me.
He noticed I left.
A rush of excitement tingled throughout my body as I watched Emmit make his way over to me. Stopping in front of me, he gave me a smile that melted my heart and had my insides shaking. “Hey, before you go I wanted to ask you . . . well . . . I mean . . . I wanted to say thanks for sticking around and watching the race.”
I was positive a look of disappointment washed across my face, I glanced over to Kristin and then back at Emmit. “Oh um, of course. It was one of the whole reasons I came this weekend.”
Emmit lifted his eyebrows. “One of the reasons?”
“Emmit! Emmit over here, can we talk to you for a few minutes?”
I bit on my lip as I watched Emmit’s smile grow bigger. “Don’t leave yet,” he said as he turned and started answering questions.
I turned before the whole world could see how Emmit Lewis just made my entire body flush with three words. I started walking again. Kristin walked next to me, and when we got far enough away she bumped me on the arm. “Please tell me you’re not going to leave ’cause I’m dying to know what happens! I’m a romance reader and this is like a live action romance book!”
With a giggle, I shook my head. “I’m sure it’s nothing but Emmit wanting to apologize for our fight earlier. That’s all. He probably has a date with Cookie.”
“Cookie? Like as in a cookie you eat?”
I shook my head as I laughed. “No, her name is Cookie, and he didn’t get to hook up with her last night, so I’m sure that’s why she’s here.”
Kristin’s eyes widened in horror. “He told you that? Why would he tell you that?”