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“Thank you.” She stood in the doorway awkwardly, looking like she was waiting on something. “Sooooo, are we going?”

Jesus, I was staring. The poor thing couldn’t even move to get around me. “Oh, yes. But you might want to change into te

“Mhmm.”

I went around to my side and started the car. The purr of the engine got me every time.

“So, you know anything about cars?” I asked, trying to drop hints where I was taking her.

She looked perplexed. “No, not really. Why?”

“Just wondering.” I smiled.

“You going to tell me where we are going?”

“I will when we get there.”

Her small hands were gently lying in her lap. I wanted to reach over and touch the milky white skin to see if it was as soft as it looked, but I refrained. Trees, and a few city buildings whizzed by as I drove to the south side of Athens. The radio was playing quietly in the background, and I’d only hoped she like country music.

“Okay, I want to play a little game so we can get to know each other a little better. You down?”

Her blue eyes peaked over at me. “Sure. As long as it’s not too personal.”

“What do you think is personal?”

“Turner.” She said my name like she was scolding me. My date was feisty. Good.

I chuckled. “Okay, let’s stick to the basics. What’s your favorite color?”

“Green. Yours?”

“Black.”

“Black isn’t a color,” she shot back.

“It is today, go with it. What’s your favorite food?”

She paused. “Crab legs. But not any crab legs, it’s got to be snow crab.”

Interesting. Most girls said pizza or chocolate. “Mine is steak. Now it’s your turn.”

“My turn?” she asked inquisitively.

“Yes. I just asked the last two questions. Now it’s your turn.”

“Okay. Hmmm . . . ” She tapped her pointer finger on her chin. God, she was cute. “What’s your favorite cereal?”

“Now you’re talkin’. One of my favorite food groups.” She giggled. “Fruity Pebbles, but without milk.”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s a kid’s cereal. I like it.”

“It is not. I happen to be a very grown man, and I love the stuff. In fact, I carry a box with me everywhere for a snack.”

She gave a full bellied laugh. “No, you don’t. That’s silly.”

To prove her wrong I told her to open the glove box in front of her. She did. Right in front was a snack size box of cereal. “See.”

“Way to prove me wrong.” Her laugh was musical. “Don’t you get tired of it?”

“No way.”

“Hmmm.” She hummed.

“Give me another one.”

“Do you like being the oldest brother?”

“Good question,” I praised. “It has it’s pluses and minuses. As the oldest, I was the guinea pig for my parents. Whatever worked or didn’t work with me, they did with my brothers. But I was also never babied like the other three.”

“Why do I find that hard to believe?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s true. Mom and Dad were hard on me and expected me to lead by example. Sometimes I wished that they would make their own mistakes and I could do what I wanted to without being watched all the time.”

She nodded and the car got quiet except for the AC blowing. It wasn’t that the silence was uncomfortable, but I had a feeling she preferred conversation over silence.

“You are an only child?” I glanced at her.

“How much further?” She rushed out.

Was my question to nosey? I turned my head in her direction. Trying to decide if I should push or change the subject, I thought it best to let it go and answer her.

“We’re here.”

She straightened up in her seat. Parking, I watched her eyes get wide as she realized where we were. I parked in my usual spot in front of the Athens Speedway Racetrack.

“Are we watching race cars?”

“No.” I paused. “We’re driving them.” I gave her a devilish grin.

Her head started shaking and her pupils dilated. “Turner, I can’t drive a racecar.”

My brows came together. “Why not?”

“Because they’re dangerous, that’s why.”

“Mhmm, that’s what makes them so fun.”

I got out of the car, refusing to let her keep arguing with me. I knew this was an unconventional date, but something told me, she needed this. I’d picked up on some of her discomfort when it came to pushing boundaries. A

Coming around to her side I opened the door. She took my hand, and immediately released it when she stood on her own. It’s okay, I pla

A

“Throw this on. You want me to drive first or do you want to go?” I asked.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder in pure defiance. “Turner, you can’t be serious.”

I hid my smile and pegged her with a hard stare. “I’m very serious. Put the suit on.”

Her mouth dropped. “You’re awfully bossy, you know that?”

“Yes, I do. Now put it on so I can show you how to do this.”

She wanted to argue with me, but I was leaving no room for it. I took my suit and pulled it on. She hesitated before she mimicked what I was doing. I could have sworn I heard her grumbling under her breath. It was kind of cute. Once she was set, my old buddy from years back approached us.

Reaching out I took his hand and shook it. “Evening, Richard.”

“Turner. You ready to go for a spin?” He looked at both of us.

A

“Yes, sir.”

“Alright, well, the track is all yours. Pit crew will be waiting on the side ‘til y’all are done. Have fun, and burn some rubber.” He chuckled.

When he walked away, A

I couldn’t hide my smile this time. “Yes, ma’am. That was my friend, Richard. Known him for a long damn time. He closes the place down sometimes when I want to come get some aggression out.”

I swallowed. “Sounds ominous.”

“Nah, come on.” This time I did grab her hand. “This is an old NASCAR Sprint Cup race car. She was driven in the Brickyard 500 two years ago and then she was retired. Pretty sure I’m one of the few that still drives her, other than Richard.”

She watched as my free hand tenderly caressed the hood of the car. “And uh, is she yours?”

“No, I wish. Me and a bunch of buddies tried to buy her when they wheeled her in, but apparently money can’t buy everything.”

“Sounds interesting.” She wasn’t in the least bit interested. A

I needed to get her in the car. She needed to get a feel for it and see there wasn’t anything to be afraid of. Besides, I hadn’t pla