“Thank you. I’d like to think so.”
“Why did my father pull you off your current job to come babysit me?”
She laughed. “I’m hardly babysitting you. But in answer to your question, because we feel you’re a critical component to his potential to become the vice presidential nominee. You can assist him, and Governor Cameron, in garnering critical votes. I’m right where I need to be.”
He played with her hair, causing goose bumps to pop out on her skin. “Do you know when you talk about politics your eyes flash with excitement?”
“Do they?”
“Yeah.”
She ran a fingertip down his arm. “Do you know when you talk about racing your eyes do the same thing?”
He smiled. “I’m not surprised. I love it.”
“I should hope so, since you’re circling around that track at death-defying speeds.”
“It’s fun. You should try it sometime.”
“Oh. No thanks. I’m content to just watch.”
“It’s exhilarating.”
“Again, no thanks.”
“Surely you dated some boy when you were young who wanted to impress you by drag racing down a deserted street at a hundred miles an hour.”
“Uh . . . no.”
He grinned. “Wait ’til we get to Florida for the next race. I’m taking you on the track for a drive.”
She sat straighter. “What? I can’t get on the track.”
“Sure you can. You can even drive one of the cars yourself.”
He was out of his mind. Just the thought of getting behind the wheel of one of those demonic, potentially-out-of-control speeding death traps was enough to make the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. “Oh, I don’t think so.”
“Oh, I do think so. You seem so fearless, Evelyn. Surely the thought of driving a race car excites you.”
“Not in the least.”
“Scared, huh?”
“Not really. Just not something I’d ever thought about doing.”
“That’s okay. I’ll just take you in one of the cars on a slower ride around the track.
Wouldn’t you want a tour of the track in Daytona?”
She calmed somewhat. The thought of getting a view of what he saw from the track would be educational. “Okay. Sure. That might be fun.”
She didn’t trust the gleam in his eyes, though.
They settled in and watched the racing channel on television for a while so Gray could get caught up on the news of his win.
“So you never had a hot boyfriend who treated you to a thrilling high-speed ride in a fast car, huh?”
She tore her gaze away from the TV. “No. Why? Is that some teen girl right of passage I missed out on?”
“Yes. You were deprived.”
She rolled her eyes. “And to think I made it to adulthood without breaking land/speed records in some guy’s Camaro.”
He patted her leg. “Don’t worry. I’m going to fix that for you.”
“That’s exactly what worries me.”
He’d left his hand on her leg, and while they watched television, she became conscious of him squeezing her thigh, running his hand up and down her leg to her knee. It was disconcerting. It felt good, made her feminine parts squeal with joy and beg for more.
She wasn’t going to get more. She’d resolved that one time was the only time. They —no, she—had to keep the professional line drawn between them.
It was time to put a stop to the places her thoughts were going, the way her body yearned for him—before she got herself in all kinds of trouble.
She stood and grabbed her purse and keys.
THIRTEEN
GRAY LOOKED UP AT HER. “WHERE ARE YOU GOING?”
“It’s getting late. I should go.”
“Really? It’s still early.”
“I have . . . things to do.”
“What kinds of things?”
He wasn’t going to make this easy for her, was he? “Paperwork. I need to file my report with the senator.”
He arched a brow. “A report? What type of report?”
Evelyn had given him a bullshit answer, and now she had to lie. “I do have to justify my job, Gray. I’m not following you around the country like some track groupie, you know.”
“You aren’t? Now I’m disappointed.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’ll have to live with it.”
He stood and followed her as she made her way to the door.
She wished she didn’t like him so much. But things between them had been great.
She had thought this job assignment was going to be difficult, that he’d be angry and defensive because of his father. They’d gotten off to a rough start, but after that he’d made it easy for her—much easier than she’d anticipated. Plus, he was smoking-hot sexy, the sport intrigued her, and she learned about new facets of Gray every day.
And the way he touched her brought out responses in her body she didn’t know she could have.