An Impractical Match (Match #2) Read online

  “Boys were your teenage hobby?”

  “I guess I must be a romantic at heart. I liked clothes and makeup and jewelry. I liked to be pretty, and I liked it when boys asked me out on dates.” She put her nose in the air, all but daring him to mock her. “So there.”

  “Hey, I was a teenage boy who liked watching girls in pretty clothes and makeup. You’ll get no argument from me.”

  “I never had a thing for boys on motorcycles.”

  “Well, that’s disappointing.”

  “You would have mussed up my perfect world. All that noise and dust and grease.”

  “We’re very sorry.” His expression was artificially contrite, and his tone was low, its timbre matching the nearby thunder.

  She grinned at him as the skies opened up and the rain clattered down, splashing on the deck in front of them.

  “Come here,” he told her, setting aside his wineglass and patting his lap.

  She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

  “You’re going to get wet.”

  She glanced on the other side of her chair and realized he was right.

  “I don’t trust you,” she told him.

  “I’m not going to try anything. I promise. I won’t muss up your perfect little world.”

  His words came out bittersweet to her ears. She didn’t have a perfect little world. For a long time, she’d thought it was possible. But it wasn’t. So there was nothing left for him to muss up.

  She realized she very much wanted to curl up with him. She wanted to feel his arms around her one more time tonight. This would all be over tomorrow morning. She wasn’t heading for the Panama Canal and the Caribbean Sea. She was going back to Phoenix, and then to DC, where she’d be exactly what she was when she’d left, a jilted bride struggling to find a new path in life.

  But for now, on this ship, for one more shining moment, she wanted to forget what lay ahead.

  She rose to her feet, set down her glass and eased onto Devlin’s warm lap. His arms came around her, and she let her head fall back on his shoulder.

  “Just sit here,” he whispered in her ear. “Just sit here for a while where it’s safe to watch the storm.”

  Chapter Eight

  For the next few weeks, Devlin threw himself into training the kids, planning the race events and running his business. Still, no matter how exhausted he was at the end of each day, he couldn’t shake Jillian from his mind. He thought about kissing her, sure. And he thought a whole lot about making love with her. But what did the most to tie him up in knots was the memory of her sleeping in his arms, wrapped in his jacket on the cruise ship balcony for several hours while the rain pounded down around them.

  She’d been embarrassed when she woke up, but that vulnerability had only made her more appealing. She’d gone back to her room, him keeping his promise not to try anything. After that, he pretended to keep his promise to forget they’d made love.

  Seeing her at planning meetings and behaving as if they were nothing but business colleagues was beyond tough. Eventually, she’d gone back to DC, but then he had the pleasure of wondering about Edmund, and even about Edmund’s cousin Owen. It was pretty clear she wasn’t yet over her ex-fiancé, and Devlin couldn’t imagine any man ever getting over her.

  “Devlin!” Luke shouted from across the track.

  Devlin shook himself back to the present. The tent company was doing a final check of the excavated sites today. They’d begin putting the tents up on the weekend. The plaques and trophies had arrived, and there’d been a steady stream of security people in and out of the track, checking fences, equipment and documenting procedures.

  “Yeah?” Devlin called back.

  Luke pointed down the track to where Griffin seemed to be having trouble with his engine.

  “On it,” Devlin called to Luke, moving to the closest four-wheeler to go see what he could do to help.

  He bounced his way along the edge of the track to where Griffin was stuck. By the time he got there, Riley had already pulled up to help. Devlin stopped and shut off his engine.

  “Sounds like he lost a spark plug,” said Riley, straightening. “Got a plug wrench?”

  “Should have.” Devlin swung off the four-wheeler and met Riley at the toolbox on the back rack.

  “How’s yours running?”

  “Smoother now. I think we’ve got the tire pressure right. Trick is in pickin’ up the line after turn six. If you don’t get the jump just right, you get sucked to the outside, and that’s no good.”

  Devlin located the plug wrench, while Riley pulled open a drawer in the box and found a new spark plug.

  “You know, the groomers might switch that up before the race.”

  “They might,” Riley agreed as they walked back to Griffin’s bike. “But if you look at the natural terrain, it’s going to be easier for them to scrape it down on the south side. I’m counting on them taking the easy way.”

  Devlin couldn’t help but grin. Riley was always doing the analysis, weighing the odds. He was a really bright kid.

  “How’s it going out there?” Devlin asked Griffin.

  “Getting tired of hotshot here spraying my face.”

  Riley smirked. “Ride faster.”

  “Funny,” said Griffin.

  “Are you being a jerk?” Devlin asked Riley.

  “Just making it like race conditions.”

  “This is only practice,” Devlin pointed out as he removed the bad spark plug.

  Riley handed him the new one. “Somebody’s gotta toughen him up.”

  “If you’re not careful, somebody’ll be toughening you up.”

  “Give it your best shot, old man,” Riley taunted in return.

  Devlin stood up and stepped back from the bike. “Give it a try now,” he told Griffin.

  Griffin kicked over the engine. It caught and started up.

  Devlin waved him forward, and he took off, spraying Riley with dirt as he did.

  “Little jerk,” Riley muttered.

  “You might want to give the kid a break,” Devlin advised, moving back to the toolbox.

  “You think?” Riley demanded.

  “He’s a lot smaller than you are.”

  “And I’m a lot smaller than you are. I don’t see you backing off.”

  “Not lately,” Devlin was forced to agree. “But you can handle it.”

  “So can he.” Riley grasped the handlebars of his bike and prepared to mount up.

  “You know, Riley, you’re getting to a point, an age, a size, where you need to take more responsibility for the people around you. I mean your friends and your family.”

  Riley’s eyes narrowed. “Why does this feel like you’re warming up to something?”

  Devlin took a breath. “You know about girls, right?”

  Riley grinned and shook his head. “Yeah, I’ve noticed them around. Are you about to tell me to use condoms?”

  Devlin wasn’t sure he was going in the right direction here, but he pressed forward. “I’m about to tell you to use your brain. It’s not just about condoms. It’s about respect and responsibility.”

  “I’m not going to get anybody pregnant.”

  Devlin took a step closer. “You’re getting older. You’re getting bigger. You’re a good-looking guy, and girls are going to notice.”

  Riley crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not seeing a problem so far.”

  “Girls are good,” said Devlin. “Girls are great.”

  Riley grinned.

  “But they can put guys in a position where they don’t want to be.”

  “Haven’t met a position I didn’t like,” Riley drawled.

  Devlin had to struggle not to laugh at that. The kid was too clever for his own good. “I mean, accidentally or on purpose, girls can play you against each other. Put you in a position to fight. You have to learn how to walk away.”

  Riley gazed off into the distance. “I thought you were going to talk about sex.”


  “Sex, too,” said Devlin. “You have to be respectful of everyone. Boys who are smaller than you, girls who flirt with you, boys who want to fight with you. Because, even if they’re the same size, you can do one hell of a lot of damage to each other before it’s over. You’ve got to be the guy who keeps the peace, Riley.”

  “How’s that fair?”

  “Who the hell said anything about fair? A year or two from now, you’re going to be more capable and powerful than ninety percent of the people you meet. Congratulations. And make sure you don’t abuse it.”

  “I’m flirtin’ back,” he told Devlin with conviction.

  “Flirting’s fine. But don’t you dare try to coerce any girl into anything. Don’t use her emotions to your advantage. Don’t pretend you like her more than you do. And don’t lie and say you love her so she’ll sleep with you.”

  “You’re a barrel of laughs, you know that?”

  “You know I’m right.”

  “You don’t think I’ve figured most of this out?” Riley demanded.

  Devlin paused. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t. But if you haven’t, somebody needs to clue you in.”

  “Got it covered, man.”

  “Think about it.”

  Riley kicked over his engine, revving it high. Devlin saw it coming and quickly turned away, averting his face. Sure enough, Riley gave him a spray with the soft track topsoil.

  “Little jerk,” Devlin muttered to himself. But as the dust cleared, he drew a breath. For better or worse, the ice was broken. Hopefully, he could have more frequent, more productive conversations with Riley as time went on.

  He returned to the four-wheeler and swung his leg over the seat. As he twisted the key, he caught a movement on the hillside near the office. His focus zoomed in, and he felt a pressure wave barrel through the atmosphere to rock against his chest.

  Jillian.

  She was back.

  o o o o

  Jillian was impressed by how much work had been done during the days she’d been in DC. The five tent sites were leveled and ready. The heavy equipment was being loaded up and moved out so that the carpenters could come in and build the floors.

  “This looks fantastic,” she said to Luke, making her way onto the vast VIP area.

  Hank beamed proudly from where he walked beside them.

  “It’ll be tight on timing,” said Luke. “But we’ll make it.”

  “The bridge is impressive,” said Shari, shading her eyes to take in the footbridge stretching from the infield to the parking lot. Workers were erecting a sponsor sign for Timeless Auto Restoration.

  “The generators will be trucked in on Monday,” Jillian told Hank. “They say they’ll have to replace your electrical panel in the office.”

  “I got an e-mail from the electrician,” said Hank. “I can live without power on Monday.”

  “The security guys seem happy,” Luke put in.

  Jillian gazed around at the beehive of activity. It looked like chaos, but she knew it was mostly under control. Ticket sales and competitor entries had been slower than they’d hoped, but NMAC had agreed to put on an e-mail push to their membership, and one of the national sponsors had upped the prize money.

  A four-wheeler came to a stop across the track on the start-finish runoff lane, drawing Jillian’s attention. It took only a split second for her to recognize Devlin. The world seemed to stop as he dismounted and walked toward them.

  The sound of the semitrailer engines, the thwack of air compressors, the distant roar of the kids’ motocross bikes, and the voices of the people around her faded to blur. Sunshine bounced off Devlin’s dark hair. His shoulders were broad. His stride was easy. His blue jeans and leather boots were covered in dust.

  As usual, his sunglasses gave him a rakish look. His face was unshaven. Sweat glistened along his hairline. His callused hands were stained with grease, one knuckle skinned and raw. But she’d never seen a more gorgeous man in her life.

  “Hello, Jillian,” he greeted, perching his sunglasses on his head, meeting her eyes and coming to a stop a few paces away.

  She swallowed. “Devlin.”

  After a few powerful moments, he looked to the rest of the group. “Hey, Shari. Welcome back.”

  “Good to be here,” she responded easily. “You guys have made a lot of progress.”

  Devlin shrugged. “There’s a big team working on it.”

  “Devlin?” called one of the kids who had clustered their bikes on the lane near his four-wheeler. “Okay to get burgers?”

  Devlin glanced at his watch. “Sure. Tell them to add it to my bill.”

  The kids whooped out a yes.

  “They’ve been working really hard,” he told Jillian.

  She was still battling her reaction to seeing him again. Her heart rate was up. Her skin felt sensitive to the wind and the sunshine. Sounds seemed magnified, and all she could think about was stepping forward and folding herself into his arms, dust, grit and all.

  “Are they all competing?” she asked instead.

  “They’ve all signed up.” His stare stayed intently on her. “Anybody hungry? You want a burger?”

  “Sure,” she answered, thinking she’d follow him anywhere.

  “I’m good,” Shari answered. She looked to Luke. “Can you show me the view from the beer tent? I need to confirm the details of the furniture rental.”

  “No problem,” Luke answered.

  “I’ve got some phone calls,” said Hank, and the group split up.

  “Nervous?” asked Devlin as they angled toward a food vendor truck. It was the only one up and running in the concession area and had been used to feed the workers for the past few weeks.

  “A little,” she admitted on a laugh.

  She’d been thinking about him nearly day and night since the cruise. She knew she was supposed to be ignoring her attraction, but it wasn’t working out that way. She was darn near obsessing about him. And now that she was back, she had no idea what to do.

  “Everything seems on track,” he told her. “It seems like the tents are the biggest vulnerability, and they’ve caught up over the past couple of days.”

  Embarrassment swept through her.

  He was talking about the event, not about seeing him again. Of course he was talking about the event. This lustful fixation of hers was only one-sided. She seriously had to get a grip.

  “The burgers smell pretty good,” she told him as they approached the under-construction concession area.

  The kids had spread themselves out, burgers and drinks in their hands. The three boys were parked on boulders in the shade of the trailer, while Katie had found a spot on the tailgate of a pickup truck.

  “Just get me anything,” Jillian told Devlin, turning her attention to Katie.

  She made her way across the dusty ground.

  “Hi,” she greeted.

  “Hi,” Katie returned in a neutral tone, barely glancing up.

  She’d washed her hands and face, but her clothes remained dusty, boots covered in mud, and a few smears of dirt remained along her hairline.

  “I came over to apologize,” said Jillian.

  That got Katie’s attention.

  “For the last time we talked,” Jillian continued. “I didn’t mean to make you defend your choice to ride motocross.”

  Katie shrugged. “I’m used to it.”

  Jillian scanned the tailgate and decided it was relatively safe. She was wearing Dalucine jeans, but they would wash. And she’d gone with a dark purple cotton shirt that ought to hold up to the rigors of the track. She boosted herself up.

  “That still doesn’t make it right,” she told Katie. “Riding motocross is hard work and a big accomplishment, and you should be proud.”

  “What makes you think I’m not?”

  Jillian took a breath and regrouped. She decided to stop trying to handle Katie and just be honest. “Are you always this prickly?”

  Katie quirked a half smile. “Are you a
lways this patronizing?”

  “No,” Jillian answered honesty. “But I’m not used to talking to teenagers. I can’t figure out if I should treat you as a child or an adult.”

  “I’m not a child.” Katie popped a French fry into her mouth.

  “I can see that.”

  “What point is it you’re trying to make again?”

  “That my knee-jerk reaction to finding out you ride motocross was to think you should behave like a girl. And I realize that was wrong. You are behaving like a girl.”

  Katie scanned Jillian’s outfit. “Not all girls are like you. We don’t wear pink ribbons and sip from china tea sets.”

  “Hey, I dressed down today.”

  Katie laughed at that. “You have pink embroidery on your jeans.”

  “Not very much,” Jillian countered.

  “You’re wearing diamond earrings and a rose gold pendant.”

  “They’re tiny little studs. And if you look closely,” Jillian held up the pendant, “it’s a ladybug. I thought it was whimsical.”

  Now Katie was really smiling. “You wore whimsical jewelry and diamonds to a motocross track.”

  “You seem to know a lot about jewelry,” Jillian couldn’t help but observe.

  The girl shrugged.

  “When you’re not doing motocross, how do you dress?”

  “Jeans and a T-shirt. I’m in high school, and my summer job is washing cars.”

  “Any pink embroidery?”

  “Nope.”

  “Ever dress up?”

  “No reason to do it most of the time. But that doesn’t mean I’m not a girl. I don’t know why everyone thinks dirt and makeup are mutually exclusive. They’re not.” She glanced down at the pink embroidery. “Everything in its place, I say.”

  Before Jillian could decipher the meaning of Katie’s words, Devlin came around the end of the pickup with a box of food in his hand. “Got you a cheeseburger, fries and a milkshake,” he told Jillian.

  She immediately calculated about fifteen hundred calories. “Thanks. I might not eat all of it.”

  “No problem.” He set the box on the tailgate between Jillian and Katie. “I’ll finish it.”

  “I gotta take off,” said Katie, packing the remains of her meal into her own cardboard box and sliding down to the ground.