Chapter Twenty Eight

Well, so much for waiting up for her, Dixie thought fondly as she carefully closed the door to Nicky’s motor coach and locked the door behind her.

She had expected Nicky to be waiting up, nursing cup of coffee or a beer and reading a book, or reviewing tape of the day’s qualifying.

Upon closer inspection, though, she found him splayed out in bed, still fully dressed, a book tented on his chest as though he had fallen asleep while reading it.

She had been with Javier much longer than she thought, still trying to convince him to visit Dr. Costa or to go to a hospital, but he outright refused.

She had finally told him he had to swear to her that she was absolved of any and all responsibility if he rode and got hurt worse, or even tried to ride and got hurt even worse.

He was determined to ride in the follow day’s race, though, despite his starting position near the back of the pack. It was just championship tactics, she knew – you had to earn all the points you could to stay in the hunt, even if it just meant turning laps in the back – it still got you more points than the bike that didn’t start, or the bike that crashed on lap two.

Still, it rankled her that he would risk his health, but then she realized the absurdity of that statement – these guys risked their health, hell, their lives, every few weeks for the sake of going faster than anyone else on two thin strips of rubber and a prayer.

Jesus, what was she thinking, even contemplating dating, or getting serious with, a MotoGP racer.

After her accident, after all she had been through… could she really live with that if something happened to Nicky? What if he ended up damaged like her? What if he ended up like Dajo?

But worse yet was the thought of not being in his life at all, of not knowing from one moment to the next where he stood until the next press release, the next piece of coverage on Speed TV.

Who would have thought she would end up on the arm of a racer – and not just a racer, but an introverted, opinionated, bratty cowboy from the middle of nowhere Wyoming.

God, life was funny, she thought, quietly toeing off her running shoes and sliding out of her clothes by the dim light emanating from the nearby bathroom.

She contemplating slipping one of his oversized flannel shirts on as rudimentary pajamas, and then decided it simply wasn’t worth the effort.

She was hoping not to be wearing attire of any kind for the next little while, she thought with a private grin.

Soundlessly, she slid into bed beside Nicky, grinning slightly at his slightly opened mouth, his tousled hair, his crumpled book. She picked up the book and stuck it on the bedside table beside her, careful to mark the page he was on before turning back to him.

She snugged her body against his warm, fully clothed body, one of her hands coming to rest on his chest, her head on his shoulder.

This was what peace felt like, she mused. Peace, and happiness.

With a strong-but-silent cowboy from Wyoming, she mused again as she felt Nicky stir slightly under her head.

“Cade, I’ve told you, the dark is nothing to be scared of, buddy. You have to go back and sleep in your own bed or people will start to talk.”

Dixie burst out laughing at Nicky’s serious intonation, laughing harder as he began to laugh with her.

After several long seconds, they finally quieted and laid eyes on each other. “Hi,” Nicky said, his voice slightly sleepy.

“Hi,” Dixie replied easily.

“You’re naked.”

“You’re Captain Obvious,” she shot back.

“I like naked chicks. Especially hot naked chicks. Who are in my bed. And named Dixie.”

“Have you been drinking?”

“No, I think I’m just overtired,” Nicky said with a grin. “Or wound really tight. Maybe you could, um, give me a massage or some muscle stretches.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at his leer. “Wow. Smooth.”

“I though the naked chicks line was really the one that cinched it.”

“It’s a tough call,” Dixie said, snugging herself against him again, more for warmth than for modesty.

“How’s De Costa?” Nicky asked, his voice not as warm now.

“Stubborn, as expected. He’ll start tomorrow – I just hope he doesn’t make himself much worse. Laguna Seca is next up, and I know that’s a huge market not only for you, but for him. California seems to love him. If he’s hurt and doesn’t race, that’ll effect, like, the state economy.”

“He’ll race,” Nicky said, his voice full of confidence.

“How do you know?”

Nicky sighed. “Because that’s exactly what I would do.”

“Well, perhaps I can convince you to think of other things for the rest of the evening,” Dixie said, her voice low and husky now. “Such as the naked chick in your bed.”

“Hm…” Nicky growled. “I think that’s an excellent proposal.”

“I think you getting naked too is an even more excellent proposal.”

“I always do what my trainer says,” Nicky said, sliding out from beneath her and beginning to strip.

“Yeah. Right,” Dixie said, voice full of sarcasm. “If only that were true.”

“How about if for tonight, it’s true?” Nicky said, sliding back onto the bed beside her.

“Deal,” she said with a smile. “Kiss me now.”

Nicky laughed at her bossy tone. “God, I love you,” he said, leaning over to kiss her, freezing about halfway, his eyes wide.

Dixie’s eyes were equally wide and locked on his. After a moment, though, her expression softened. “Yeah?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. I love you.”

Dixie smiled then, a wide, beatific smile. “In that case, I love you too, cowboy.”

This time, though, they met in the middle for the kiss, their arms sliding around each other, their warm skin meeting together, their breaths beginning to thin and speed up at the touch of the other.

It was a long, long time later before the coach was quiet with the sounds of contented sleep.

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