Games Lovers Play by June Tate Page A

concentration he had needed was mentally draining too.
    â€˜Why don’t we grab something to eat, and then I think you should sleep, you look worn out,’ she said.
    His look of relief was her reward. ‘You really wouldn’t mind?’
    â€˜No, of course not, why would I?’
    Putting his arm round her he kissed her forehead. ‘I promised we’d celebrate, that’s why.’
    â€˜We can do that later. Come on, I could eat a horse!’
    Although Sam was bone weary, he too was hungry, and they both ordered roast beef with all the trimmings. He was thirsty and ordered a pint beer at the bar, where they sat until they were called to the table. Connie had half a bitter. The fumes from the cars and the excitement of the race had dried her mouth too.
    â€˜Today was quite an education,’ she told him. ‘Very different from the last time I watched you race.’
    He frowned. ‘Yes, and if it hadn’t been for that crazy bugger I’d have won it!’
    â€˜It was a miracle that no one was killed,’ she said. ‘When that wheel flew through the air I was certain someone was going to be hurt – or worse.’
    Shaking his head, Sam said, ‘I’ll be very surprised if Barton isn’t banned after today. He deliberately hit that car trying to pass when he didn’t have the room. I suppose he thought he could shunt it out of the way. The man’s a menace!’
    Chuckling, she said, ‘The other driver thumped Jake. The stewards had to pull them apart.’
    At that moment they were told their table was ready and they settled down to eat.
    Back at Silverstone, the race committee had summoned Jake Barton to their office and asked him to wait outside. Inside they discussed the accident and deliberated their next move. They were all in agreement that this time Barton, who was a rogue driver anyway, had gone too far and had deliberately endangered life. Some spectators had been injured, but fortunately there were no fatalities. His actions would not be tolerated. They called him in.
    Half an hour later, he walked out of the office, his face white with shock. He wandered over to where the remains of the Jaguar were being loaded on to his truck and stood looking at the wreck as he smoked a cigarette and tried to come to terms with the decision made against him. He’d been banned from racing for six months, his mechanics had walked out and now he was on his own. He couldn’t believe it. He still had his garage where he worked on private cars, but that wasn’t who he was. He was a racing driver first and foremost. They couldn’t do this to him! Well, he’d appeal. No way could he allow Sam Knight to have a clear field. No way!
    Connie and Sam had finished eating and had made their way to their room. Connie went into the bathroom to freshen up, and when she returned Sam was lying on the bed asleep, fully dressed. She gazed fondly at him and carefully removed his shoes, then climbed on the bed beside him, where she too fell asleep, the excitement of the day catching up with her also.
    Several hours later she woke. The bed next to her was empty, and she could hear the bathwater running. Stretching her stiff legs, she climbed off the bed, looked at her watch and was surprised to see it was eight o’clock. Sitting in front of the dressing table, she combed her tussled hair, freshened her make-up and waited. Her heart beating a little faster as she did so.
    In a few minutes, Sam came out of the bathroom wearing just a bath towel around his waist. He smiled at her when he saw she was awake.
    â€˜Feel better now?’ he asked as he leaned over and kissed her.
    â€˜I can’t believe I slept so long.’
    He pulled her to her feet and held her close. ‘We both needed to rest, but now …’
    As he put his arms around her, she could smell the scent of soap and aftershave, feel the taut body against hers. Felt the longing in her