In the Fast Lane by Audra North

Engines!”
    Kerri rolled her eyes at the Grand Marshal’s words and flipped her ignition switch, letting the roar of forty screaming engines drown out her annoyance. She knew the guy meant well—most of them meant well —but singling her out like that only reminded the other drivers and the fans that she was the outlier. The woman.
    Not that being a woman was a bad thing. Dad had taught her to love who she was on the track, and that’s all that mattered. Usually.
    But now there was something else in her thoughts constantly reminding her that she was a woman, but for very different reasons. Something that mattered more than she wanted it to.
    Yesterday’s kiss.
    No. Yesterday’s kisses.
    Shit and damn. She and Ranger hadn’t had much time together yesterday after the press conference. She’d had to help the guys finish tuning the car so it would be ready for today’s race, then she’d headed over to the Cran-Tasty tent—Cran-Tasty was still one of their sponsors, after all, even though the money they contributed barely covered fuel expenses—to meet fans and sign photos.
    During that time, she’d managed to convince herself that the unbelievable attraction she’d felt for Ranger had been the result of an explosive situation. But as soon as she’d arrived back at the hotel last night and seen him sitting in the restaurant just off the lobby, looking tense and tired, jacket off and sleeves rolled back to reveal muscled forearms, she’d wanted him even more than before.
    She’d never been more aware of being a woman than when she was around Ranger.
    But she couldn’t afford to get lost in his arms—or his kisses. It was just a show. She had to remember that. Any more involvement than superficial pretense was a liability.
    Her only defense against him was to try to be as prickly as possible. Sure, they were supposed to be dating, but any real attraction between them would only complicate things. The less they actually spent time together, the better. She could deal with a few of those hot, incredible kisses if she had time enough in between to get over them.
    She definitely needed to stop thinking about him now. The race was starting. She had to focus. Directly ahead, the pace car rolled forward, seeming to pull the pack along. She shook off thoughts of Ranger and drove the one lap behind the pace car, getting into the groove of the race. By the time the pace car pulled off and the green flag went up, she was ready.
    She zoomed ahead, staying with Colby Meadows, an Intercomm Cup driver. They went like that for a few laps, until he pulled ahead on a straight.
    No big deal. She hadn’t expected to catch him. His car was faster, his technique better, honed by a few more years of experience. Bit and the crew had done a great job with adjustments yesterday after her practice session was cut short, but the car still needed work.
    “Nolan coming up on your right, Kerri.” Lee’s voice came through the earpiece. “He’s pretty close. You might want to—”
    Screeeeech! Tom Nolan came up alongside her, too close, scraping the side of her car.
    “Motherfucker!” Kerri shouted into her helmet, knowing she was probably deafening Lee and Grady, but that goddamn dickhead had just done that on purpose when she had no room left on the inside to move away.
    Fucking Tom Nolan was one of the Granoff team drivers and an absolute jackass. Tom was a true hothead, what the newspapers tried to make Kerri out to be. She might have fast reflexes and a loud mouth, and sometimes she made mistakes, but Tom did things on purpose. Like right now, their cars were trading paint, sparks flying every time he came up against her as he intentionally tried to intimidate her.
    Kerri fought for position, gripping the steering wheel and praying she could shake him on the corner that was coming up. She could see Tom gesturing through his window, something foul no doubt.
    “Who is that shit-for-brains?”
    Ranger. That was Ranger’s voice.