In the Fast Lane Read Online Free

aftershave through the smells of grease and burnt rubber—the usual hallmarks of her life. Heat invaded her body, the lines of his muscles through his clothes drew her eyes, and—
    Damn her treacherous body. Despite her mental resolve, her libido seemed determined to ignore everything except the desire to put her mouth on this man’s neck and scrape her teeth over the light stubble.
    Which was probably why her words came out all breathy and weird. “I’m out of the car. Now what?” She hated the way she sounded, like a fangirl meeting a celebrity crush.
    Focus, Kerri. She was not going to let a passing attraction allow someone to take advantage of her. Especially not a man who had somehow ended up with control over the thing she’d worked so hard to hold onto. Hart Racing was the only thing still keeping her family together.
    He tightened his neck again. “Now it’s time to put out a fire.”
    *   *   *
    He’d thought she was beautiful in photos. The publicity glossies he’d seen featured a petite, slender woman with great legs and long light brown hair that curled a little at the ends. The slight squaring of her chin—a stubborn chin, he knew now—in her otherwise delicately curved face offset a pair of full, lush lips.
    In person, her eyes were even more incredible. Alive and full of fire. He’d already been surprised enough at the difference from her photos that he’d gotten distracted by the force of his own reaction to her. And when she took off her helmet, it only amplified. All the blood rushed to his groin and he had to jump-start his thoughts a couple of times before his brain reluctantly kicked in again. He almost wished she’d left it on.
    It took him a moment to realize that her hazel eyes had gone dark green, intensely dark. She lifted her chin just enough to make it appear as though she were looking down on him, even though she had to be at least half a foot shorter. “I don’t know what the hell that was about, but you’ve got five seconds to explain yourself before I punch you in the teeth.”
    He snorted with mock amusement. “Given your reputation for being a loose cannon, I’m surprised you haven’t already decked me.”
    Danny and Kyle snickered.
    But Kerri simply crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him calmly. “One.”
    Interesting. For all that the press had painted her as a hotheaded little thing—hell, even Grady had said she had a temper—it suddenly occurred to Ranger that she’d managed to keep her cool long enough to control a spinning car at over a hundred miles per hour and still manage to have a conversation with her panicking brother and a complete stranger. And now she was waiting patiently as anything, even though her eyes were snapping with something almost intimidating in their intensity.
    Her gaze flicked downward and her lips quirked up. “Two.”
    Fuck. At least one part of his body still hadn’t received the message that it wasn’t time to play right now. Ranger yanked his suit jacket closed before it became obvious to anyone else. Some things were meant to stay private.
    “Three. You’re running out of time, mister.”
    She didn’t even know his name.
    For some reason, that was what got him talking. Not because he didn’t doubt she would whomp him good. He could take a punch, though. What he didn’t understand was why he wanted her to know it was him , damn it. Not some anonymous mister .
    “Call me Ranger. Or just Colt, if you have to. Either way, if you care about the reputation of Hart Racing and being able to do your job without you or your crew being hounded in the media, then I suggest you uncross your arms, look wildly happy to see me, and let me escort you to a private place where we can talk about what happens next.”
    She blinked at him. “ Ranger Colt? That’s your real name?”
    Was this woman really giving him shit about his name? He’d seen her stats on the profile sheet in the portfolio.
    Kerri Lorettalynn Hart