Thrust: Bad Boy Racing Romance (Fastlane Series Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

of a lion on the hunt. Once again, I caught myself staring at him in a way I shouldn’t. Yet, if I broke my gaze, it would only give him more confidence. That was the last thing I needed. Instead, I drew my shoulders up and took a deep breath. Within seconds, he’d moved to within arms’ length.
    “You look stunning,” he said, bringing his face close to mine.
    Marco took my hand, and I readied myself for him to kiss it. He didn’t. Before I could react, he leaned in and instead kissed me once on each cheek, catching me completely off guard. The heat from his lips lingered on my face, sending another unexpected pulse through me. I squeezed my thighs together, pinching them tight in frustration when just then, his scent engulfed me.
    It was a heady, thick aroma, a blend of tobacco, cocoa and vanilla. He smelled like European glamour and old world charm rolled into one smoldering temptation. After he kissed me the second time, on the opposite cheek, he lingered, moving his lips across my face and just to the outside of my ear. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled to attention. Beneath the ultra-fine material of his tuxedo, I felt the hardness of his lean, chiseled torso.
    “I have something else to tell you, Dani,” he whispered.
    The heat from his breath puffed against my earlobe, arousing me even more. I struggled to find a response.
    “Y-you do?” I stammered, my voice cracking enough to be noticeable.
    Marco reached for my waist and slipped his hand around it, pinching it a bit.
    “Yes,” he began, pulling me towards him with a steady force. “If you so much as mention anything about the agreement, or money, while we are here together, you can forget about the deal.”
    He finished speaking and leaned away from me. My eyes met his. He never blinked.
    “Do you understand?” he asked.
    Instinctively, I squeezed my clutch. Inside, the signature page of his agreement remained folded and safe, unlike me. I nodded.
    “Yes, absolutely,” I replied, after what seemed like forever. “That was never my intention, Marco.”
    No sooner had I spoken those words than Marco’s expression brightened.
    “Good,” he replied, the tone in his voice matching the sudden softening in his face. “I need to relax and have fun tonight. There'll be plenty of time to discuss business.”
    With that, Marco turned, bent his arm at the elbow and nodded, gesturing for me to walk with him. Over the next fifteen minutes or so he and I mingled, wandering between one group of beautiful people and the next. During this time, Marco smiled and joked with everyone we met. It was a side of him I hadn’t yet seen. He seemed so at ease, so content, and far different from the prickly persona he’d shown to me so far. At one point, we made our way to the bar and ordered cocktails.
    “Well, what do you think?” Marco asked, passing a dirty martini to me.
    I wrapped my fingers around the chilled glass. “What do you mean?”
    Marco nodded and gestured towards the ballroom full of people.
    “About the gala? Are you enjoying yourself?”
    I swallowed my first sip. The liquor’s heat warmed me as it slid down my throat.
    I licked my lips a fraction and smiled at him. “Yes, of course. Why do you ask?”
    He shrugged. “No reason.”
    With that, Marco lifted his cocktail to his lips and drank. I frowned at him. What did he mean by ‘no reason’? But before I could get another word out, I noticed Marco look beyond me. He nodded at someone approaching from my rear.
    “When did you get here?” Marco began, placing his drink on the bar while still looking behind me.
    “Who are you…?” the mystery voice boomed. “My fucking Mom?”
    I turned. A gorgeous man with long, dirty blonde hair, steel blue eyes, and a build similar to Marco’s appeared in front of me. Marco passed by me and they hugged. Big smiles and mouthfuls of white flashed between the two men.
    After their embrace, both of them turned to face me. The strange man nodded at