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breath he took was filled with Annie, a mixture of the scent of her shampoo and something more elusive, some essence that was just her.

    She wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tightly to her. He heard her say something, but the words were lost in the front of his coat.

    “What?”

    “I like you, Jared.”

    She made him feel good inside and he didn’t want to examine that. There had been few people in his life who’d liked him just for who he was. Was Annie one of them?

    He told himself that it was just the kiss and the hormones talking, but for once he was going to accept the words at face value.

    “That’s nice,” he said, trying for a light tone.

    She glanced up at him, feminine knowledge in her eyes and…something else. Something he couldn’t name but it made him feel…ah, hell. They needed some space. Some distance. He needed to cool things out and get her out of his head.

    Except he liked the way she felt in his arms. He liked…he just plain liked the excitement she brought out in him.

    “I’m not good at relationships,” he said, wanting to be honest.

    “How do you mean?”

    “I have a problem with staying power,” he said.

    “So don’t expect too much from you?” she asked.

    Hearing those words, the very ones he wanted her to understand from him, on her lips, made something tighten in his stomach. “Yeah…yeah, that’s what I was saying…but…”

    He couldn’t say anything else. He didn’t want to sound like some kind of wuss. God, this was why his dating track record was full of women who were more into serial dating than commitment. Women like Annie came along once in a lifetime and that freaking scared the crap out of him. He’d built his life by always keeping moving, always going forward, and at this point in time he really wasn’t ready to slow down.

    She took a deep breath. “Thanks for the warning.”

    “Was that what I was doing? Warning you?”

    “I think so. And you should know…”

    “What?”

    “I’m not good at trusting men,” she said.

    “Why not?”

    She shook her head. “I can’t get into that tonight.”

    “No pressure. This is just our first date.”

    “First date? Are you planning to ask me out again?”

    He let his hands slide away from her body and took her hand in his. He wanted to ask her to go to Tucker’s after-party, but had the feeling that wasn’t the best idea. He needed a breather.

    “Will you be in Fontana next weekend?”

    “I will be.”

    “How will that work with your job?”

    “I’m doing a special project.”

    They reached his car and he unlocked the door and seated her.

    “Tell me about your special project,” he said, once he had the car in gear and they were headed back to Daytona.

    “It’s a book about the Jenner family. Dave’s going to win the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Championship this year.”

    “Some of the other drivers might not agree with that,” Jared said, thinking to himself that Tucker had a pretty good shot at winning.

    “I think I mentioned that I’m surrounded by arrogant men.”

    “That you did. I hope you aren’t too disappointed if your brother doesn’t win.”

    “I’m pretty sure he will. He was so close last year. And he’s made some adjustments to his car and team that will make him unstoppable this year.”

    “What kind of changes?” Jared asked.

    “None that I can share with the competition,” she stated.

    “I wasn’t looking for you to share secrets,” he said.

    She nodded and changed the subject, but underlying the small talk was the knowledge that they were both a big part of two different teams and they both wanted their driver to win the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Championship.

CHAPTER FOUR
    ANNIE’S CELL PHONE rang as soon as they entered the Daytona city limits, breaking the tension that had sprung between her and Jared. She glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Dave. She was tempted to ignore it, especially since she knew that her last