Crash and Burn (8 page)

“Seriously. I’m already attracted to you. There’s something between us. I know you feel it too.”

Her stomach dropped. Hearing him admit he was feeling the same thing she was experiencing was a shock to her system. Was it all a ploy to get her to work for him, or was he interested in her becoming more than his fake wife? She was so close to saying yes, throwing caution to the wind and becoming Divina Adams, the woman Stone wanted. She’d be required to compartmentalize her feelings. She could be around the excitement of racing without falling in love with Stone Adams. He wasn’t that charming. Really…

She looked up into his dark eyes.

“What would it be like, being your wife?”

A serious look crossed his face. “Lots of flashbulbs, smiling and a few canned responses to use if the media asks you questions. You get to sit front and center for the races. I guess it’s cool if you like racing. Most women who follow the sport would kill for a chance like that, even on the local level. We’d ride to and from the tracks together and I guess we’d travel together for away races. We’d stay in my trailer, but don’t worry. I have a bed and a couch.” He paused, cocked his head to the side and waited.

Was he hoping for a certain reaction? “This would be a marriage in name and fame only?”

His lips curled into a smile that radiated into his eyes. “If that’s what you want. I won’t force myself on you. You’d be doing me a huge favor. Huge. I’ll pay you. Give you anything you want.”

She smiled at his enthusiasm. “Calm down. I don’t want anything from you. Not yet anyway. I’ve got to figure out how this would work. What if someone wants to tell our secret or discovers I’m not Divina?”

“Let’s jump off that bridge when we come to it. You’ll have to have a slight makeover to look a bit more like your sister. A few tweaks and it will be enough to make people question who is who.”

“You’ve got it all figured out, don’t you?” She wanted to be upset, outraged that he’d expected her to give in. What he didn’t realize was he would be helping her also.

* * * *

Stone got downstairs first the next morning. He scrambled up some eggs and fried bacon after starting the coffee. He couldn’t believe Grace had agreed to act as his wife. She’d never actually said yes, but he sensed she was weakening. She’d asked what it would be like. He’d taken that as a great sign. Then she’d tossed and turned all night. He’d heard her bedsprings creak every time she rolled over. Was she thinking about him? About being married to him?

He whistled a wordless tune while he stirred the eggs.

“It smells great down here. Obviously Divina’s not cooking,” Hank said, walking into the kitchen dressed in his business suit. “Serve me up some, man.”

“Sure thing.”

“What happened to you and Grace last night? I got home and you guys disappeared.”

“We were talking upstairs.”

“Talking, or talking like on the couch the other night?” Hank wiggled his bushy eyebrows.

“You’re not helping.” Stone slid a plate in front of him. He told Hank about Grace’s questions and that he thought she was weakening to his charms. “So get your tux pressed, you might get married after all.”

“Who’s getting married?” Divina asked, sitting at the small round table.

“Grace might pretend to be you so we can get married,” Hank told her, then kissed her. “I don’t know how he’s going to do it, but Stone is going to save the day.”

“I knew Gracie would help us out. I knew it.” Divina grinned ear to ear.

Stone had the urge to knock the smile off her face. He was so disappointed in his initial choice of wife. She didn’t even understand she was tearing her sister up inside–the sister who would do anything for her.

He was irritated. He never would’ve treated his sister that way if she was still alive. As kids they’d bickered, but he never made her feel so…conflicted. Celia had been younger, like Divina. She’d died when the man she’d been dating took her out on his motorcycle and wrapped it around a tree, traveling at one hundred miles per hour, showing off. Even though Celia’d been wearing a helmet, it didn’t save her life. It made him sick at the thought of his sweet brunette sister’s mangled body. She’d been nineteen and never had the chance to experience life.

“You ought to cut Grace some slack. She cleans up your life for you,” he spit at her.

“What’s up your ass, Stone? You’re getting what you want. A wife to parade around. And I’m getting what I want–you out of my hair.”
 

“You do realize Grace will be you for the next year. That means Divina Cromwell can’t get married to anyone else because she’ll be by my side, happily
married
.” He strung the word out to make his point more irritating.

Divina stomped her foot under the table. “Unacceptable.”

“That’s facts,” Stone said with more satisfaction than necessary. “Hank’ll explain it to you.” Stone threw a towel onto the table and, without a backward glance, left the kitchen.

Celia would have loved Grace. She would have admired her loyalty and ability to see situations in many lights. At least he hoped Grace would see the benefits of being his wife. A bit of a chicken, not wanting to face Grace, he grabbed his coat and headed out the front door for a walk. He needed to clear his head before he made final arrangements for the first photo shoot with his sponsor and his pseudowife.

Stone was back from his walk with barely enough time to change his clothes and pick up Grace. With a bit of luck she would be agreeable. He’d put a call into Walt to give him the heads-up. Walt said he would plan an extra hour so there would be time for a quick makeover and a new wardrobe for Grace.

Grace stood in the center of the living room, her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. “I have a few conditions.”

His stomach dropped. She was going to turn him down.

“Listen here, Mr. Big Shot Racecar Driver. I am who I am. I refuse to turn into some racecar bimbo just because I’m supposed to act like my sister. I’ll go though the cloning process, but I will not dumb myself down. And finally, there will be no PDA. You can tell your sponsors, Walt and anyone else that we don’t engage in public displays of affection. We are very private people.”

Chapter 6

Stone glanced at Grace in the passenger seat of his car on the way to the storage facility where the racecar was parked. She wrung her hands in her lap and he suppressed a smile. This would all work out.

“You look nervous.” He pulled onto one of the highway interchanges that crossed Long Island.

“I’m fine.” Her voice was tight. She was anything but fine.

“Have I mentioned how much I appreciate you doing this?”

“Yep. A few times, but I could hear it again.”

He turned on the car stereo to ease some of the tension he was feeling. Having Grace so close, he wanted to reach out to her, touch her. Her pale skin was flushed and her hands were going to be raw where she obsessively rubbed them together. She smelled like heaven and he reminded himself to tell Walt not to mess with that.

“Are we going to be a fun couple?” He liked those couples who were always smiling, doing something, not one of those boring pairs who sat on the couch on Saturday night eating bowls of ice cream and watching silly TV shows. He wanted to laugh and fly off to Vegas at a moment’s notice.

“What do you mean?” she asked, cocking her head toward him.

“I want both–happy and fun. Not boring and reminiscent of the man and woman with the pitchfork.”

“
American Gothic
?” she asked with a smile. “Listen, Stone, I can only be who I am. If I’m having a good time I show it. If I’m not…you’ll know.”

Stone turned off the highway and into a gated driveway. The huge house was the first thing they came to, but with a quick spin of the wheel, he took a side driveway to the back of the property, where a metal garage was hidden behind large pine trees. He stepped on the gas and rocks spun out from under the tires. The car shot forward and he hazarded a glance at his passenger. She clutched the door handle and clenched her teeth.

He smirked.

Jamming on the brakes, he stopped the car inches from the garage door. “We’re here.”

“I was going to tell you I thought you were a good driver, but…” She opened her door and slid out of the car, still talking. “Now I think you’re over-confident and reckless.”

“Reckless?” he said, offended. He got out of the car and slammed the door.

“Yes. Reckless. That little stunt could have landed us both in the hospital, which would have made for sweet pictures.”

He rolled his eyes something he found himself doing more often since moving in with the Cromwell sisters. “Are you kidding me? I drive racecars for a living. Traveling at one hundred-fifty miles-per-hour is nothing. Chill out, babe.”

“Babe?” she asked with raised eyebrows.

“Dear?”

“Grace is fine.”

He strode around the car and slung an arm around her shoulders. He knew he was risking an elbow to the gut, but he couldn’t help himself. She looked perfect, with her newly frosted blond hair, soft, smoky makeup that conjured up thoughts of late nights and tangled sheets, and a tight-fitting green sundress that flared out above her knees. She was his ideal mate and no matter how fake this whole thing was, he felt as drawn to her as a moth to flame, as a fish to water and as man to a woman.

“Come on,” he said, pulling her forward. “Let’s get this done.”

“Stone? Are you sure we’re doing the right thing? I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Don’t worry. Walt has taken care of everything. We’ll make this work.” He squeezed her against him.

* * * *

It took an hour of primping to get Grace camera-ready. When Stone picked her up, he grabbed her hands and spun her around. He ran his hand down over her waist to her hips. He was dressed in a black suit and tie, and his brown hair was slicked back. He bordered on looking like a mobster and if dangerous was the look the stylists were going for… They’d succeeded, no doubt about it. She looked up at him. Confidence rolled off him and the way he held her tightly in his grasp made her weak. If he kept touching her, she was going to attack him, regardless of what she’d said about PDA. Her breathing hitched higher.

How was she going to play Divina? She had no idea how to be an exciting woman with few morals. She only knew about studying and being boring. She liked the blond highlights, which had taken most of the hour to get in and the makeup was a bit overdone for her simple tastes, but she admitted she looked like she belonged with a successful racecar driver. It was like she was playing a character in a play, but how long could she keep up the act?

Stone opened the door to the storage garage, holding it for her and letting her pass.

“You look amazing,” he whispered as she brushed by him.

Her face flushed. Swiping at her bangs, she pushed her medium-length hair over her shoulder. He wasn’t supposed to notice and definitely wasn’t supposed to comment on her looks or anything else personal. They were business associates. She couldn’t let herself read anything into his comments or his casual touches that set her veins on fire.

As soon as they were through the door, he took her hand in his.

“Stone!” a boisterous man called, extending his hand. “We’ve been anxious to see you and meet your new wife.” The man turned to look at her.

“I’m George Halkins, owner of Baby Drama Products, you’ve heard of us, right?”

Grace held out her hand. “Nice to meet you, sir. Yes, I’ve heard of your company. Your all-natural soaps are a huge success with parents and people who are interested in organic living.”

George looked over at Stone without letting go of her hands and nodded at him. “I like her. She’s smart.”

“I like her, too,” Stone said. “Why don’t you tell me…us…what you have in mind for today?”

“Right to business, I like that. Divina, is it?”

Grace nodded.

“Come with me.” He threaded her arm though his and pulled her out of Stone’s reach. “Move it, Adams.”

At the back of the garage, a photo studio was set up, obviously brought in for the occasion and Stone’s racecar was there, polished and dent-free. George described the work done to get the car ready for today. After the last race, when Stone had bumped the car in front of him, they’d done some major cosmetic work on the car. He explained he wanted them to look like a wholesome, all-American couple in love.

“Stone,” Mr. Halkins said, “undo your tie and run your hands through your hair. Pretend you’ve just arrived home after a long day at the office.”

“I don’t work in an office,” Stone responded.

Grace chuckled. “You’re playing a part in our quaint play.”

He shot her a worried look and she smiled back at him. At least she held some leverage over him. If he was worried she was going to tell his secret, he would be less likely to put her in a position to get hurt in the end.

“How do we fit the baby into our happy home?” Stone asked, tapping the roof of the car.

The photographer positioned them near the shiny vehicle. First Grace sat on the hood of the car and Stone knelt by her, looking at her, his eyes mesmerizing her with their intensity. The photographer yelled directions to them. “Divina, smile. Look natural. Stop fidgeting. Divina, put your hand on his shoulder.”