Crash and Burn (9 page)

Grace was getting sick of being called Divina, but when she put her hand on Stone and felt the warmth of him, she channeled some of his confidence. One thing for sure, she couldn’t stop trembling.

“Mr. Adams. Stand against the car and wrap Divina in your arms. Look casual, but elegant.”

Grace gritted her teeth. This was the best photographer they could find. One who yelled and gave directions like ‘be casually elegant.’ Was that even possible? She smiled sweetly at the photographer and slipped off the hood of the car. Stone twirled her around and stopped her when she’d pressed her back against him. He pulled her tight into his embrace.

“Lean back on me,” he whispered. “Snuggle.”

Incredulously, she looked up at him over her shoulder. Reclining against him, she slid her hips up against his pelvis. He sucked in a quick breath. She shifted her hips and he tightened his arms around her waist.

“Stop moving,” he hissed. “Or we won’t be able to do this.”

Grace gave a satisfied smile. After a few more frames, she decided she liked posing. It was surprisingly easy to get into the role of her sister, who loved the spotlight. Grace shook herself. No more shrinking violet. It was time to let the Divina inside come out and play. She raised her arms over her head and extended. Then she brought them back to tangle in Stone’s hair. He’d already messed it up, so it didn’t matter if she added to the chaos.

“What are you doing?” he whispered in her ear.

“I’m letting loose.” She laughed at the use of the word he’d used in the car. He wanted a fun marriage? She was game. “Come on, Mr. Adams,” she said, pulling him by his tie to the rear of the car. She heard the click of the camera each time the photographer took a photo. She motioned with the hand that wasn’t pulling him. “Get over here, big boy.”

She raised his arm and pulled on it, trying to get him to make a muscle. She was surprised at his defined, large bicep, not that she minded. With another smile to the camera, she trailed hand across his shirt and under the suit jacket.

“You’re playing a dangerous game,” he hissed.

“I like a little danger,” Grace answered exactly like Divina. She rose up on her toes to blow in his ear.

Click.

She pulled on his jacket tugging it off over his shoulders. “No one wants to see Mr. Adams dressed up in a monkey suit. They want to see these bulging muscles.”

Mr. Halkins cleared his throat. “Wholesome and family-oriented, Divina,” he reminded.

“Yes, sir. I was thinking about those poor housewives sitting at home with their babies, using your products. They need to see something that reminds them there’s more out there than dirty diapers and dishes.”

Mr. Halkins paused for a minute. “You could be right. We’ll take a few of those kinds of pictures too. We’ll run it by our test group. When you two have a baby, then we’ll be able to show off our team family,” he said with a huge grin.

It was like throwing ice water on her prom dress. She stilled. Babies? She shook her head. Stone had said nothing about children. That was definitely not in the bargain. Not in a million years, or for a million dollars.

“Are you okay, Divina dear?” Mr. Halkins asked.

“I’m fine. I think I need a minute, please.”

They agreed it was time to take a break. Mr. Halkins and the photographer scurried to a computer set up by one wall while Grace looked for a way out. She bolted for the door, ready to throw up.

“Gra–Divina,” Stone called after her. “You okay?”

She shook her head. She found a tree in the yard and collapsed on the green grass carpet. “I can’t do this. I can’t let everyone think I’m your wife, or that we’re going to have babies.”

Stone sat next to her and put his hand on her thigh. “He sells baby products. Babies are always on his mind. He’d make me race with a baby in the passenger seat if he could get the race officials to agree to it.”

Grace chuckled. She hauled in a deep breath.

“What happened back there?” he asked. “I thought you were going to rip my clothes off and dance on my naked body.”

“I was trying to get into my Divina character. She’s a great dancer.”

“Yeah, maybe, but Divina didn’t read me the riot act about no PDA.”

“It wasn’t affection I was showing. I was giving the readers what I thought they wanted.”

He pulled her toward him. “I can’t thank you enough for doing this.” He kissed her hair.

She felt cherished and safe at once. She had to stop seeing him in a good light or before long she would be attached to him, heart and soul. Her crush would become a full-blown obsession leading to heartbreak city.

The whirl of the camera battery alerted them that they were no longer alone. Grace groaned inwardly.

“That’s a wrap. We got what we needed,” Mr. Halkins said, exiting the building behind the photographer, who was concentrating as he looked into his camera. “The pictures we saw on the computer were excellent.”

“I got that last shot just a second ago. That was the one we’ll use,” the photographer said. “Sweetness, tenderness and love.”

“Divina, I don’t know where Stone found you, but you’re one in a million and I know you’ll be good for him. I hope to see you at the track on Saturday.”

“That’s it?” She stood, not able to believe she’d survived her first test as Stone’s wife. She flashed a perfect, wide smile.

“Divina, my dear, you were wonderful,” the photographer said, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.

Stone stepped between them. “She was wonderful, but now I’d like to take my wife home.”

Mr. Halkins gave a deep, booming laugh. “Take your wife home and treat her well.” The two men disappeared into the garage, leaving Stone and Grace standing in the gravel driveway.

Chapter 7

Stone was in over his head. He knew it. His car was running shaky today. He’d qualified and taken the pole, but after fifty laps, the car was coming apart in his hands. “Barry, something’s wrong. I might need to pit,” he said into his headset, which communicated with his crew chief.

“What’s the problem? Can you wait? You only have a few more laps until everyone starts to pit.”

“Everything feels loose.” Grace would want him to pit. She’d err on the side of caution. “Shit.”

“What’s wrong, Adams?” Barry asked, concern laced through his voice.

Stone needed to get Grace out of his head. The photo shoot had been a few days ago and pictures were beginning to surface. The first one was of them sitting under the tree, him kissing her head. It was sickeningly tender. He’d played his part well enough. He thought he’d puke every time he passed the picture plastered again and again all around his trailer, compliments of George and Walt. He looked like a sap. Had he gone soft?

It was a dangerous question to ask at one hundred ninety miles-per-hour on a straightaway.

“I’m fine.” He tried to mentally kick himself. He’d better concentrate on this race or he wouldn’t be fine. He’d be slammed into the fence.

“High. Go high.” Barry said.

Stone let the car float to the top of the track, passing the thirty-seven car.

No more thoughts about Grace.
Let’s get this race done.

* * * *

He finished third. Not bad, but not great. If he wanted to make it into the big leagues, he couldn’t be thinking about women while he was driving. In truth there was only one woman he couldn’t get off his mind. When she’d ground her hips into his crotch, his pent-up need had surfaced and all he’d wanted to do was throw her over the hood of his car and do things he’d only read about in magazines.

He’d relived his fantasies of her over and over again at night, lying only a few feet away from the star of his dreams. On purpose, he began staying downstairs until he was almost positive she would be asleep. Then he’d creep into their room. He couldn’t face her, not in the dark, in their shared room, where they could whisper about their day.

This whole thing was a bad idea. One picture, one afternoon together and he was hopelessly sunk. He couldn’t even concentrate on his job.

The crowds surged in on him, calling his name. “Where’s your sexy wife?” One man called holding up the magazine spread with their pictures gracing the pages.

He didn’t know where she was. Of course, he didn’t say that. Grace hadn’t ridden to the track with him. She’d said she’d come later, after qualifying. He was surprised she’d even known what happened at races, but anyone could have told her, she could have researched it on the net. He looked around for her new blonder hair, but he didn’t see her.

“Stone. Over here,” a woman called. His pulse quickened. Was Grace finally calling to him? He spun in the direction of the voice. A redhead with extra-large breasts encased in a tight t-shirt with his picture on it waved to him. “Stone. I want to get a picture of us together,” she said in a sultry voice. “Come over here, big boy.”

Stone looked at the woman, taking inventory of the situation. Grace popped to the front of his mind. Isn’t that what she’d said? “Come over here, big boy.” It felt so familiar.

He couldn’t believe it as the disappointment washed over him. She’d let him down on purpose. It was obvious that she wasn’t thinking about him as much as he thought about her. Of course he thought of her day and night.

Sap.

His stomach turned. Shaking off the feelings, he walked over to the woman.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” he asked.

“Gayle. I love you, Stone,” she said, holding her camera out to a girl next to her.

Stone leaned over the rope surrounding his personal space. Gayle smooshed her face into his and smiled. He felt her cheek rise against his face as her grin grew. After her friend took the picture, she grabbed his face and kissed him on the lips.

“I can give you my phone number.”

“Not this time,” he said, realizing for the first time he didn’t have any interest in a quick one-night stand. What was happening to him? He smiled for a few more pictures, signed a bunch of autographs and shook more hands than a presidential candidate.

Once inside the trailer, he peeled off his uniform and slumped into the comfy chair and closed his eyes. He was exhausted.

“There are a few more people who want to visit with you,” Walt said, coming into the room and standing over him.

“I don’t want to see anyone. You know she didn’t come, right?” He knew he sounded sulky. “Did she even bother to call?”

“Sorry, buddy. I don’t know what happened. I thought you guys worked it all out.”

“So did I.” Stone rested his head back against the cushions of the chair. He planned to have some words with her once he got home. They’d agreed she would come to races. He felt like stomping his foot like Divina usually did when she was upset. “Hey Walt,” Stone said, stopping the man’s retreat. “Get me a beer before you leave, would you?”

“Wow. Whiney and lazy. We don’t keep beer in the trailer. You’ll have to wait until you get home. I don’t recommend you get blitzed. At this point, you might confuse who is actually your wife and who is your sister-in-law.” He chuckled to himself and shut the door as he left.

“You’re fired, you smug SOB!” Stone called out. He didn’t really mean it, but for some reason he couldn’t help acting like a spoiled child.

The drive to their shared house gave him time to calm down and realize Grace must have had a good reason for not going to the race. She was too nice to stand him up so soon after their agreement. He pulled into the driveway and saw her sitting on the front porch with a book in her hands. He slammed the car in park and was heading up the step before the door closed behind him.

“What the hell?” he asked calmly at first, but his anger rose as he watched her raise her eyes, an innocent look on her face.

“Excuse me?”

“The race? You said you would be there. What happened? From the looks of things, you had no intention of going to the race.”

She shrugged. “It was a good book.”

“Grace, what’s the sense of this marriage charade if you don’t even go to the races with me?”

She folded the book closed and set it next to her on the porch swing. “Okay, we can be done with the act,” she agreed.

“That’s not what I meant or want. I need one of you to agree to be my wife. At this point I don’t care who it is. I–” He broke off.

“I wasn’t up to it, Stone. I wasn’t ready for the publicity. As it is, the people I run into at the store or while I’m pumping gas want me to sign their copy of the magazine. It’s weird.”

“No, it’s part of being my wife. The public chaos will slow down soon enough, but until then you have to try. What happened to the girl at the photo shoot?” His anger started to dissipate. He knew the intimidation factor the press created. “Want a beer?” he asked, trying to make peace.

“No thanks,” she said, picking up her book. “It’s hard channeling Divina and knowing everyone is picking me apart. What if I do something at one race and don’t do it at the next? Someone’s bound to pick up on it.”

“Tomorrow night,” he started.

She looked back at him.

“I’d like to take you out to dinner. If there’s press, we can handle it together.” The idea to take her out spontaneously appeared in his head. He thought maybe she’d enjoy an evening out where she didn’t have to eat Divina’s food and he could ease her mind about the game she was playing. She wouldn’t mess up, he had confidence in her. He flashed a smile at her.