Can't Say No by Sherryl Woods Page A

have his way on this.
    John, still muttering indignantly, gave him a rough idea of how far ahead his chief rival was. There were others ahead as well, but they didn’t worry him nearly as much. Blake heaved a sigh of relief. It wasn’t quite as bad as he’d feared. This shortcut should give him a chance of passing the others and catching Hammond.
    In fact, the only thing between him and a victory now were the dark clouds gathering on the horizon. He figured he had less than an hour before the storm broke. If the race wasn’t over by then, the rain would force him down.
    Speeding along on the far side of the ridge out of sight of the others gave him an often longed-for sense of isolation. Having Audrey standing so bravely next to him brought him utter contentment.
    There was so much they had to learn about each other, but for the first time he had a feeling she was going to give them the time to make such discoveries. Her unexpected shift in attitude opened up limitless possibilities for the two of them.
    He gazed down at her upturned face and caught the excitement sparkling in her eyes.
    â€œHaving fun?”
    â€œYes,” she said and he chuckled at the note of surprise in her voice.
    â€œYou’re not afraid anymore?”
    â€œNo,” she admitted and grinned back at him. “Astonishing, isn’t it? You must have worked some magic on me.”
    â€œMaybe you’re just learning to test your own limits.”
    She hesitated as she apparently considered what he said thoughtfully, then nodded. “Maybe so. I just hope you don’t have any more tests in store for this afternoon.”
    Blake’s gaze shifted uneasily to the horizon, where the clouds were turning blacker and more ominous. “I hope not,” he murmured.
    She clearly caught the caution in his voice. “ Hope? You can’t do any better than that?”
    â€œNow, look,” he began. “I don’t want you to panic or anything, but I want to be honest with you.”
    She stiffened beside him. “I don’t think I’m going to like this.”
    â€œYou told me to stop treating you like a child. That’s what I’m doing. I want you to be prepared.”
    â€œPrepared? Prepared for what?” Her voice rose and that spark of delight in her eyes faded.
    A bolt of lightning split the sky ahead, followed by the distant rumble of thunder.
    â€œOh, dear heaven,” she murmured unsteadily. She grabbed his arm and held on so tightly, he was sure he’d have little half-moon scars where her nails were digging in. “What happens now?”
    â€œNothing if we can outrun the storm and land.” Another crash of thunder punctuated his response.
    Audrey’s eyes blinked wide. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
    â€œIt’s still way off in the distance. We have plenty of time.”
    â€œI’m not talking about the thunder. I’m talking about what you said... if we can outrun the storm. Is there some reason we might not be able to?”
    He took a deep breath and tried to ignore the pain in his arm where she was still clinging to him. “I’ll be honest with you. The winds could shift before we find a suitable place to land. If it starts raining very hard, we’ll have to go down wherever we are. It’s risky being up here in a storm.”
    â€œHow risky?”
    â€œThe wind can knock us into a power line. Then there’s the lightning....”
    Audrey groaned. “Never mind about the lightning. I get the idea. Is there some reason you decided to pick now to be honest with me?” she grumbled. “For once, it might have been nice to hear one of those vague, but upbeat reassurances of yours. Maybe it’s time you blindfolded me. Isn’t that what kidnappers are supposed to do with their victims?”
    â€œYou’re no victim and you know it.” The breeze was ruffling her black curls and he brushed them