In the Fast Lane by Audra North Page A

care about, isn’t it?” Her voice was soft, but her eyes were hard, and she didn’t wait for him to answer. “Maybe that’s why it’s so difficult for you to wrap your head around why I would do this. So I’ll tell you a story that might help you understand, although I doubt it.” Her upper lip curled in a way that made it clear she found him distasteful.
    “A few weeks back, I was in Vegas, out in the booth after the practice session. There was a family that walked past, maybe about fifty yards from where I was sitting. A mom and a dad, a little girl and a little boy. They were being sort of being led by the son and the dad, heading toward Ty’s booth. You probably saw it. Riggs Racing has a much bigger setup and a lot cooler giveaways because they’re a huge outfit with a multimillion dollar sponsor. And I get that. I understand that’s more appealing and it happens all the time. But this time, as they passed by, that little girl turned and looked at me, and her eyes went so wide I thought they might burst out of her head. Her whole face lit up. I could see something come alive in her, right there in front of me. She stopped and tugged on her mom’s arm, and the mom stopped, and the next thing I knew, that little girl was doing the leading. She just walked away from her family as bold as can be and they had no choice but to follow her right up to me.”
    He blinked. Damn.
    She rolled her eyes. “In case you didn’t get the message of that story through your thick skull, it’s that sometimes, all it takes for a girl to realize that she can be a leader, that she already is one, is seeing a woman who is already doing something great. That’s why I do it.”
    “Okay. Yeah. I got it, Confucius.”
    Shit. It had come out as snappish, but that’s not how he’d meant it. He sighed. “Sorry. I do get it. And you’re right, it’s important stuff. I’ll go meet with Alan by myself.”
    She gave a curt nod. “See you later, then.” She turned to walk away.
    No, damn it! He didn’t want her leaving like this, annoyed with him. He stopped her before she could take a step. “Kerri.”
    She pivoted. “What is it?”
    “It takes one to know one.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “Being a leader. I want you to know that I understand what you were saying. You lit it up inside of that girl, you saw her potential first.” He brought one shoulder up, trying to do a casual shrug. “Takes one to know one.”
    One step. Two steps. Slowly, Kerri walked back toward him, not stopping until her breasts nearly brushed his chest. One slender hand came to rest on his shoulder, and the placket of her racing jacket slid against his shirt as she rose on her tiptoes. “Thanks, Ranger,” she whispered, and landed a soft kiss on his cheek before sliding away, turning back around and walking out of the stall.

Chapter Nine
    Ranger had just left the stall to go meet the TelTex rep when his phone rang.
    He looked at the screen and scowled.
    How did Al always call at the worst possible time?
    He’d been feeling pretty good after that kiss from Kerri—even though it wasn’t nearly as hot as the others they’d shared—and now his pleasurable buzz was ruined.
    Of course, there was never really a good time to talk to Al. No doubt this was a business call, and he had to take it. He swiped the screen and put the phone to his ear.
    “Ranger here.”
    “Hello, son.”
    “I’m on my way to a meeting with a potential sponsor. What is it?”
    Al was oddly silent for a minute, and Ranger was about to pull the phone away to see if the call had been disconnected when his father finally spoke again.
    “I thought you’d be spending more time with the team, not racing off to meetings all the time.”
    What the hell? What did Al care about how much time Ranger spent with the team? And this was the second time Al had called to check up on what Ranger was doing with the project.
    What was going on?
    Ranger frowned as he walked. “I