Burn

Chapter 16: A Reformed Man

MAX

I haven't even opened my eyes and I feel a desperate ache in my cock. Holy shit, I'm horny. More so than I've been in years. I'm as hard as a rock and I can't figure out why. I haven't had sex in a while, so maybe that's it. Maybe I'll just roll over and take care of myself, entertain a little fantasy of Lily in those tight jeans she was wearing yesterday...

When I open my eyes, I realize the issue. It's the object of my desire. I'm pressed against Lily like she's a life preserver, my face in her hair, my arm around her waist, my dick nestled against her curvy, soft ass that's covered in sensual silk pajamas. How long have we been like this?

Last thing I knew, I crawled into bed after watching that animal program. Lily was asleep on the far end of the mattress, and I stayed on my side, on my back. Even though I was nervous about sharing a bed with her again, there was no way I was going to make a move. It would be unprofessional and even predatory, and I'm definitely neither of those things.

But sometime in the night, our bodies found each other like magnets, and my conscious mind wasn't even aware. Or maybe Lily nestled against me.

The thought sends more blood into my dick. Does she want me? No, if she did, she would've done more than cuddle. At least that's what she used to do when we were together, start kissing my neck when I was asleep.

I want so badly to press my erection against her but considering I'm not certain when or why we're cuddling, that would probably be a terrible move. Inappropriate for so many reasons.

But her hair smells so good, like flowers. And it's so silky. Her body's warm, and memories of us having morning sex flash in my mind. When we were together, all it would take is a little thrust of my hips, and she'd make an adorable little mmm sound then take my hand and shove it down her pajama bottoms.

No no no...

I'm not twenty-two anymore, and we're not together. She's my boss, for god's sake. A thirty-one-year-old woman. It was merely some kind of sleepwalking that led us to this position. Well, not walking exactly. Sleep spooning. Sleep cuddling. Sleep lusting.

I slide my arm away from her midsection and scoot back, not wanting to wake her. The clock radio says it's quarter to six, and I need to get to the paddock by six-thirty for a massage and stretching session.

As I'm sliding off the bed away from Lily, she flips over. Her gaze lands on my hardon, which is practically tenting my sweatpants.

"What the..." She licks her lips, then shifts her eyes to my face. She squints. "I can't see. Where are my glasses?"

"Oh, uh, you left them here. On the nightstand." I reach over and grab them so I can hand them to her.

She dons them and stares at me again. A flush creeps across her cheeks. "Oh dear."

"Sorry. Uh, we ended up..." I can't finish my sentence because I'm too embarrassed. Even though I'm fully clothed, I hold a pillow over my crotch.

"We ended up spooning. I'm not sure how," she says, a touch of annoyance in her voice.

"I'm not either. My apologies. Is your headache gone?" I want to talk about anything but what we were just doing in bed. Or think about what we could be doing in bed if things weren't so weird and awkward.

She stretches, and the hem of her silk pajama top rides up so I can see her bellybutton. I clutch the pillow against me for dear life.

"Why are you holding a pillow over yourself?" She sits up, staring at me with a dubious expression. Her long hair is messy, and her eyes half-lidded from sleep. She's so beautiful that I want to collapse onto the bed and beg her to pet me like a dog.

"I, uh, no reason. I'm going to take a shower. Have to get to the track. Practice day. And stuff. You know." I stand up and back away, babbling and still holding the pillow like a fool.

I quickly dress in the bathroom and walk into the living room, where Lily is already sitting at the desk, staring at a computer screen. Her leg is bouncing up and down, which tells me she's feeling just as awkward as I am.

"See you at the track," I say, still feeling awkward.

She looks over at me and gives a little wave goodbye. Once I'm safely in my room, I take a cold shower and try to get into my practice day routine. My breakfast is delivered to my room, so I can eat in solitude and get myself prepared mentally. I have to admit, switching from the heavier meals to plant-based meats and oatmeal in the morning has done wonders for my overall fitness.

After that, I hit the hotel gym for an hour. It's been booked for Esteban and me, and I try to run, lift, and sweat out all my memories of waking up next to Lily. It almost works, and by the time I take my second cold shower of the day, I'm in my groove.

At the track, I'm feeling exceptionally strong, and drive at blistering speed. For the rest of the day, I do what I love: work with the team fine-tuning the car and its performance.

It's only when Lily makes a brief appearance in the garage that my confidence is shaken, but when she smiles in my direction, it gives me just enough of an endorphin rush to get through the day.

# # #

The next day, I'm not so lucky. It's the second practice of the week, and I'm exhausted as all hell.

"Max, what the shit was that?" Jack says to me as I hoist myself out of the car and pull off my helmet. "I haven't see you drive that poorly since your first year in the sport. Christ."

Jack sputters and follows me into the garage, where I guzzle down some Gatorade. "Was it the car? I don't think it was the car. Or was it the fact there was some dust in the air? Olivera went into the gravel before you and there might have been some debris—"

"No." I cut him off. "It's me. I feel like crap."

"Oh, Christ, are you sick? You seemed fine this morning." Jack puts his hand on my shoulder.

I shake my head. "No, not sick. Had a really awful night's sleep last night."

After the previous night, where I'd slept better than I had in weeks, last night was spent tossing and turning in my own bed, alone, and I barely got a wink.

"Were you out late last night? I thought we talked about that when you came on the team."

"I'm done with all that. I've been done with that for a while."

"But you were at the sponsor party, right?" Jack eyes me carefully.

"Yeah, but only for a couple of hours." Once Lily left I had little interest in staying. Afterward, I'd gone to my room, tried meditating, stretching, reading.

Jack covers his face with his hands, his fingertips rubbing his eyes. "We need to do better tomorrow during quali, mate. Don't stay out late at that party tonight, okay? I know you have to attend and all, but skip out the minute you can. No screwing around, you got that?"

He's referring to my old days, my third year in the sport, when I was teammates with Jack's old driver, Dante Annunziata. I'd been a wild man back then, and somehow managed to win on a few hours sleep. Now, though, age has settled in. There's a big difference between twenty-two and twenty-eight in this sport because of how hard it is on a body. G-forces, dehydration, muscle strain... it's all amplified the older I get.

"Max, I'm serious. No women. No wild shit." Jack looks angry enough to cold cock me.

"I know, I know," I mutter, than stalk off to my dressing room. Now I'm angry, too, because I'd finally figured out how to balance travel and sleep and racing, and then Lily came back into my life, upsetting that delicate balance.

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EEP! What are you thinking about this slow burn between Max and Lily?