Total Control Page 4

  Todd glanced back at her. Jen gave him a blinding grin.

  “Cute,” Todd said, trying, but failing, to hide his grin.

  “I might be able to get you some nitrous instead.”

  “Go for it,” Todd said. Because he refused to wear a seat belt, he nearly slid off his seat when Ron slammed on the brakes at a red light.

  “And don’t forget you offered to let the boy shadow you tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, but he’s sick.”

  “Something tells me he’ll be all better by tomorrow.”

  “You think?”

  “Todd,” Jen said. “He’s meeting his hero—”

  “A late hero.”

  “Doesn’t matter. The adrenaline rush he’ll get from meeting you will fuel him for hours.”

  “Twenty-four of them?”

  “Maybe,” Jen said.

  “Maybe we should check with his caregiver and see if it’ll be all right.”

  “His mom. That’s who’s with him. And Ms. Wilcox. And I’m certain they’ll let you know if he’s too sick to go.”

  “Hang on,” Ron said, gunning it through a light about to turn red.

  “Damn,” Todd said. “If you ever want a career racing dragsters, I’m sure they’d take you.”

  “You said we’re in a hurry,” Ron said, his big shoulders shrugging.

  Todd shook his head and settled back in his seat. It was a twenty-minute drive to the hotel. Ron might make it in five. Okay. Ten.

  It took fifteen minutes, as it turned out. The tires screeched on the concrete beneath the porte cochere that extended out from the front of the hotel, the sound echoing on the high-beamed ceiling above. Someone leaving the building jumped back when Todd opened the SUV’s door and flung himself out.

  “Hey,” Todd said to the pedestrian when the guy’s eyes widened.

  “You’re Todd Peters,” the man said.

  “In the flesh,” Todd said as he rushed past the guy, only to stop just on the other side of the sliding glass doors. “Jen, what room number?”

  “I was wondering when you’d ask that,” Jen said, coming up behind him. “We’ve got them in a suite. Number ten-thirteen.”

  “Got it,” Todd said.

  “You want me to go up with you?” Jen asked.

  “Nah,” Todd answered, dashing toward the elevator.

  He drew up short when he saw who stood nearby.

  Indi Wilcox, her arms crossed and lips pursed together as if she were a cop and he’d been caught drunk in public.

  “Well, well, well…if it isn’t Todd Peters.” She made a point of glancing at her watch. “And he’s only twenty minutes late.”

  “At least I made it,” he grumbled as they both got in. “There is that,” she said with a grin as fake as the painted-on headlights on his car.

  “Were you going somewhere?” he asked, wondering what she’d been doing down in the lobby.

  The smile grew even more false, if such a thing was possible. “Nope. I was just on my way to hire a big rig. I was going to send him out to the track and have him run you down, but there’s no need for that now that you’re here,” she said, pushing the elevator button for the correct floor. “I’ll wait until after you meet with Benjamin.”

  The doors started to close. Todd glanced through the slit in them just in time to catch the “who is that?” look Jen shot him just before she was cut off from view.

  Who was this?

  The thorn in his side. The bane of his existence. The acid in his stomach.

  “I told you I’d be here,” he said, remembering how pretty she was only when she stood next to him. She had a tiny chin set in jawline that looked almost delicate, or at least it would have looked delicate if it hadn’t been jutted out in disgust. Cheekbones that were almost feline in appearance shot up below a pair of emerald-gold eyes that reminded him of a tabby cat he used to own as a kid.

  Striking.

  That’s the word he’d use to describe her. Too bad the perennial scowl detracted from her pretty face.

  “Oh. That’s right. And I had no reason to doubt that.”

  He pressed the stop button. He had no idea why he did it, except something about the woman rubbed him the wrong way. And, really, another couple of seconds wouldn’t hurt little Benjamin.

  “I know you don’t like me,” he said, over the sound of an ear-piercing buzzer.

  “Whether I like you or not is immaterial,” she said, plugging her ears before she obviously lost patience. She reached around him to pull the button out to start the elevator again.

  He blocked her with his body so that her hand poked his abs. Her gaze snapped to his.

  “Firm, isn’t it?” he asked, leaning toward her.

  “I’ve stepped in cow patties that were firmer.” She had to yell to be heard over the stop button’s shriek.

  “You’re just saying that to cover your surprise.”

  “And that smelled better, too,” she said, her eyes mocking him.

  “And now you’re trying to get on my nerves because you don’t want me to know how much you want me.”

  He was just razzing her, Lord knows why, but he was unprepared for her sudden burst of her laughter. Her whole body shook, her satin-smooth cheeks filling with color. “Are you kidding me?”

  Well, yeah, but now that she’d laughed in his face, he was starting to feel the buzz of a challenge burn through him.

  “I want you about as much as I want diphtheria. Scratch that. Come to think of it, I’d take diphtheria over you any day of the week.” She stepped around him, pushed the stop button in and then crossed her arms.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off her. He’d never, in all his years of being Todd Peters, famous race car driver, been as thoroughly peeved at a woman as he was at Indi Wilcox right at that moment. In her tan slacks and a satiny white shirt that matched the highlights in her hair, she looked as cool as the ice that lingered in her eyes.

  “You don’t really mean that,” he said.

  “Trust me. I mean it.” She took another step away from him, tossed her long hair over the back of her shoulders and said, “But you’ve reminded me. You’ll need to wash your hands before touching Benjamin.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “We don’t want him catching anything.”

  “I thought he was the one with the cold.”

  “Yeah, and the last thing he needs is a case of scabies on top of that.”

  “Scabies—”

  “You know when you start itching your skin like that it’s a sign that it’s spreading.”

  He looked at the top of his hand, realizing only in that moment that he’d been scratching it. He must be nervous about making the Chase this weekend. “I don’t have scabies,” he said, staring at the slightly reddened skin. He needed lotion.

  “Might want to get that looked at,” she said as the elevator door opened with a stomach-dropping stop and a happy little bing.

  “I don’t have scabies.”

  They stepped out. “We’re right here,” she said, guiding him down a corridor off the main one.

  Todd watched her stop in front of the suite. The wall next to the doorjamb had a gouge in it, as if someone had kicked it or hit it with a suitcase.

  “Now.” She turned back to him and crossed her arms. “Benjamin will be excited to meet you…finally,” she muttered. “Don’t confuse his excitement with energy. He’s had a rough go these past few weeks so he’s not as energized as he might look. Don’t offer to give him a ride in your car, or to take him out to dinner, or anything else that might get him all excited and that we’ll have to put the kibosh on two seconds after you say it.”

  “What about tomorrow?” he asked, glancing toward the door, surprised to feel a tinge of trepidation. Maybe that’s why his hand itched. Same kind of apprehension he felt before a race.

  Scabies.

  Ha.

  “Tomorrow is up in the air. I know you offered to take Benjamin out to the track, and tha
t was very kind of you, but I just don’t know if that’s in the cards.”

  “Then we’ll have to do it some other time.”

  She cocked a brow at him, her look seeming to mock him somehow. “Really?”

  “Really,” he reiterated.

  “Well, let’s not mention that to Benjamin just yet.”

  Wouldn’t want to get his hopes up.

  She didn’t say the words aloud, but she didn’t need to. He could read her face as easily as he could his sister’s. Odd how he could do that. He opened his mouth to tell her to bring the boy to the race next weekend, only she didn’t give him time. With a squaring of her shoulders she faced the door, using a white key card to open it.

  And when he caught sight of the pallid-faced child on the other side, he forgot all about what he was going to say.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “MR. PETERS,” Benjamin cried, Indi wincing at the high-pitched squeal of delight. With a show of strength that took Indi by surprise, given the boy’s weakened state, he thrust his wheelchair toward the driver.

  “Hey, there, buddy,” Todd said, holding out his hand.

  “Uh-uh-uh,” Indi quickly interjected, stepping around and in front of Todd. “Wash your hands.”

  “Oh, yeah, right,” he said, winking at Benjamin. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Aw, man,” Benjamin said with a sniff of disappointment, one that tugged at Indi’s heart because it was obvious by his red nose and pallid complexion that Benjamin didn’t feel well. She could hear how stuffed up he’d become. And yet he still all but bounced in his chair.

  “It’ll just be a second,” Indi said over the sound of running water. She glanced up and caught Linda’s eye. Benjamin’s mother had the strangest look on her face, one Indi didn’t immediately recognize, probably because she was so used to Linda looking tired or worn-out or depressed that the momentary twinkle that glittered from her eyes didn’t immediately register.

  He’s cute, Linda mouthed.

  Who? Benjamin? Indi wondered, glancing back at the boy. The water shut off.

  Indi stiffened.

  Oh, brother. Todd.

  “All right,” Todd said, wringing his hands together. “I’m all washed up. Give me a high five.”

  When Benjamin lifted an arm that bore bruises from all the blood tests and IVs he’d received in recent weeks, Indi’s disgruntlement at Linda’s suggestive eyebrow wiggle immediately faded. This was about Benjamin, not Todd Peters. It would never be about Todd Peters. There was a better chance that she’d find the backside of a steer more attractive than the NASCAR driver, especially after her last disastrous relationship with a professional athlete.

  “Ouch,” Todd said after Benjamin slapped his hand. “That stung.”

  Benjamin laughed. Indi pursed her lips as she watched the exchange. For some reason she’d expected Todd to be aloof. Sometimes celebrities were uncomfortable around sick children, but Todd didn’t appear to be so. She watched as he squatted down by Benjamin’s chair, one of his hands resting on Benjamin’s knee.

  “How’s it going?” he asked.

  “Awesome,” Benjamin cried. “I can’t believe I’m getting to finally meet you.”

  Indi rolled her eyes, the snort of derision she bit back turning into a sigh of long-suffering resignation. Linda must have heard it, because she looked in her direction. Todd must have caught it, too. He glanced up.

  Indi colored.

  “Hi,” Linda said, covering for Indi. “I’m Linda, Benjamin’s mom.”

  “Hey,” Todd said, holding out his hand again.

  “Thanks for coming,” Linda said, her attention settling on Benjamin. Indi spied the instant flicker of emotion in her eyes, one that seemed to turn her brown eyes gray. “He’s been looking forward to this for weeks.”

  “Yeah, I’m sorry about the wait,” Todd said, his eyes moving back to Benjamin. “I’ve had a lot going on lately, but that’s no excuse for blowing you off.”

  “Nah,” Benjamin said with another wiggle. “I understand. You’re a famous driver. Of course you’re busy.”

  “No,” Todd said with a shake of his head. “It was wrong, but I’ve taken steps to ensure it never happens again.”

  “I didn’t mind. At least I got to go to the track.”

  “Yeah, Sonoma. I heard about that,” Todd said. “Did you have fun?”

  “Yeah, but it would have been better if you’d won.”

  Todd chuckled softly, and Indi found herself wondering what Linda saw in the man. Yeah, he was cute, if one liked dark-haired, dark-eyed men, which she didn’t.

  “It’s always more fun when I win,” Todd said.

  She supposed he had nice shoulders, but that was it. “You’ve been doing a lot of winning this year,” Benjamin said enthusiastically.

  “Yeah, it hasn’t been a bad season,” Todd said. “But I’ve had a lot of help from the shop.”

  And he had a lot of body hair. Okay, maybe he wasn’t caveman-ish, but there were a lot of dark strands on his arms. And he had big hands. Ugh.

  “You can’t win races without a good driver, and you’re one of the best,” Benjamin said.

  Okay, that did it. Indi couldn’t stomach another minute. “Listen,” she said. “I think I’ll grab a bite to eat downstairs while you two chat.”

  “I thought you were going to wait until after to find that big rig?” Todd asked, his mouth tipping up on one side with what she assumed was a teasing grin.

  “Changed my mind,” Indi said, trying to tell him without words that the jury was still out where he was concerned.

  “What big rig?” Benjamin asked.

  “Oh, you know,” Indi quickly improvised. “One of those big trailer things with souvenirs on it. I was going to get you some stuff.”

  “No need to do that,” Todd said. “I’ll have my PR rep send some stuff over. What do you want?”

  “An autographed ball cap,” Benjamin answered immediately.

  Indi saw Todd’s gaze slide up, and it was only because she’d been studying him closely that she saw the way his eyes dimmed for a moment as he took in Benjamin’s hairless scalp.

  “I think we might have a few of those lying around.”

  “Cool,” Benjamin said with another jiggle.

  “Linda,” Indi asked over their heads. “Do you want me to grab you something?”

  “I’ll eat later,” Linda said.

  Indi nodded, though she knew the woman wouldn’t. She’d watched Linda drop what must have been thirty pounds over the past few months. It was hard to eat when your child couldn’t even keep his own food down.

  Indi looked away before Linda could see the way her own eyes dimmed, but Indi’s gaze became entangled in Todd’s. She saw the driver’s eyes flick over her face just before she turned away. Well, whatever. If the man reasoned out that her job depressed her from time to time, so be it. After today she’d never see him again. And that was good, because she didn’t like the way she flinched inwardly when she’d spied the commiseration in his eyes.

  “I don’t think she likes me,” Todd whispered to Benjamin when the door closed behind her.

  Benjamin’s attention shot to where Indi had just stood. “Indi?” the boy asked, sounding so stuffed up Todd all but winced. Poor kid.

  “Nah,” Benjamin added. “Indi likes everyone.”

  Except me.

  “Have you known her long?” he asked, standing up a second later so he could claim one of the chairs that framed a coffee table. The room was spacious. It had two bedrooms and a sitting area. Benjamin wheeled himself closer as Todd took a seat.

  “Indi’s been with us from the beginning,” Benjamin’s mother said, pulling out a matching side chair. She handed her son a tissue so he could wipe his nose. “She’s practically a staff member at Children’s Hospital.”

  Todd nodded, noticing the same thing Indi must have spotted a moment before. The woman was exhausted. Dark smudges smeared the skin beneath her eyes. She looked g
aunt, too, her shoulders seeming to carry the weight of the world.

  “It must be a tough job,” Todd found himself saying, but he wasn’t necessarily referring to Indi. It must be tough on them all. Sure, he’d met terminally ill children before. What professional athlete hadn’t? But those meetings were invariably conducted at the track, and they were usually quick. He’d arranged to spend some time with Benjamin because he felt bad about blowing him off. Only now that he was alone with the boy he found himself wondering why he hadn’t done more for other children in Benjamin’s condition. Even with a nasty head cold, Todd could practically feel his excitement.

  It made his concern about making the Chase seem irrelevant and silly.

  They chatted for a bit about racing, Todd feeling every minute slip by. He had less than an hour, thanks to his late start, and it sucked. And even though Indi had told him not to get Benjamin’s hopes up, he couldn’t help but think of things he could do for the kid in the future. Indi might think him a flake, but Todd knew better.

  “Something tells me you won’t be able to make it out to the track tomorrow,” Todd said as he prepared to leave.

  “I can make it,” the boy said.

  “No,” Linda said. “You won’t.”

  “But, Mo-om—”

  “Don’t ‘but Mom’ me, young man. You’re too sick to go to the track.”

  Where he might pick up another virus. Or overexert himself. Or do any number of things that might jeopardize his health. Todd could see that now.

  “But we came all this way,” Benjamin said.

  “Tell you what,” Todd said. To hell with Indi’s directive. He didn’t want the kid thinking this was it. “If you can’t make the race tomorrow, maybe you can come to a race next weekend.”

  Benjamin’s head shot up. “You mean it?”

  “I do,” Todd said. “I’ll talk to Indi about it when I see her.”

  “Mr. Peters,” Linda said, leaning toward them. “It’s really kind of you to offer that, but I’m not certain Benji’s doctor will allow him to travel again.”

  Because the child was getting sicker by the moment. Todd didn’t need to be a doctor to see that. “Well, maybe we can do a race closer to home.”