One Last Hold by Angela Smith Read Free Book Online Page A

sprayed first him, then the crowd.
    All but her face and hair managed to avoid the majority of the champagne spritz. She shivered, but the excitement of the moment left her immune to the effects of the cold. Wesley grabbed a bottle, took a swig, and spewed the rest over his crew’s head.
    A smile stretched across his face. Her heart turned over and over, like a car’s engine on a cold winter day. Any fool could see how important this was to him, how happy it made him. Even if she’d never known him, his smile could make her fall in love.
    Remember why you’re here, she chastised herself as she reached for her camera. You’re here to do a story, to take pictures, not to drool over Wesley.
    And definitely not to fall in love with him again.
    A mixture of sweat and champagne poured from his face, but it didn’t seem to faze him. Her skin tingled in anticipation.
    They’d be alone soon. And then what? What would she say? How would he treat her? And why did she even have to wonder?
    “This is what it’s all about,” one of his crewmembers responded to a reporter’s question that Caitlyn hadn’t heard. “Winning.”
    “To what do you owe this victory?” another reporter asked and slammed the microphone as close to Wesley’s face as possible.
    “This isn’t only my victory,” he replied. “It’s also my owner’s, my teammates’, my sponsors’ and my fans’. I owe this victory to everyone who has helped me throughout this season and beyond, and I can only hope there’s more to come. They have all helped to make this race successful.”
    “What do you have to say about Chad Armstrong?”
    A shadow crossed his face. “What happened to him was an atrocious crime. I pray for his family and hope for the person responsible to be found.”
    *
    Although Wesley sometimes resented the media, it was because of them some fans were able to see their favorite drivers. He owed it to his sponsors and to his fans to grant interviews. The crowd cheering for him when he was carried from his vehicle was overwhelming and filled him with fierce pride. No matter what he really was, no matter what made up his life, no matter what happened, his fans rooted for him.
    Of course, they didn’t know everything about the man they applauded, and he hoped to keep it that way.
    The press crowd crushed each other, but somehow Caitlyn’s face stood out in the crowd. She could’ve done anything with her life. But a reporter?
    She clutched her coat. Covered in champagne, hair drenched, confetti plastered all over her. She was a mess.
    And damn well the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
    The intense pressure inside his body dominated the cold. The long day in the car and the adrenaline from winning kept him warm. He told himself it had nothing to do with Caitlyn, but that was a lie.
    When his crew shuffled the press away, Caitlyn glanced back at him. Wesley nodded and motioned for Adam to bring her to him. She moved toward him with a bag propped on her shoulder and a camera dangling from her neck.
    A smile softened her features. He took her bag from her shoulder, more as a way to regain his equilibrium than to ease her load.
    “Congratulations, Wesley.”
    “Thank you.” He glanced at his watch. “I have a meeting in twenty minutes but I thought you’d like to wait for me in my RV.”
    “That’d be great,” she said.
    “Follow me.”
    As they strolled past the other RVs, Caitlyn oohed and aahed over the impressiveness of the set-up. He had to agree it was pretty amazing. Most of the racers and their families spent at least three nights at a race track and more time in their trailers than in their homes. Some of them didn’t even have homes. Christmas was over, but the wintry season still sported lights and wreaths donned the exterior.
    “Here we are.” He unlocked the door and stepped aside to allow her to enter first.
    She stepped beside him and stopped, hesitating at the entry.
    His nerves tingled with the need to touch