Surge: Bad Boy Racing Romance (Fastlane Series Book 1) by Sloan Storm Read Free Book Online

it’s not my business.”
    I wasn’t even sure why I didn’t just come out and tell him the truth. He turned his attention away from me for second, waving at a group of fans seated in a booth nearby.
    “I’ll be right back,” he said, standing from the table and making his way over towards them.
    In spite of my uncertainty about him, it was pretty clear his admirers adored him. I studied him as he interacted with the group, shaking hands and signing autographs. A few minutes later he returned to the table and eased into his chair.
    “Did you miss me?” he said, turning his mouth upward in what was fast becoming a signature smile.
    And then, without thinking, I blurted it out.
    “My sister died in a car crash,” I began. “Simon’s dad… No one has seen him since before Simon’s birth.”
    The words tumbled from my lips, and before I realized it, I’d told him almost everything.
    “I’m sorry,” I muttered, raising the glass to my lips and taking a haphazard gulp.
    For the first time since I’d met him, Dyson seemed to be at a loss for words. He looked at me for a moment before shrugging.
    “There’s nothing to be sorry about. You did what you had to do in that situation. Simon’s a lucky kid. Never apologize for doing the right thing, Ava.”
    With my hands still wrapped around the glass, I shook my head. “That’s not what I was apologizing for. I just didn’t mean to dump all that on you.”
    “Well, I asked you about it. It’s not a problem.”
    I placed the glass back down on the table and sat upright in my chair once again. “Um, well, thank you for understanding. Thank you for listening.”
    “Sure thing. Thanks for… trusting me.”
    I nodded and reached down to my lap, smoothing my napkin across the tops of my thighs.
    “So, why did you stop at being a nurse? Someone like you, Ava, you could easily be a doctor.”
    I glanced up at him, smiled and chuckled. “Why do I have the feeling that you’re going to get all of my secrets out of me tonight?”
    Deep dimples formed on either side of Dyson’s mouth as he smiled at me. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
    Picking up my nearly empty wine glass, I tossed back the final remnants. After I did, Dyson lifted the bottle and poured some more. While he filled it, I watched the dark liquid swirl around the bottom of the glass.
    “Well, the truth is,” I began. “I was in medical school when my sister died. I had to leave. There was no one else who could take care of him. I mean, there was my mother but… Never mind. That’s a nightmare itself.”
    While I spoke, Dyson poured some more wine into his own glass. “So, you want to go back someday? To finish up?”
    I shrugged. “I used to, but raising Simon has given me so much joy. I’m not saying I wouldn’t, but if it meant doing it at the expense of having him in my life, then no, I wouldn’t do it.”
    Dyson swirled his wine around in the glass and looked at me. “Sorry to hear that. See, to me, that’s exactly why you deserve to do it.”

    AVA
    Jillian was predictably annoying with an endless stream of questions about my dinner with Dyson. As much as she wanted to make it seem otherwise, there really wasn’t much to say.
    Yes, Dyson was more pleasant than he’d been before, bordering on charming. I had a good time, even enjoyed myself. But as I explained to her over and over again, none of that mattered, because he was still the same player. And to make matters worse, he was a playboy leaving town as soon as the race finished.
    Speaking of the race itself, Dr. Wilcox insisted I accompany him to it the next day. He even asked me to bring Simon if I wanted. But the events of the day before proved to be too much for him, and he’d gotten sick. As much as I didn’t want to go without him, I really had no choice. We’d all been invited to sit in the team owner’s suite, high above the track.
    Soon after the race got underway, Dieter Marsh, the team owner, made his