Reflecting On Wishes (The Wishes Series) Read online

  “You come all this way to see me race, Dakota?” Her head tilted to the side and she crossed her slim legs, making his mouth go dry.

  “Hey, I never miss watching our hometown girl do her thing. What kinda man would I be if I didn’t show my support?” He gave her a wink when she laughed.

  “Hmm, you have a point there. Thanks for coming out,” she said, winking back at him.

  “My pleasure. This time I’ll be watching from the air conditioned suite. My brother and my best friend are treating me this weekend for my birthday.” He wasn’t sure why he threw that piece of info in, but if it got him any favor with her it was worth a try.

  “Ah, a birthday boy huh? What day is your birthday?” Her smile was brighter now; melting his feet to the asphalt and making his brain go fuzzy.

  “Saturday is the big day. You gonna get a win for me, Angel?” He crouched down in front of the table, and in front of her chair, resting his arm casually on the arm of her chair.

  She leaned forward and whispered in his ear so only he could hear. “I just might do that. How lucky do you feel birthday boy?”

  She stood and patted his cheek. “Let me get my shoes on and I’ll let you buy me a burger before I have to suit up.”

  His pulse jumped and he must have looked stunned because Rage belted out laughing, slapping his knee and pointing. “Damn, Dakota. Put your tongue back in your mouth man. You’re drooling in front of everyone. And, that’s my sister…you better keep yourself in check man.”

  Dakota gave him a goofy grin saying, “This has to be the best birthday ever!” He stood up and shook hands with Vito as Angel came out of her trailer with her flip flops on, taking his hand and dragging him away from her family.

  “Sorry if Rage was giving you hell. He can be a real pain sometimes.”

  “Nah, Rage is cool. Besides, he’s your big brother. I kind of expect him to give me hell for drooling over his sister.”

  Angel’s surprised laughter warmed him more than sunshine. She was even more beautiful when she let go of her hard exterior.

  “Drooling over me huh? Well, thank you…I think.” Hooking her arm in his, she led him to the vendor and ordered a cheeseburger, french fries and iced tea. He doubled the order and paid for it, moving them to the side to wait for their order. She smelled like coconut and honey, a soft scent but it suited her.

  “You know, I’ve tried to talk to you for a while now. When I was getting all the work done on my bike you barely spared me a glance. You kinda bruised my ego.” Dakota gave her what he thought was his charming grin and she laughed, pushing his chest with the palm of her hand.

  ***

  Angel’s heart was racing overtime. He smelled like Burberry cologne and hint of male sweat from being out in the sun. It was intoxicating and she could hardly keep from swaying closer to him to breathe in his scent. God if he caught her sniffing him she would never be able to look him in the eye again. That would be a shame since he was the first man that really grabbed her attention since she discovered her ex had cheated on her when she was away racing nine months ago.

  Dakota picked up the sack of food and Angel grabbed her cup of iced tea, weaving through the crowd of fans that were gathering around her. Politely she said hello to them but Dakota got in between her and push of people, smoothly getting her back toward her RV where Rage stood and opened the door, ushering her inside.

  “Sorry about that. Sometimes I can go around unnoticed, but I guess that’s not the case today. I hope you don’t mind eating in here.” Angel set her drink on the table and flipped the fan on.

  “No it’s cool, babe. I don’t mind at all. In fact I’m glad we have a little privacy. It’s hard to have a conversation when there are thirty people pushing to get close to you.” He grinned at her, giving her that wink that made her knee’s go weak.

  “Yeah, I guess that can be a turn off to have to watch someone get attention like that huh?” She smirked at him. That snarky little grin on her face made her look a little bratty, but in all honesty, it just made her sexier.

  “No, it isn’t a turn off. It’s actually kinda hot. Well, except when some of those guys were grabbing at you. I gotta admit that made me want to bust some heads.” He took a big bite of his cheeseburger and avoided her gaze.

  Throwing her head back, Angel laughed and tossed a french fry at him. “Oh stop it. They weren’t grabbing at me. And so what if they were? Why would that give you the right to be possessive?”

  Dakota shrugged, still not quite believing he was here, in Angel’s trailer, eating cheeseburgers and getting hit in the forehead with her french fry. He picked the discarded fry up off the table and ate it, giving her a growl. “Because, I’m man, you’re woman, I saw you first. Gives me the right to bash heads and toss you over my shoulder. You know, the whole sweeping you off your feet thing.”

  Her snort was so unladylike it made him laugh loudly.

  “Well, I never…no way in hell would I let you toss me over your shoulder.”

  It was his turn to snort with laughter. “And just what is your hundred pound little self gonna do if I did? Besides, I thought women liked a protective man?”

  “We do. But…”

  “See! You just admitted it. You like me.”

  ***

  His grin was so endearing she simply huffed and shook her head, taking another bite of her burger and trying to wipe the stupid grin off her face. He was so sweet. Not to mention incredibly sexy. That could be a lethal combination. But damned if she could back away now, this was too much fun. She had missed having someone to laugh and flirt with.

  Her fingers itched to feel the texture of his closely cropped hair, which was black as midnight, just like his mustache and goatee. He dwarfed her petite frame by at least a foot. Angel stood five foot two inches tall and weighed a solid one hundred and fifteen pounds. She was prime racing size. She could meld to her bike until they were fused together as if they were one being; woman and machine. Briefly she wondered just how well she would meld to Dakota. Her—small and lean; him—muscular and so utterly male. She envisioned her soft caramel skin brushing up against his dark, sinewy body. Angel realized at that moment that he was speaking to her and she had no clue what he’d been saying. Her thoughts had strayed since they were alone in her trailer.

  “I’m sorry, what did you say? My mind drifted for a minute.” Angel wadded up the paper that had been wrapped around her burger, pitching it at the trashcan, nailing the shot.

  He nodded, smiling at her. “Nice shot. I was just asking if you were busy tonight. I thought maybe I could take you out to dinner or for a drink maybe.”

  “Umm, yeah, we could do that, I think. I can’t be out late though. I have an early and long day tomorrow. But dinner sounds good. A girl’s gotta eat right?”

  A knock sounded at the door just before it opened and her dad stepped in. “Time to suit up Angel. We gotta go get lined up.”

  “Alright, Papá. I’ll be out in a few.” She nodded towards the door, urging him to leave, but Dakota could tell he didn’t want to go unless he left the trailer with him.

  Dakota looked back at Angel and smiled. “Do your thing, gorgeous. I’ll catch you around later.” He reached out and brushed his thumb along her jaw before turning and following her father out of the trailer.

  Chapter 2

  Angel Vega

  Being raised by your father wasn’t a bad thing. In fact, Vito Vega was about the best parent a girl could ever ask for. She also had the added benefit of having an older brother who was her best friend, which was something a lot of girls never had. Yet, sometimes a girl just needed another woman to talk with and take guidance from. It was days like today that Angel missed the mother she never got the chance to know. It would be nice to have her mother here to squeal over a cute guy taking notice of her and to tell her not to give up, even though the previous times she’d met him, she hadn’t exactly been friendly. It wasn’t his fault. Dakota hadn’t done anything wrong. It was her fa
iled relationship with Mason that soured her against men for a while. At the time she had first met Dakota face to face it was right after she had broken things off with Mason. The cheating scum had nearly ruined her. Broken hearted and the loss of faith in men had helped her develop her snarky, devil may care attitude. That was what Dakota saw in her when he first came in to Vega’s Custom Bikes. Her attitude was brisk if not rude, but his sweet and sexy demeanor wasn’t lost on her. She just wasn’t ready to give someone else a chance. At that point in time she didn’t know if she ever would. Things were different now. Her career was on point and she was getting the itch to have a special man in her life again. Sometimes, just sometimes, she was downright lonely.

  Angel hopped up, grinning from ear to ear, touching her jaw where Dakota had caressed her before he walked out. It was time to shake off the giddy girl feelings and get her game face on. Her dad and brother were outside starting her bike and checking things out. Hurrying, she slipped into her black leathers with a white stripe down each side. The back of her jacket sported Vega Racing, down the left leg Vega’s Custom Bikes and down the right leg was Angel Vega. Her black boots had white wings that matched the arms of her jacket.

  She grabbed her helmet and walked out, mounting her bike and strapping her helmet on. Angel gave her dad a big smile and winked. “Time to make the boys cry when I fly by.”

  He laughed and gave her a hug. “That’s my girl. Get it done, Angel.”

  All business now, her face was a mask of concentration as she revved the motor and drove down to the pit where her brother was already standing. He was talking to Dakota. Her heart raced and it wasn’t just from the adrenaline. The smell of racing fuel and burnt rubber always kicked her into high gear. But seeing him standing there next to Rage with his strong, sculpted arms crossed over his chest and skin that looked like milk chocolate covering his rock hard physique was enough to make her mouth water. Once her eyes met his and she saw the look on his face, she suddenly felt like the cherry on top of a sundae that he was ready to eat up. He simply devoured her with his eyes.

  Pulling up next to them she smiled and gratefully took the bottle of water Rage offered her. Angel pulled her helmet off to take a long pull of the icy drink.

  “I hope you don’t mind, Rage invited me to be down here with you during qualifying.” Dakota smiled at her and she nearly melted onto the asphalt.

  “It’s cool, I don’t mind. Ever been down here in the pit before?” God, I have to get my head in the game, she thought to herself.

  “No, I haven’t. But this right here is probably the best birthday present a guy could ask for.”

  Angel winked at him and put her helmet back on. Leaning towards him she said, “And just think, it’s not even your actual birthday yet.”

  His eyes widened and he gave her that sexy, heart-stopping grin again as she put her visor down, revved up and pulled away heading onto the track. Once her tires rolled onto the asphalt her mindset changed. She was serious, focused—all business. She squeezed the brake while revving the engine, doing a burnout on the sticky surface of VHT that coated the entrance to the track. The sweet, chemical like smell and the burning tires paired with racing fuel was the sweetest perfume she had ever inhaled. Her daddy said she was born with racing fuel in her blood. He was right. This was where she belonged and who she was. She didn’t know how to do anything else other than race and work on bikes. This was her life.

  She didn’t give her opponent in the right lane, Jordan Toby, more than a brief thought. He had snubbed her before, claiming women didn’t belong on the race track. The day he told her that, she had beaten him down the track by 1.836 seconds. In the racing world, that was a landslide. The jerk was so focused on giving her grief and trying to show off by being a smart-ass, that his slow reaction time at the green light ruined it for him.

  Angel grew up around men that talked shit all the time. So much that now days she could out bullshit most of them. She was always considered, ‘one of the guys’ when it came to working in the shop or racing, and she had done that her entire life. Angel never had many girlfriends. Most girls don’t want to talk about racing, motorcycles or a gnarly wreck you saw at the track. Nor did most understand how she lived her life by the sixteen races that ran between March and November of every year. But that’s how it had been the last six years; since she was eighteen years old she lived her life one weekend of racing at a time.

  ***

  Back in her trailer after the last round of qualifying, Angel was stripping off her leathers and turning the fan on high, standing in front of the cool breeze as she pulled her long, thick hair off her neck. She had placed fourth, which wasn’t bad, but she wanted more. So far this season she had been consistent, placing in the top three each qualifying race, winning the first race of the season, The Gatornationals. Tomorrow would bring some tweaking on her bike and another round of qualifying. She was so close to accomplishing her biggest dream she couldn’t help but be excited and feel even more driven. The US Nationals were held every year on Labor Day weekend in Indianapolis. To get a win there was the highest honor for a drag racer. It was something she had wished for since she was a young girl. This was her year. This weekend was Southern Nationals. Since Georgia was her home turf, she wanted the win so bad she could taste it.

  But for now, her mind switched to the tall, dark and sexy man that was taking her to dinner. A soft smile spread across her lips when she pictured him waiting there with a big grin on his face when she had pulled up the starting line. Once her two qualifying rounds were over, he had been at her trailer talking with Rage and Nahni while he waited for her. She remembered just how good it felt for him to hug her and lift her off her bike, whispering in her ear how proud he was of her.

  With a smile on her face, she flipped on the radio and went into the bathroom and took a cool shower. Nahni would be back soon to hang out with her while she got ready for her date.

  “Angel, it’s just me,” Nahni called out. “I brought you some sweet sun tea with lemon. Girl, I just can’t get enough of it. I swear this baby is going to be the sweetest southern belle ever as much as I drink the stuff.”

  Angel walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a short terrycloth robe, laughing at her sweet sister-in-law. “Thank you, sweetie,” Angel replied, taking a long sip of the sweet, cool drink. “It’s a good thing you’re not craving pickle juice then, or she’d come out looking puckered up like old Mrs. Weezer.”

  They hugged each other giggling.

  “Lord we can’t have that. Poor girl would never get a date.” Nahni set her makeup bag down and went to Angel’s vanity and turned her hot rollers on to heat.

  “Okay darling sister of mine. Are we going for a light, innocent look, or are we going for a sexy, smoky, make him fall to his knees look?” Nahni wiggled her eyebrows.

  Angel crossed her legs and looked thoughtfully at Nahni while tapping her finger on her chin. “I want to make him weak kneed and see his eyes pop out his head, because that’s how I feel every time I see him. The man is too fine for words.”

  “Good girl, bring him down to his knees so you can kiss his face off. Blow-dry your hair and I’ll find you something sexy to wear that’s bike friendly. Can’t have you showing your cha-cha to everyone now can we?” Nahni busted out laughing, heading towards the closet and rifling through it.

  ***

  An hour and a half later, Nahni emerged from Angel’s trailer with a knowing grin on her face. Her cheeks were pink from all the laughing they were doing while she did Angel’s hair and makeup. She walked over to her husband where he sat at with his dad chatting about the usual racing stuff and sat on his lap, planting a kiss on his lips.

  “Mmm what was that for, beautiful?” Rage looked at his wife adoringly, rubbing her belly and wrapping his arm around her back cradling her against him.

  Nahni kissed his cheek and nuzzled her face against his neck. “You are a wonderful man and I just needed to kiss you. Helping Angel get ready remi
nded me of how excited I was to get ready for my first date with you. I knew you were different, special. And I can see that same excitement in her. It makes me happy, Rage. She deserves to be with a good man.”

  Rage smiled at his wife, pulling her as close as her pregnant belly would allow. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world. I love you, Nahni. I hope you’re right about her and Dakota. The guy has been half in love with her for a long time now. I’m glad she’s starting to open up.”

  The door to the trailer swung open. “Okay, you guys can stop talking about me anytime now.” Angel walked down the steps looking like a sultry vixen, in mile high black stiletto heels. The ruched black leggings she wore clung to her like a second skin and the creamy white tank top she wore hugged at her hips, glimmering with silver floral embellishments on the front. The back was open to her waist, showing her angel wings tattoo that covered her entire back. Her long black hair hung in soft waves over her shoulders like satin curtains. The only jewelry she wore was a silver chain that hung low, brushing the top of her cleavage, a set of silver bangle bracelets on her wrist and tiny diamond studs in her ears that her father had given her on her twenty-first birthday.

  “Aye dios mio,” her father replied, shaking his head as his beautiful daughter strode towards him and planted a kiss on his cheek before sitting down next to him.

  “You are a vision, mija.” Vito reached out and touched her cheek, looking proudly at her.

  “Papá, you have to say that because I’m your daughter,” she teased him, giving him a bright smile.

  “Nah, he’s saying that because he knows once Dakota sees you, he’s gonna trip over his tongue to get close to you.” Rage laughed, enjoying teasing his little sister.

  The teasing didn’t last long. The rumbling sound announced Dakota’s arrival before they even saw him come around the corner on his sleek motorcycle. Once Angel saw him dressed head to toe in black, sleekly getting off his bike and stalking towards her with that damn cocky grin, she felt very much like the prey a panther was about to pounce on. Fitting it seemed, that his bike was painted with the majestic black cat that looked just as dark and magnificent as he did.