Seeing he was annoyed, Gwh wisely dropped the subject.


    To her, Connor was Connor. Her first impression of him was set in stone, and that would never change.


    Connor felt a surge of frustration. He''d been in a great mood when he saw her, but they just couldn''t seem to get on the same page.


    Luckily, the sight of the racetrack captured all of Gwh''s attention the moment they arrived.


    Her visible excitement lifted Connor''s spirits.


    "My car''s over there. What do you say? Want to take it for a fewps?"


    Connor hadpeted in many rallies, but he''d never seen Gwh at one.


    And she, of course, had never seen him.


    It was a strange twist of fate that they had been separated for so long, but here they were, finally together.


    It felt like destiny.


    Connor held two helmets, tossing one to Gwh.


    "You love racing, I love racing. If we hadn''t been separated for... reasons, do you think we would have grown up together?"


    He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth, afraid she would bring up the brother-sister thing again.


    "I mean, as good friends," he quickly added, "not as your brother."


    He grimaced in self-disgust.


    Gwh had heard it so many times she was sick of it, so she didn''t bother to respond.


    Just then, a whistle cut through the air as several of Connor''s racing buddies, d in racing suits, walked over.


    "Hey, Connor, is this your new girlfriend?" one of them asked, seeing a new woman by his side.


    They all let out a few catcalls, but when they got a good look at Gwh''s face, their eyes went wide.


    Connor had dated a lot of women, but they had never seen one as stunning as her.


    "Man, this one''s a real keeper. Way better than the others," Mattie Robin said, staring at Gwh.


    Connor jabbed him hard in the ribs with his elbow, making Mattie double over in pain.


    "Watch your mouth. What others? I''ve never had a girlfriend before," Connor growled.


    Seeing his fierce expression, Mattie quickly shut up.


    They''d never seen him so protective of a woman before. Could this one actually be serious?


    "Hey, Gwh!" the others chimed in, quickly changing their tune.


    Seeing them all greet her so readily made Connor feel a lot better.


    He looked at Gwh. "You want to ride with me, or drive yourself?"


    ...


    Gwh nced at Connor, wondering if he really liked her.


    It felt more like he saw her as one of the guys.


    The moment he found out she could race, his eyes had lit up.


    "Hey, Connor, doesn''t she look exactly like the racing legend, Vivian?" someone in the group pointed out.


    Everyone turned to stare at Gwh more closely.


    "She really does! She''s the spitting image of her. Gwh, do you really race? For real?"


    Their chattering was giving Gwh a headache.


    Who said three women make a scene? This group of guys was like a flock of squawking geese.


    "Alright, what''s with you guys? Settle down" Connor said pulling Gwh behind him before smacking.


    his so-called friends on theach of


    Watching them roughhouse, Gwh felt surprisingly happy.


    It was as if they were old friends, with no awkwardness between them.


    "Want to go head-to-head?"


    Gwh looked at the helmet in her hands.


    It seemed like Connor was projecting his admiration for her mother onto her.


    It figured that every racing enthusiast''s ultimate goal was to challenge the best.


    Her mother hadn''t raced in years, and Gwh had only ever heard stories about her past.


    "Alright, you''re on. But you have to go easy on me, Connor." She figured she should give him an out in front of his friends.


    "Don''t worry, we''re just having fun. You think I''m really going topete with a little thing like you?" Connor said, ruffling her hair.


    Only Hawthorne ever did that.


    The familiar gesture made Gwh pause for a second, but she was quickly pulled back to the present by his friends'' teasing.


    "No way, man! You''re the one who challenged her! Careful you don''t win and end up sleeping on the couch."


    "The couch? He''ll be in the doghouse for a month! Do you think he actually dares to beat Gwh?"


    Connor shot them a re. "Knock it off. Are you all racing, or are you going to the stands to cheer us on?"


    The group exchanged nces and quickly retreated from the track.


    No way were they getting in the middle


    one of their boss''s date. What if


    one of them identally beat Gwh and made her cry? They''d all be in for it.


    Gwh watched as they obediently filed into the stands, leaving only two cars on the track.


    One was obviously Connor''s, and the other had been prepared just for her.


    Connor personally helped Gwh fasten her helmet, the intimate gesture looking surprisingly natural.


    Gwh let him do as he pleased; with his friends watching, she wasn''t about to embarrass him.


    With that in mind, she followed his lead without protest.


    It had been a long time since she''d driven a race car and she felt a little rusty, but the moment she settled into the driver''s seat, her hands on the wheel and her foot on the gas, it all came flooding back.