But now things had changed a little. She wasn't just a bystander watching and dreaming, she was truly at one with her love. Over the off season she had gotten a job with the lucrative race company better known as Rousch Racing. She was an intern, a stand in so to speak. But it brought her nose to nose with the smells, the touches, the feels of everything that was racing. She climbed over the wall into her designated pit for the race, she was to be watching the monitors in Matt Kenseth's pit this week, doing her job watching the numbers as they played across the screen for instant scoring. Suddenly she saw him. Her breath caught in her throat. An entourage of red flowing behind him. Dale Jr. was heading for his car. He didn't know she was there, hell he probably didn't even remember her. She put it out of her mind as the Grand Marshal called for the starting of the engines. Taking a few deep breaths as she watched Matt's car lead off pit road and immediately numbers started rolling across the telemetry screen in front of her. Oil temp, water temp, and lap times wouldn't take effect until the drop of the green flag but they rolled anyways. Everything computerized, nothing left to chance. Rolling at around 5500 rpm's the boys were warming up for the go. She felt the anticipation as they rounded Turn 4 heading down the backstretch, the flag man waving them down just before he dropped the green flag. The crowd of a few hundred thousand went wild as hammers were dropped and feet buried in their respective carburetors. She watched the entire race through the numbers piling on the screen. A few close calls plagued the team but after all was said and done Matt had finished in the top 10 and the crew was ecstatic. Saying nothing Christine took all of her reports from the telemetry screens and headed to her coach knowing she had a long night of work ahead of her. Though the computers had stopped scoring she would have to depict and read all the numbers and make sense of them, then turn them into the team. She walked back into the coach area slowly her nose buried in her paperwork when she heard, "Fancy meetin' you here." She froze, the drawl millions knew so well and to this day haunted her every dream was talking to her. She turned slowly and saw a very tired, but nonetheless hotter than ever Dale Earnhardt Jr. standing behind her. "Hi Dale." She smiled softly. "Well it doesn't appear that you`re trespassin' again, but I would guess by all the papers you`re workin' for a team?" He asked raising an eyebrow. "Rousch." She smiled at him. He nodded saying nothing. "Well nice to see ya. Maybe I'll see ya around." He smiled one last time a kind of conceited, "I know you still want me smile" and walked off. "Damnable men." She grumbled under breath, hating he saw right through her. Turning back around she took back off for her coach, not stopping or glancing anywhere but in front of her feet and where she was going. Getting to her coach she opened the door, went in and closed it without so much as a glance back. He'd seen her go into her coach, he still remembered that night like it was yesterday. He'd NEVER done anything reckless and as half hazard as he'd done that night at Talladega. Suddenly he laughed softly to himself wondering if she still had his jacket or not. Turning he too went to his coach, not thinking anything more about it as he kicked off his shoes and sat back to relax. A few hours dragged on by the time Christine finished with all the post race numbers. She stood from her table she used as a desk, grabbed all the printouts and started to head for the door of her coach to go drop them off to her respective boss. Opening the door she was met with a blast of cool, ocean air. "Brr." She shivered slightly, not wanting to get sick she turned and went to her closet, she thumbed through looking for a sweatshirt when she came across the black leather jacket. Snickering to herself she took it off the hanger and slipped it on. Grabbed the paperwork and headed out into the last of the day's sunlight. She was barely coming up to passing his coach when his door opened, not stopping or saying anything she pretended like she didn't hear a thing and kept walking. "Nice jacket." She heard the laugh behind her. "Thanks." She said calmly and coolly over her shoulder but kept walking. Her nerves frayed to their extent just upon hearing his voice. She dropped off the paperwork and decided to mull around for a bit, she walked through the garages watching crews pack up tools, spare parts, notebooks otherwise known as racing bibles. In them a crew chief could look back over past races and see what was done, or how they had improved on something. She nodded politely to drivers and crew alike saying nothing, just kept walking. She was heading up on his garage; she could feel it in her stomach. Just as she was walking by he was walking out. They collided. "Hey." he said steadying himself as she did the same. "Sorry." She said softly. "No problem." He said then added, "Come to return the jacket?" "Nope, just wandering through the garages, why? Want it back?" She asked ready to take it off. "No, well not yet." He smiled. "When then?" She asked. "You'll know." He smirked and walked off. "Grr." She grumbled after him. "Grr, back at ya." She heard as he walked back to his coach. "Ugh, he is SO aggravating." She thought to herself as she undoubtedly headed the same direction to get back to her own coach. She had just come around a darkening corner when she felt hands on her waist pulling her further into the shadows. "You know there's got to be an easier way to get my attention." She gasped, he'd scared her to death grabbing her like that. She looked up barely able to see him but knew he had that twinkle in his gorgeous blue eyes she said, "Come to collect the jacket?" "I don't want the jacket Christine, but I can think of somethin' else that I do." He said in a hushed tone as he leaned in and kissed her. She swore she was going to faint. Just like he'd said in Talladega, here he was, but this time he was the pursuer. She melted against him, giving no resistance. He'd plagued her every thought and dream for months, and here once again they were face to face. Only this time he was kissing her. He wasted no time sliding his hands up her team shirt, caressing and stroking her breasts. The roughness of his palms catching on her bra, making little scratching sensations along her tender skin. She trembled against his hands wanting more, and he knew it. Saying nothing he undid her jeans, pushing them off her waist his hands following them down along her hips. She leaned against the wall and let him have his way. She was not going to argue with this man, and at that, she wanted him even more than he was sure to want her. She bit back a cry of need as his fingers found her wetness, sliding into her easily. He moaned softly, his breath hot against her mouth as his deepened the kiss still stroking her softly. She slid her hands over his body slowly, memorizing every little detail. She slid her hands up through the arms of his shirt, running her soft hands over his biceps, up to his shoulders. She leaned in closer to him, her back arching off the wall of the dark space as he drove a second finger into her trembling depths. Clinging to him, the need growing in intensity. Her lower stomach beginning the low exquisite pain of announcement that her orgasm was coming. He felt her body tightening up against his and drove his fingers through her over and over until he decided he wanted to feel her come unwound. Sliding his thumb down into her he rubbed her clit quickly, the rough calloused texture sending her into orbit. Knowing she would scream her pleasure he buried his tongue into her mouth, holding her even closer as he rubbed and coaxed her orgasm out of her. She cried out her release, doing what she could to remain quiet, nearly climbing the wall behind her from the intensity. She arched and bucked against his fingers as her body shook and trembled mercilessly. He continued to stroke her slowly bringing her back down from the heights he'd taken her to when he felt her hands on the button of his jeans. She as well was wasting no time getting to what she wanted. His jeans undone, she pushed them off his narrow hips, sliding her hands down to meet in the middle her hand cool to the touch, wrapping itself around him. He bit back a howl of need. The joining this time was hot and almost needy for them both. The thought of being caught along with it pushed their heightened arousal through the roof. "Dale, please." She rasped between kisses. The lips intertwined to keep their noises to a minimum. "Patience, honey. That time will come, I'm not done making you cum." He moaned as suddenly he backed up from the lip lock. He swore he could see pure fire shooting from her eyes, even in the dark. He pushed her shirt up, not hesitating he grabbed the bottom of her bra, lifting it up over her breasts onto her chest following it with his mouth, clamping his lips firmly around one nipple then the other. Sucking and licking, feeling them harden to unbelievable proportions while he slid his rough tongue over them. He began sinking to his knees in front of her, holding her to the wall behind her by a gentle hand on her hip. He pushed her jeans all the way to her ankles, he reached down and removed her shoe as he licked and sucked just around her navel, leaning in to nip at it. She sucked in a wild breath and pulled her foot free of her jeans and thong as soon as she felt her shoe removed. She reached down and drove her fingers into his hair, remembering the feel of the soft curls immediately she held him closer to her, her skin aflame, her body aching for more of what his mouth and tongue were promising along her belly. He skipped her center, lifting her now free leg he slid his rough hand up the outside of her bare thigh as he licked and nipped his way up the inside. Taking his time, wanting her shaking and beyond reason before he even got close to her wetness. "Ohhh, Goddd..." She moaned softly. Her mind reeling, she couldn't ever remember having a mouth on her that was as hot, a tongue that knew all the right moves. But he was doing it. Her head tipped back onto the wall behind her. She had no recollection of where exactly they were, but what she did remember was Daytona. And Midnight words spoken, she had believed until he had pulled her into the shadows just beyond watchful eyes and nosy mongers to be a dream. He moved closer to her center, his breath hotter than ever, he slid his free hand up along her body sliding his hands again over her breasts, making her arch pushing her diamond hard nipples between his fingers, begging him with her controlled noises and needy motions of just what she wanted. Complying to her need, as he pulled her nipples gently he leaned his head in, lifting her leg more over his shoulder and slowly slid his tongue into her already once soaked center. She went nuts in his arms; her whole body began to shake again. He couldn't believe he turned someone on this much. He leaned in again and again sucking, licking, nibbling drawing her closer and closer to no return. Suddenly he buried his face into her, sliding his hand up over her soft skin till he met with her soft, round ass and pulled her more into him. He felt her hands moving through his hair and along his scalp, pulling him even closer begging for the release he too was aching to give her. As his face buried more into her folds, he grabbed hold of her clit between his lips. Sucking it between them, he held her against the wall as she went rigid for just a moment and bit back another scream, flooding his mouth and lips as she had his fingers only minutes ago. As he brought her back down not daring to release her from his lips until he had sucked her dry, he slowly stood. Saying nothing he wrapped his hands down around her ass easily picking her lighter frame up in his arms. She knew what was to come; she immediately wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling his hardness just outside her tender opening. He started working on her breasts again, over and over, sucking, licking, holding them in his mouth as he moved his hips under her tight legs, feeling the head of his cock rest against her opening. Slowly he lowered her onto him, reaching up burying his hand in the hair near her neck, pulling her into a kiss as their moans were finally drowned out by the other's tongues and mouths. As he slid her down, his cock went deep inside her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning more back onto the wall as he began to pump himself in and out of her. He leaned forward covering his moans and her cries with his mouth against hers. He felt her roll her hips, taking him inside her at different angles. It was all he could not to drop her, her tightness and heat making him actually tremble against her. They worked each other to the edge of their control and back again, over and over. He would slow, so to hold off the inevitable. Then speed up to hear her quiet cries of feeling him inside her. Finally he couldn't take anymore. He leaned into her neck this time, sucking her tender skin, his teeth scraping against the flesh as he cried out her name and began to cum inside her. She clung to him, feeling him flooding her. She rode him through his orgasm, just as his was edging off she arched, twisted in his arms and doing her best not to scream, he felt it and hurried even in his depleted state to quiet her with his mouth as he felt her orgasm for him one last time. As she slowly returned to earth, he slowly slid her down off his hips, saying nothing as he redressed himself, then helped her do the same. Any other time the fumbling in the dark, under the awning of the garages would have been almost comical, but she knew. She knew by his silence this would be the last time they were ever to meet like this. He stood after she had got herself together, still saying nothing. He kissed her one last time, deep and in ways of goodbye forever. Then turning he left her standing there alone with her thoughts and feelings that would never be. She followed out a few minutes later, so that their movements would not alert others. As she walked to her coach she realized he hadn't taken back the jacket. It was hers to keep, a memory of sorts of fleeting passion, never to be found again.