Boy was I right. Nothing in the world beats raw. The sensation was so much more intense. So much more warmth. I loved the natural friction and the feeling of skin to skin. Okay, there was more mess, but it was so worth it just for the increased pleasure and sensitivity. It also gave a whole new level of intimacy that I never even realized was missing. In all of my previous encounters, I had always thought the best part of sex was the act itself, but now I'm lying here thinking that it may just be the aftermath that is so satisfying. That blissful, post-orgasmic state where your body is flooded with endorphins and serotonin and all those other feel good chemicals that make your brain as happy as your body. It made me want to....cuddle. Huh?

I always thought of post-coital cuddling as being for the weak and for the saps...until I started becoming a sap myself. I was usually the first out of bed getting dressed, well, except for a few times with Alex. He was more the cuddly type. Sometimes. Even when I thought he might be the one, I just never felt as comfortable as I did now. I never had the desire to just lay here in someone's arms listening to the sound of our breathing, inhaling the tangy scent of arousal that clung in the air. To draw lazy circles on his chest while he ran his finger tip lightly up and down my spine, occasionally touching my ass.

Am I catching feelings?

God I hope not. Last time I caught feelings, it ended with a blindside and humiliation that I'm still trying to get over. Yet the man next to me is something else entirely. Something I was not prepared for. Something I'm not sure how to react to.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked, and there was no way on earth I could reveal the thoughts running through my head. This whole so-called intimate feeling was just messing with my mind. I was not about to share my innermost thoughts.

"I'm so sleepy." I replied, and it wasn't entirely untrue. I can blame that on serotonin.

"Then rest up. You've got a couple of hours before you need to go back to your bus." He then kissed my forehead. Why did he do that? Forehead kisses are even more intimate.

However, as I inhaled his scent, that undeniably masculine, amazing scent that was so unique to him that I just wanted to immerse myself in it, I realized I didn't want to move from this spot. He was so warm and felt so nice,  I just wanted to enjoy it a little longer. So no, I'm not catching feelings. I'm just sleepy and comfortable.

I grabbed my phone off of the nightstand to make sure I had an alarm set, and before I could set it back down, the device in my hand rang, startling me enough that I nearly dropped it. I saw Chase's name flash across the screen and instantly got a bad feeling. Chase almost never calls. He usually just texts.

"Hello." I answered, fighting the sigh from slipping out of my lips.

"I hate to spoil your sexy time, but we've got an...uh...a situation." Chase said nervously enough to make me sit up and clutch the phone tighter to my ear.

"What kind of situation?" I asked, trying to keep myself calm.

"There was an open seat available for the feature, so Alex took it, and well...he uh...he flipped a couple of times. He climbed out under his own power but he was complaining of wrist and rib pain so the track workers suggested he get checked out at the hospital. We are at Halifax right now."

Son of a bitch.

"Alright. I'll be there in a few minutes." I sighed and disconnected the call.

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked, his face full of concern.

"One of my idiot drivers thought it would be fun to hop into an open sprint car and then he flipped it. Not so fun after all." I fumed.

"Let me guess...Bowman?" Ryan replied.

"You know it." I sighed again.

"Is he okay?" Ryan asked.

"He'd better be so that I can kill him." I muttered under my breath. "He's getting checked at the hospital now, so I have to go." I then got up and began searching for my clothes. Where the hell were my underwear? Never mind, I'll just go without, but then Ryan held them out to me, the black lace bikinis dangling from his index finger.

"Call me later." He said, placing a soft kiss on my lips after I had gotten dressed. I really didn't want to leave.

I slipped back into my bus to grab my purse and keys, and of course my hard card. Had better not forget that. Regardless of who I was, they would not let me back in the lot without it.

The hospital was just over a mile away from the track, so I arrived within a few minutes. The first person I saw upon entering the waiting room was Jeff.

"You really didn't have to come, Mia. Everything is fine. I'm handling this." Jeff said, making an obvious effort to placate me because he he knew I was about to go off, and he was right.

"Oh you're handling this? What the hell was he doing in a sprint car in the first place Jeff? Who gave him permission to run that race?" I demanded.

"I okayed it Mia. Not that he needed permission. His contract doesn't not forbid it, but he did ask anyway and I granted it. It's not like Alex has never driven a sprint car before." Jeff said calmly, shaking his head.

"He also broke his back in a sprint car. After he flipped it." I reminded him. "What you should have done was call me."

"You would have just said no." Jeff once again used that same condescending tone that I despised.

"You're damn right I would have said no. We are less than three days from the biggest race of the year. We have spent the last three months preparing for this, and now I have an injured driver that may not be able to run and I am going to be scrambling to find a last minute replacement for. This is stupidity." I snapped.

"You are overreacting Mia. Your grandfather wouldn't have had a problem with it." Jeff's tone was now challenging.

"Do you see my grandfather anywhere around here? I am in charge of this team Jeff. I am the one who has to answer to the sponsors when they ask why the driver they poured millions of their dollars into isn't racing the fucking Daytona 500."

"Would you keep your voice down Mia. It's not that bad. I'm sure Alex is fine. This was just a precaution." And now he was back to placating me.

"Stop patronizing me. Stop the mansplaining, and as I've said before, stop undermining me Jeff. I've had this conversation with you and I've had enough. When we get back home Monday, there are going to be some big changes. I need to take some precautions as well."

"Your grandfather isn't going to like this Mia."

"My grandfather gave me the green light to make some changes however I see fit. This is my race team. "And with that, I turned on my heel and took a seat in the waiting room.

Chase was sitting alone. William, Kyle and Alex's girlfriend were on the other side of the waiting room. Oh great...her. I couldn't help but eye her up and down, sizing her up. She was dressed in black leggings, a black cropped tee and a short black leather jacket. Long honey blonde curls framed her face and spilled over her shoulders. Cleavage from the obvious breast implants spilled from the top of her low cut shirt. She looked every inch the Monster Energy girl, minus the bright green logos.

Even across the room, I could feel her stare. Why was she looking at me? So what if I stared her down first. Oh that's right...Alex was fucking me while fuckiing her. Big deal. She's the one who got him, and she can keep him.

"What are you looking at?" I finally snapped in her direction.

She then walked over to me. Great. She was pretty I had to admit, but then again, anyone would be pretty with that much hair and that much skillfully applied makeup. No telling what was beneath it all, as well as the overly inflated chest.

"You looked better blonde." She said in an utterly sweet yet obviously fake voice dripping with sarcasm.

"And you look just like everyone of Alex's previous girlfriends, except for me of course." I said in my own overly sweet yet obvious fake voice.

"He doesn't want you back." She folded her arms across her chest, making her ample breasts strain even harder against the thin material of her shirt.

"Lindsey? Is that your name? Well Lindsey, he certainly did a few nights ago...want me that is."I smirked. "No worries though. I turned him down. You two deserve each other."

"He said you were an ugly, vengeful person underneath it all." She sneered at me.

Okay I'm done being nice. Or fake nice...whatever.

"Bitch please.... I could remove 90% of your beauty with a wet wipe and a straight pin." I said, as I pretended to check my nails, trying to appear bored with this conversation. Hmm...got a very small chip.

"You just need to get over him." Lindsay snapped at me. I must have struck a nerve.

"Honey...I'm so over him it's almost like I was never under him. Right now he's nothing to me but a liability."

I would love to tell her to enjoy my sloppy seconds but wasn't that what I was doing with Ryan? What did Ryan ever see in her? She certainly didn't seem his type. Was Ryan really that shallow, or was she just so threatened by me that she came off that way? She was really stupid too because Alex is such a downgrade from Ryan. Bitch really went from filet mignon to a freezer burnt soy patty.

Before anymore could be said, Chase pulled me away to the other side of the room. I couldn't help but notice the looks Kyle and William were giving him. There was a palpable sense of hostility in the air.

"They are pissed off that I called you." Chase explained before I could even ask.

"You should have called me sooner. I never would have allowed Alex to get in that car." I scolded him.

"I actually didn't know until the last minute. They...uh...they aren't too happy with me." Chase shot a glare in their direction.

"Why not? What happened?" I asked.

"They were running their mouths about you. Talking shit and I didn't like it and I told them as much." He confessed.

I sighed. "Chase, I appreciate that, I really do, but you don't have to defend me. I'm glad to have you as an ally, but I don't need you to rescue me. I am a big girl and I'm more than capable of standing up to these dipshits."

"Mia...."

"Chase, don't. All you are doing is turning them against you. Come Sunday, like it or not, there will be a time when you need their help. As much as I hate it, and tried to avoid it. battle lines are being drawn. I'm not telling you which line to be on, but I am suggesting that you watch your back. Kyle is sneaky on track. William has everyone fooled into thinking he's this wholesome Boy Scout, and Alex...who the hell knows with him. He's likely to go with the majority. You are my friend, my closest friend, but I think for the time being, especially while my grandfather is out, I think it would be in your best interest for you to distance yourself from me, at least to everyone else. I have too many eyes on me. Too many waiting for me to screw up. Any animosity on a team can be picked up on, and the fingers would point straight to me."

Several tense moments passed before he finally spoke. "I don't like this."

"I don't either, but it's for the best. I can handle those guys, and I know you can too." I reassured him.

He gave me an awkward smile. "Alright. Good luck."

"You too." I resisted the urge to pat his hand.

Chase returned to a seat further away as we all waited. In my head I began going through a list of potential replacement drivers. Last time Chase and Alex were out, we used Josh Berry and Noah Gragson as substitutes, but both Josh and Noah were now full time cup this year with Stewart Haas. The most obvious choice would be someone from Jr. Motorsports, as my grandfather was part owner in that team. It was tricky. JRM had three young drivers and one veteran. Although Justin Allgaier had some cup experience, he had never driven this generation car, not that I can recall anyway. As I was wracking my brain to figure out who from the truck or Xfinity series had driven a Next Gen car, I heard Alex's voice.

"Just some bruises guys. I'm fine. I'm cleared to race Sunday." Alex said to Jeff and his teammates.

Relief flooded through me. Regardless of how I feel about Alex and as much as I want to kill him right now, I'm glad he's cleared. Now I'm ready for bed.

Come Monday morning....major changes. Sure I had my petty and vindictive reasons, but I also had a legit one. That's my excuse anyway.