Emma hurried into team headquarters, her long blonde hair tied back and her blue and yellow polo shirt tucked into a pair of jeans. The place had the familiar scent of rubber and gasoline, even though the garage was several floors down. She smiled at the receptionist and scanned her badge as she made her way to the conference room.

The noise from the conference room confirmed what Emma had already known: she was late. She could hear the grumbling and questioning if she would show up, so Emma jogged into the room where her parents, the race engineers, and another man sat. As she entered, they all turned to stare at her, disproving looks coming from her parents and the race engineers, but the other man had almost no reaction.

"I am so sorry I'm late! I took too long dropping Henry off at daycare this morning," she said apologetically, sliding her badge back into her pocket.

Her father smiled and gestured to the empty seat next to the man. "No worries. Just sit down so we can begin."

Emma glanced at the unknown man as she took a seat. He had messy, dark brown hair that swept to the side and a bit of a dark scruff around his face. He looked fairly young, maybe a year or two younger than her. She had no problem admitting he was attractive, especially with his piercing blue eyes.

A cough sounded from across the table, causing Emma to snap out of whatever thoughts she had just been having. She looked up and saw her mother and father staring at her and attempting to get her attention.

"Can we begin, Emma?" her mother asked, a smile gracing her face.

"Oh! Go ahead," she said, redness covering her cheeks.

Her father, David, stood at the whiteboard that said CHARMING FAMILY RACING PRESEASON MEETING, and said, "Well, everyone, I'd like to welcome you to the first team meeting of the season! I'm excited for the coming season, and I expect us to be a top competitor, especially with a new driver." He finished the sentence and pointed to the man Emma had noticed before.

Emma turned to him and said, "Oh, you're the new driver on our team?" After August had retired from racing to focus on his writing, no one told her about any new drivers they had been looking at signing, possibly because she was so distraught when August announced he was leaving.

He nodded. "Indeed, love. But don't worry, I promise my face won't distract from the race, for I'll be wearing my helmet."

"I wasn't-"

"I was only joking, love."

"I'm not your love," Emma grumbled, sitting back in her chair. "What's your name, anyway?"

He held out his calloused hand for her to shake, and she took it reluctantly. "Killian Jones, it's a pleasure to meet you."

—

As the meeting ended, Emma left her seat and hurried out of the room. She rushed into her own room, ignoring the sounds of footsteps following her. She heard Killian ask where she was going, which only made her move faster.

When she finally stopped, Killian caught up to her, panting. "Well, you're a quick lass, aren't you?" he said. "I guess it'll be more work to compete with you than I expected."

"What do you want, Jones?" She turned to face him and crossed her arms, leaning against her door. He was standing a few feet from her, and she realized then that he wasn't in the team polo.

"I just thought you might like to join me for a drink tonight." He grinned and his blue eyes glimmered. He scratched behind his ear and looked down at his feet. "Seeing as we'll be teammates, we should take the time to get to know each other."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I don't make a habit of becoming friends with my teammates." She could taste the lie as it left her mouth and hoped he didn't notice as she scrunched up her mouth.

Killian took in a quick breath. "Ah, bad form, love. I should think camaraderie would be crucial between drivers."

"And why is that?"

He took a bit of a cocky stance and replied, "So that when I beat you in a race, you know it's not personal."

"In that case, we won't need to get to know each other at all."

"Oy, love! No need to be so scrappy. You can hurt a man with those words!" Killian placed his hand over his chest and laughed. "Please, love, join me?" he asked once more. He looked down at her with puppy-dog eyes, and Emma knew instantly that she wouldn't be able to resist.

She sighed. "Fine. Meet me outside at seven."

Killian nodded and stood up straight. "Thank you, love." A small smile ran across his face, which he promptly tried to hide.

"I'm not your love, Jones," Emma reminded him.

Killian took a step closer to her and leaned to whisper in her ear. He was close enough that Emma felt his scruff brush along her cheek, a tingly feeling rushing through the rest of her body. His arm was right across her as he steadied himself on the door behind him, and he somehow smelled like salt and sand. She heard him breathe and realized that she had been holding her breath.

"As you wish, Emma."

With those words, he strolled away from her, his hands in his pockets. He turned to face her and smiled. "Oh, and Emma?" he said.

"What?"

"Don't be late this time, alright?"

"I'm beginning to regret agreeing to this, Jones!" she called after him.

"Come on, lass, I was only joking!" Killian winked at her and walked into his office, and Emma finally was able to enter her own. She sat down at her desk and sighed, thinking about the feeling of his scruff on her cheek.