Page 7 of Away We Go

She waves her hand around. “He’s just careful with who he brings into the inner circle, you know?”

“Yeah,” I nod. He’s learnt the hard way that when you’re one of the most recognisable sportsmen in the world, you have to always be on your guard. “But I’ve known him my whole life. He’s the person who gave me my name. He’s like a big brother to me.”

Her eyebrows rise. “You look atthatman like a brother?”

She points to the life-sized cardboard image of Nicky in the back of the garage and I just know a blush on my cheeks is blooming to life. The man is gorgeous, with his mop of thick brown hair, short on the sides with a slight curl on top. His eyes are a warm, velvety brown that I’ve gotten lost in more times than I can count. His cheekbones are high and are a perfect complement to his straight, aristocratic nose. And his lips? They’re plump, pinkand deeply kissable. He’s tall for an F1 driver, towering over my five-foot-three frame at just over six foot, and I know from that ‘sexiest sportsman alive’ article, which I’ve read to the point of memorising, that his olive-skinned body is sculpted out of pure muscle and zero per cent body fat.

He’s also kind, generous, and insanely talented to boot. He’s unfairly perfect.

“Cherry?”

I blink out of my daze to find Serena smirking at me. “Right, sorry. What was the question?”

She squeezes my arm. “Never mind. I think I have my answer.”

I clear my throat and fiddle with the shirt in my hands, knowing it’s futile to try to change her mind. And really? What woman wouldn’t be attracted to Nicolai Dimitrios?

“Right, well. It’s not important, anyway,” I babble, to save my dignity. “The man has seen me in braces. I’m just a little sister to him. That’s why I’m here.”

Serena’s gaze travels over me, taking in my jeans and t-shirt ensemble, tracking over my face and lingering on my long red hair, swept off my face in a painstaking braid that took three attempts to get just right.

“I don’t know about that, honey. You’re a gorgeous young woman who is going to get a lot of attention from the testosterone-filled garages up and down the pit lane. And I, for one, can’t wait to see how he deals with all of it.”

A loud bang interrupts the plethora of reasons and examples I have to counter her unsound logic. That Nicky has never once (okay, except for that once) treated or even seen me as anything other than a treasured younger sister. And that no amount of wishing on shooting stars or four-leaf clovers will ever make that not true.

I’m just here to do a job. And to find myself again after my toxic relationship failed. I’m not planning on spending the year falling for someone new, knowing that at the end of it all, my heart will inevitably be shattered all over again.

CHAPTER 2

Cherry

“Here, don’t forget these.”

A pair of hardcore earmuffs fasten around my neck from behind and I turn to find Nicky standing behind me, his dark eyes scanning me up and down.

Today is race day and other than the glimpses through my camera lens, I’ve not seen him since our Thursday morning encounter.

“Thanks,” I breathe out, willing myself to ‘just be cool.’“And congrats on Pole.”

Yesterday had been the first qualifying session I’d experienced as part of the team, and I’d watched in awe as Nicky had set the fastest lap around the track and secured the best starting position in today’s race.

“It was nothing.” He waves away my praise like he hadn’t pulled out the perfect lap in the dying stages of qualifying yesterday to secure pole position. Like that flash of brilliance was just another Saturday for him.

Which, upon reflection, it probably was.

“How are you settling in?” he asks. His gravelly voice travels over my spine like butter over hot toast and has a similar effect on me. Today he’s dressed in hisVortex Motorsrace suit, draped fully in red with a black stripe down either side of his body, looking like a racing God, and being this close to him, I’m melting inside.

“It-it’s been good,” I stammer. “Really good.”

He pushes a wayward strand of my hair over my shoulder, a small smile tickling his lips. “And Serena? Is she looking after you?”

I bristle. “I don’t need a keeper. I’m all grown up now, you know?”

A pair of chocolate eyes travel over me, lingering on his team shirt pulled tight across my chest, before he drags his gaze away, a muscle jumping in his cheek.

“I can see that.”

Oh my gosh, is he flirting with me?

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