Page 40 of Risk

Kaspar did his job, talking to Cal about what was happening with the car, his laps, and what place he was in. He was currently in second place and gearing up to take first place when the first-place car flew off the track and slammed into the guardrail. It put Cal in first, but I wasn’t sure where it put him mentally.

“Fucking hell, that guy. What was he thinking? Dumbass” was all he said. Not once after the wreck of his opponent did he seem to have a hard time. I was elated for him to not need me more, and at the same time, wondered if it would mean he was done with me. I hated being an insecure woman, but we’d felt so off these last two weeks, I wasn’t sure what to think anymore. I vowed right then I would tell him everything once I saw him. I couldn’t hide what I’d been planning any longer.

“You’ve got it, Crew. Only two more laps to go, and you’re this season’s champion.” I could hear how proud Kaspar’s was in his elated voice.

I stumbled back to the couch and sat as I watched the rest of the race unfold, with Cal being the first to cross the finish line as the checkered flag waved. Everyone on the headset cheered and congratulated Cal on his win. Unable to wait any longer, I ran out of the room and down to the pit, where the entire team was patting each other on the back as they moved down to the podium. Time seemed to slow down and sped up all at once as everyone waited for the winners to move up onto the podium.

The moment Cal stood in the first-place spot, I started to push my way through the crowd. The need to be close to him overtook me. He was the moon to my tide. The wind under my wings and nothing could hold me back. I didn’t care that almost everyone was bigger than me, jostling me around and nearly pitching me to the ground. I was a woman on a mission, and the closer I got to Cal, my body trembled in anticipation.

Everyone was screaming and cheering as the announcer called out the third and second place winners, and when he announced Callum Crew as the winner of Formula One’s racing in two thousand and twenty-one, the crowd went wild. For a one moment, I was scared of what might happen to me, but as Cal popped the cork on his giant bottle of champagne and sprayed it into the crowd, he spotted me. I wasn’t sure about him, but my world stood still as our eyes locked from fifty feet away.

Cal handed the bottle to the second-place winner without breaking eye contact with me before he jumped down from the podium and strode toward me. People were trying to catch his attention, but he only had eyes for me as they touched, groped, and screamed that they loved him. I wanted to move to him, but I was stuck in place. My body would not respond no matter how much I begged it to move.

I didn’t have to wait long, though. One second he was up above the crowd, and the next Cal took me in his arms and crashed his lips to mine.

If I thought the crowd was loud before, it was nothing like the uproar they emitted at seeing their winner kissing a woman. Our bodies were jostled to the side by one rambunctious fan, causing our mouths to break apart, but our bodies were stuck to each other like conjoined twins.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” he yelled over the noise. “Were you here earlier when you—”

“Yes,” I yelled, interrupting him. “I wanted to surprise you. Kaspar helped.”

His arms crushed me tighter to his long, lean body as he spoke into my ear. “This is one hell of a surprise, Doc. It’s better than winning the season.”

“Really?” I asked, pulling back to look up at him with a smile that stretched from ear to ear at hearing his words.

He pulled me back into him as if he couldn’t stand the thought of even an inch separating us. “Best surprise of my life. Except maybe meeting you.”

My fingers of their own volition tangled in his hair. “You’re one smooth talker, Mr. Crew,” I purred in his ear.

“What do you say we get out of here?” he asked but was already pulling me away from the large crowd before I could answer.

“What about celebrating your big win?”

“I have a different kind of celebration in mind. One where I don’t want any witnesses.” His hand tightened around mine as we moved through the crowd that parted for him as if he was a god. And he was to them—and me as well. Cal had overcome unsurpassable odds earlier this season to come out on top as the champion.

His crew clapped him on the back as we passed by, but when he spotted Kaspar, Cal stopped in front of him, pulling me to his side. “Fuck man, you’re going to have me in your debt for the rest of my life.”

I swore I saw Kaspar’s stubbly cheeks pink up at Cal’s words. He pulled Cal into a manly hug and clapped him hard on the back before he said something only for them to hear. When they pulled apart, Kaspar tipped his head to me as I was whisked away down the corridor to where a car was waiting for Cal.

For a brief moment, I wondered how long the driver sat waiting for Cal. That was until Cal pulled me into the back of the waiting car and onto his lap. My arms circled his broad shoulders. It wasn’t until that moment, as I took in his tired face, that tears welled in my eyes, and I realized how much I’d missed him over the last month.

Cal had some stubble on his face as if he couldn’t be bothered to shave after he woke up this morning. His eyes were bloodshot, and his cheeks were sunken in only a slight bit, but I could tell. He’d lost weight during our time apart.

His eyes were taking in my appearance at the same time. Every few seconds, they landed on my mouth before he moved on. “Damn woman, you’re a sight for sore eyes. You’re so goddamn beautiful.”

My fingers ran through the growth on his face. “You look good too, but also tired.”

He shifted until I was straddling his lap, and his arms were a steel band around my back. “I haven’t been able to sleep without you beside me. It didn’t feel right.” I felt the same way. “Tell me I’ve got you for more than tonight.”

“For as long as you want me.” I wasn’t sure I was ready to tell him what I’d set into motion now that the time had come.

Leaning forward, he rested his forehead to mine. Our gazes locked on the other. “I was going to fly to you.” His hand snaked up between the fabric of my shirt and my bare back. “Find out where you lived and not leave until you agreed to be mine.” Those fingers started to slowly draw circles on my back. “I should have said something before you left, but I was in shock that Colton was sending you away, and I felt so damn guilty, I could barely utter a word. And then the whole fiasco with your phone.” He shrugged. “Something felt off. I didn’t want to say anything over the phone, so I held my tongue waiting until I could see you again.”

“Here am I,” I whispered against his touch. “I’m not going anywhere. In fact, I’m not sure how you’ll feel about this, but…” I rolled my lips, unsure how much I should tell him. “I packed up all my things in Barcelona and gave my notice.”

“Your notice, as in your job?”

“Yeah, they weren’t too surprised. I don’t think they thought I was ever coming back after the money Colton offered to pay me for the season.” I felt bad for taking his money when I didn’t abide by the rules they’d set out and offered to return the entire amount. I was shocked when they wouldn’t accept the money back.

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