Page 56 of Rush
‘I have never felt sexier in my entire life,’ he stated.
‘Damn,’ Weston let out a low whistle, ‘get this man on a catwalk.’
‘Savannah, you trying anything on?’ Marco looked at her own pile of clothes which she had slowly gathered since stepping foot in the store.
‘I suppose I should try this dress on.’
‘Don’t forget the zebra boots you found a second ago!’ Weston reached down by the side of his chair, picking them up and holding them out to her.
‘Where did you find those?!’ Marco’s jaw dropped. ‘Savannah, you have to get these. They match the livery of our cars, it’s fate.’
‘We’ll see. They’re in the thousands, and I’ve never spent that much on a pair of boots before. It just feels too extravagant.’ She scurried into the dressing room next to Marco’s, climbing out of her workout gear, a travel essential, and into the dress she’d found.
It was black, sleeveless, with a floaty skirt and a built-in corset. It was the kind of thing she would wear if she was going out somewhere fancy but still wanted to feel like herself. A dress she would wear if Jesse had ever taken her on a real date.
‘How long does it take to put a dress on?’ Marco muttered, his voice filling the silent store.
‘I heard that!’ Savi replied. ‘And the answer is a while when it’s got a corset!’
‘Do you need help, Savannah?’ She could hear the amusement in his tone, and she wanted to say no out of spite for him mocking her, but she was mature enough to admit she would be here forever if she didn’t accept his assistance.
‘Please,’ she sighed and within moments, Marco was in the dressing room with her. He drew the curtain behind them to give her some privacy, even though it was only her brother and the store owner out there. ‘It’s a lace-up and I can’t get it tight enough.’
‘Right, brace yourself…’ He waited for Savi to grip the walls and take a deep breath in before he set about pulling the strings as tight as they would go. He tied them up in a bow and stood back, admiring his handiwork. ‘Done.’
Savi looked at herself in the mirror, studying the way it clung to her body in all the right places. She hadn’t felt this elegant in a long time; her bare shoulders looked strong thanks to all the weight training she did, but her frame was still dainty. That was just genetics. Marco watched her reflection, his eyes catching on her chest. That looked great, too.
‘My boots.’ She pointed down at the black and white boots with the faux zebra fur detailing, realising she couldn’t put them on herself. Trying to bend in a corset just wasn’t going to work.
‘Hold onto my shoulders.’ Marco crouched down and lifted her leg up, the palm of his hand soft against her bare skin. He took his time sliding her boots on, one at a time.
‘Thanks,’ she whispered, watching him with a strange sense of appreciation. Her skin felt like it was on fire under his touch, and she didn’t know if it was because they were in a tiny box mere inches apart, but she did know this was the first time she’d felt anything like this for someone who wasn’t Jesse. And what made it stranger was, she was allowed to feel it now.
‘What’s going on in there?!’ Weston’s voice broke her out of her spell.
‘Your sister is getting new boots.’ Marco threw the curtain open. ‘Look at them! What an outfit, Cowgirl. You have to get them.’
‘But they’re so expensive,’ she pouted. ‘They’re six grand.’
‘Sav, you deserve to be able to buy yourself nice things. Not just keep buying everything for everyone else.’ Westongave her a guilt-ridden smile, and she wished he didn’t have to feel like that. He always acted like he was a burden, and she hated it.
‘I’m buying them for you if you won’t treat yourself,’ Marco stated. ‘Consider it a thank you for bringing me here and for being a wonderful teammate.’
‘Mars, I can’t let you do that.’ She had tears in her eyes as she looked at him.
‘You can. We have talked about my financial situation; you’ve seen where I live. Besides, every time you wear them I want you to remember the time you brought your idiot Italian-Monegasque teammate to Wyoming and let him go full Yeehaw.’
‘You heard the man,’ Weston grinned.
But all Savi could do in response was throw herself into Marco’s arms and give him a suffocating hug, their bodies moulded together. Whatever this friendship was, she cherished it, and she never wanted it to end. Not when either of them parted ways from Revolution Racing, not ever.
23
‘Thank you for fetching dessert.’ Bonnie waved the box of pastries as she took it from Marco, who had clutched them on his lap the whole drive home.
‘Did you find everything you were looking for, Marco?’ Calvin was hauling coal out into the back yard where he had his barbecuing gear set up. Savi’s dad loved hosting, and he’d spent the afternoon building a campfire while they were out.
‘Three pairs of boots, two denim shirts, a flannel, a denim jacket, a suede jacket, a pair of jeans and a very fancy belt. Also, my hat, which as you can see is already a staple.’ He pointed to his head. He’d only knocked it against the roof of the car once while getting in.
