Page 72 of Jump-Start
“No, Chiara, always.”
His lips are on mine a moment later.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE
leonard
Icould watch Chiara eat, drink, laugh, and talk for the rest of my life. The setting sun is making her tanned skin glow, her green eyes shine brightly, and her cheeks a perfectly rosy-red colour. Everything about her has my heart in a chokehold, but I do nothing to remove the grip she has on it either. One date is all I wanted. I was hoping it would go horribly so that neither one of us would speak about it again. That hope drained right into the river next to us when she stepped out of the bathroom at the hotel. Her peachy scent continues to fill my nose in waves as we sit in this massive park, watching people be happy.
For the first time in my life, I’m truly happy too. All of the wins and races, yeah, they made me momentarily happy, but the joy Chiara gives me feels permanent. She could take it away at any second, I’m aware of that, but it doesn’t stop me from soaking in the feelings she’s ignited within me for as long as she lets me. Any heartbreak, or whatever rubbish I’ll have to endure later, will be worth it.
“I’ve never been stargazing,” Chiara blurts out after a few moments of me silently playing with a strand of her hair and smiling like I never do anything else. Her head is tilted back, her eyes fixed on the sky above us.
The sun is almost gone now, so I pack up the remainder of the food and push the picnic basket out of the way. I lean back on the blanket, adjusting until I’m comfortable, and then open my arms for her. Chiara’s been watching me since I first started shifting around, a small smile curling her lips upward. I return her amused expression, keeping my hands in place even when she makes no attempt to move toward me.
“Come here,” I beg with a teasing pout, and she shakes her head at me.
“You’re unbelievable,” she says, but a second later, she’s adjusting herself against my side, placing her head on my shoulder and her hand on my chest. Heaven.
“My mum used to take me stargazing as a kid,” I say because that’s something she doesn’t know about me.
No one but Mum and I know. It was our secret hiding spot when things at home got too difficult. I used to fight a lot with Dad about my dream to become a racer, and Mum helped diffuse our fights by taking me to calm down. By the end of every stargazing session, I felt horrible about what I said to him. He was doing everything he could to financially support me, and I was often very ungrateful. Which is something I never shared with anyone…
Except for Chiara now.
“I love your mum,” she says against my chest, sending a warmth through it I have no power of stopping.
“She loves you too,” I reply and kiss the top of Chiara’s head. Everything’s silent for a moment before Chiara sucks in a sharp breath.
“I miss my Papa,” she admits in a whisper, and my heart sinks into my stomach. I press a kiss to her forehead and hold on tighter. “I know I never met him, but Mamma told me some things about him, like the way he always smelled like freshly baked bread or the dimple in his right cheek. He may have died before I was born, but I miss him.” Her fingers curl around my shirt, and I let myself sink into her vulnerability, trying to understand what that loss feels like. “He died of some kind of virus. I don’t know what it was exactly. I never had the courage to ask Mamma,” she explains, and I slip my finger under her chin, tilting her head up so her gaze meets mine.
“He would have been so proud of you, Starling. You’re a force to be reckoned with, a fighter with the biggest heart. When I have a daughter one day, if I’m so lucky, I want her to be just like you,” I say.
“Leonard Tick wants kids? What a shocker,” she replies with a teasing tone, and I scrunch my eyebrows at her in confusion.
“How would you know if I want to have kids or not?” Chiara trails her fingers up my chest before resting them on the hollow between my neck and collarbone.
“I see how you are with Ellie. You love that little girl so much, probably more than you love everyone else,” Chiara goes on, and my heart skips several beats.Not everyone…
“Do you want kids?” I ask to try and force my head in the right direction. Away from uncalled-for feelings.
“I want a big family. Kids, dogs, fish, all of it. In the future. With the right partner,” she says and drops her head back onto my chest, probably listening to my racing heartbeat.
“Sounds like a plan,” I reply, and she lets out a small laugh.
“You should really think about the way you phrase things,” Chiara says, but I was well aware of what I was saying. “You’re on your way to get another championship. Are you doing alright with the pressure?” she asks, and I stare down at her, surprise settling in my chest.
Are you doing alright with the pressure?
No one’s ever asked me that before. This was the path I chose, to become a race car driver, so it was my fault. If I was stressed or pressured, it was on me. My parents are wonderful, but they always told me how difficult all of this would be. Therefore, they never checked on me either. Graham and Jack have always been busy with their own lives, and I can sense a little resentment from both of them toward me as well. My career has always been prioritised in our family. It was the reason why Jack couldn’t get new football cleats or why Graham couldn’t take kickboxing classes. I only found that out later, and I’ve been doing my best to make it up to them ever since. But that’s why they never check on me. They’re happy when I win and frustrated when I don’t. They love me and my career is important to them, yet none of them has ever asked me this one simple question Chiara just asked.
Are you doing alright with the pressure?
I’m doing alright with the pressure of becoming a second-time Formula One World Champion. However, I’m not doing alright with the pressure my feelings are putting on my heart whenever I’m around the woman lying in my arms.
“Yeah, Starling, I’m doing alright,” I reply when she nudges the side of my face with her nose.
“You know if you weren’t, you could tell me. I’m a great listener,” she says and runs her nails down my stomach and then back up again. My cock instantly stiffens at the little teasing touch, which is why I wrap my fingers around her wrist to stop her from repeating the same action.
