Page 5 of You Wish
“I came today.”
“To ask for a favor.”
“To offer you a chance to make a difference.”
She could see him considering his options and knew when he’d made up his mind. “Sorry, darlin’, but I’m going to have to pass.”
“This isn’t about us.”
His gaze softened—but only for a second. “Georgia, with you, it’s always about us. Even when it’s not.”
She swallowed, pulse kicking hard. “Then say yes, and I’ll leave you alone.”
He stepped closer. Not much—just enough that she had to tilt her chin to keep looking at him. “You were never good at leaving me alone.”
“And you were never good at staying.”
That got him. His jaw flexed, but his voice stayed easy. “I’ll think about it.”
“You’ll say no.”
“Maybe not if you wear the elf suit to the press conference.”
She snorted. “Not in your lifetime.”
He grinned like he’d already won. “Guess I’ll just have to live forever.”
And as she brushed past him, the jingle of the bells in the bag followed her out—along with the memory of his eyes on her legs.
2
Aweek later, disappointment hit hard when Jake entered the cooldown room and saw the video feed on the plasma screen, which was hung between the ESPN logo and Formula 1 sign. It was a replay of the moment he went from race leader to second position less than twenty minutes ago. Then the screen changed to a still of Henry Norris, Apex Motorsport’s lead driver and today’s champion, punching a victorious fist out the top of the car.
What the fuck had just happened?
He’d smoked it in qualifying, earning pole position, the first place in the lineup. For Christ’s sake, he’d outraced Henry by nearly a full second. And for sixty-nine laps he’d been the race leader until his concentration broke. Only for a split second but that was enough for Henry to speed past on the inside of turn six. Turn eight at the Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan was the hardest place to pass—making Jake look like an amateur.
It wasn’t just losing a position that had his nuts in his throat. It was how Henry overtook him with ease.
Meemaw Joy would tell him to hold that second-place trophy with pride. But if his dad had been there, he would’ve remindedhim that second place was the first loser. That was a big if, because the last race his parents had attended was final race of last season—and only because it looked like Jake was going to take the championship title.
When he’d been a kid that would have bothered him. But that was a long time ago. Now Jake knew better than to get caught up in what could be. The only family he could count on besides his sister was his grandparents. Who had watched on from the garage—Joy cussing up a storm whenever the F1 stewards made a questionable call.
Memories of Georgia weren’t a rare thing as of late. But letting them invade while on the track was just flat-out dangerous.
And here he’d thought she didn’t have any power over him.Man oh man, was he ever wrong. Those long lush legs, mossy green eyes that sparked when pissed. Don’t even get him started on those bee-stung lips—which were permanently engraved into his memories.
Ever since he’d run into her at a mutual friend’s wedding, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Then, like a dream from winters past, she showed up out of nowhere wreaking havoc on his psyche. His gut had told him long ago that she’d eventually turn up when he wasn’t expecting it. And his gut was never wrong. Sure, it had been nearly a decade, and a part of him had given up hope. But nothing lasted forever, and people needed to find closure.
And then the universe had given him the chance to do just that, and he’d pissed it away. Call it ego or familiar wounds, but he couldn’t stand the thought that she’d only reached out for a favor.
He’d never seen her in that light. But as it turned out, besides his grandparents and two brothers-from-other-mothers, Henry and Enzo, she was no different than everyone else—thinking ofhim in terms of what he could provide. So for her to invade his thoughts was wrong on so many different levels.
Joke was on her though. Besides racing, he had nothing to give.
As it stood now, he was sixteen points behind Henry. It had been nine at the start of this race.
He’d understood from years of being competitors on the track what a fierce opponent Henry was. He wasn’t immune to the whispers or disappointment that came with losing the championship last year because he’d choked. His dad had actually shown, and Jake choked.
