Page 102 of Racing Hearts
Anthony staggered back, stunned.
“You know what, Anthony, I almost hope you do get Luca’s seat next year. It’d be nice to beat you all over again, just like I did in IndyCar.” With a smug grin, I turned on my heel, leaving Anthony behind us.
The walk back to Luca’s driver’s room was enveloped in comforting silence, hand in hand. And this time, it felt genuine. The gentle pressure of his fingers in mine was soothing. Luca opened the door to his driver’s room. Not wasting any time, Luca pressed his lips to mine in a possessive kiss that made my entire body light up in flames. I tangled my fingers in his thick hair, releasing a contented sigh as our lips met for another kiss. He scooped me into his arms and carried us over to the couch where I straddled his lap, eagerly leaning in for another kiss, but Luca stopped me.
“I’m so sorry,amore.” His forehead rested on mine.
“Luca—”
“No, let me finish. Please. I need to explain the last two weeks.” His voice was low, rough, and earnest. “In Mallorca, I overheard that comment to Lily about us not meaning anything. Between that and stupidly letting Anthony fuel my jealousy of Éliott, I convinced myself that you maybe didn’t want me. Or at least, that I wasn’t good enough for you. So, I decided to give us some space, because I thought it would be best for both of us.”
His voice cracked as I ran a hand through his tousled hair.
I cupped his chin softly, forcing him to look at me. “First of all, Éliott and I went on a single, awkward date when we were eighteen. We had such little chemistry, by the end of the date, I’d already set him up with another friend of mine. A detail I’m sure Anthony conveniently left out.” I kissed the tip of his nose, watching relief flood onto his face. “Secondly, it’s me who should be apologizing. I should never had said that, Luca, because it wasn’t true. I’m sorry for making you feel not worthy enough. Henri approached me that morning, and instead of going to you, I took the easy way out and let my fear speak for me.” I swallowed, my thumb brushing across his jaw. “Then the Rennen announcement came out, and I panicked. I didn’t know where we stood, and instead of asking, I pulled away.”
“No more doubting,amore.” His lips brushed against mine, and my heart leapt at the certainty in his voice. “This is real.”
“I know,” I breathed, kissing him again, slower this time, letting it say what words hadn’t.
“In fact,” he murmured, “I have something to talk to you about.”
“Mhmm,” I replied, clearly not listening. My hands were already wandering, tracing the waistband of his jeans as I leaned in for another kiss, eager to taste every inch of him before our night got interrupted again. Luca grinned against my mouth, tugging me closer.
“You,” he said between kisses, “are going to be the death of me.”
I began working on his belt buckle with deliberate slowness, drawing a low groan from his chest.
But before I could make good on my distraction, there was a sharp, insistent knock on the door.
“Lovebirds, we have to go! You can have sex back at the hotel!”
“Ew, gross, no!” I heard Henri yell behind the door in disgust. I’d forgotten that Lily and I had driven together this morning.
I groaned dramatically and flopped back onto the couch, laughing as Luca scrambled to fix his belt, his face flushed and his shirt crooked. He looked adorably unprepared. When I opened the door, Henri and Lily were standing there like two drunk gremlins with bottles of champagne, both grinning like fools. It was clear from the looks on their faces that they haddefinitelyhad too much already.
“Come along, children,” I said, grabbing my bag. “Back to the hotel before we get shit-faced tonight!”
The four of us crawled into my car, which was much too small for four people.
“So… Lucaaaa,” Henri slurred, reaching over to the front seat. “Now that you’re in love with my sister, we have some rules to discuss.”
“Oh, shut up, Henri,” Lily protested, pulling him back into his seat. “Leave the happy couple alone!”
“Non!” Henri’s accent always came out thick whenever he was drunk. “I will set some ground rules!”
“I can only imagine what these will be.” I grinned.
Henri had pulled out his phone, and my heart warmed at the fact that my brother had made an actual list. I wanted to protest, tell Henri to fuck off and put his phone away, but I felt touched that my brother had thought about this relationship. His protectiveness was shining through, and this time, it was endearing.
“Shhhh…” Henri shushed me, and I knew he was intent on continuing this list of demands. “No making out with my sister in front of me. For the rest of this season, no sex on the Hermes plane. That’s a sacred place. Oh, and no sex when our hotel rooms are next to each other.”
“Too late on that last one,” I interjected, earning me a glare from Henri and a cheer from Lily.
“You break her heart, and I will make sure next race you burn with your car. Understood, Luca?” Luca huffed and turned around, only to see a very determined Henri with a frown on his face.
“Don’t worry, mate. Your sister’s heart is safe with me.”
Once we arrived at the hotel, Luca and I didn’t even pretend to play it cool. We made a beeline for our suite, abandoning Henri and Lily in the lobby with barely a wave goodbye.
