Page 70 of Racing Hearts
Henri tapped me on my shoulder, motioning for me to join him outside.
“You got a minute?” he asked casually, although he looked nervous. Nodding, I stepped away from the table, following him to Georgia’s balcony.
“What’s up?” I asked, leaning on the balcony railing, my eyes drifting off to the view of the water down below.
“So, I—uh—” Henri looked uncomfortable, shifting his weight. “Look I have to ask. What’s going on between you and my sister?”
Fuck. Not really the topic I wanted to discuss with my teammate. His hazel eyes were full of concern. There was no escaping this conversation. Playing dumb was obviously the only tactic here.
“What do you mean?”
He gave me a disapproving look. “Come on, Luca. The kiss yesterday after she won? You dragging Georgia to the dance floor in Monza? This morning you put your arm around her, even though literally no one besides her close friends are here. Plus, I see the way you look at her.” Henri paused, likely rethinking his next words before continuing on. “The way you and Georgia have been all snuggled up this weekend, it’s making me concerned.”
“Concerned?”
He sighed, raking a hand through his hair, frustrated that I wasn’t catching on. “Look, Luca, I’ll just spit it out. Me and you, we’ve always been honest with one another, so here’s the truth. I can see my sister starting to fall for you.”
My heart did a traitorous leap, but I forced a scoff. Stuffing the rush of happiness back down, I worked on keeping my face neutral. Henri had already proven today he didn’t know his sister as well as he thought, why would this be any different? There was no way Georgia was falling for me. Not after I broke her trust all those years ago.
Henri could tell I didn’t believe him. “She falls hard and fast, Luca. After Anthony, I don’t want to see her hurt again. This might be a fake relationship to you, but I’m worried the lines between fake and real will begin to blur for Georgia.”
“And dating me would be so bad?” I hated how pathetic I sounded.
“Luca, come on, mate, you’veneverbeen a serious dater. You’ve made it clear you don’t want anything serious for at least another few years. Georgia isn’t like that. She doesn’t docasual. She needs someone willing to commit.” I could tell Henri was trying to be nice about it, but the tone of his voice was almost pleading, and it was making my blood boil. How dare he assume that he knew what was best for both of us?
“Like Éliott?” I scoffed.
“I don’t know why you always have it out for Éliott.” He crossed his arms, leaning against the balcony wall.
“I don’t have it out for Éliott,” I corrected, annoyed. Even if it was a tad true. “It’s just—” I paused, struggling to find the right words. Georgia and Éliott’s laughter could be heard from the balcony, and I tried to ignore Anthony’s annoying voice in the back of my mind. “He’s clearly into your sister.”
“Considering you two aren’tactuallydating, that shouldn’t be a problem.” Henri looked at me skeptically, his hazel eyes bearing into mine. “Which leads me to my point. I don’t want you to lead her on. Georgia wants something real, something long-term. Plus, my teammateactuallydating my sister? I mean, would you like me if I datedyoursister?”
Truth was, I didn’t like Henri at all right now, and the thought of him dating anyone I knew made me want to punch him. My fists clenched at my sides and my jaw tightened as Henri’s words stung me like a slap in the face. Based on his tone, he clearly didn’t know I’d asked Georgia out all those years ago, or this conversation would have been a lot worse. A small silver lining in this nightmare.
Henri was still looking at me, still clearly wanting an answer to his earlier question. “So, is there something going on between you and Georgia?”
I exhaled slowly, jaw tight. Was there something going on with us?
No. Yes. Sort of? After this week, I knew what I wanted, but it had become very clear that Henri didn’t think I was good enough for his sister.
I stood there, weighing my options. One wrong move, and he’d find a way to blow this whole thing up before it even started. I just needed time—time to show Georgia that this was more than a performance. That she was starting to mean something to me. And summer break would give me that chance.
So instead of giving him the truth, I did what I did best and deflected.
“The only thing going on, Henri, is that I’m playing the role Hermes asked me to. Now, if you don’t like that, I suggest you take it up with our team principal,” I retorted, with a bit more malice than intended. My hand landed heavily on Henri’s back as I pulled him close, forcing a smile onto my face. “But don’t worry,mate. I’ll be sure to keep my irresistible charm and good looks in check during our summer vacation. I mean, your sister ismuchtoo intelligent to fall for a man just because he has a yacht off the coast of Spain, right?” I grinned.
Without looking back, I marched inside, knowing full well that Henri was now contemplating how he could get himself invited to our mini vacation. The image of Georgia and me intimately hanging out on my personal yacht now etched into his mind.
Good.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Georgia
The last race before summer break, Belgium, had gone better than expected. I had another win under my belt, and a slightly bigger lead in the championship.
As promised, Luca and I had agreed to do a photo shoot with Maison de Klotho and JOULE, a fashion and lifestyle magazine, at the start of summer break, a photo shoot I’d been dreading. Even if it was nice to finally see the fruits of this fake relationship unfold, I hated knowing that I had to spend all day being interviewed, poked and prodded by strangers.
