Page 84 of Racing Hearts
Eventually, he turned me to face him. His dark eyes softened, but something unspoken swirled beneath them, like he wanted to say something and couldn’t quite figure out how.
“I meant what I said, Georgia. Being with you… you bring me this peace that I’ve never felt before.” Rough hands cupped my chin, and Luca leaned in for another kiss. His soft sincerity caused a devastating flutter to erupt in my stomach. We both lay there peacefully, enjoying the company of one another for a little while longer.
I looked at the time, and not wanting to miss the sunrise, I sat up.
He whined, trying to pull me back into his bed.
“I’m going to watch the sunrise,” I murmured, starting to slide out of bed.
“No,amore. Just a little while longer,” Luca groaned, trying to reel me back in with one heavy arm. His hand grazed my hip like it was reluctant to let me go. “It’s warm here. And soft. Stay.”
“You can, of course, join me if you can bear to get out of bed.” As light started to peek through the blinds, I heard Luca groan, a confirmation that he was not a morning person, unless sex was involved.
“‘Tis so cold without you,” he hummed, although I could see him close his eyes, already giving in to sleep.
I crept out of Luca’s room, scanning the hallway to make sure no one had decided to emerge for a pre-coffee stroll. I darted into my own room, slipped into leggings, then headed toward the bow of the yacht.
The golden edge of morning light was just beginning to kiss the water when I saw him.
Henri. Standing at the front of the boat with his arms crossed, holding two mugs of coffee like he’d been waiting for me.
“Hey!” I called out, jogging a few feet. “You hogging all the coffee on this boat?”
Henri let out a small, audible exhale as he passed me a mug. His expression immediately changing as soon as his eyes landed on my shirt.
Shit. I looked down to see I was wearing Luca’s Hermes shirt, the one he’d let me borrow back at his apartment.
“Wearing his shirt now, too, I see.” Henri took a contemplative sip of coffee, motioning for me to take a seat next to him. His voice was full of disdain as he pointedly ignored my LR52 shirt.
I winced. “Luca let me borrow it a couple weeks ago.”
Henri didn’t respond to my admission of guilt, his lips in a tight, thin line. His lack of words spoke volumes. He was clearly unimpressed with the choices I’d made last night.
“I heard you sneak out ofhisroom this morning.”
“I’m sorry…” I started, but Henri shook his head.
“You don’t need to apologize, Georgia. You’re an adult with the freedom to do what she wants. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.” Henri’s shoulders sagged, avoiding eye contact. He scuffed his shoe against the ground, a defeated expression on his face. It was if he was weighing his options, trying to decide what to say to me. “You think you know Luca. But I know him better.”
“I know what I’m doing.”
“Do you?” His voice was sharp. “This is Luca Rossi, F1’s notorious playboy. More one-night stands than race starts, something I’ve witnessed for the last couple of years as his teammate. And here you are, hopping into his bed each night.”
I stilled for a moment, leaning back as I crossed my arms. “Excuse me, I am not hopping into his bed each night. And even if I was, it’s none of your business who I sleep with.” I didn’t appreciate the subtle hint of what my brother was trying to say.
Henri turned to face me fully. “I’m not saying that you are,” he sighed, “I’m just… worried he’s using you to get back at me. Or at least, prove that I’m wrong.”
Get back at Henri? They might not be on the best of terms as teammates, but this felt dramatic even for him. Henri was the number one driver, he’d won the Hermes battle for power.
“Back in Monaco, I asked Luca to stop leading you on. And before you say anything,” he held up his hand, “I see the way you look at him, Peaches. You’ve never been good at hiding your feelings, and you’ve never been someone to have casual sex. You’ve practically been all over each other this trip.” Henri’s face pinched with guilt, but he held firm. “I asked him not to mess with your head. And of course, he got pissed. You know Luca, he hates being told what to do. Especially by me. And now I’m worried this is his way of proving he can cross that line just because I drew it.” He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. “He’sneverbeen a serious dater. Hell, he still brings up Éliott like it’s a game. Like he’s testing the waters. He’s told me himself he doesn’t plan to settle down until he retires from Formula 1. After your winner’s brunch, I asked about his intentions, and he said he was just playing the role Hermes had asked of him.”
The words hung in the air, heavy and sharp.
I pressed my fingers to my temples, trying to ward off the pressure building behind my eyes. His voice was calm, his tone even, but every word chipped away at the fragile little hope I hadn’t even realized I’d been nursing.
Henri grabbed my hand, sincerity laced in his voice. “Look, you both did this for a reason, and I think you need to think about what’s going to happen when Luca finally lands that contract. I’ve heard rumors of his agent shopping him around to other teams.”
His words stung, but there was some truth to his warning. Luca’s reputation preceded him, and I knew better than anyone not to get emotionally invested in a dead-end situation. But something about our time together—the way Luca’s eyes softened when we were together, and how he held me close, whispering into my ear as we laughed away at silly jokes, it was easy to forget that maybe they were just that, nice moments between friends having casual sex. It didn’t mean that Luca was falling in love with me, even if I was falling for him.
