“How long have you been racing there?” I ask, unable to stop watching her hands, so steady and sure.
“A while.”
“That vague shit’s not gonna fly anymore. You said you wanted to share this part of your world with me. I want everything.”
She shoots me a smirk, eyes drifting between the road and the mirrors. “I’ve been running atFuriafor almost two years, but I’ve been driving a long time before that. Always loved the thrill of being behind the wheel, watching the world fade past me. There’s nothing like it, Maksim.”
“I can think of a few things.”
Valentina playfully narrows her eyes, suspecting where my mind went, but continues without missing a beat.
“Uncle Kai always took Remi and me for rides—to car shows, drag races...the legal kind,” she adds with a grin. “The more I raced, the more in love I fell. Winning was just a bonus. But I won’t be humble about it.” Another smirk curves her mouth. “I’m good.” She catches my smile and nudges my arm. “You know I am.”
“Well, we haven’t crashed yet, so I believe you.”
That earns me an elbow to the forearm. But my smile fades, and I touch her thigh, grabbing her attention.
“Your dad know? AboutFuria...all this? I can’t imagine Derek would be okay with his little girl putting herself at risk.”
“If you knew my dad, you’d know there isn’t much he doesn’t know—or won’t find out eventually. So yeah, he knows. But I’m not a little girl anymore. He can’t stop me.”
“And your mom?”
Valentina shrugs. “Dad would never keep secrets from her…not anymore,” she says with a trace of sadness. “Of course she worries. But she understands.”
I lean back, unable to take my eyes off her. She’s calm and focused. Like speeding through traffic in a bright green streetcar is just another Tuesday.
“And you?” she asks, eyes on the road, thumbs tapping the wheel, waiting for my answer. “What do you think?”
“It’s one hell of a hobby, beautiful. I won’t lie and say I’m thrilled knowing you’re out there risking a wreck, especially today. But fuck...I have to admit, it’s kind of sexy too.”
She doesn’t hesitate and reaches for my collar, hauling me in and kissing me hard and fast. Her teeth nip my bottom lip before pulling back, settling into her seat, and sliding the window down.
That’s when I see it. What this really means to her. How it makes her feel.
And I’m mesmerized.
Just yesterday, this woman broke beneath me, wearing my hand like a collar. But right now, I realize she’s the one with hers around my throat.
There’s no turning back.
She owns me.
I’m fucked if she wants me, and I’m even more fucked if she doesn’t.
“Do you feel that?” she shouts over the howling wind as the needle crawls past a hundred. Still, she pushes harder, engine roaring beneath us, and glances at me, like she knows I’m watching. Like she knows exactly what she does to me without even trying.
“I feel everything.”
In my chest, my cock, and every damn place she's got me wired tight.
Valentina downshifts, taking a corner hard, tires screeching, and laughs...wild, free, beautiful. Her hair whips around her face, catching the moonlight, and for a second, I swear she’s fucking glowing. I should be watching the road, but all I see is her. The way her fingers dance over the wheel and how her eyes light up when she shifts gears. The world around us could burn, and I wouldn’t give a damn.
With her, everything fades. The ghosts from my past, the blood that trails me like a shadow. None of it matters. Only her.
“What else don’t I know?” I want all of her.
“You sure you want all my secrets, Maxy?”
