“Meet me at the finish line?” I say with a laugh.
Maksim pulls me close and presses his forehead to mine. I breathe him in, sinking into his arms.Thisis the Maksim Belov that few people ever see. Soft, unguarded, maybe even open to…love.
The word hits like that rush behind the wheel, when the world feels like it’s mine.
And he is. He’s always been mine.
“I’ll be there. I just need you in one piece. Promise me that, beautiful. Otherwise, I’ll never win your dad over if he finds outI let his daughter wreck out here and didn’t lift a damn finger to stop her.”
“He’ll know you wouldn’t have been able to even if you tried.” I loop my arms around his neck, and my feet leave the ground as he straightens, his hands cupping my ass cheeks.
“Really?” he chuckles, calling my bluff.
“Really,” I murmur against his lips before kissing him. He squeezes harder, and for a second, I forget why I’m even here again. “Fuck.”
The music suddenly cuts out like someone flipped a switch, and a cold voice slices through the night air.
“Line up!”
It’s the ice bucket I need to get my mind back in the game. Heads snap toward the front where a tall guy stands under a streetlamp, his hand raised, and a finger pointed at the cracked pavement.
“I’ll see you in a few.”
Maksim offers a tight nod and sets me down just as Remi reaches us.
“Ivy’s waiting for you at the line,” she says, tossing me my keys.
“Keep an eye on him, Rem.”
With a mock eye roll, she hauls me in for a hug and a quick pep talk. “Listen, keep your head clear, eyes sharp, and don’t let his bullshit get under your skin. You’ve got this. But don’t be afraid to bail if shit doesn’t feel right. You come first, okay?”
I hear what she’s saying, but I can’t lose my car. Especially to that prick.
“I know. I will,” I lie to appease her, but Remi knows me and sees right through that hollow promise.
A low growl of an engine pulls my attention, and Dominic’s black Hellcat Redeye eases to a stop beside my car.
Of course it’s him.
His shit-eating grin shows off a gold tooth when he tilts his body across the middle console as I open my door.
“Valentina Cain—I thought I was seeing things,” he says. “Heard you dumped your bike a few weeks back. Got banged up.” His gaze drags down to my leg, slow and sleazy. “That why you’ve been hiding?”
I lean against my door, unbothered and uninterested in anything he has to say.
“You sound like you missed me. Or maybe you just miss that twenty grand I took off you last time.”
His smile cracks, tongue running across his teeth.
“My girl’s gonna love that car of yours. Already booked her for a new paint job. Gonna give her some fresh skin.”
Over my dead fucking body.
“Says the asshole who’s 0 for 3.”
I slide into my car, shutting down the comeback hanging on his lips. My eyes flick to Maksim across the lot. His arms are crossed, and he’s staring my way even though he can’t see through my tint. Remi’s talking, but I know he’s not listening. That hard stare tells me she pointed out Balterra.
No time to dwell on either of them.
