I watch him walk over to Chloe and bear-hug her next, lifting her whole frame off the ground as he does.Her smile stretches across her face, and her cheeks flush pink with a mix of embarrassment and delight.I force myself to look away.It is nearly impossible to look at her now without wantingher.I can’t get that damn kiss out of my mind.I can’t getherout of my mind.
Where the hell did it come from?She was...well, she was like a kid sister.You could play out my life a million times over and I’d never have guessed I’d end upwantingChloe Coleman.Never.
I’ve felt the shift between us these past couple of weeks, though.Getting to know Chloe again after all these years—her fiery, smart, sexy self—it was just a matter of time before that spark turned into something real.Then we lit the match.
But she was clear.“This is a mistake.”She doesn’t want to get entangled with me, and she’s right that it would be messy.But damn, how am I going to push aside these feelings?Whatever this intense thing is between Chloe and me has been snatched away before we’ve even had a chance.
It’s been a really, really long time since I’ve been able to let my guard down like that, just talking, hanging out.And then having this intense desire for her too?It’s practically intoxicating.
“Let’s go!”Archie booms across the room.“Qualifying is just around the corner.”
I chuckle, glancing at Chloe as Archie pushes her toward the pit lane, but she waves him away.“Later, later,” she says.
I keep watching her pacing the room as she talks to someone on the phone, stopping only to point at data on-screen, and then she looks over and catches my eyes on her.She knows when I’m watching.Just like I can feel her eyes on me.How long can this go on without relief?I turn to the car andemploy some of the visualization tricks my therapist recommended for when I’m out on the track.
I need to get my head in the game and off Chloe Coleman.
The difficulties don’t begin until I’m around the third bend and on to the chicane, but when they do, I lose just enough time trying to readjust and focus on the track to drop out of the first round of qualifying.In the end, I’m seventeenth.
“It’s better than last qualifying,” Chloe says as soon as I get back to the garage and climb out of the car.
“Better than nineteenth.Wow,” I say, pulling out my earplugs.
“Better is better,” she says firmly.“We only need better every day and then the good part comes.Noah got sixteenth.”
“Good for him,” I say sharply, as someone drops an ice towel around my shoulders.
Chloe frowns at me.
“Sorry.Itisgood for him.I’m happy for him,” I say quietly.Then I raise my voice across the garage.“Nice one, Noah.”
Noah looks delighted and shoots back a thumbs-up, while Chloe whacks me in the arm with her iPad.“That just sounded sarcastic,” she says scoldingly.
“I can’t fucking win,” I say.
Archie comes bowling across and he grimaces as he pulls down his headphones.“Chicane?”he guesses.
I nod.“But only there,” I say.
“Chlo, mind if I take little bro out back for a chin-wag?”Archie says, covering the mic on his headpiece.
“She knows about theissues,” I say, nodding toward Chloe.
Archie looks around; some of the pit crew are listening in.“Fuck it,” I say, pulling my gloves off, deciding then and there not to make a secret out of it anymore.“Everyone else may as well know.At least then you can all work with it.”
“Brave of you,” says Chloe quietly.
I tip my head a little in thanks, avoiding those eyes in case I see pity.I don’t want to see pity from Chloe.
“Well,” Archie begins.He pulls out his iPad and starts to swipe through some of the numbers.“Before that, we got a pretty good gauge of the car speed.You were fast in turns six through nine.In fact, third fastest.”
“Third fastest!”Chloe can barely contain her delight.
“I was?”I frown in disbelief.
“Yeah, but ahh...on the straights the speed just falls apart,” Archie says.“And it isn’t because of your...troubles.We really need to look at the drag,” he says, turning to Chloe.
“What we need is that head of aerodynamics!”Chloe says, raising her voice a little so it’s loud enough that Barry can hear.“Someone to bring in all the ideas and make them cohesive.”
