“I don’t know.” I ran a hand through my hair.
But also, was I into her?
I mean, yeah, I was attracted to her. Obviously. I’d have to be blind not to notice the way she looked in the mornings, hair still messy from sleep. Or the way her brow crinkled when she was working through a problem. Or the way her eyes lit up when she laughed. Or the way her tits looked in that green bikini by the pool.
Christ. I dragged a hand over my mouth. That image had been living rent-free in my head for days.
But that didn’t mean I was into her. Not in the way Liam was implying.
It was just physical. Had to be. I’d been living with her for a month, watching her take care of Hazel, seeing sides of her I’d never noticed before. The sarcasm that matched mine. The way she refused to back down when I pushed. The stubborn streak that rivaled my own.
None of that meant this was serious.
She’d be gone in three months anyway. Back to her life, wherever that was. This was temporary. A forced arrangement because of Hazel. Nothing more.
Right?
Except I couldn’t stop thinking about her. The way her breath caught when I got too close. The way she looked at me sometimes, like she was working out a puzzle she couldn’t quite solve. The way my chest tightened when she smiled at Hazel, soft and unguarded in a way she never was with anyone else.
Fuck.
Maybe I was more twisted up than I wanted to admit.
But that still didn’t mean it was serious. Didn’t mean I was falling for her or any of that bollocks. I was attracted to her. I wanted her. That was it.
That was all it had to be.
Temporary. Manageable. Nothing that would wreck everything if I just kept my head on straight.
A hand clapped in front of my face.
I blinked, jerking back. “What?”
“Where the hell did you just go?” Liam asked, eyebrows raised. “I said your name three times.”
“I heard you.”
“Bullshit. You were miles away.” He studied me, then his expression shifted to something between amusement and pity. “Oh, this is worse than I thought.”
“It’s not—” I stopped. Because what was the point of lying?
“Right.” Liam shook his head. “Look, mate, I don’t know what you’re expecting me to say here, but this is a terrible idea.”
“I know.”
“Do you?” He crossed his arms. “Because Julian will lose his mind if he finds out.”
I cut him off. “Julian talks a big game, but what can he actually do to me?”
Liam hesitated, caught off guard.
I let the words settle, testing them out. It was the first time I’d really said it, reallythoughtit.
Julian Carter liked to act like he held my career in his fist, like he could crush it if he wanted to. But I wasn’t some rookie desperate to keep a seat. I was a two-time world champion. Aedris needed me more than I needed them.
So why the fuck was I acting like I had no power here?
I’d been with Aedris since Formula 4. I’d always thought of them as my family, but the more Julian threatened me, the more my sense of loyalty fizzled out.
