“Fine. You’re not wrong.” Reese grinned because she very much liked that Sloane had gotten to know those little details.
Sloane walked to her and slid her arms around Reese’s neck, going up on her tippy-toes so they were eye to eye. “I might be generalizing. Because you’re a lot more complex than that. I happen to love … your intricacies.”
Record scratch. Reese raised an eyebrow. She knew what she almost heard. She also watched Sloane change course midsentence, and it made her heart dance. They were on the same page.
“What?” Sloane asked, the sides of her mouth tugging.
“Nothing. Just taking a sec to enjoy this moment.”
“Good. Come here for it.”
“Me?” Reese employed her sexy grin.
“No one else.” Sloane angled her head and kissed Reese slowly, longingly, and with intention. When they parted, she held her eyes closed for an extra few seconds. “You also kiss like no human should be allowed to kiss. You’ll ruin me for all others.”
“That’s exactly the point,” Reese said, going in for more. “Others? What others?” Reese said, doing Sloane’s voice. “That’s what I want you saying.”
“Is that how I sound?” Sloane asked with a laugh. “Others? What others?”
“That was the best impersonation of me impersonating you that I’ve ever heard. Do it again. Maybe with your clothes off.”
“No,” Sloane said, jabbing her ribs with a finger. “I will not. There is a smoothie with my name on it. Get me there.”
They took their time on the way to the circuit, holding hands until they approached the driver’s entrance. No need to attract extra attention, but secretly, Reese wouldn’t have minded at all. She wanted to announce to every human they passed who they were becoming to each other. She’d write it in the sky or make Samara put it smack in the middle of her documentary, complete with subtitles. But she could be patient, because she sensed it was what Sloane needed. Their day would come, though, and Reese was feeling ready for the leap. She watched as Sloane stopped for a selfie with a group of diehards along the fan zone, and the way she rocked each interaction with such grace and poise. Reese seemed like a loping golden retriever in comparison, energetic and bouncing from person to person. How could two people with such different approaches be so ridiculously compatible?
Reese spent the day checking the boxes required of a reserve driver, none of which put her behind the wheel of a car. She passed Marco Faz in the Laurens garage shortly before the race. Continuing her efforts, she offered a nod, and he provided her a full-body once-over that made her cringe. Teammate or not, she found it hard to root for the guy.
The race was a highlight. Simply being that close to the action made her pulse kick up, the sound and vibration of the cars bleeding straight into her bones. She stood near the pit wall,headset hanging uselessly around her neck, eyes tracking apexes and exits on instinct, mentally correcting lines she couldn’t drive. Every start, every late brake, every clean overtake landed like both a gift and a taunt. This was where she belonged, inside the action, not hovering on the edges, smiling for cameras and waiting for permission.
When the race ended, the adrenaline had nowhere to land. She’d watched both Marco and Ezra finish in the middle of the pack, with Ezra just inside the points. Marco had delivered none. She couldn’t help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, she’d have done a better job for Laurens.
“You have good instincts. I heard you talking with Shanelle during the race.”
Reese turned at the sound of the voice to see Damon Mendoza looking her way. As Ezra’s engineer, she’d listened to his counsel on the radio for much of the race. He was no Julie, but still very good at his job.
“Yeah? I hope I’m not in the way up here. I’m trying to soak up as much as I can. I feel like I learn something new every race,” Reese said, flashing a guilty smile. “Also, sorry if I was talking too much.”
“No, no, no. Never apologize for ambition. Hopefully, we’ll see what you can do soon. Keep up the good work.”
“You don’t have to worry about that.” The truth was, she had been working her ass off, with discipline now her most important asset, a valuable lesson she’d learned that year. The words from Damon had been the pat on the back she needed to keep going because this wasn’t a short journey, it was a long one.
When she headed to the driver’s room to reclaim her phone, she discovered something remarkable that stopped her in her tracks.
Cassidy
Is this thing on?
Reese crushed the phone to her chest, relief infusing every inch. Cassidy had just messaged The Starting Grid, and they were the most glorious four words Reese had ever read in her life. Her eyes filled as she typed, apparently at the same time as the other two. All of their messages appeared right away.
Relief arc activated. Never do that again!
Marissa
OMG. Best message ever. The people want more.
Delaney
Dammit, Simms. I’m crying in the paddock bathroom now.
