Mia checked her phone. “Jax just texted. He’s heading back. Says he’ll meet you at your room if you want.”
Aria nodded. “I’ll go up.”
Dana raised her glass. “To podiums. And to men who finally figure out what’s worth fighting for.”
They clinked.
Dana leaned back with a wicked, filthy grin, voice dropping low. “And hey—if you two end up having a proper celebration tonight, enjoy every second. Word around the paddock is Jax isa solid fuck—very generous, if you know what I mean. Attentive. Thorough. The kind of bloke who doesn’t stop until you’re seeing stars and begging for mercy. So if you decide to let him show you a good time… go hard. You’ve earned a proper shag after that shit from your ex.”
Aria’s face went flaming red. Mia choked on her drink, laughing so hard she nearly spilled it.
Dana just shrugged, completely unrepentant. “What? I hear things. Just saying—don’t hold back if the mood strikes. Man’s got stamina for days.”
Aria covered her face with her hands, laughing through her fingers. “Oh my god, Dana.”
Dana winked. “I’m helpful. That’s all.”
Mia wiped tears from her eyes. “You’re terrible.”
“I’m realistic,” Dana corrected, raising her empty glass again. “To helpful friends. And to Jax finally getting some action that isn’t a one-night PR disaster.”
Aria stood, still flushed and grinning. “Thank you. Both of you. This… helped. A lot.”
Mia hugged her quick. “Anytime.”
Dana saluted with her empty glass. “And if he fucks it up—literally or figuratively—I’ll break his legs. Physio’s privilege.”
Aria laughed all the way to the elevator.
???
Jax
He was waiting outside her door when she stepped off the lift—back in his team hoodie, hair damp from a quick shower, leaning against the wall like he’d been there a while.
“Hey,” he said softly.
“Hey.”
He pushed off the wall, stepped closer. “You disappeared on me.”
“Mia and Dana kidnapped me for drinks,” she said, a small smile tugging at her lips. “They’re… a lot.”
He chuckled. “Dana especially. She’s got no filter and zero shame. What’d she say this time?”
Aria’s cheeks flushed instantly, her eyes flicking away before coming back to his. She bit her lip, clearly debating whether to tell him, then gave a tiny shrug.
“She may have mentioned… that you’re apparently very generous in bed,” she said, voice dropping to a near-whisper, half-mortified, half-teasing. “Something about stamina, attentiveness, and making sure a girl sees stars. She was quite… enthusiastic.”
Jax froze for half a second, then let out a low, embarrassed laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. Heat crept up his own face—rare for him.
“Christ,” he muttered. “She’s gonna get me killed one of these days.”
Aria’s smile was small, still flushed, but there was a flicker of amusement in her eyes. “She said if the mood struck tonight, I should go hard. That you’d make it worth it.”
The words hung between them—light on the surface, but the hallway suddenly felt smaller. Hotter.
Jax studied her face: the faint flush still on her cheeks, the way her gaze lingered on his mouth for a fraction longer than necessary, the tiny hitch in her breath when he stepped just a little closer.
