“I’m pretty sure Roxanne made her bid on me.” Clarke paused. “I really don’t understand that woman.”
“Roxanne?”
“No, Ceci Rivers. A man insults her. I take offense and demand he apologize. And she turns on me.”
Athos crossed his arms. “I can understand that.”
“You can?”
“Dude, he was a dick. Anything that guy thought or said didn’t matter. Why would it? But when you took such offense to it, it’s as if you gave what he said some kind of credibility.”
Clarke shook his head in disbelief. If there was one thing he knew for certain, it was that Ceci Rivers didn’t give a damn what he thought.
Athos grinned. “If it weren’t for Silverstone, I think I’d like to meet this girl. The guy takes a swing at you, and she steps in like a gallant knight to protect you.”
“What? It was the other way around. I was protecting her. She was about to put herself at risk, I stepped in and took the hit.”
“Aren’t Formula 1 drivers supposed to have fast reflexes?”
Glaring, Clarke gave his brother the finger.
Athos chuckled. “Interesting girl. She’s …”
“Offensive? Obnoxious?”
“I was going to say fearless.”
You mean like I used to be.
His brother chuckled. “So, she knocked you out and then kissed you.”
Clarke groaned. “Supposedly to revive me.”
Athos grinned. “She played Prince Charming to your Sleeping Beauty.”
Clarke scowled, thinking of it. Him, lying on the floor in the men’s room; some poor, defenseless loser and her having fun with it. When he’d finally regained full control of his senses, he saw that impish grin on her face.
“You know if I had done the same thing, she would have bitched about the fact that she didn’t consent to my kissing her. And she’d be right to. So how’s it any different?”
“Fair point. Did you feel violated? Were you repulsed? Did you want to wash your mouth out?”
Clarke folded his arms across his chest. No. In fact, the experience had been singular. Coming out from behind the darkness, feeling her lips, and her breath like the breath of life, his body vibrating as that breath reached from his core to the ends of every limb. Those blonde curls caressing his cheeks. He’d actually thought it was an angel. He’d had to reach out, take hold of her shoulders, as well as that kiss, to convince himself it was real.
“I gather from the look on your face the answer is no.”
“Whether it is or not is beside the point.”
Athos nodded. “Fair enough. You can raise the issue with her on your date.”
Not. Going. To. Fucking. Happen.
“At least there’s been no mention of it being her who gave you the black eye in the press or on social media.”
Roxanne was milking the story for all it was worth. Speculation about the upcoming date was spreading like wildfire. And according to Roxanne, that was a good thing. Right now, he was the one and only trending Formula 1 driver. That hadn’t happened in a long while. What’s more, the comments were by and large positive.
“Maybe it wasn’t Roxanne that got her to bid.” Athos grinned, a glint in his eye. “Maybe it was the jungle cat, the raging lion.”
“What?”
