“Right,” Will said, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm. “You just happened to be ridiculously in love with him.”
Scott’s chest tightened all of a sudden.
He’d never allowed himself to think of Cam andlovein the same sentence. Cam had made it clear he didn’t want Scott’s love—that they were just friends. But Scott had told Cam heloved him several times, always casually, the way friends did, and each time he’d felt a small, guilty thrill bloom in his chest, as though he were getting away with something. Like a starving bird stealing crumbs.
God.
Washe in love with Cam after all? It would explain why he couldn’t seem to move on.
“I wasn’t,” Scott said weakly. “I wasn’t in love with him.”
Will sighed. “I’m not going to try to convince you otherwise. You know your feelings better than me. But honestly? I’ve never seen you so gone on any of your boyfriends you claimed to be in love with.”
Scott dragged a hand over his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. “What the hell do you want me to say?” he bit off. “That I’m stupidly in love with him? What’s the point of admitting it? I never meant as much to him as he meant to me.” He hated how bitter he sounded. This wasn’t him. He’d always prided himself on being a positive, optimistic guy who didn’t mope around. Who didn’t obsessively reread old texts. Who remembered what it felt like to want sex with other people.
“Scott…”
“Just drop it,” Scott gritted out. “I don’t want to talk about him. I’m trying to move on here, and you forcing me to talk about my feelings isn’t exactly helpful.”
Will’s eyebrows drew together. “You never had a problem talking about your feelings before. Sometimes I couldn’t make you shut up about them.”
Scott smiled crookedly. “Well, that was before. Talking about my feelings is the last thing I want right now.” He met his cousin’s eyes. “Please, Will. Just drop it. Please.”
Will’s expression softened. “All right,” he said. “But I’m not going to let you turn into a depressed homebody who buries himself in work and never leaves the house.”
“God, you’re such an overbearing ass,” Scott said with an eye roll. “Will you leave me alone if I promise to go out tonight?”
The look Will shot him was insultingly skeptical. “Only if you actually mean it.”
Scott rolled his eyes again. “As it happens, I was invited to a movie premiere tonight. I wasn’t going to go, but I will if it gets you off my back.” He shrugged. “Might even get laid while I’m at it.”
Will smiled, relief flashing across his features. “That’s the Scott I know.”
Scott smiled back thinly and returned his gaze to the document. “Now shoo. I’m trying to work here.”
Once the door closed after Will, Scott’s smile faded. God, he really didn’t want to go out. Or get laid.The mere thought made him vaguely nauseated. But he would have to, if he wanted to convince Will that he was fine.
Because hewas.
He was.
Chapter 22
DAILY MAIL: DOUBLE WORLD CHAMPION CAMERON RICHTER IN SECRET ROMANCE SCANDAL WITH BILLIONAIRE HEIR?
Formula One may have its biggest off-track scandal in years brewing behind the scenes—because the Daily Mail has learned reigning World Champion Cameron Richter was allegedly caught in a compromising situation with American billionaire heir Scott Palmer.
Sources with direct knowledge tell the Daily Mail that explicit paparazzi photos of the two men were quietly circulated among high-level Formula One insiders after a photographer allegedly captured Richter and Palmer during what was believed to be a completely private moment inside Palmer’s luxury Geneva home. According to insiders, the photos allegedly show the two men shirtless and kissing in Palmer’s living room.
The existence of the photos reportedly triggered an immediate crisis meeting involving Richter’s Formula One team principal and senior PR staff.
One insider described the atmosphere as “absolute nuclear panic.”
Why the meltdown? Because Formula One has never had an openly gay world champion, and several races take place in countries with strict anti-LGBT laws. Sources say teamexecutives fear the scandal could create “serious commercial and political complications” for both Richter and the sport itself.
We are told Richter’s camp moved quickly to contain the situation before the images leaked. Last month, Richter publicly voiced support for LGBT rights in an interview while subtly pushing the narrative that Palmer’s rumored boyfriend merely “looks similar” to the racing superstar.
Insiders claim the plan was to create enough plausible deniability for fans and sponsors to dismiss the photos as a case of mistaken identity if they ever surfaced online.
