Page 33 of Driving the Billionaire Wild

‘There might be an emergency,’ Astrid said, turning from him and striding into the bedroom as she answered the video call on her device. Apollo stood behind her, seeing Tristan’s eyes widen as he took in both of them in their nightwear.

‘I haven’t interrupted something, have I?’

Tristan had flown back to Monaco already, with Nina, who had already begun her training and testing for the upcoming race weekend. Apollo was supposed to be back training too, but he had decided to wait and fly home in a couple more days. His gym here was enough for him to keep up his routine in the meantime. Ironically, he’d changed every single one of his plans because he’d wantedto spend more time with Luca and Astrid here, in their little bubble.

‘We have a problem,’ Tristan said gravely. ‘Elite One has called a hearing. Your right to race the rest of this season, maybe even permanently, is being called into question.’

‘What?’ Apollo growled, his jaw tight with tension. ‘Who initiated this?’

‘I think you know who,’ Tristan said, his own brows knitted tight with tension. ‘Your cousins don’t want the team on your terms, so they’re trying to force your hand. They’re accusing you of colluding with your grandfather to gain your world title win…eight years ago.’

‘They can’t do that!’ Astrid gasped, her eyes meeting his with horror.

They could. And they would. If his cousins were already trying to acquire the team in such an underhanded way, they would never run the team honestly, even if he put legal restrictions in to try and make them do so. How could he ever have believed they would do the right thing?

‘Legal are looking into it, but it’s looking like, at the very least, the severity of the accusations could prevent you from racing next weekend. At worst, you could be completely banned. Which is exactly what they want,’ Tristan said grimly. ‘We need you back over here.’

Apollo hesitated, the very idea of being banned from the sport he adored almost more than he could take. Walking away on his own terms had been one thing, but being cast out for something he had no part in? Being publicly shamed and having his entire career negated? It was his worst fear come to life.

And, to add to it all, Astrid had just been talking abouthow his career would always play centre-stage in their relationship; how she’d planned to return to London to settle Luca back into his school routine before the actual school year commenced. These were things he should have discussed with her before he’d made his promise to bring their son to the race. He would need to be more careful, more considerate, in future, if he ever hoped her fully to trust in him as a partner.

‘We’ll need to show a united front,’ Astrid said, nodding. ‘Of course. We’ll leave first thing tomorrow.’

Apollo shook his head swiftly to protest, only for his fiancée to place her hand gently on his. He covered her hand with his own, his body growing more tense by the second as she quickly wrapped up the video call.

‘I’ll be travelling alone, Astrid,’ he said, standing up, immediately to pace to the other side of the bedroom in an effort to stay calm. ‘I amnothaving you and Luca walking into a media storm like this. Not when I brought you here specifically to avoid him being around that. You don’t need to—’

‘I do.’ Astrid’s voice was strong as she stood up and crossed the room to where he stood. ‘This will not be the same as what you went through as a boy. We need to get in front of this narrative, and luckily you have the best PR guru in Elite One on your team.’

Apollo pulled Astrid into his arms and breathed in her scent. ‘Your support means everything to me in this, I need you to know that,’ he murmured.

She inhaled a deep breath, before melting into his embrace. ‘I know.’

He heard the odd hesitation in her tone and fought the urge to question the taut smile on her lips. Instead,he kissed her with every ounce of passion and gratitude that he possessed. It was a kiss filled with need, and soon he was tumbling her down onto their bed and growling his pleasure as she urged him inside her perfect body. There was no time to roll on protection, no time to think or talk, only to feel. By the time he realised his error and spoke it aloud, Astrid’s eyes were glassy with the onset of her own release.

‘Don’t stop, please.’

‘Are you sure? I haven’t…’ His breath heaved as he forced himself to hold still, though it took every inch of control he did not have.

‘This time of the month should be safe,’ she said, her voice husky as she wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him deeper. ‘But if you don’t want to…’

‘Is it wrong that I would still want to even if it wasn’t a safe time?’ he asked, sliding back inside her slowly. ‘Is it wrong that I’ve thought about filling you more times than I can count? You’d ask me and I’d make sure I didn’t stop till I got you pregnant with another child. I’d make damned sure, baby.’

‘Apollo!’ she gasped, her eyes sliding shut with pleasure.

She clearly liked his dirty talk. This was his fantasy come to life, and he fought not to spill inside her that very second. Sex with Astrid had been utter perfection already, but this—feeling her around him for the first time without any barrier; knowing that she wanted this, wanted him, with nothing between them —was beyond heaven. There was nothing tender or romantic about the way he thrust into her heat, and he felt the feverish urgency building in her just as he could feel it tingling along his spine.

His release was so intense that he leaned down, sinking his teeth into her shoulder. Astrid cried out at the feeling, then immediately lost it, her body gripping and shuddering around his length and tipping over the precipice along with him. He focused on feeling every inch of her tightening around him as he filled her, claiming her body as deeply and hard as he could. Showing her that this was where she belonged, here in his arms.

Fierce possession filled him as she nuzzled deeper into his embrace and he pushed away the faint edges of doubt that whispered he was on borrowed time. He kissed her temple and made a silent vow that he would do everything within his power to make this work.

Chapter Fifteen

THEY DECIDED AGAINSTtaking Luca back to London, calling Jem to ask if she’d consider ending her holiday early. She readily agreed, happy to join them all in Monte Carlo and keep the little boy busy and safely away from prying eyes. The press here was usually a little less intense than that in England, being more used to wealthy people roaming its streets. But, from the moment Apollo’s jet touched down, they were inundated with photographers, journalists’ requests and Elite One fans shouting both cheers and accusations.

Apollo was immediately called into meetings with his lawyers to prepare, while Astrid gathered her own war effort and prepared to battle for their public image. By the time they tucked Luca in and both fell into their own bed that night, Astrid had no energy left to do more than fall asleep in his arms. When she awoke the next morning, Apollo had already got up to eat breakfast with Luca, before heading off for a day of training and more meetings.

Not that Astrid was any less snowed under with meetings and emails, but the reminder that he was also preparing for the upcoming racing weekend had caught her off-guard. As she showered and dressed casually to work from her laptop for the day, she couldn’t shake thatvague cloud of unease. She’d always been nervous watching Grayson head out on the track, especially in rough weather or after any scrapes or incidents. The life of an Elite One racing driver was fast-paced and unpredictable.