Page 39 of Driving the Billionaire Wild

Apollo felt the car shudder and shake as he rounded the final bend at the end of the track in the final race of the season. It was a tricky corner to navigate on soft tyres, and he had almost slid into the wall on the last lap. He focused his attention straight ahead, ignoring the chaos happening in his headset as his team mate cursed loudly.

Nina was five seconds behind him, holding off the lead driver of Accardi, who had been fighting it out with her for the past ten laps. She was a master at defending, her skill unmatched as she’d held off their competition and paved the way for Apollo to maintain his significant lead. This had been her first full season in a permanent seat and she was about to finish on the podium alongside him.

He focused on the track, holding his speed in check and praying his wheels held out as he guided the car onto the final straight. He felt every tiny lift, and the pull as hepushed his speed full-throttle, his body and the car seeming to meld into one as he held his breath and finally shot over the finish line.

Roars of triumph erupted in his headset from the engineers and team on the pit wall. He felt emotion clog his throat as he raised his fist high in the air above his head.

‘Apollo Accardi, Elite One World Champion!’ an announcer roared as the crowd’s cheers became a wall of sound around him. Fuelled by pure adrenaline, it seemed like a lifetime before he could get the car off the track and park safely. Even longer while he ran at full speed towards the garage where he knew his wife and son had been watching every single lap.

‘Papa!’ Luca’s small voice called out, loud and proud over the sound of the engines still finishing the race in the distance, and Apollo pulled off his helmet before lifting his boy high into his arms.

‘You did it!’ Luca cried, his little face filled with excitement in a way only a day at the track could cause. Apollo laughed, crushing his son into a tight hug and turning to greet his wife.

Astrid’s eyes met his, watery with tears and pride as she too leaned in and joined the embrace with full force. ‘You did it,’ she murmured against his ear, the choked sound of her sobs like tiny earthquakes as her tears wet his cheeks.

‘Wedid it,’ he corrected her, closing his eyes tightly and releasing a long breath of pure relief.

They had finally done it. Against all odds, they had made it work as a team, with him travelling on the remaining Elite One schedule while Astrid held down thefort in their home in London and Luca absolutely smashed all his goals at school.

And, amidst all that chaos, they’d decided not to wait to get married. They’d eloped in Italy, on a sunny October afternoon, to a tiny chapel in Venice not far from where their story had first begun. His mother and Grayson had acted as their witnesses, with Jem guiding an excited Luca up to them so they could say their final vows together as a family. Izzy, Tristan and Nina had been the only other guests present, to keep the event intimate and calm. Once Luca had gone to bed, the grown-ups had enjoyed a welcome night of celebration before resuming the final stretch of the racing season.

It had been a hectic few months, and there had been moments of tears from all three of them, but overall they had learned how to prioritise one another and make it work. But, by God, he was ready to retire as a driver and switch his attention to cleaning up things at Accardi.

‘My husband, the world champion,’ Astrid said with a smile, leaning up on her tiptoes to place a fierce kiss against his mouth.

He was caked with sweat, and smelled like engine oil, but she didn’t seem to mind too much as she deepened the kiss, much to the delight of the mechanics and the cheering crowd in the distance.

‘I couldn’t have done it without both of you,’ he said, emotion turning his voice hoarse as he crushed them even tighter to his chest. All the trophies in the world could not amount to the pure treasure he held in his arms.

Epilogue

‘I’M ALMOST READY, I swear,’ Astrid lied, hurriedly dabbing a layer of powder high on her cheeks then staring at the selection of lip products she’d yet even to begin applying. She looked up, eyes landing on where Apollo now filled the doorway that separated her dressing room from their master bedroom. Mouth set in a firm line, Apollo cut an impressive figure in his designer wool coat and sleek white shirt, but the look in his eyes was one of fond impatience.

‘You said five minutes. That was half an hour ago.’ His tone was scolding, but his eyes were soft as he stalked across the room and slid one finger slowly along the thin strap of her midnight-blue dress.

‘I know that look in your eye, Mr Accardi. And the answer is no.’

‘No?’ he repeated, brown eyes gleaming wickedly. ‘It’s like you want me to make us even more late today.’

‘Apollo…’ she scolded, his name turning into a groan as his lips lowered to her sensitive skin. His hands ran a sensual path along her shoulders and Astrid sighed as his fingers kneaded the delicate tension away, his thumbs working magic that he had learned and perfected in morethan a decade of blissful marriage. Eleven years of bliss, to be precise…

She stared up at his reflection, taking in the handsome smattering of grey at his temples and the new designer beard that he was working for his latest sports-fashion crossover campaign with Falco Diamonds. Her husband was becoming a silver fox and she found him more attractive than ever.

Their eyes met in the reflection of the vanity mirror and he smiled devilishly as he clearly saw the undisguised heat in her own gaze.

‘We haven’t got time,’ she breathed, gasping as his hands dipped beneath the neckline of her dress, brushing her nipple. ‘Unless you can be fast.’

‘Darling, you know how much I love a challenge.’

Then he lifted her, pressing her forward across the surface of her dressing table with absolutely no regard for the bottles of products he sent cascading down onto the carpeted floor.

‘Lookat you,’ he rasped, sliding the silk of her dress up over her hips to reveal the rather risqué underwear she’d chosen. Strong fingers gripped the globe of her bottom, followed by a gentle yet possessive smack as he hummed in approval. He had just begun easing her dress up over her hips when a thundering of small footsteps intruded upon her consciousness, followed by the distinct sound of little-girl chatter heading straight for their bedroom door.

‘How do they always know?’ Apollo groaned in frustration, his forehead pressing between her shoulder blades. Astrid smirked, both of them collapsing into laughter as they moved to hide their state of undress with a speedthat came from years of grabbing stolen kisses in various alcoves of their busy family home.

They had just enough time to right their clothing before their nine-year-old twin daughters came bursting into the room in a flurry of excitement.

‘The car is waiting for us, Mummy!’ Clara exclaimed with her usual vibrant excitement while her sister, Victoria, remained quiet, shrewd eyes taking in her parents’ slightly frazzled appearances for a moment, before she joined in urging them to hurry so that they wouldn’t be late.