Page 70 of Break My Heart

Us.

But he doesn’t care.

I push off the barrier. “So, what are we doing for our second outing?”

He corrects me, “My second chance to woo you.”

“So, this is what your version of wooing looks like?”

“Not even close,” he says. “I’m just warming up.”

I start toward the lights again, and Leo falls into step beside me. We walk back into the garage together.

This time, I don’t pretend not to feel the warmth spreading through me.

25

COMPROMISED EXIT: RUINING ANOTHER DRIVER’S ACCELERATION OUT OF CORNER

Location: Monaco

Monaco feels like a test. Not the kind measured in lap times or sector splits—both of which I conquered on the course today.

I cross the line in second again, but this time it doesn’t feel like something I’m chasing. It feels like something we’ve been building toward as a team. The car responds. I adjust. But when I climb out, when the noise hits and the cameras start flashing, I don’t look at the podium.

I look for Christin.

After all, she’s the real thing I’ve been fighting for.

I spot her standing just beyond the engineers, composed as ever, but there’s something different in the way she holds herself—less distance, more presence. Her eyes meet mine, and she doesn’t look away.

That’s enough for now.

I move through the PR version of myself—media, sponsors, the expectations I’m still learning how to carry without letting them define me—but I don’t linger.

Not tonight.

Because I already know where I want to be and who I want to be with.

I catch up to Christin just as she’s stepping from the garage into the paddock. “You’re leaving?”

She glances over her shoulder before offering me a smile. “I’m selectively positioning for an efficient escape.”

“Convenient.”

“I thought so.”

I step closer. “Come out with me tonight.”

She studies me, head tilting coquettishly. “Presumptuous to assume I’m available.”

“I’m being optimistic.”

Her face softens. “That’s not the same thing.”

“No, it’s not.” In fact, it’s better because the expression on her face tells me she’s more than considering it. I want to leap into the air and fist pump the night sky.

“This is Monaco. Define ‘out.’”