Page 101 of Handle Me

The vulnerability in his voice made my heart ache. But if he was unsettled I would be sure. He might question himself, but I really did have faith. I took a deep breath and popped onto my tiptoes, kissing him hard on the lips. “You’ve got this.”

“And if I don’t?” He searched my eyes.

“You’ve got me,” I whispered.

He nodded, but the spark of excitement that had lit up his eyes for the last few hours was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he looked like he was about to face his worst nightmare. His face hardened into a stony mask as he took my hand and led me inside.

“I’ve got to get ready.” He leaned down and kissed me, his lips lingering like he didn’t want to go.

“I’ll see you out there,” I promised, grabbing his face with both hands. “I love you.”

His mouth curved into a crooked grin. “I love you, too, boss.”

As soon as he was in the locker room, I slumped against the wall. I’d meant every word I said. I knew he had it in him, but if he was going to find his flow, as he called it, it was up to him. He had been trying since we met, and part of me didn’t want to admit that I might be the problem. Had I distracted him too much? Would I distract him today?

The glass doors down the hall swung open, and I looked up to find Brex walking toward me.

“He’s getting ready,” I told him, trying to smile but failing.

Brex nodded and threw an arm around my shoulder. “Is he as nervous as you are?”

“I’m the calm one,” I said flatly.

“Fuck,” he muttered.

I couldn’t have said it better myself. I looked up at Brex. “Do you think I should go? Will it distract him if I’m here?”

“I think it will be a lot more distracting if you disappear,” he said, shaking his head. “So, you two worked things out?”

“Yeah. I think so,” I said breathlessly, “but don’t report that back to your boss.”

The last thing Anders needed right now was for his brother to butt into our relationship again. Not that we could hide it forever. For now, we needed to tackle one problem at a time. First, we needed to keep the sponsor happy. Then we could worry about the media and our families.

“My lips are sealed,” he promised me. “It’s not really my business anyway.”

“You’re the one who asked,” I pointed out, a laugh escaping me.

“It’s part of the job,” he said, raising his eyebrows.

“Liar.” I dropped my head on his shoulder and sighed. “I don’t want to be the reason he ruins his career.”

“Lola, from what I’ve seen, I think you saved his career.”

“You really think that?” I asked.

“I know that,” he said firmly. He took a step away and looked directly into my eyes. “I was there when he got into that fight with Alexander and when he wrecked his car and when he found out the truth about his father. He was a fucking mess until you came along.”

“I think I just made things more complicated,” I murmured.

“Nah.” He shook his head. “You made them simple. Love does that. It wipes away all the other bullshit and makes you see things clearly. Even if he bombs today, he’ll be fine. Cause he’s got you.”

A lump sat in my throat when he finished. I swallowed, but the raw emotion remained lodged there. “You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”

“Just observations. I spend a lot of time with love birds, remember?” he teased, but the joke didn’t reach his eyes. I wondered who had taught Brex that important lesson—and why she had broken his heart. “Come on. We should head out there.”

When we reached the pit, the crew was already assembled. Anders was there, dressed in his fitted black racing suit, and talking quietly with Wilkes, who had a hand on his shoulder. As we approached, Anders looked over his shoulder at me like he sensed me coming. He said something to Wilkes before he strode over to meet us.

“Good luck out there, man,” Brex said, clapping him once on the back before shooting us a meaningful look. “I’ll give you two a minute.”