“You don’t have to apologize. You killed any interest I had in your brother when you came to my bedroom that night.”
He exhales a little laugh and glances over to me. “After the day we’d spent, I wasn’t about to let Ro have you.”
My heart fills with so much joy. Nothing I can do will stop it, and I know it’s only going to be so painful in the end. He slows walking. We’re back at the Fairmont, and I slip off his back. It’s quiet and the traffic is slow. We’re standing in the moonlight on the beach facing each other. I know somewhere Ava is with Rowan.
“Would you like to come up?” My voice is quiet.
His handsome smile splits his cheeks. “Do you have to ask?”
Instinctively, I know I should be trying to detach. I should be putting distance between us, not pulling him closer. I should be guarding my heart and thinking of self-preservation.
I don’t. I take his hand, leading us slowly to the back entrance. I find my door card and let us in, leading him to the elevator and ultimately my room so we can spend another night together. As long as he’s here and we’re in this same place, I just can’t stay away.
Trapped
Rowan
The engine roars as I blast through the straight. With a sharp downshift, I slow the pace so I can take the first curve. It’s a nonstop pattern of trying to cover as much ground as possible in the straights, followed by dropping almost to a crawl in the hairpin turns. My speed fluctuates from nearly four hundred kilometers per hour to all the way down to sixty.
Still, I grew up running this track. It’s the only race I’ve ever cared about. It’s ridiculously hard and only included in the circuit because of how old and challenging it is, and it’s right here in my own backyard. Winning has been a personal goal as long as I’ve been able to drive, and this year I’ll do it.
Plunging into the tunnel, I’m blinded by the sudden darkness. Blinking fast, I hold the wheel steady, doing my best to avoid any swerving at this speed. Just as fast, I’m blasting into white-hot sunlight. More fast blinking, trying to see. Dirt on my visor annoys me, and I reach up to tear off the thin cover. I’ll have three more tear-offs in the actual race.
“Keep it steady. You’re doing great.” Cal is in my ear, coaching me through the laps.
I ease off, preparing for the final hairpin, dropping to a crawl as my arms do a one-eighty turning the wheel. At last, I’m out. It’s a straight shot to the finish line, and I shift then jam the accelerator to the floor to make up all the time I just lost.
“Keep going… Almost there…” The tension in my brother’s voice grows as the black and white checks fly past me. “You did it!” he shouts. “It’s the best qualifying time today!”
I’m breathing hard, my muscles loose as I coast into the pit area where Cal and my crew are waiting, cheering. Once I’ve stopped, I pull off the helmet, and Cal grabs my arm, giving it a rough shake.
“That’s pole position, depending on Patel.”
My jaw tightens as I bite back a fuck. I know the race will come down to the two of us, and I’m hoping to be pole sitter, the most favorable spot on the starting grid.
“It’s okay,” Cal says with a laugh, leaning closer to my ear. “I’ve been watching him practice. He’s braking too much this year. Either it’s a new car or he’s distracted.”
“The course is nothing but hazards. I’d forgotten how much we have to ride them.”
We’re walking back to the stands, waving and nodding thanks to the cheering spectators and fellow drivers watching from the sides of the track.
“Doesn’t matter. Your speed is the best a driver could hope for. I don’t see him overtaking you.”
“I’m glad you’re with me, brother.” I slap his shoulder. “Get cleaned up. We’ve got meetings.”
A brief stop at the desk to sign the official forms, and I’m heading out. The car will be locked in the parc fermé, the secured area where all competing cars are kept, until the race tomorrow.
In the town car on my way to the palace to shower, change, and start rolling out my proposal for the clean energy deal to the queen and members of parliament, I feel confident and optimistic. My mind drifts to Ava this morning, curled in the sheets asleep, her dark hair soft around her on the pillows.
I think about holding her on my lap last night in that same bed, watching her beautiful body tremble as she came apart in my arms. So far I’ve been gentle with her, easy. I look forward to introducing her to more interesting ways of making love. Once she feels more confident.
We left the gala last night shortly after I spoke to Zelda and returned to Occitan. After a brief swim in the cove sans clothes, we walked back to the house wrapped in thick white robes. Her hand was on my arm, and her body was tight against my side. Stopping on the terrace, I traced my thumbs down the sides of her face, watching how the moonlight shone in her eyes. I considered asking her to marry me then, but I decided to wait.
For starters, I don’t have a ring. I need to put this race behind me, and I’ve got to present the new deal to parliament, sign all the contracts, and announce it publicly. With our economic troubles on the mend, everyone will be far more open to the idea of an outsider, an American, as their future queen.
My queen.
“If she’ll have me,” I exhale, speaking quietly to myself.