Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
After she hangs up, she glances toward the small hotel bar. “Want some wine?”
I shake my head. “Race tomorrow. I’ll pass.”
Lara moves to the wet bar, expertly uncorks a bottle of white. “How do you think dinner will go tonight?”
“I know Lance hasn’t returned my parents’ calls. They texted him that dinner was still on, but who knows if he’ll show up. They didn’t tell him you or I wouldn’t be there though. I have no fucking clue what’s going to happen, but I suspect my parents will lay into him all the while reassuring him that they love him unconditionally.”
“I’m sorry this is happening,” she says as she pours herself a glass.
“Please stop apologizing. Just accept it’s not your fault. It’s all going to be fine,” I assure her, and she nods in understanding.
She turns my way, holds up her glass. “To celebrate P2,” she says with a smile.
I grin as she takes her seat on the couch, both of us sinking into the cushions as we wait for our dinner.
“How do you really feel about qualifying?” she asks. “Are you upset you didn’t get P1?”
It’s a fair question and the answer is yes. We all want that first position on the grid. I lift a shoulder. “I gave it all I had out there so I’m good with the result. They’re making a few tweaks to the strategy that I think will make the difference tomorrow.”
“Well, I thought you were incredible today. You looked very… driverly out there.”
I snort. “Driverly? What type of word is that?”
She waves her free hand. “You know… doing driver stuff. Racey-type stuff.”
I grin back at her. “That’s quite the compliment, but yeah… I’m happy with how I did.”
She nods, watching me closely. “You should be. Watching from the balcony, I was so proud of you. Everyone up there was, actually.”
My chest tightens with something that’s not just pride. “Means more coming from you.”
There’s a moment—quiet but full—where the air shifts. Her gaze drops, then rises again, and it makes me wary.
“I need to tell you something,” she says, and I go on hyper alert from the tentative note in her voice.
I sit up straighter. “Okay.”
She takes a sip of wine, then sets the glass down, as if she needs both hands free to steady herself. “Lance showed up today. At the Matterhorn suite.”
Everything in me goes still while my insides boil so hotly, it’s as if steam is rising off my skin. “Did he touch you?”
“No,” she exclaims, putting a hand on my arm. “Not at all. He was just standing in the doorway, and I decided to confront him.”
“What the fuck, Lara?” I growl, pulling back from her. “Why didn’t you call security?”
Those beautiful eyes do a full roll. “Because there were over thirty people in that suite. He wasn’t going to touch me.”
I know she has a point, but I’m still pissed. “What happened?”
“Nothing, really. He said he wanted to talk, and I told him to leave me alone. That we were over and that we’d work out details later to get my stuff from the apartment.”
I should be mollified that she’s thinking toward the logistics of moving out of their shared home, a move I’ll gladly help her with, but I’m still angry about all of it. “And he just left?”
Her eyes cut away for a moment. “No, not right away. He told me I was making a mistake.”
“In a threatening way?” I grit out.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. I was too angry at him to try to ferret out his intentions. But I told him the only mistake was the one I made by staying with him as long as I did. And that’s when the security guy walked up and told him to leave.”
She handled it but… I’m still pissed. I warned him to stay away from her and he came anyway. Next thing I know, I’m off the couch and pacing, my thoughts jumbled between anger, concern for Lara, and a helplessness that I can’t make this all go away.
“He had no right to be there,” I growl. “That’s supposed to be your safe space. Our space. What the fuck is wrong with him?”
“He didn’t touch me,” she says, and I turn to find her rising from the couch. The look on her face says her only goal is to soothe the rising storm. “It wasn’t physical. He only tried to talk.”
“That’s not the point, Lara,” I snap. “He’s pushing boundaries. Testing how far he can go. And I hate that you had to deal with that. Again.”
She crosses the room slowly, reaching out to touch my arm. “Reid… I handled it. I wasn’t scared.”
I look down at her hand, then back up into those steady eyes. My jaw tightens.
“I am, Lara. I’m scared of what he’ll do next. I’m scared he’ll find another way in. And I’m pissed—because the only thing I want right now is for you to be safe and free and done with that part of your life.”