Page 77 of Cross the Line
The bliss that floods his expression makes my heart thump against my ribcage. I slant my head to kiss him again, to seal this promise we’ve made. But before I can, the door swings open.
Rearing back, I actually hit my head this time, wincing when Mark and Chava come into view. The two stare at us for a beat before Chava swears in Spanish, then jams his hand into the pocket of his uniform shorts and pulls out his wallet.
‘Seriously?’ he grumbles, slapping a hundred-euro note into Mark’s outstretched palm. ‘I thought they’d at least wait untilafterthe race.’
I gape at them. Theybeton Dev and me? ‘Are you guys for real?’
Dev watches them, obviously biting back a grin. ‘Not cool,’ he says, clearly thinking otherwise but trying his best to back me up.
I push against his chest until he sets me on the ground. Shoving down the hem of my pencil skirt, I glare at the boys at the door. ‘I can’t believe you.’
Mark puts his hands up in surrender, but the money he’s holding doesn’t help his case. ‘Hey, at least you got what you wanted, Wills. Can’t be too mad.’
I suck in a breath, ready to retort, but nothing comes to me. Because he’s right. Ididget what I wanted.
As if to remind me of that, Dev brushes his knuckles against my jaw, featherlight. Heat blooms up my neck, and I soften again as I look at him. ‘Let me go win another race,’ he says quietly, the words meant just for me. ‘Then we can talk. Okay?’
I swallow hard, ignoring the kissy noises Chava makes in the background. ‘Okay,’ I murmur. ‘I’ll be waiting.’
CHAPTER 24
Willow
Dev doesn’t win again.
But a ninth-place finish in that tractor of a car is commendable, and I’m immensely proud of him all the same. Hopefully, it’s more than enough to keep him on Mascort’s radar.
He catches me in the garage after the race, his damp hair brushing my temple as he shifts close. ‘Sturgill’s on my ass about this debrief. We’ll have to talk at the hotel. Stay up for me, baby.’
The command and the endearment ignited a blaze inside me. I’ve been on edge for hours, alternating between pacing my hotel room in my pyjamas, frantically packing to head home tomorrow, and doing PT exercises in an attempt to burn off some of my nervous energy. Yet it’s nearly midnight and – ignoring the fact that my body would never hold up for it – I’m wired enough to run a marathon.
When a knock on the door finally comes, I throw it open and find Dev with a hand braced against the doorframe. The crooked smile that pulls up one side of his mouth is so achingly familiar it makes my chest constrict.
‘Hey,’ he says. ‘Can I come in?’
The words have barely left his mouth before I step back and motion him in, my heart rate picking up when the door clicks shut behind him. Neither of us speaks for a beat, the quiet hum of the AC the only sound as we stare at each other. The entire day has been leading up to this, but now that it’s here, I don’t know how to proceed.
Thankfully, Dev does. He closes the distance between us, then he tucks a loose curl behind my ear, his hand lingering on my neck when he’s done.
‘I’m sorry it took me so long to get here,’ he says, gaze steady on me. ‘You still up for talking?’
There are other things I’m far more interested in right now. Even so, I nod and grab his hand, guiding him over to the bed. We sit so we’re angled toward each other, our knees bumping. It’s the tiniest bit of contact, but for the time being it’s enough.
‘I meant it when I said I want to make this work,’ I begin, pulse thudding in my ears. ‘I don’t know what that looks like for us. But I want there to be anus.’
‘I want the same.’ His fingers inch across the duvet, his pinky finding mine and hooking around it. ‘We don’t have to figure it all out right now. Or any of it. We just need to be honest with each other about how we’re feeling. This won’t work if we aren’t.’
‘I’m beingveryhonest with you right now,’ I point out. There’s definitely a gaping hole of vulnerability in my chest.
He chuckles. ‘I know. But this won’t be easy, and I need you to tell me if it starts to feel like too much to handle.’
He’s right. The only way we can make this work is if we’re open with each other, because right now, there are more than a few barriers in the way of us having a public relationship. ‘I promise I will.’
‘We’ll take it one day at a time, yeah?’
‘Yeah,’ I breathe. It feels so damn good to be following my heart, in spite of the risk.
‘Canone day at a timeinclude taking you on a date, though?’ he asks. His voice is tentative, like he’s worried I might say no. ‘I don’t want to half-ass this, Willow. I want to date you – be with you. I’m in this, fully and truly.’
