I was in trouble.
Big fucking trouble.
The lavender-scented breezeswept through the open window, mingling with the soft hum of cicadas. I leaned against the kitchen counter, cradling a cup of tea I hadn't taken more than a sip from, letting the stillness of home seep into my bones.
After weeks of the relentless noise and nonstop motion ofpre-season, this quiet felt almost foreign.
I should have been relieved, but I wasn't. I'd spent so much time atLuminisHQ lately, drowning in telemetry data, endless strategy meetings, back-to-back simulations. It had been so easy to focus on the work, to push aside everything else. But now?
Now there was just the memory ofCallumFraser's voice in my head.
He said my name differently from everyone else.Aur-elierather thanAur-aylie. His accent clipped the second syllable short. Didn't draw it out like the French. Didn't soften the sound. My name was sharper, tighter in his mouth, as though he was biting it back.
I scowled at my tea. Absolutely not.
Except… he was a distraction on his own, and I was recovering from a heartbreak that still felt a little too fresh, four months later. And I'd rather be thinking about how my stomach had bottomed out when his pale blue eyes locked onto mine than about the ex who'd fucked with my head.
Étiennestood across from me, his dark hair still a mess, a faint smile playing at his lips as he fiddled with the edge of his mug. He looked better. Healthier than the last time I'd seen him. He still moved gingerly, one arm in a sling, but the shadow that loomed over him since the crash was starting to fade.
I wanted to believe that meant he was okay.
“Did you meet many drivers at testing?” he asked, tone casual. But I knew him too well to miss the real curiosity behind the question.
“Some.” I shrugged. “Most of them were polite enough.”
“Most?” Étienne raised an eyebrow. “Someone wasn't?”
“It's not that,” I said, shaking my head. “They were all… professional. Polite.” I winced, because some of them were definitelynotpolite. “Surprised, I think. ButCallumFraser?—”
My twin brother groaned instantly, cutting me off with a roll of his eyes. “What did he do?”
“Nothing!” I protested, gripping my mug a little tighter. “He was perfectly professional. Kind, even.”
“So why are you blushing?” he asked, leaning forward with a knowing smirk.
“I'm not.” Except I totally was. Heat flooded my cheeks as the memory of his low, too-confident voice flashed through my mind. Or the way he smelled, something so distinctly male and expensive and—ugh.Fuck.
“Right,” Étienne said.
I gave him a dirty look. “It was just… weird. Talking to him.”
Étienne'sbrow furrowed, the teasing momentarily replaced by genuine concern. “Weird how?”
I hesitated, the words catching in my throat. This wasn't exactly something I wanted to discuss with my brother. I mean, what was I supposed to say? That Callum's Scottish accent was a massive turn on and that when he spoke, it was disarmingly warm? That when he'd slid onto thebarstoolbeside me, so casual and cool, like it was the most normal thing in the world, all I could think about was that I was in the presence of greatness? I had been trying not to full-on fangirl.
It wasn't just that he was gorgeous—unfairly, sinfully gorgeous. It was the way his presence seemed to fill the room. How effortlessly he'd made me feel like I belonged, when I'd spent my whole life vying for the attention of those who were supposed to uplift me. The way he smiled with genuine admiration, the way he made me feel seen, the way he'd admitted to watching me race before.
My brain had shorted out. This four-time champion had noticedmebefore?
“He was nice,” I said finally, setting my mug down and shaking the interaction from my thoughts. “Professional, like I said. A little… flirty, maybe. But nothing inappropriate.”Unfortunately.I would've climbed him like a koala if I weren't adamant about not sleeping with anyone on the grid.
Okay, that wasn't true in the slightest. I had flirted way more than he had. I initiated contact, which, in hindsight, was probably not the wisest idea.
Étienneraised an eyebrow, waiting for me to continue.
“Really, it's nothing. I was just a little starstruck.”
He huffed a laugh as I shuffled to the seating area just off the kitchen. “Sounds like someone got under your skin.”
