“Valentina Romana is the best driver there is, so that checks out,” he informs me with a bright smile. My heart warms at the adoration in his eyes as he speaks about his sister.
I don’t know why I don’t tell him that I know who he is. There is no reason for me to hide it. But I like surprising this man. It’s fascinating to watch his confidence slip into a bit of shyness because I don’t recognize him, even if I do now.
“I’ve got to go,” I say, not because I want to end this conversation but because I can tell he’s freezing and so am I.
He nods, and I bite my bottom lip when his tongue runs over his again. I get a strange feeling that he doesn’t want this conversation to end either. It makes me smile.
“Will you tell me your name?” Adrian asks, his hands moving to his pockets as he steps away from my car. He remains close enough to hear me, but far enough away so I can leave anytime I want.
“I’ll make you a deal. If you see me again, I will tell you my name,” I suggest, knowing full well we will probably never see each other again, which is for the best. I already have a complicated relationship with a Formula One driver, and an even more complicated relationship with the Grenzenlos team principal, also known as my father.
“Okay,” he mumbles before rubbing the back of his neck and giving me the cutest wave goodbye.
I do my best to ignore the weird feeling spreading through my chest, not to replay the strange yet surprisingly interesting conversation I just had with the vice-world champion of the previous Formula One season, but I fail miserably.
Chapter 1
Adrian
Present
“It’sbeenthreemonths,Adrian, do you honestly think you’ll ever see this woman again?” my sister, Valentina, asks as I grab my suitcase and place it on my bed. Her eyes, twins of mine, watch me carefully, almost like I’m a wild animal she decided to bring into the house.
“I fucking hope so. The woman has been stuck in my head for months, and no matter what I do, she isn’t unsticking herself. So, I have to see her again because it’s the only thing that’ll hopefully get rid of these—” I cut off and shudder.
Feelings.
That’s what I meant to say, but whenever I remember what they are, my whole body cringes. I just need to see this mysterious woman one more time to get rid of this ridiculous notion I have that she is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
That’s all.
Gabriel, my sister’s fiancé and my teammate and rival for the second year in a row, grins at me from where he is sitting on the bed with my sister. One of his hands rests possessively on top of hers because he always needs to touch her in some way when they’re together. It’s absolutely disgusting, and not just because Val is my sister. They’re justso in love, and I don’t get it. I don’t get the appeal of tying yourself to someone and risking your happiness over them. Because I’ve seen it happen. I’ve seen the way Gabriel fell apart when Valentina and him were broken up. I watched my sister fight the grief of losing the love of her life, or whatever the fuck she calls him.
It’s so unappealing to me.
“What the fuck is so amusing?” I ask Gabriel, but he merely shrugs. Chase, our family dog, jumps off the bed to sit at my feet, demanding attention.
“You are. Watching you struggle with the concept of wanting to be in a relationship because of your stubbornness is my favorite entertainment,” he replies and I raise my pinky.
It’s always been James’, my best friend, and my way of saying fuck you without using the middle finger, especially when we were kids. It started because I accidentally broke his pinky when we were karting, and I made fun of the fact that he couldn’t move his finger for two weeks when it was in a cast. He flipped me off with it every chance he got, and it kind of stuck.
“I don’twantto be in a relationship. They are pointless. You open yourself up to your partner, fall in love, and then it ends. I know how the story goesevery single time,” I say, shuddering at the thought of how my mother ran from my father and her children. Abandoning us. Disappearing like we never meant a fucking thing.
“Not everyone is Mom, you know?” Valentina reminds me, but I just shrug it off, unwilling to let my emotions on the subject show.
“Or Gabriel, I guess,” I tease, and my teammate shoots daggers at me while I grin at him. “Too soon?”
It’s been months of them happily being engaged and living together after Gabriel left to fix the mess he was in, but Valentina still gets up to nudge her elbow into my side, hard. I fling my arm around her shoulders and press a kiss to the top of her head while breathing through the discomfort of her blow.
Serves me right for attacking her man.
“Lash out all you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that something is special about this woman, and if you see her again, I suggest you talk to her without the intention of taking her home and getting her out of your system, or whatever you call it,” Valentina says, giving me a pointed look.
A smile breaks out across my face at her words.
“Do you expect so little of me when it comes to dealing with myfeelings?” I challenge, even if the last word makes my skin crawl, and she steps away from me.
My sister rolls her eyes before Gabriel and her respond, “Yes,” at the same time.
