“Which part?” I tease. “The storage room? The shower? The balcony where everyone could hear you?”
“All of it,” she says, but she’s smiling. “Every single part.”
She lifts her head and looks around the room, taking in the absolute destruction. Clothes everywhere, scattered like we couldn’t get them off fast enough. Which we couldn’t. Sheets askew and half falling off the bed. The open balcony door with the curtains blowing in the breeze, letting in the salt air and the sound of waves. Her eyes widen and she starts laughing.
“Oh, damn,” she says, looking back at me. “We absolutely destroyed this room.”
I grin, tucking her hair behind her ear. “We did a pretty thorough job.”
She sits up slightly, and the sheet falls away from her chest. Her breasts are completely exposed in the morning light, full and soft and it takes everything in me not to pull her back down and start all over again, but at the same time I’ve got nothing left. She took everything I had and more.
She points at the balcony, her face flushing. “You’re never going to be allowed to return to this hotel. People definitely heard us.”
I laugh. “Worth every second. You don’t have any regrets, do you?”
“No,” she admits, turning back to me with a smile. “Not one.”
“Good. Because I don’t either.” My fingers trail down her neck. “Though I had no idea you were such an exhibitionist. I mean, you were the one who wanted the balcony.”
“I’m not usually!” she protests, but she’s laughing, throwing her head back like she can’t quite believe what we just did. “I’m really not. I’ve never done anything like that before. Never even thought about it. You must have brought it out in me.”
“Did I?” I pull her back down against me.
“Yes,” she says, snuggling closer. I can feel her pressed against me everywhere. “I’ve never felt like that before,” she continues softly, her breath warm against my skin. “That wild. That…” She pauses, searching for the word. “Safe. Which is crazy because we were literally on a balcony where anyone could see, but I felt safe with you.”
Something inside me cracks at her words.
“Good,” I say quietly, my hand stroking down her spine. “That’s exactly how you should feel. Always.”
For a long moment we just lie there in the sunlight, her body warm and soft against mine, the sound of the ocean filtering in through the open door. My fingers trace slow patterns on her back, over her hip.
Then she shifts, sitting up. The sheet falls away and she sits cross-legged facing me, completely naked in the morning light. My brain short-circuits for a second because fuck, she’s beautiful. The sunlight catches on her skin, and I have to force myself to focus on what she’s about to say.
“So,” she says, her voice going quiet. “I mean… are we, should we?—”
“I want to be with you,” I tell her, sitting up to face her properly. My hand reaches out to cup her jaw, thumb brushingher cheek. “For real. No fake dating anymore. I think I’ve been struggling with it being fake since the beginning.”
She lets out a breath, her shoulders relaxing. “OK good. Because I think I have too. I kept trying to convince myself it was just the arrangement, just playing a role, but…” She trails off, shaking her head. “It stopped feeling fake pretty quickly.”
“Yeah,” I agree, relieved. “It did.” I half expected her to say this was a mistake.
“But how do we make this work?” Her brow furrows. “You’re going back to Monaco in September. I’m focusing on my music. Long distance is really hard, Jack. Your schedule is insane.”
“We’ll figure it out,” I tell her, pulling her closer. “I’ll fly back whenever I can. Between races, during breaks. Fly you out to races when your schedule allows. We’ll make it work because I’m not walking away from this.”
“Jack,” she says slowly. “I feel like I need to say this. I know you don’t really… I mean, you don’t date seriously. Which is fine, that’s your life. But I don’t know if you should change everything for me just because we slept together. I don’t want you to feel obligated or?—”
“Lark.” I cut her off gently. “I know I haven’t dated seriously before. I know my reputation. But this isn’t about obligation or changing who I am. This is about you. You’re different. You make me want things I didn’t think I wanted.”
She bites her lip. “And your life? I mean, listen, I like a good time, but I’m very serious about my career. And I know you were only at that Monaco party for Sofia, but other things like that… the lifestyle, the constant travel, the insane parties. That’s not really my world. I’m pretty focused and grounded, and I know you are too about racing. I don’t mean to say that you’re not serious, it’s just with your history I think?—”
“I know,” I interrupt. “And I won’t deny I’ve had some wild times. But a good portion of those were when I was younger,more reckless. And I’ve never been more serious about my career than I am now, especially after feeling what it’s like to have it slip away.” I cup her face, making sure she’s looking at me. “And you… you’re something I never saw coming. I think I’ve completely fallen for you.”
The words come out before I can overthink them.
Her eyes widen, and then her face breaks into a devious smile. “Youbastard,” she says. “You snuck up on me. I’ve fallen for you too.”
I pull her down for a kiss, deep and thorough, pouring everything I feel into it. When we break apart, we’re both breathing hard.
