Page 52 of Heartbreaker

“They’ll be fine. They can watch everyone else. I’m not the star of this show. I’ll go to the meet and greet, but I’m not racing tonight.” Confusingly, Phil’s eyes move to Lana at my side, irritation and impatience clear in them, but before he can say anything about our clear relationship, I continue. “My contract states I have up to five days off, and I haven’t used a single one. I’m using one today.” Phil opens his mouth to argue but then sighs and shakes his head as if realizing there’s no point.

“Fine,” he says eventually, then runs a hand through his hair. “Fine. I have to go and tell Stevens he’s being brought in and ask Courtney if there’s anything we need to be doing press-wise.”

“Great. If she needs anything, I’m available,” I say. Phil nods, then walks off, giving us a halfhearted, dejected wave. Once he’s out of the way, I take a deep breath, then slowly release it before turning to the guys.

“You didn’t have to—” I start, but Tyler shakes his head.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t. Your shit is going to start affecting the other drivers and me. Something happens to your truck when we’re all out there; we could all get hurt. It wasn’t personal; it was for my own benefit.” I stare at him, that feeling in my chest melting as quick as it came. For a moment, I caught a glimpse of my friend, someone who cares, but maybe it was just a figment of my imagination.

“But we’re glad you’re okay,” Oliver adds, glaring at Tyler. Of the three of us, Oliver was always the kindest and the least volatile. “Right, Ty?” Tyler rolls his eyes and sighs before nodding.

“Yeah. I gotta go, though.” I bite back a small smile, and that hope returns with a vengeance because I know Tyler. Like me, he’d rather avoid emotions and feelings, but he won’t say anything just to be nice. Before I can think about that longer, he and the rest of the drivers are gone, leaving just Lana and me in the locker room. She turns again into my arms, and I pull her in close, soaking in her warmth.

“Do you want me to stay back today? I don’t have to race,” Lana asks as she looks up at me.

The answer is yes.

I do. Not because I don’t want her racing without me, but because my anxiety about my safety has now spread to Lana, and I want to keep her safe as well. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned about Alana Carson, it’s that she doesn’t want anyone telling her what to do, how to act, or keeping her in some kind of box she was born to live outside. Over the past few weeks, it’s been amazing to watch her grow, becoming the confident person I think she was always meant to be. I won’t do anything to push her back into it.

“No,” I say with a shake of my head, sliding my hand up the back of her neck and into her hair. I tilt my head down, pressing my lips softly to hers before speaking. “No. I won’t ever tell you what to do. If you feel okay racing, I want you to do that.” She bites her lip, and I use a thumb to pull it out of her teeth. “But I’m going to inspect your truck myself before you drive. I don’t trust anyone here. And for future races, my inspector will check your truck, too.” I expect an argument, but she nods.

“Yes. Of course. Whatever makes you feel comfortable, Rome.” God, this woman. She gets me. Not only that, but she accepts me.

And that’s better than anything I’ve ever had in my life.

TWENTY-SEVEN

“Are you gonna be okay?” Lana asks hours later, her voice low. We just left the meet and greet, and she’s got ten minutes until she’s expected to be ready to race. It’s unsettling knowing that I have nowhere to be right now.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I ask, my shield up, but as she always does, she sees right through it. She steps closer, her face softening. Her hand lifts, cupping my cheek and forcing me to look at her. On instinct, an arm moves to wrap around her waist, pulling her front to mine, and the tension I didn’t realize was in my chest eases just a bit.

“You don’t have to do that with me,” she whispers.

It’s been a busy couple of hours, during which I somehow found a private inspector in the area who could come in and check not only Lana’s truck but everyone’s to ensure there were no hidden issues. I may have had him check Lana’s twice, but that’s neither here nor there.

All to find out that my truck was the only one tampered with.

Truth be told, I don’t know what to do with that information or how to feel about it. So I’m just trying to stay positive, though Lana quickly sees right through it.

“I’m okay,” I say. “Really.”

“Roman—”

“I’m excited to watch you race. I’ve never gotten the chance to watch without being down there with you.” She looks over my face, reading whatever microscopic changes she finds before letting out a deep sigh and moving to her tiptoes to press her lips to mine.

“I’ll take care of him for you,” Demi says from beside us. I’m planning to sit with Lana’s crew chief for the race.

“We’re going to have fun,” I state, trying to sound as upbeat as possible. Lana looks from her friend to me and grimaces.

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she says, and I let out a laugh that feels out of place for the day’s heaviness before giving her one last kiss. “I’m going to be just fine, Lana.”

“I can⁠—”

“No,” I say firmly before she even suggests staying back. Even if the idea of Lana racing today sends panic straight into my chest, I know if I ever want things to work with us, I’m going to have to be okay with her doing whatever she wants. I can never tell her what to do.

Starting right now.

“No. You’re racing. I need you to kick Tyler’s ass for me, remember?” I ask, pressing my lips to hers. She rolls her eyes and lets out a little laugh.