Page 70 of Heartbreaker

People are watching. I can deal with it, eyes everywhere pinned to me. It’s the perfect opportunity to push this aside, to set things straight, to tell him where I stand. I look to Lana, whose face is strangely blank. I wonder if this is what the Chameleon looks like, if that blank face and the small, pleasant tilt of her lips is the mask she wears when she’s on the job. It’s surely not what my Lana looks like.

I wonder then, what do I look like to her right now? Do I look like her Rome, or some strange, distant version of myself she can’t recognize?

“Come on, like old times. Or are you back to being a little brown-noser, needing to get back on your dad's good side?” Noah asks as two more drivers join our small group.

Irritation flares within me, and with it, I can feel it—sliding into an old habit, into an old costume that feels both familiar and comfortable. I should fight it off, not fall into the pattern that only brings me headaches, but we’re here to find information, right? Not to create waves.

“Of course not, I was just letting you hang. I know how much you need someone to help out so you can get some. You know I’m in once I’m back.” The small crew of men cheers.

“Ayy! The party animal is back!” Noah hoots.

“Fuck yes,” someone calls out.

“Next year is going to be one for the fucking books,” another says. Even though it strikes unease in my chest, I don’t refute them. I don’t tell them that they have it wrong—that I won’t be partying, that I’ll be splitting my time between racing and spending it with Lana, that I’ve grown comfortable spending my nights in and like it that way. There are so many things I’d rather be doing than sitting in a loud club pretending that everyone there likes me.

But I don’t get the chance, not with David giving me a grin. “Chaos and partying aside, are you looking forward to coming back?” I nod, eager to change the topic.

“Oh yeah. It’s been fun, killing some time and finding any way to keep racing. But I really want to be here, where the real action is.”

“Oh, I’ve seen the one you’ve been killing some time with,” Sam says, a boyish look on his face, and it irritates me. “I wouldn’t mind killing some time if it got me a hottie like that.” Lana’s entire body stills in my peripheral vision. With his words, I know somehow this is it. This is the moment that changes everything.

I could play it off, keep being playboy Rome, keep winning them over, and maintain that image Lana was talking about.

But I know in my gut that it would almost definitely make me lose Lana.

Alternatively, I could set myself up to introduce a new version of myself, possibly for good.

The answer is obvious.

“Aye, watch your fucking mouth,” I say, trying to smile to keep things friendly while walking the thin line of wanting to punch him in the face. “That’s my girlfriend.” I know I made the right choice when her head pops up, a contented, satisfied look on her face. I reach over, not caring that Stephanie is in the middle of asking something, and pull her into my side.

“Oh man, my bad,” Sam chuckles. “I didn’t realize you were reformed.” He looks over Lana, and without looking at her myself, I know she has that happy, dazed look I love the most. I also know, like always, that she’s absolutely stunning. “If I had a woman like her, I’d be reformed too.”

“No chance, Sam,” David says. “You’re too much of an asshole.” We all laugh, and Lana melts into my side, her arm wrapping my waist.

“Lana, this is David,” I start, eager to keep her close, to find that strength that she gives me to be a better version of myself. “And Sam, Noah, and Mike. They’re drivers and good friends of mine.” She looks up at me, smiling.

“Good people, or secretly assholes?” she asks, and the men laugh loudly. I know this is her way of asking me without asking if I would consider them suspects, and something about having our own little code warms me.

“Good people but also assholes, so who knows?” I say, and hope she gets the real meaning: Friends, not foes, but everyone is a suspect, right?

She smiles.

“Well, good to meet you guys, I think?”

“Honestly, I’m kind of honored. We’ve seen some of the clips of you driving, and it’s sick… Ever think of doing Indy?” David says, and warmth moves through me. Lana laughs out loud and shakes her head.

“Oh, no. Rome took me once, but I like the safety of being high up in a truck,” she says. “Was a good experience, though.”

Despite the audience, my cock twitches at the reminder.

Okay, topic change is much needed. I tip my chin toward Stephanie, who is still hanging nearby, and give her a small, apologetic smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pull her away from you like that.”

“Oh, no, not at all! We were just about done,” she says. “Actually, Rome, do you have a minute? I’d love to talk to you about your transition to the Monster Smash circuit and what you’ve been up to.” I look to Lana, who is in a group of drivers she doesn’t know, but ones I don’t mind. She gives me a small smile and waves her hand.

“I’m good here. I’m here to mingle.”

“Are you sure?”