Page 157 of Downforce

“How’d your call go?”

Annalise bites her lower, taking a breather before she answers. “She’s tough,” she admits.

“But she’ll come around.”

“How do you know?”

She lets out a whoop when I take her hand and spin her around before pulling her into my arms again.

“Because you are the best damn agent in the business and Bree Walters could ask for.” I kiss the corner of her mouth then her lips because I love kissing her.

Also, because I’m proud as hell of her.

Once she officially turned down the opportunity to go back to working with Travis, she got to work connecting with his agent to get her start. Norm wanted to hire her to his firm almost immediately. She took a few weeks to learn the ropes and figure out if working with a big agency was the right move or if she wants to work independently.

In the end, her friend, Jennifer, convinced her to join forces and create their own agency. Now, they represent both professional baseball players and motorsport drivers. That is, if Bree Walters actually signs the contract. They’ve gone back and forth for a while now, and though Annalise hasn’t given me all of the intricate details in order to keep her prospective client’s privacy, I have a feeling she’s going to pull it out.

Whether or not Bree ends up on the Formula 1 grid next season is another matter altogether.

“I love you,” she says before laying her head on my shoulder.

We’re dancing, her in my arms, swaying even though the music is fast paced. When I glance over to where my grandparents sit, watching their children and grandchildren, my grandmother smiles brightly as she points at Annalise.

“You still haven’t spoken to your mom?” Annalise suddenly asks.

Sighing, I shake my head. “No,” I answer in almost a snarl.

My mother has tried multiple times to reach out to me after I cut her off. When that failed, she went public, going to more than one sports podcaster to talk shit about me publicly.

It wasn’t until she tried to insinuate that I went after Annalise as a means to get back at Travis that I had my legal counsel slap her with a notice to keep her mouth closed about me and Annalise or else there would be consequences.

I haven’t heard much from her in the weeks since, but I know she’s not going to go away so quietly.

“She believes I owe her my life,” I say. “I’m better off without her.”

Annalise answers by lifting onto her tiptoes and pressing her lips to mine.

“We should get back to the hotel. You have a big day tomorrow.” She grins.

God, I love her.

That smile almost made me forget what’s on my agenda for tomorrow. An hour before the race, I’m taking out Amato’s classic car that hasn’t been driven publicly in over twenty years.

It’s also my father’s car. I’m going to drive in my father’s car around the Sao Paolo track in front of thousands of his fans.

The last one he ever drove. I finally agreed to do it.

“Are you nervous?”

I shake my head at the question. “Because I know you’ll be there.”

After giving her a kiss, I take her hand to lead her over to my grandparents so we can say our goodbyes. They, as well as the rest of the family, are reluctant to see us go, but they’ll be in the pit tomorrow, cheering me on.

I regret that this is actually the first time I’ve invited my grandparents to see me race.

“They’re here now,” Annalise says when I tell her this on our way to the hotel.

I squeeze her hand, not letting it go even as we slide out of the backseat of the chauffeured car. The moment I bring her hand to my lips, imagining all of the ways I plan to ravage her before we both fall into luxurious sleep, a hotel employee behind the front desk stops us.