AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She was fascinated by the experience of watching him on screen, and seeing him as others might. So confident and handsome; so highly skilled and good at his game. He ripped his helmet off and ran into his crew, his smile wide, his arms aloft. He hugged the team manager and a team mate, and then turned to the camera that was following his every move and winked deliberately at the camera.
She felt her stomach turn over. The wink, she was absolutely certain, was for her benefit. But it was not the wink she noticed. It was his jubilation. His joy. His complete delight.
He loved racing in a way she couldn’t understand, for she’d never loved anything with the same total devotion. But she loved Leonardo, and that meant supporting him, even if it cost her personally.
She reached into her bag and fished out her phone. As she dialled Amaro’s number, she hoped against hope that the Ferrari manager hadn’t changed his details in the last few years. The phone rang and rang, and just as she was about to hang up, it went to Voicemail. “Amaro Conti. Leave a message.”
“Amaro,” she breathed into her mobile. “It’s Aurora. Jones. I’m in Melbourne. I’m coming to the track. Can you let security know? Oh. Don’t tell Leo.”
Right when she needed it most, everything seemed to work in her favour. A taxi arrived just as she put her hand up to hail one. The driver had an uncle who worked at the track and promised he’d be able to get her through a security cordon. True to his word, he did, taking her as close to the gates as traffic was allowed. “I can walk the rest. Thank you.” She threw a pile of notes at him and stepped out, making a bee-line for the nearest security guard.
It was a large man, with a yellow baseball cap and matching yellow shirt. “Hi,” she met him with her most winning smile. “I’m part of Team Ferrari.”
He looked her up and down in a way that made Aurora’s blood seethe. “Yeah, and I’m Father Christmas.”
She gritted her teeth. “Just call Amaro Conti.”
“Conti?” He looked down at his device and muttered something. “Have you got I.D?”
“I.D?” Her heart began to pound as she realised she was going to get there. She was going to be able to show Leo that she was with him. She grabbed her licence from her purse and held it out.
“Right this way.”
He opened a gate and unhooked a security tag for her. “Wear this. It’s all access. Don’t get lost on your way to Ferrari though.”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
The Ferrari camp was in full celebration mode, arms in the air, champagne frothing into cups. But as soon as she walked in, Leo’s eyes seemed to find hers. He was talking to Amaro, but he bodily pushed the older man aside and ran towards Aurora. He had to put a hand on a row of chairs and jump his whole
body over them; he made it look easy.
“What are you doing here?”
Her breath was ragged, her cheeks were pink. “I had to come,” she grinned. “I love you, and that means that I love all of you. Even that parts I hate.”
He nodded. “I thought I’d won half an hour ago…Now I truly know what victory feels like.”
She stood on tiptoes so that she could kiss him. Oblivious to the people watching with muted curiosity, she wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted his race cap off. “You did win, and I am proud of you for it.”
He pulled back, and took the cap from her hands, placing it on top of her head. “You are a very important part of my team, you know.”
“I do know.” She leaned up so that she could whisper in his ear. “Hurry up and get that trophy so that we can go home. I’ve got big plans for you, champion.”
* * *
The celebrations raged late into the night, but Leonardo did not stay for them. One obligatory champagne so that he could be photographed and then he gripped Aurora’s wrist and squeezed it. “Ready to go?”
She nodded, but her eyes were uncertain. “I don’t want to pull you away…”
“You’re not pulling me away. You’re pulling me to right where I want to be.” His lips twisted in a seductive smile and her heart turned in her chest.
They arrived back at the penthouse to find a tower of white in their way.
“What the…”
“Distraction shopping,” she admitted guiltily. “It looks worse than it is.” She shook her head with a small laugh. “Actually, it looks every bit as bad as it was. I shop when I’m nervous. What can I tell you, Leo, this relationship could end up costing me a lot of money.”
He lifted the lid off the first box and pulled a slinky dress from it. “Your taste is impeccable, however.”
