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For a moment, she again considered inviting him inside. But there was a distinct likelihood that his entire day would be lost to him, and she didn’t want to push herself into his life any more than she already had.
But God, it was tempting. She was in the danger zone … absolutely smitten.
He made the decision for her by speaking up, his tone of sadness lifting.
“You also have to take into account, though, that I spent all of last night with you on my arm, and we have been seen together at the track too. That could also mean someone is trying to get to me through you.”
“Fair point,” she quipped, pushing a light hand against his chest. “Let’s just call it even then, shall we?”
He nodded, pretending to fall back against her strength.
“Agreed. I adore your fighting spirit. It’s refreshing.”
Violet felt like giggling, but she managed to keep it inside.
They agreed to wash up and meet once again in the lobby. The fight had taken up so much of Franco’s time that he wasn’t able to get his daily gym workout in, so they would go right to the track for his final practice before the qualifying race.
Violet went into her room reluctantly, pouting a little as she stripped down to hop into the shower. It felt wrong to be naked without him around. She wanted to share all of her intimate moments with him, even the ones that had previously been so basic and routine, like showering. It excited her to think about the new fresh coat of shimmering interest that his presence had gifted her.
She bathed quickly, then put on an outfit that was neutral in its sexiness and comfortability. She wore slacks and a button-up blouse, leaving her hair damp to hang down her back. She applied perfume and light makeup before bolting down the stairs, full of energy like a newborn puppy.
They walked to the track together. Even though they had only done that once before, Violet felt like they had done it a thousand times. A lot had happened in the past twenty-four hours, and she couldn’t help but feel motivated at every corner.
Even when she considered the fight, she felt intrigued. It had likely been someone looking for money, hell, even a woman or two who was jealous about his growing affection for her. She didn’t know about any exes he’d had, but she had enough assurance in herself to believe that she would swiftly eliminate any threat that presented itself.
He also seemed to lose the initial apprehension he’d shown on their walk back to the hotel. She hoped she had given him that courage.
Violet greeted the pit team and the engineers as she had the day before. She was feeling far less uncomfortable, walking hand in hand with Franco. Cornel watched them with admiration and wonder more than anything else.
“You two look cozy,” Cornel said, facing his clipboard as Franco dressed in his fire suit and helmet.
Violet gave him a brotherly elbow as they regarded the monitors.
“Yes, we got very cozy last night,” she whispered. Her tiger perked up at that.
Cornel chuckled, then suddenly spoke in a sincere, nearly thankful tone.
“I’ve never seen him like this. He seems lighter.”
Violet turned to look at her mate … the man she had flown across states to meet, who she hadn’t believed existed. He was zipping up the fire suit, doing that cute little jump to pull the outfit all of the way up his long body.
His eyes locked onto hers, and they glittered.
“Never?” Violet asked absent-mindedly, watching as Franco nestled the helmet over his head.
“Never,” Cornel replied. “I know how much he adores racing. It’s been the love of his life for so long. You must be something special for him to allow you into his secret world like this.”
Violet turned away as Franco approached the car, the red and yellow colors as bright as the blinding sun. Her eyes welled with tears as Franco made the same exclamation he had the day before, sparking the exhilaration of his teammates before climbing into the car.
“Hey.”
She thought he had climbed into the race car but then felt his hand on her arm. It wasn’t her shoulder but her bicep, descending down to her waist as she turned to face him.
Franco blocked out the sun with his enormous body, looking like a heavenly glow had been cast around his head. He smiled at her.
“Can I get a kiss for good luck?”
Violet could have melted into the ground like a snowman in July.
