Page 8 of Downforce

That voice. The voice of my late father, who drove me to success by bullying me incessantly. Until I doubted everything.

Even a year after his death, I still hear it, and I still hate it. Because sometimes it speaks the truth.

But for some unfathomable reason, the idea of Charlotte Madigan rejecting me hurts more than anything I’ve ever contemplated.

Why?

CHAPTER FIVE

Charlie

Everyone stops talking and watches me walk into the meeting. Being late for the meetingIcalled grates on my nerves.

Or maybe it’s the fact I can’t stop thinking about my response to Anton’s kiss?

Ha! Anton’skiss? Anton, period.

I’d primed myself for an all-out battle when we finally came face to face, but notthiskind of battle. Not a battle to keep my clothes on and my hands off him.

How the hell do I decipher the sheer sexual attraction I immediately felt for him? Was it merely chemical? I’m an aerodynamicist. I understand numbers. And numbers had nothing to do with the way my body, heck, my soul, responded to Anton.

All I can do now is pretend it never happened and focus on what I’m here for—making the cars better and faster.

As long as Anton doesn’t say anything.

If he does?

He won’t. I don’t know why, but my heart tells me he was just as astonished and rocked by our kiss as I was. And as perplexed by what it meant.

He won’t say anything to HR or anyone else at Equis. I’m sure.

I hope…

I cross to the wall-mounted monitor, spine stiff. From the corner of my eye, I see a few mouths twitch. More than one team member glances at the person sitting next to them, as if sharing a secret.

Shit. What do they know? Did I read Anton wrong? Has he already bragged about snogging the owner’s daughter?

Prickling heat crawls over my scalp and I stop, running a slow look over everyone in the meeting. Everyone’s there who’s meant to be, watching me, waiting. Everyone except…

My stomach clenches.

Anton is not here.

Carson Willoughby, Team Principal and all-round amazing boss, clears his throat. “Everything okay, Charlie?”

A tight, sour sigh tries to burst from me. Instead, I plaster a broad smile on my face and nod. “Yes.”

He slides a look to the only empty seat in the room, grimaces, and shakes his head. “Let’s start. If Laurant?—”

“I’m here.” Anton hurries into the room, throwing everyone but me an apologetic smile. More than one set of eyebrows shoot up. “Sorry. I had an important thing to do.”

“More important than learning how I will make your car out-perform everyone else?” I snap.

He swings his ice-blue gaze to me, and my heart smashes up into my throat. It’s like he’s connected to every fibre in my body, every thought in my mind. How do I survive this?

“Oui.” He nods, holding my stare as he lowers himself into the only empty seat, directly in front of where I’m standing. “ButI know you don’t believe that, so…” He rests his ankle on his knee, crosses his arms over his chest, and smiles up at me.

I bite the inside of my lip to stop letting out a soft groan.

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