Page 22 of Formula Fling

“Perfect,” he says, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “Then I can stay in one of the extra bedrooms and not have to drive back and forth.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “Nice try, but you’re not crashing at my place.”

“Why not?” He’s persistent, that’s for sure. “I’ll pay half.”

“Why would you want to stay in a little Airbnb versus what I’m sure is a very posh place in London?”

Lex frowns, pondering the question before giving me a sheepish smile. “Too much temptation here.” Another pulse of disappointment hits my gut. I think of the beautiful women back there and know that I’d never be that type of temptation. “Ronan has a distinct way of getting me to push the limits.”

Hmmm… odd that he doesn’t mention the women. I can’t help but poke at him. “Aren’t you strong enough to say no to him?”

Lex snorts with derision. “I’m my own man. I can say no well enough. But also, the next weeks are going to be intense as we make final adjustments to the car and I have to admit, not having that commute will be nice.”

“Then get your own place,” I say as we walk along.

“But yours is already gotten. And it’s on a lake, and that sounds peaceful.”

I stop walking, my brain calculating. “Pay for it all, plus groceries.”

“Deal,” he says with a wink. “I’ll pick you up in the morning.”

I didn’t think he’d accept. I had thought—mistakenly, of course—he was teasing about the entire situation. But all I can think to ask is, “You’ll pick me up in the morning?”

“Yeah… no sense in both of us having to drive there.”

“But I’ve got a rental car.”

“Well, we’ll take it back. Why rent it when we’ll be living together and you’re basically supposed to be glued to me. That will save you money, right?”

I roll my eyes, but I can’t help the smile that tugs at my lips. This might not be so bad after all. All-access pass and besides… I like hanging with Lex. “Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Perfect.” He grins, and we reach my hotel.

I have no illusions there will be a good-night kiss, or even a friendly hug. As I expect, Lex lifts a hand. “Cheers. See you in the morning.”

I wave in reply and watch him walk away, standing there marveling at how quickly things have changed. My heart races a little as I head up to my room, my thoughts a jumbled mess. I pull out my laptop, and with a few quick keystrokes, I write down the scene that just played out, pouring my emotions into the words.

Her heart beat faster as she watched him walk away, the lingering warmth of his smile still tugging at her thoughts. It was absurd, really—the way he managed to get under her skin without even trying. But there was something about him, something that made her wonder if maybe, just maybe, there was more to this than she was willing to admit.

I save the document and close my laptop. It takes me no more than fifteen minutes to finish packing, wash my face and brush my teeth. I crawl into bed exhausted, but my mind still spins from the night’s events.

I’m going to be living with Lex Hamilton for the next two weeks and it shouldn’t make me as giddy as it does.

I guess that’s the hopeless romantic in me.

CHAPTER 8

Lex

Can’t say thatI’ve ever waited for anyone in my life and yet here I am, loath to walk into the simulator room without Posey. She’s currently with Giovanni Scava, who is showing her how we manufacture the carbon fiber parts of the car. I can only imagine her pen flying furiously over that little pad of hers as Gio shows her the autoclaves—large, pressurized ovens that cure the carbon fiber components or the 3D printers we use for rapid prototyping. Not sure she’ll be able to weave any of that into her romance story but one thing I’ve come to appreciate about Posey—she’s hungry to learn it all.

The other thing I’ve come to realize… she’s not just here to get information for her book. She truly loves this sport and she knows a thing or two about fast cars from the research she did prior to coming here. I like that about her, her work ethic, because that’s always been important to me, despite my hard playing ways in my off time.

When I picked her up this morning at her hotel, I was surprised to have her eyeball my car with a gleam of pure reverence in her eyes. “A Lamborghini Urus,” she said in awe.

“I’m impressed you know what it is,” I said as I moved around the back of the SUV to put her suitcases in the boot.

“Six hundred forty-one horsepower, top speed of a hundred and ninety miles per hour, zero to sixty in three and a half seconds and still has the functionality of an SUV,” she murmured, opening the passenger door and sticking her head into look at the interior. “But honestly… I took you for more of a two-seater kind of guy.”

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