Page 97 of Start Your Engines

CHAPTER 48

Senna

We havea few hours before I head back to the office.

Connor cooks us breakfast. The scent of bacon and pancakes drifts through to the bedroom. I stretch out on the bed like a cat that’s finally found a beam of sunshine. Meetings and decisions have made my shoulders sore and my legs tight, but here, with him, peace descends, and endorphins tickle my belly. We haven’t talked about the sentiments we expressed while having sex last night, but weirdly, I don’t need to. Connor’s actions and words have shown me what this is. I sigh happily.

My phone rings. I glance over, expecting one of the team.

It’s Niki.

I look through the doorway at Connor, who stirs something while flipping a pancake. Calls from Niki are rare. Maybe he’s coming home. Excitement and dread mingle as I snap up the phone and answer, holding it to my ear.

“Hey, big bro.” I squeak the words.

“Hey, you. How are things? You smashed the last race.”

“Thanks.” My throat tightens, so I grab the glass beside me and gulp water.

Music plays in the background. “Bringing Tawny to the team was a genius move.”

I can’t tell him I came up with the idea with Connor. “She’s doing brilliantly. It was the move she deserved, but she needed someone to take a chance on her.”

“And you were that person. You’re doing well, and I’m so proud of you.”

My stomach lurches as Connor appears with the kale smoothie he’s prepared for me. He’s always taking care of me. I hold a finger to my lips, and his brows knot.

I mouth, “It’s Niki,” and the furrow turns to wide-eyed panic. As he backs out of the room, he crashes into a chest of drawers. A photo of Connor and me crashes to the floor.

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” I bleat. “I knocked a glass on the floor.”

He chuckles. “You’re at home, then?”

“Yes.” It sounds more like a question than a statement. I’m already lying to my brother. “Are you nearby?”

I hold my chest as I wait for his answer.

“No, not yet.” I let out my breath as quietly as possible. My hands are clammy, and I grip the phone tighter. “But I called to tell you I’ll be back at the end of November, a couple of weeks after the end of the season.”

I blink rapidly as I push a hand through my hair, still knotted from the lake. I don’t know whether to be delighted or gutted. After six more weeks of Connor-filled bliss, everything could come crashing down. But I get my brother back.

“I can’t wait to see you,” I admit.

I catch Connor’s eye. My sexy tattooed man worries his lips, nearly missing the plate as he attempts to drop a pancake on it.

“I’ve missed you, little sis.”

I take a sip of water.

Maybe I could share something about Connor so he knows we spend lots of time together. It might help in the future. “I’ve missed you, too. And?—”

“I’m also calling about something else. Dad wants to have dinner with you.”

My lips curl, and I put my glass down before I drop it. “Then why hasn’t he called me himself? Oh yeah, because I’m avoiding his calls.”

There’s silence at the other end, and I pace the room.

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