Page 30 of Formula Freedom
“Well, I thought you were incredible today. You looked very… driverly out there.”
I snort. “Driverly? What type of word is that?”
She waves her free hand. “You know… doing driver stuff. Racey-type stuff.”
I grin back at her. “That’s quite the compliment, but yeah… I’m happy with how I did.”
She nods, watching me closely. “You should be. Watching from the balcony, I was so proud of you. Everyone up there was, actually.”
My chest tightens with something that’s not just pride. “Means more coming from you.”
There’s a moment—quiet but full—where the air shifts. Her gaze drops, then rises again, and it makes me wary.
“I need to tell you something,” she says, and I go on hyper alert from the tentative note in her voice.
I sit up straighter. “Okay.”
She takes a sip of wine, then sets the glass down, as if she needs both hands free to steady herself. “Lance showed up today. At the Matterhorn suite.”
Everything in me goes still while my insides boil so hotly, it’s as if steam is rising off my skin. “Did he touch you?”
“No,” she exclaims, putting a hand on my arm. “Not at all. He was just standing in the doorway, and I decided to confront him.”
“What the fuck, Lara?” I growl, pulling back from her. “Why didn’t you call security?”
Those beautiful eyes do a full roll. “Because there were over thirty people in that suite. He wasn’t going to touch me.”
I know she has a point, but I’m still pissed. “What happened?”
“Nothing, really. He said he wanted to talk, and I told him to leave me alone. That we were over and that we’d work out details later to get my stuff from the apartment.”
I should be mollified that she’s thinking toward the logistics of moving out of their shared home, a move I’ll gladly help her with, but I’m still angry about all of it. “And he just left?”
Her eyes cut away for a moment. “No, not right away. He told me I was making a mistake.”
“In a threatening way?” I grit out.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. I was too angry at him to try to ferret out his intentions. But I told him the only mistake was the one I made by staying with him as long as I did. And that’s when the security guy walked up and told him to leave.”
She handled it but… I’m still pissed. I warned him to stay away from her and he came anyway. Next thing I know, I’m off the couch and pacing, my thoughts jumbled between anger, concern for Lara, and a helplessness that I can’t make this all go away.
“He had no right to be there,” I growl. “That’s supposed to be your safe space. Our space. What the fuck is wrong with him?”
“He didn’t touch me,” she says, and I turn to find her rising from the couch. The look on her face says her only goal is to soothe the rising storm. “It wasn’t physical. He only tried to talk.”
“That’s not the point, Lara,” I snap. “He’s pushing boundaries. Testing how far he can go. And I hate that you had to deal with that.Again.”
She crosses the room slowly, reaching out to touch my arm. “Reid… I handled it. I wasn’t scared.”
I look down at her hand, then back up into those steady eyes. My jaw tightens.
“Iam, Lara. I’m scared of what he’ll do next. I’m scared he’ll find another way in. And I’m pissed—because the only thing I want right now is for you to be safe and free anddonewith that part of your life.”
Jesus… that sounded almost proprietary. Did I mean it that way?
She swallows hard, her voice barely above a whisper. “I think that’s already true. Because I’m here with you. And when I’m with you… Idofeel safe.”
Those words alone do the trick and my entire body relaxes. I reach up slowly, brushing a thumb along her cheekbone.
