Page 70 of Close Contact
“For fuck’s sake,”Callumgroaned, dragging his hands down his face. “Ignore them.”
“They know we’re together. They literallyzoomed inon your flooring.”
“They’re going to do that whether we answer or not.”
The ringing stopped only to start up again.
“You should answer,” I said, thrusting his phone at him. “I’ll be quiet.”
He arched a brow. “Being quiet is not in your nature, Auri.”
Auri.
It had been a while since he’d called me that. I still loved it.
“Then I’ll leave the room and join from the guest room.” Already making up my mind, I scrambled off his lap and bolted out of the room.
“Aurélie, it won’t work!”Callumcalled after me, but I just laughed and closed the guest room door behind me.
I ripped his hoodie off so I was just in my pink pajama set, belly-flopped on the bed, and hitJoin. The screen split in two ways to show Marco andKimi—and just like that, all hell broke loose.
“You two are the worst liars in the world. Not even good liars. Pathetic ones,”Kimisaid with a shit-eating grin.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said nonchalantly.
“Weliterallycaught you in Fraser’s hoodie. Unless you own a twin set of Fraser’s bleach-stained lucky hoodie, we’re not idiots,” Marco argued.
I picked at my nails. “He let me borrow it because I was cold after the podium celebration.”
They both scoffed.
“That is such bullshit?—”
“Oh, what a cop-out?—”
Callum’sbox joined the call and the screen split four ways now. He was still in the living room, expression so unbothered it bordered on cocky. It took everything in me not to react. “Evening, gentleman. AndAurélie.”
“Don’teveningus, Fraser! Are you, or are younot, in the same flat as the Monaco GrandPrixChampion right now?” Marco demanded, pointing an accusatory finger at us through the phone. I just smiled.
“Do you usually do wellness checks on your teammates’ emotional states?”Callumdeadpanned.
“Only when one of them wins Monaco and then mysteriously vanishes for hours,”Kimisaid. “Dubois, I looked for you hours ago.”
“Sorry,” I said flippantly. “Big day. Had to avoid my brother’s shadow, you know?”
Callumlaughed, and that bastard was going to give it all away.
“Liar. I know for a fact our hotel has too much architecture preserved to have modern ceiling fans like the room you’re in,”Kimipointed out, and I fucking fell for it. I tilted my head back to see the damning fixture above me, just asKimi turned his camera to show the ornate chandelier in the fancy ancient hotel we’d been put in.
Well, shit.
“Also, what the fuck happened to your hand, Fraser?” Marco asked.
Callumlooked directly at the camera, completely monotone as he said, “Setup from the cockpit.”
I ducked my head from view of the camera and snorted before I could stop it. “Sorry. Allergies.”
“I cannot believe you’re both trying to gaslight us.I literally saw you leaving his hotel room last weekend, Dubois. Kimi, show the flooring comparison again.”
