Reserved (The Pitstop Series Book 6), page 27
My thumb glides over her bottom lip, which is slightly thinner than her top one, tracing the shape until I’m hoping it’ll never leave my memory. Who am I kidding? Nothing about this woman will ever leave my mind.
Every moment with her turns into a core memory.
Just like right now.
Doing something as simple as studying the way her steady breathing pushes her chest against mine every few seconds is perfect. I drop my fingers to her stomach, finding a new area to memorize. My thumb brushes over her stretch marks down to the ones near her belly button. I suck in a sharp breath before trailing over the lines of indents near her hips.
Stretch marks.
Such simple things, insecurities for most women because of society’s stupid expectations, but they’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen on Nevaeh. Just like the scar on her right shoulder, which is the next area I trace. Her biggest insecurity is my second favorite place on her body. It’s a physical representation of her strength and determination.
I’ll never get tired of looking at it.
How could I?
Another little moan leaves her, and I smile. She’s so happy and I’m the cause. I’m right for her, and I have never been right for anyone in my life. My sister is the only exception, but I was raised to be everything she could ever need. With James, Leonard, Cameron, and Gabriel it’s different, too. They keep me around because I’m funny and like them enough to do anything for them. Fine, love them enough to give my life for them if it comes down to it.
But with Nevaeh?
Nothing makes sense. I don’t constantly have to work to be everything she wants. I don’t have to offer her the world. I want to do all of those things. It comes naturally to me because she makes life easier. She’s made breathing easier since I met her all those months ago. The sexy, proud smirk on her face as she studied her photos. Her gorgeous body was covered in so many layers, that I chuckled at the time. Her face was so bright and glowing, I didn’t even have time to fixate on anything else.
“Adrian,” she mumbles in her sleep, and I inch closer to her. Fuck, my name falling from her lips sounds so different than when anyone else uses it. It sounds so much better.
“I’m here,” I whisper, and the tension that briefly entered her shoulders washes away.
“Cold,” she says, but I doubt she’ll remember any of this tomorrow because she’s mostly asleep.
I reach behind me for the shirt I was wearing before I went to the event, and somehow, and I have no idea how, manage to place it on her naked chest without waking her.
She snuggles against me at the same moment my phone starts to vibrate on my nightstand. I snatch it off the wood before it wakes… my girlfriend.
Damn, I like that way too much.
“What?” I hiss into the phone without looking at the caller ID. A deep voice rumbles through the speaker.
“Open the front door, arsehole. I have questions,” Leonard’s familiar voice drowns into the speaker, but I have to hold the phone away to make sure I’m not imagining this.
“Are you having a laugh?” I say, imitating his English accent while I use a phrase he loves to say to me. “It’s two in the morning. I’m not opening the door for you,” I blurt out, but I’m also already slipping out of bed.
He won’t go away until I let him in and give him answers.
“Do you have a beer cold?” he asks, and I walk over to my fridge, pulling out one of the ones I bought for Nevaeh, in case she ever decided to stay over again. Nova told me Nevaeh likes a good German beer, and I will always have what she needs.
“You’re one persistent and annoying person, mate,” I say as I open the door and shove the beer into his hand. He takes a sip before even entering my apartment, making his way toward my balcony and placing his finger over his lips.
“Come on, we don’t want to wake the poor thing you’ve somehow managed to deceive,” he replies in a whisper, and I nudge him in the ribs so hard, he lets out a strained breath. “I was just teasing. Bloody hell. No need for violence.” He takes another swig, his throat working as the liquid shoots down.
“Well, it wasn’t fucking funny,” I retort, walking over to the table and sitting down. My eyes shift to the cocoon chair, the memory of Nevaeh with her head in my lap replaying before I can stop it.
A bright smile slips onto my face.
“Sorry, I’ve just been where you are now, except I didn’t give up the life of a fuckboy for the woman I love,” he says, and the smile vanishes, irritation replacing it on my face.
“I’m not giving up anything. I’m getting everything by being with Nevaeh.” His jaw drops a little at my angry tone. I’ve never, ever raised my voice at Leonard. I respect him more than anyone else because of his experiences. He’s lived longer than me, seen more things than I have, and is an irreplaceable friend. “How do you even know Nevaeh and I are… something?” I can’t tell him we’re going to date in secret if he knows nothing yet.
“Because it’s clear as fucking day, Adrian. I saw you two at the event, I know you left together.” He cocks a brow, and I hide a frown by running my hand over my face. That’s not good. “Don’t worry, Val told me about Nevaeh’s job. I will take this to my grave,” he promises, and I know he’s good for it.
Leonard doesn’t tell anyone about people’s personal lives, including his own.
“I’m surprised you didn’t tell me your feelings were so strong. You usually ask me for advice,” he says and fakes a pout. I roll my eyes at him, but he merely returns to his scowling expression as he sips his beer. Grumpy old man.
“All you need to know is we’re going to date in secret, but I’ve never been happier.” Leonard’s brown eyes stare into mine from the other side of the table.
“You’ve changed,” he says, pressing his lips together to fight back a smile.
“I don’t know why you’re so surprised. You changed completely after you started dating Chiara.” The mention of her name makes his eyes twinkle.
“Yes, she warmed up my life and made me smile, but I wasn’t the one who swore off relationships until I reached my grave,” he says, and the reminder of that conversation sends a shiver down my spine.
“That was before Nevaeh,” I mumble.
“Maybe, but it doesn’t change that if you’re not one hundred percent sure, you’re going to break that girl’s heart by pretending you are,” Leonard says, and I look up at him.
“Her heart is not the one that’s in danger of being ripped to shreds,” I reply, staring out at the ocean and sucking in a sharp breath to gather courage for what I haven’t admitted out loud to anyone yet. “Mine is.”
Chapter 45
Nevaeh
We’re on the tenth race of the season. Mrs. Lu threw my schedule around so that my interview with Valentina has been rescheduled to the weekend of the Monaco Grand Prix. My friend wasn’t happy about it, but when I reminded her how special it’d be for the article to be written about her at her home race, she beamed up at me.
We’re in Austin, Texas this weekend, and I have yet to take some time to go explore the city I grew up in for three years of my life. I meant to go when we first got here a few days ago, but then Adrian showed up at my hotel room with a pint of ice cream. We shared half of it before he buried his face between my legs until they were shaking and I was screaming his name. He did that over and over until I lost count of how many times I came and he finally sunk inside of me.
Adrian and I have been secretly dating for the past seven weeks, and something that’s become very clear is that he loves to watch me orgasm. All the time. Every chance he gets.
We’ve been good about keeping our distance and sneaking around undetected. We’ve also somehow managed to hug a lot less or touch each other in general, which I hate but has been good for Gillian to get off my case. Ms. Martin hasn’t asked me about Adrian anymore, and I’ve been handing in articles that have gotten a lot of attention from fans.
I’m making a name for myself and I’m loving every second.
Adrian has been kicking ass too, having won five out of the past ten races. Gabriel is currently second in the Drivers’ Championship standings, Lincoln only a point behind him, and ten points behind Adrian. They’re close, but there is still over half a season left. Nothing’s written in stone yet, or on a trophy, I guess.
Today is Qualifying, and James has been preoccupied with his responsibilities without paying too much attention to me. He’s the driver I’m interviewing this weekend and he warned me about his quiet behavior a few days ago, but I don’t mind it one bit.
We’ve been getting along well these past few days, and I’m already working on the article. It fascinates me how different the rituals are for every driver. James focuses on reflex training while Gabriel focuses mostly on stretching and warming up his muscles.
“Can we talk?” James asks me, surprise settling in my chest.
“Of course,” I reply, and he motions for me to sit down with him at the table in the empty conference room I was planning to work in until Qualifying was over. There is a small screen in here, showing live footage of the session. “What’s up?” I ask, slightly worried about the answer. James and I hardly know each other, and, even though I like him, we’ve never been alone, not even at any point during this weekend.
“I’m sorry to bother you like this, but I need you to promise me something,” he starts, and I watch him carefully as he wrestles to phrase his request. His blue eyes drift to mine, his gaze holding mine. “For the article, please don’t mention Damian. I know we’ve talked about him, but I’d like to keep him as far away from the spotlight as possible,” he explains.
I offer him a small smile.
“You have my word, I won’t say anything about him nor will I send it off to my boss without letting you read the article first. That’s how it works with me,” I assure him, earning myself a dashing smile I’m convinced could make anyone fall in love, given that they aren’t already with someone else.
“Thank you. I appreciate it, Nevaeh.” I smile at him, but there is more he wants to say. I can tell by the way he scans my face as if answers were written in my features. “At the end of last season, a man wrote an article about Damian without any knowledge of my actual relationship with him or that he was adopted by Gabriel’s aunts, Dominique and Nicolette. He called me a terrible father,” James admits, breaking eye contact and looking away. I slide my hand onto his shoulder and squeeze it, bringing a comforting expression to my face.
“I would never write lies like that, especially considering how great of a father you are. You made a difficult decision that got Damian two amazing moms and you. If I wrote about you as a father, and I won’t, that’s what I’d say,” I reply, squeezing his shoulder again before dropping my hand.
He studies me for another moment before smiling to himself and nodding.
“Your heart,” James says, and I furrow my brows.
“What about my heart?” I ask with curiosity and confusion laced in my tone.
“It stole my best friend’s, and I had no idea why until a moment ago. Now, I know,” he adds, standing up and grinning down at me. “I’m glad you’re in his life.”
Then, the Englishman walks away, leaving me with the sweetest feeling spreading through my chest.
I attempt to go back to my article, but the empty room fills with the sound of my favorite voice a moment later.
“God, you’re so beautiful,” Adrian says, and I close my notepad to look up at him. A smile dances over my face, mimicking his: one of pure happiness. His green-blue-brown eyes scan my body as I stand up to be in front of him.
Adrian’s fingers instantly move to my nape, pulling my mouth to his.
“What are you doing here? Qualifying is about to start,” I remind him, but he merely cocks a brow before closing the door behind him to make sure no one sees us in here.
“I have come to establish a new tradition.” He bends down to press his lips to mine, letting out a sigh when he breaks the kiss again.
“For good luck?” I ask, his nod serving as a response while he lingers in front of me with his eyes closed and a satisfied look on his face.
“I can feel it coursing through me already,” he says or jokes, I’m not sure, but I burst into laughter either way.
“My God, get out of here before I question why I like you,” I tease, and he smiles at me.
“Always with the teasing, Nevaeh. I’m already on my knees for you, what more do you want?” he asks before giving me a wink that weakens my knees. “I’ll see you later,” he adds with a serious look, and I step on my tiptoes to place a swift kiss on his lips.
“Be careful,” I remind him, making him hesitate in front of me for a moment, panic in his eyes. “What? What did I say?” I ask, and he shakes his head.
“Nothing, I just realized that if something were to happen to me, I’d never get the chance to—” Adrian cuts off and stares deeply into my eyes, a little smile now on his lips. “Well, I’d never get the chance to do a lot of things with you. Kind of scared me there for a moment,” he admits, and I take a step toward him to place my hands on his hips.
“Go kick some ass, and if you get pole, I’ll give you the chance to fuck me in your private room,” I suggest to take some of the tension off him.
It works like a charm.
Desire replaces his panic, and he bites down on his bottom lip.
“Is that a deal?” he asks, and I move backward to hold out my hand for him to shake. He does so with a ridiculous amount of enthusiasm before walking away, more determined than ever.
An excited laugh escapes me as I imagine having sex in a somewhat public space. Grenzenlos has been predominantly first during practice, so I don’t think Adrian will get pole, but the thought still sends a thrill through me.
Qualifying starts a few minutes after I regain the ability to think about anything other than Adrian inside of me.
Q1 goes smoothly, all of my friends making it to Q2 with ease. The problems start in the second round. Valentina struggles with her car and doesn’t make it to Q3 and neither do Leonard and Cameron. Disappointment washes over me for my friend, but I remind myself of something she said to me recently.
“You have to approach every race and Qualifying with a winning mindset, but you can’t let that destroy you when you lose. That’s the difference between a sore loser and an aspiring champion.”
I know she will be sad about this result, but she will do her best tomorrow, learn and grow from today. I have no doubt in my mind.
Q3 has me on the edge of my seat. Adrian is fast and so is Gabriel, but neither of them seems able to keep up with the two Grenzenlos drivers. By the time they all take their last lap, I have lost the ability to breathe properly.
Lincoln crosses the finish line for the last time this session, his lap putting him on the provisional pole—the pole a driver gets when the rest have not finished their last lap of the session. Kyle comes in second, Gabriel in third, and James in fourth while the others place anywhere below that. I feel my heart skipping a beat when Adrian crosses the line, his lap a tenth of a second faster than Lincoln’s.
“Yes!” I scream and jump out of my seat to clap.
My earlier excitement returns when I realize what this means. I let out a nervous laugh as I walk out of the conference room and over to James’ performance coach to inform her that I’ve gathered all of the information I need for today and that I’ll see her tomorrow. She gives me a warm smile before I head toward Adrian’s box to find Daniel.
“Nevaeh! It’s nice to see you. What can I do for you?” he asks, and I put on a serious face.
“Did Adrian tell you about—” I cut off and gesture around the room as if that would fill in the blanks. Daniel grins at me in response.
“No, but I’m not oblivious. I know that man very well,” he says, making my cheeks heat.
“Okay, could you let him know I’m in his room when he’s done with his interviews? There is something important I have to talk to him about,” I say and he gives me a knowing smirk.
“Of course. Take the room. I will make sure no one interrupts so you can have some privacy,” he replies with a wink, and I laugh in response.
Daniel opens the door of the room for me, leaving me alone a moment later. I suck in a sharp breath as my fingers reach for the buttons of my blouse. The material feels light as it drops to the floor, followed by my heavy shorts. I sit down on the single chair in the corner, crossing my legs and praying Daniel makes sure nobody intrudes.
It takes a while until the door opens again, but, luckily, Adrian steps into the room, taking the tension off my shoulders. His eyes look me up and down appreciatively as he closes the door and locks it.
“Fuck,” he swears under his breath, and I dip my tongue out to run it over my bottom lip. Adrian watches me closely, his shoulders rising and falling rapidly. “Mon paradis,” he says while approaching me with a smirk that would make my knees weak if I was standing. “I’ve been fantasizing about this since I was told I got pole. Please, get on the table for me, baby. I’m starving,” he begs before holding his hand out to help me up. I let him pull me against his chest and lift me onto the massage table where he spreads my legs to move between them.
“Take off your suit,” I say, but he grabs my legs and throws them over his shoulders, pulling me to the very edge of the table.
A gasp jumps out of me, followed by a muffled moan when he drags his nose over my panties where my clit is already swollen and begging for attention.
“In a minute,” Adrian replies before bringing his lips to the inside of my left thigh, trailing kisses toward my pussy. His nose brushes over my panties again as he inhales and smiles. “Mon petit paradis, I’ve missed you,” he mumbles before slipping down my underwear, his eyes on mine.
