Chapter 4
MONTE CARLO, MONACO
H is chest heaved as he tried to recuperate his breath. Pushing his locks away from his forehead, Miles peered down at his phone when it vibrated before mounting the few steps leading to the entrance of the building he lived in.
“‘Sup,” he said to Kai after accepting the video call.
His friend’s face popped into the frame, a mocking grin spreading across his lips. “Good morning. Don’t you look dashing today.”
The doorman opened the door and Miles stepped inside the lobby. “I just went for a run.”
Miles had found himself needing to blow off some steam more often than usual this week, and running seemed to do the trick. During the F1 season, he would train with Enzo—his physiotherapist and trainer—but when it was the off-season, Miles liked to work out alone even though Enzo lived down the block.
Romeo’s face appeared a second later. “Look at that sweat. Women are certainly falling at your feet when they see you running around the streets of Monaco. Bummer for them that it’s still winter and you’re not showing off your godly, tanned, sculpted body.”
What a bunch of fucking morons. But truth was, Miles missed being around them.
From afar, Miles heard Ezra’s snort. “They most likely will fall because of the atrocious smell of his sweat.”
“Says the hockey player,” Miles jested. “Everything about you stinks.”
“Still doesn’t stop me from bringing a girl to my condo after every home game.”
A muscle in Miles’ cheek twitched, but all he did was gesture to Kai to wait a second as he took an earbud out. “Hello, Teddy.”
The doorman dipped his chin in a polite nod, his smile hidden by his white moustache. “Mister Huxley. Good run?”
“Pretty good. The weather’s nice for a February afternoon. You? Good start to the day?”
“Very. Your new roommate is a sweetheart. Quite the opposite from her brother. But tell Mister Bailey he’s missed around here.”
Kai’s chuckle resonated in his ear, but Miles ignored it, arching a brow sceptically. “Is she?”
“She went to the farmers market and brought back a couple of pastries for us”—he gestured to Danny, the receptionist—“which was very thoughtful.”
See? To her core, she was just a good person.A caretaker.
“Sounds just like her,” Kai chimed in.
If there was a certainty about Indy, it was that she was a ray of sunshine in everyone’s life. But Miles was forcing himself to be a thick, impenetrable cloud who couldn’t let her in, just because the man on the other side of the line was trying to protect her.Because she deserved so much more than what he could offer.
“I called to check in,” Kai informed, a drip of suspicion lingering in his words.
“Why?” Miles saluted the two men standing in the lobby and walked towards the lifts.
“I haven’t heard from either of you, so I thought something happened.”
“Like what? Killing each other?”
“That would have been surprising. But I don’t know. Indy’s so fucking unpredictable. You never know what her next move is going to be.”
“Happy to announce she’s alive and well.”
Kai chuckled. “Good to know.”
It had been a week since Miles had a new roommate. As much as he tried his hardest to avoid her, it felt like torture. He knew he could only blame himself for not wanting to cross paths with her.
Miles merely didn’t want any distraction. The season was starting in a couple of weeks, and he was already determined to become a four-time World Champion. Ever since his first title, his focus had shifted to racing, and racing only. No more parties (well, just a bit less than before); no more girls (even though the only woman he’d touched in years was Indy); no more anything that would make his determination waver.
But unfortunately for him, Indy was a total distraction.Always had been.
Always talking with that husky, euphonious voice. Always laughing with whomever was calling her. So far, he hadn’t seen much of her around the penthouse because he’d been hiding in his sim or gaming rooms. But he dreaded the moment he would allow himself to see more of her because she would certainly walk around in taunting clothes, reminding him that their deal was off. Truth be told, knowing that he was no longer allowed to touch her hurt. For years, she’d been his, and now she was just a memory.
“Is she settling in okay?”
He cleared his throat. “I think so. She’s been busy unpacking and all, but I’ve been busy too, so we haven’t really had the chance to talk.” What he didn’t say though, was that he was blatantly avoiding her.
“Yeah, yeah, I know you’re staying away on purpose. Don’t treat her like shit,” Kai warned.
“I’m a fucking gentleman,” Miles bit out, annoyed by the fact his best friend knew him so well.
“Gentleman my ass. Have you checked on her? Made sure she was comfortable in the flat? Cooked her dinner? Even though you can’t make a decent meal for shit.”
No, no, and no.
The reason he hadn’t checked on her was because he was afraid of losing control. But he knew how important it was for Kai that he got along with Indy, so he would make an effort.
“Although, I received an interesting text the other day,” Kai continued. “Indy was thanking me for the little basket I left on the bed, but I didn’t do anything. I bet she doesn’t know it’s from you. Neither does she know about the feminine products you bought for her bathroom, or her favourite brand of cereal you stocked in the pantry.”
“No, she doesn’t know anything, and I’d like for it to stay this way.”
“What did you put in the basket?” Romeo asked, standing behind Kai with a packet of Oreos in hand. Wasn’t it early morning where they were? Miles could bet everything that Romeo would complain soon enough about messing up his diet.
“A love letter,” Miles deadpanned.
Romeo snickered whilst Kai frowned deeply.
“Seriously, Miles. She’s my sister.”
“Really? I wasn’t aware. One day you’re like ‘stay the fuck away from her’, and the next you’re all ‘you should give her a cuddle and pat her hair.’ There’s only so much a man can do.”
“Stop being weird. I just don’t want you to knock her up, or something.”
Miles froze. Did Kai know about— “What?”
“I’m way too young and cool to become an uncle.”
“What’s wrong with being cool?” Romeo asked, bemused.
Miles emitted a frustrated grunt. “You’re an absolute shithead, Bailey. I don’t even know how you and Indy are related.”
The Bailey siblings were total opposites but complemented each other well. Aside from their identical crystal blue eyes, they didn’t resemble each other much. Indy was blonde whereas Kai had dark hair. She had porcelain skin, and his was tanned. She was lean, graceful, sophisticated, and he was muscular, unruly, and loved to give Miles shit.
“Relax.” Kai chuckled. “All I’m asking is for you to be her friend. Indy loves wearing that tough girl mask, but she’s going through some rough times with the new job and all. She just needs some company, okay? She can’t stand being alone.”
He sighed. “Fine.”
“She puts a lot of pressure on herself,” Kai added. “She’s going to want to achieve all her goals with absolute perfection, and she won’t stop until she gets what she wants. I need you to look out for her, yeah? Make sure she doesn’t overwork and tire herself.”
Until now, Miles didn’t know that Indy was an overachiever. It was a quality, and in that matter, they resembled each other a lot. “Did you ask her to look out for me too?”
“Obviously.”
He refrained the urge from protesting. Miles didn’t need anyone, but he’d do just about anything for his best friend. “I’ve got you.”
“Thank you,” Kai said earnestly.
The lifts stopped at the penthouse and he walked in, facing a huge bouquet of flowers set on the coffee table. He groaned, narrowing his gaze on the laptop and notebook she had left on the kitchen counter. Next to it lay a boulangerie’s bag which, he supposed, contained a couple of pastries.
He toed off his sneakers and went into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. After taking a few sips, he unplugged his earphones, tore off his shirt, and walked towards the hallway. So far, no sign of Indy.
“Goddamn!” Romeo shouted. “Here are the abs. That’s one way to flirt. Kai, sorry man, but he’s trying to get Indy in his bed.”
Kai flipped Romeo off. “Shut the fuck up.”
Miles ruffled his hair, eyeing the mess lined up against the wall—boxes she’d left in front of the junk-room. “She’s got those boxes full of pottery and paint stuff. Why did she even pack these?”
A beat passed. “Did you know she has bad anxiety?”
Miles couldn’t help but frown. “Really?”
“Indy’s all pretty smiles, high heels, and tough shit, but she can get really insecure about everything, so it gives her anxiety. She found comfort and peace in pottery and painting. They’re the only things that help when she’s in a crisis.”
If Miles had known…
Something like regret pushed at his chest. He shouldn’t have been so cold with her.
“I had no clue.” Brushing a palm across his jaw, he sighed. “What am I supposed to do if she has a panic attack?”
“She doesn’t allow anyone to see her like that, so I doubt you’ll ever witness an actual attack.”
Indy was, undoubtedly, out of bounds and out of his league. The times they met in the past were the strongest secret tying them together. And even though Miles had known Indy for years, he realised he didn’t truly know her. Except from the softness of her skin, the sounds of her?—
The door to the gym opened as he passed by it, and he said to Kai, “I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Wait—” The line went dead.
Indy startled when she nearly bumped into him, a hand on her chest before pulling her headphones down to rest them around the back of her neck. “Huxley! I nearly had a heart attack.”
“You should look where you’re going.”
“Oh, wow,” she scoffed. Her eyes rapidly roamed over his naked, damp chest, her gaze feeling like sparks. She needed to stop looking at him like that. “Thank you so much for the advice. Maybe you shouldn’t stand there like a creep then.”
“I was walking by,” he fired back. “God forbid I walk around in my own home.”
“Shirtless? I didn’t know clothes were optional.” Once again, she blatantly traced the curves of his torso with her eyes.
“You don’t like what you’re seeing?” A smirk threatened to break free when she did a double take at his v-muscle.
“What I’m seeing is that you’re conceited. Are you ill?”
“Not that I know of,” he muttered, frowning. “Why?”
“Because you just said more than two words to me.”
He shrugged, taking in her irresistible allure. Her blonde hair was tied in a high ponytail, her tall and pristine physique hugged by a matching pink sports set. The faintest sheen of sweat was glistening on her skin, the rise and fall of her chest even as she observed him with equal interest.
His lips parted at the sight of her nose ring, the rosy tint on the apple of her freckled cheeks so enticing that he had to blink to make sure she was real.
Indigo Bailey was a walking wet dream, and he wasn’t sure how long he would be able to fight the temptation.
“What are you listening to?” he asked, leaning against the doorframe.He had decided, thirty seconds ago, that he’d stop being a dick.
A dry chuckle fled past Indy’s lips, and he raised his brows. She stepped forward until she stood before him, slightly twisting so her front skimmed his arm as she left the room. “Now you’re talking to me?”
Throwing his head back, Miles groaned before dragging his hands through his hair. “Sorry.”
“Try and sound more sincere when you apologise, Golden Boy.”
Golden Boy. Only she called him that. Her nickname for him since they were kids.
Miles watched her form retreat, unable to glance away from her lean legs, small waist and goddamn perfect round ass. “Do you want me to get on my knees and beg?”
She peered over from her shoulder, smiling mischievously. “I’d love that.”
He huffed before following her into the kitchen, frustration streaming through every nerve and vessel.
Her back was to him as she opened a cabinet to retrieve, what he supposed was, a glass. “Since you’re talking, why don’t you tell me why you’re avoiding me?”
His next move was absolutely unnecessary and not thought through at all, but he came to stand behind her and fetched the glass before she could. She stilled. Waited. He observed the way she slowly yet barely craned her neck to peek at him. The sliver of distance between them was so minimal that, if he exhaled, they would touch. “I’m not avoiding you, Indy.”
“And I don’t need your help,” she gritted out.
“Yeah?” he murmured, watching the hairs on her nape rise. “Is that why you’re living with me while you look for your own place?”
Indy pivoted, and he couldn’t breathe as he stood so closely to her. She snatched the glass from his hand, seeming unaffected by their proximity. “Whatever. You need to work on your poker face when you lie.”
“You’re welcome for grabbing the glass.”
“I was getting there,” she fired back. “ Thank you .”
Her stare dropped to his mouth when he poked his tongue against the interior of his cheek, his breath catching when her eyes connected again with his. Miles found himself being paralysed as those cerulean irises flicked between his, unable to decide what exact colour they were. Sometimes cobalt in dim lighting—like in a club—sometimes a sapphire, crystal blue in daylight. And god fucking damn him for getting lost in that kaleidoscope of azure.
“Look,” she started, slipping to the side to find the sink. “I’m sorry for being an inconvenience. I know it’s bothering you to have me around, but maybe we could be civilised towards each other? Especially you. No need to glare at me. No need to be rude. I’m not asking you to hang out every damn minute of the day or cook dinner or watch my Gossip Girl reruns with me. I’m going to be out of here before you even know it.”
God, she’d always been feisty. Straightforward. Matter-of-fact, no-bullshit kind of woman.
Miles rubbed the back of his neck before tousling his hair. “It’s not—I don’t mind having you around.”
“Again, that lie was effortless.”
There was a bite to her tone, a certain coldness he wasn’t used to hearing, but maybe he deserved it.
“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, Huxley,” she continued softly. “If you want me out of here, just tell me, but I’d appreciate it if you could give me at least a week to sort things out. Look for an affordable place, and all.”
“You don’t make me uncomfortable at all. The room is yours for as long as you need it.” Miles raised his hands in surrender. “I’m sorry I made you feel like I’m annoyed to have you around, because I’m not. Let me take you up on that offer you made earlier this week. Let’s chat around a good meal. Let’s order in. Or cook. Or let me buy you dinner in the fanciest restaurant.”
“Did Kai ask you to do that?” Incredulity shone in her eyes.
“No.”
“Because it seems to me like you do everything he tells you to.”
“Does he tell me to fuck you like I did the last time I took you in that bathroom at the club?”
Crimson creeped up her high cheekbones and heat flared inside her pupils. Depositing her glass atop the central island, she leaned her palms across the marble, her head slightly tilting sideways as her gaze glided across his face, then his chest, then what she could glimpse at below his waist—studying. Remembering.
“Want to make up for your douchey attitude?” He nodded. “Try harder,” she quipped.
And with that, she walked back towards her room, leaving Miles jaw-slacked and utterly irritated by her attitude.
If he was expecting her to be compliant, to be the Indy who always fell to his feet, then he was obviously wrong. She was going to play hard to get, and he loved nothing more than a good challenge—even if that meant losing focus for a heartbeat.