Chapter 9 Melbourne #2
He kneads my heel and works the thumb of his other hand along the base of my toes and fuck it’s nice.
It’s confusing how relaxed I am around him.
Is it because I don’t give a shit what he thinks of me?
I spend a lot of time feeling “onstage” in this sport, so it’s a relief not to be performing.
Even socially it can be a problem, because I have a wild reputation.
But sometimes the sassy armor gets heavy.
“Y’know,” I begin, “I should be all kinds of uptight and defensive with you, but for some weird-ass reason, I’m kinda the opposite. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Maybe I smell right,” he says, adjusting his massage stroke in a way that makes me go practically boneless. “Some people have an inexplicable soporific effect. It’s chemical, and immune to logic. Pheromones.”
“Hmm. Maybe.”
“Or I reckon it could be that you don’t give a toss about my opinions.”
My eyes fly open, hearing him echo what I was just thinking. I’m about to say something when my phone chimes on the table.
Alexander glances at the screen. “Ah. Priya. Shall your ‘intern’ take the call for you?”
I fold my arms. “Let it go to voicemail.”
“As you command, pet.” His tone—playful, but a little cautious—makes me wonder if he likes the idea of me bossing him around. I open one eye and he’s watching my face.
The phone rings again, and it takes a few seconds for Alexander to break eye contact. Finally his gaze angles toward my phone. His eyebrows lift.
“Ah, the mysterious Julian. Bit of a love triangle?”
I struggle upright, trying not to flash my crotch in the too-big bathrobe. “You sound jealous. But Jules is my brother, dumbass. Do your research. I thought you were a journalist?”
A text from Priya appears on-screen: Pick up, Sage
The ringing stops for a few seconds before starting in again, and I hand the phone to Alexander. “Here, make yourself useful. Tell her you just fucked me into a state of exhaustion and I can’t come to the phone.”
“Most assuredly not. I know better than to get into the middle of your catfight.”
“Wow, ‘catfight’? So condescending…”
“But I’ll take a message.” He taps the call open, on speaker. “Sage Sikora’s phone, Alexander speaking. How might I help you?”
There’s a long pause. “What the hell?” Priya says. “You’re back? I thought we got rid of you. Where’s Sage? Put her on.”
“She’s indisposed. Oh, Salvi, my sweet plum tart? Do you want to get out of that delectable wreckage of a bed and take this?” He gives me a wink, having conceded to play along a little.
I crack up silently, then hold out my hand for the phone, which Alexander lays on my palm. It takes me a second to get my shit together as it catches up to me that he used the Salvia officinalis nickname again. Dammit, why does that make me feel kind of melty?
I clear my throat. “Hey, Pri. What’s up?”
“Why are you still hanging out with that creep?” she demands.
“I dunno—why are you hanging out with my brother? Don’t think I don’t know that’s where you’ve been the last few nights.”
“I never said I wasn’t.”
“You told me you were hiking!” I snap.
“We were going to go hiking. But—” She breaks off and I hear the murmuring of another voice that’s definitely Jules. “Okay, look,” she continues, “he can explain. We need to talk with you. Can we meet up?”
I wait, letting her dangle a bit. “I don’t have time. I have to get to the paddock. I’m super late for my workout.”
Julian speaks up in the background. “Ten minutes, Sage. I have to tell you something.”
I meet Alexander’s eyes and am surprised by the genuine sympathy there.
“Uh, sure,” I tell Pri and Jules. “I’ll meet you guys downstairs in a half hour.”
“Okay,” Pri says. “But we should come up, because—”
“No, I have to leave. I’ll be passing through the lobby in thirty minutes on my way to work,” I interrupt. “Show up or don’t.”
I end the call and shut off the phone before dropping it into the robe’s pocket. “I need to take a shower and get outta here,” I tell Alexander. “You can go. But I might need something later tonight. I’ll text you.”
“All right.” He looks disappointed.
“Sorry about the drunk-dial last night.”
“No need to apologize. I’m flattered that you thought of me.”
Dude, if you had any idea how often I’ve thought of you in the past few weeks, it’d be pretty embarrassing…
His brows lift in a speculative way. “May I give you a ride to the paddock? I have a hire car this time. Didn’t need you telling me to ‘rent a bicycle’ like in Sakhir…”
“Ha! Oh God, I did say that, didn’t I?”
“Indeed. Little brat.”
I fiddle with the bathrobe tie, considering his offer. I kinda do want to hang out with him longer. But I can’t risk him knowing anything about what’s going on with Julian. I want to believe him that he was just messing with me on his blog, but part of me still doesn’t trust him.
“Sure, you can drive me,” I say. “And I’ll introduce you to Jules, but then you have to fuck off and go get the car and wait for me outside. I’ll make it fast—it’s probably just some stupid thing where he needs to ‘confess’ that he’s dating Pri and get my blessing or whatever.”
“Entirely fair.”
He goes to sit on the sofa and I head for the en suite, wondering if Alexander is an even bigger risk to me than I take behind the wheel going 200 mph.