Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
?? LONDON, ENGLAND
H er fingers tightened around the steering wheel as she pressed on the brake, taking the tight corner as she followed Rowan closely.
She focused on the route, now knowing the shape of the karting circuit as she had driven through it multiple times for the past hour. The raw, unbridled speed made excitement rush through her bloodstream as she felt her bones vibrate.
She was milliseconds away from overtaking Rowan, who had been leading the race. This was the last lap, and they would cross the finish line soon.
When Ava accelerated in the long straight, she slipped through the gap and passed in front of Rowan before driving at full speed towards the chequered flag.
After parking the kart, she jumped out and bounced excitedly on her heels, watching the others line up after her.
Her heart was beating erratically, a grin growing on her lips as she laughed heartily.At that exact moment, the sensation of thrill was incomparable.
“I did not just lose to my PR officer!” Rowan exclaimed furiously as he unbuckled his helmet after getting out of his kart.
She folded her arms across her chest, feeling her heart momentarily stop at the sight of his angry eyes staring into hers. “You did and now you’re going to have to live with that for the rest of your life.”
Rowan strode towards her, tearing the helmet and balaclava off. She had seen him do this hundreds and hundreds of times, but she couldn’t help but find the movement thoroughly sexy. Especially when he ruffled his hair afterwards.
“You cheated,” he accused as he stood before her.
She took her helmet and balaclava off before taking her hair out of her ponytail. “Sorry to hurt your ego, Rowan Emerson, but I think I’m a better racer than you are.”
The corner of his lips tipped into an amused smirk. “I’d like to see you in an F1 car.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Is this a challenge?”
“God,” he whispered, dropping his gaze to her mouth. “I could kiss you right now.”
She tried not to blush, failing miserably. “Careful, lover boy.”
Ava knew he would have done it without a flicker of hesitation if they had been alone.
“Awesome!” Nikki’s high-pitched voice burst their bubble open. Ava saw Rowan huff before shifting to stand behind her. His fingers brushed her hip, and she fought the urge to lean into his chest. “The fans will love this week’s content.”
“It was Ava’s idea,” Thiago chimed in with a broad smile before grabbing a bottle of water.
Nikki trailed her gaze over Ava’s physique, obvious disdain perceptible in her eyes.The silent judgment coming from the woman didn’t help Ava overcome her self-consciousness.
Ava felt Rowan stiffen behind her, and she simply lowered her gaze.
Perhaps in another life she’d be tall, and skinny, and confident, but in this life, she was learning to embrace who she was. So, to start trusting the acceptance, she lifted her chin and held Nikki’s gaze, standing her ground and not yielding.
“Whatever,” Nikki said. “Doesn’t take a genius to think of something as dull as go-karting for F1 drivers to have fun. Ava’s ideas are okay once in a while, but I’m glad you boys enjoyed yourselves.”
“Watch your fucking tone when you talk about Avery,” Rowan warned through gritted teeth.
Nikki merely blinked, the silence in the large room nearly becoming deafening as all eyes flicked back and forth between Ava and Nikki.
Ava didn’t want to say anything. Didn’t want to create unnecessary drama. She knew Nikki hated her guts, so it wouldn’t be in her favour to open her mouth.
“You’re not even going to apologise?” Rowan bellowed. Wrath started to emanate from his demeanour, almost allowing Ava to feel how he was trembling with rage.
No reply came from Nikki as she only folded her arms across her chest.
“Unbelievable,” Rowan muttered. “You’re an evil woman, Nikki. No one likes working with you.”
Then, Ava felt Rowan’s shaky hand in the middle of her back, pushing her towards the exit as he grabbed the helmet from her hand.
“Where are you going?” Nikki asked.
“I’m driving Avery back home.”
“You can’t!”
“Just watch me,” he said, without so much as turning around as he urged Ava out. “Fucking bitch.”
“If you leave this place with him, Ava,” Nikki said menacingly, “you’re fired.”
Ava felt paralysed, unable to fight. Unable to defend herself.
Her job or Rowan.
“Pardon?” Thiago interjected. “I don’t think you can do that, Nicole.”
“It’s Nikki.”
Thiago swallowed his sip of water. “Really? I always thought it was Nicole.”
“You have no right to act this way,” Rowan seethed, facing the other woman. “I’d suggest you start respecting Avery unless you want to be fired.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“I’m making you a promise. Don’t mess with her, and I won’t mess with you.”
“Rowan,” Ava whispered, listening to the sound of her voice cracking. “I can go home on my own. Just let it go.”
Ava didn’t miss the evil smile pulling on Nikki’s mouth.
Bitch.
Frowning, he searched her gaze. “ Not happening. You’re not letting her win.”
Rowan brushed past Ava to open the door, letting her exit the building first. He didn’t say a word. She watched how his hands gripped the helmets tightly, his knuckles white with tension.
“Rowan,” Ava said softly, following him towards his car. Her mind was still spiralling, struggling to process what had just happened. “It’s fine. Go back inside.”
He ignored her statement, spinning on his heels to face her. He inhaled deeply, obvious anger tensing his shoulders. “You okay?”
She simply nodded.
“Are you sure, baby?” He clenched his jaw then released a small sigh. “I hate that woman. I hate how she treats you like shit. I hate the way she speaks to you. Damn it, I want to run her over.”
The only thing Ava needed right now was to bask in his warmth, settle in the firmness on his chest, and feel his arms engulf her in a tight embrace.
Her chest tightened at the realisation; Rowan had defended her in front of everyone. It was evident that he didn’t care about getting in trouble.
She felt a sudden urge to touch him, but she only let her fingers twitch. Glancing towards the building, she saw everyone looking at them. “Let’s get out of here before you commit a crime.”
“How are you so fucking calm?” He threw a hand in the air before taking a deep breath, tucking a helmet under his arm to ruffle his hair frustratingly. “Okay. Sorry. Do you have your purse?”
She shook her head. “It’s inside.”
“Shit. So are my car keys. I’ll be right back.”
“Did Nikki say something when you went back inside?” Ava ended up asking once they hit the road.
“She can say whatever bullshit she wants to me. I don’t care about the rules or that stupid non-fraternising clause.”
Her chest tightened. “Do you not care if I get fired?”
“You know I wouldn’t be able to breathe without you,” he said firmly, his knuckles whitening as his fingers gripped the steering wheel. “But I will not let her speak to you that way. I will not let her belittle you again. She cannot get you fired, anyway.”
“She can report this to HR or Sophie.”
“Avery, it’s going to take more than her words to get you fired. There would be no good comms team without you. You hold the entire PR team together, and I know you don’t see how good your work is, but I promise you’re a wonderful publicist. Nikki is just jealous of your position. So she can wave her witch’s finger in your face, but I’m not afraid of telling her to shut her fat mouth.”
“Rowan…”
“What, sunflower?” He rapidly glanced her way before focusing back on the road. “She doesn’t have any power over me.”
“Did you threaten her again?”
“Yes. I’m tired of standing there and watching her be like this with you. I just told her to get her shit together or else I’d expose her to HR.”
“Expose what?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. But I enjoyed the way she blanched and started stuttering.”
“You’re a bellend. But thank you. Thank you for standing up for me.”
“I don’t think you realise it, but you’re a force to be reckoned with, Avery.” His hand found her thigh and she allowed his warm caress to coax her. “I’ll defend you with my life. I hope you know that.”
“I do.”
The ride from the karting circuit to her house was rather short. When Rowan parked in her street, he pivoted to face her after unbuckling himself.Part of Ava didn’t want to leave, because being with him procured her an intense sense of serenity.
Even if they sat in silence, she loved his company. His voice. The way he spoke. The way he looked at her.
“You let me win, didn’t you?” she asked, referring to the karting race.
He chuckled, and the sound of his delight brought a smile to her lips. “Obviously.”
“Why?”
“To see this.” He leaned his head on the seat, watching her with an unwavering tenderness. He catalogued her features, like he was photographing this moment and ingraining the image inside his mind. “Your smile. That little dimple on your cheekbone. That little squeal of joy you emit when you’re happy.”
She drew her brows together. “You’ve noticed all of this?”
“I notice everything about you, sunflower.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, causing her to shiver. What was he doing to her? “Spend the evening with me.”
The suggestion made her heart clench. The thought of Rowan needing her as much as she needed him fed her soul. Her sentiments weren’t unrequited, and it made relief seep through her system.
Ava was teetering towards the temptation, but sighed. “I can’t. I promised my parents to have dinner at their place. I haven’t seen them in a while.”
Disappointment gleamed in his gaze. “Oh. That’s fine.”
She bit the inside of her cheek, locking her pinky finger with his. “You could come if you’d like.”
“Yeah?”
“My father will faint the moment he sees you, but my parents will definitely enjoy your company.”
He arched a brow. “Aren’t we supposed to stay away from each other outside of work?”
Nikki’s voice echoed inside her head, reminding her what was at stake if she crossed the line.
“What’s one more rule to break?”
Rowan’s lips broke into a broad grin. “Well, I guess it’s time to meet the in-laws.”