Chapter Fourteen #3
They could. And they would. If his cousins were already trying to acquire the team in such an underhanded way, they would never run the team honestly, even if he put legal restrictions in to try and make them do so. How could he ever have believed they would do the right thing?
‘Legal are looking into it, but it’s looking like, at the very least, the severity of the accusations could prevent you from racing next weekend. At worst, you could be completely banned. Which is exactly what they want,’ Tristan said grimly. ‘We need you back over here.’
Apollo hesitated, the very idea of being banned from the sport he adored almost more than he could take.
Walking away on his own terms had been one thing, but being cast out for something he had no part in?
Being publicly shamed and having his entire career negated? It was his worst fear come to life.
And, to add to it all, Astrid had just been talking about how his career would always play centre-stage in their relationship; how she’d planned to return to London to settle Luca back into his school routine before the actual school year commenced.
These were things he should have discussed with her before he’d made his promise to bring their son to the race.
He would need to be more careful, more considerate, in future, if he ever hoped her fully to trust in him as a partner.
‘We’ll need to show a united front,’ Astrid said, nodding. ‘Of course. We’ll leave first thing tomorrow.’
Apollo shook his head swiftly to protest, only for his fiancée to place her hand gently on his. He covered her hand with his own, his body growing more tense by the second as she quickly wrapped up the video call.
‘I’ll be travelling alone, Astrid,’ he said, standing up, immediately to pace to the other side of the bedroom in an effort to stay calm. ‘I am not having you and Luca walking into a media storm like this. Not when I brought you here specifically to avoid him being around that. You don’t need to—’
‘I do.’ Astrid’s voice was strong as she stood up and crossed the room to where he stood. ‘This will not be the same as what you went through as a boy. We need to get in front of this narrative, and luckily you have the best PR guru in Elite One on your team.’
Apollo pulled Astrid into his arms and breathed in her scent. ‘Your support means everything to me in this, I need you to know that,’ he murmured.
She inhaled a deep breath, before melting into his embrace. ‘I know.’
He heard the odd hesitation in her tone and fought the urge to question the taut smile on her lips.
Instead, he kissed her with every ounce of passion and gratitude that he possessed.
It was a kiss filled with need, and soon he was tumbling her down onto their bed and growling his pleasure as she urged him inside her perfect body.
There was no time to roll on protection, no time to think or talk, only to feel.
By the time he realised his error and spoke it aloud, Astrid’s eyes were glassy with the onset of her own release.
‘Don’t stop, please.’
‘Are you sure? I haven’t…’ His breath heaved as he forced himself to hold still, though it took every inch of control he did not have.
‘This time of the month should be safe,’ she said, her voice husky as she wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him deeper. ‘But if you don’t want to…’
‘Is it wrong that I would still want to even if it wasn’t a safe time?
’ he asked, sliding back inside her slowly.
‘Is it wrong that I’ve thought about filling you more times than I can count?
You’d ask me and I’d make sure I didn’t stop till I got you pregnant with another child. I’d make damned sure, baby.’
‘Apollo!’ she gasped, her eyes sliding shut with pleasure.
She clearly liked his dirty talk. This was his fantasy come to life, and he fought not to spill inside her that very second.
Sex with Astrid had been utter perfection already, but this—feeling her around him for the first time without any barrier; knowing that she wanted this, wanted him, with nothing between them —was beyond heaven.
There was nothing tender or romantic about the way he thrust into her heat, and he felt the feverish urgency building in her just as he could feel it tingling along his spine.
His release was so intense that he leaned down, sinking his teeth into her shoulder.
Astrid cried out at the feeling, then immediately lost it, her body gripping and shuddering around his length and tipping over the precipice along with him.
He focused on feeling every inch of her tightening around him as he filled her, claiming her body as deeply and hard as he could.
Showing her that this was where she belonged, here in his arms.
Fierce possession filled him as she nuzzled deeper into his embrace and he pushed away the faint edges of doubt that whispered he was on borrowed time. He kissed her temple and made a silent vow that he would do everything within his power to make this work.