Chapter 14 #2
“The data agrees,” Alan answered. Teddy and the engineers all huddled around the screen and looked at lap times, mapping out a final plan for the weekend, while Avery hung back.
“I think we’ve got it, boys. Good work,” Teddy concluded the debrief. “And now I think it's Avery’s turn to have a go,” Teddy looked at her, daring her to take him up on his offer.
They were the first words he’d said to her, the first time he’d acknowledged her presence since he’d slipped his helmet on an hour earlier.
She looked back at him, considering whether it was a good idea. “I don’t want to screw anything up,” she hesitated, not wanting to force Alan and his team into it.
“There’s nothing you can screw up here,” Alan said. “You can’t actually crash our million-dollar car into a wall. It’s just a sim. Let’s have some fun.”
“Alright, let’s do it,” Avery said, her fingers tingling at the thought of gripping the steering wheel.
“Come on, then,” Teddy held the doors open for her and guided her to the car, before taking off his helmet and handing it to her.
“You really want me to wear your helmet? Is this your move? You offer women a turn in your sim and a chance to wear your sweaty helmet and they swoon?” she raised an eyebrow.
“Nope, you’re the first, Avery,” he said, shaking his head.
Her heart slammed into her throat as she pulled it on. It was too big, slipping down and almost covering her eyes, but it didn’t matter, it wasn’t like she was going to get in a real crash.
“Okay, so you’ll need to jump over the halo, there, to get in the seat,” Teddy explained.
“Teddy, it may be the first time you’ve given a girl your helmet, but it’s not my first time in a race car,” she winked and hopped in.
She wasn't a professional race car driver, but Teddy and the team had no idea how many times her dad had let her do this before when no one was watching, not to mention all the hot laps she’d taken, the go-karts she had raced.
“Avery, when you’re ready,” she heard Alan address her through the speaker, as he had with Teddy.
“The question is whether you’re ready,” she cackled. Teddy’s confusing behavior aside, this would be fun.
She took hold of the steering wheel and pushed down on the accelerator, the car biting back immediately.
She eased up the hill as a lifesize view of the Circuit of the Americas appeared on the screens in front and all around her like a 3D movie theater.
She played it safe her first lap, trying hard to keep it clean and avoid any crashes, while Teddy leaned on the doorframe, watching with a sly smile.
“What was my time?” she asked, as she crossed the finish line.
“2:30:22” Alan answered back. “Damn, I didn’t know you could drive!”
Avery grinned. “Ehh, not good enough. Let’s go again.” Teddy’s laps had been in the 1:40-1:45 range. She knew she wouldn’t get there, or she’d be driving in F1 Academy, the women’s series, but she knew she could go faster.
Avery rolled out her wrists, stretched her neck side-to-side. “I’m going for 2:15 this lap,” she looked back at Teddy, who nodded at her.
She braced the steering wheel again, nodded to herself as much as to Teddy and focused, pressing the balls of her foot into the pedal, doubly glad that she hadn’t worn heels today.
Wouldn’t have been able to do this, that’s for sure.
She pushed down on the accelerator even harder, easing up a tad as she rounded turn one.
Crunch. The car whipped back. Into the gravel it went.
“Shit,” she shook her head, looking back to Teddy to see his reaction.
“It’s alright, bella. Happens to the best of us, go again,” he nodded.
Bella. He’d called her that in Italy too.
“Try steering into the turn using a wide racing line,” Alan coached her through the radio.
“Yes, again,” she took a deep breath.
She started up the hill, again. “NOW, steer left now,” Alan shouted through the headset. Crunch. Gravel. Again.
“Damn it,” she took her fingers off the wheel and exhaled. Frustrating.
Teddy had a coy smirk on his face.
“Here, let me show you,” Teddy offered from his spot on the wall, striding up to the left side of the fake car setup. “Like this,” he leaned over, and put his hands on top of hers.
Avery felt heat rush up her neck at his touch. His hands felt warm and strong, steadying hers which had involuntarily begun to shake.
“Okay, start accelerating,” he instructed her.
She pushed down on the petal.
“More,” his voice was deep, commanding.
Avery pushed down again, nearly bringing it to full throttle as the car zipped up the hill.
“Okay, now don’t let up but put your other foot on the break,” he explained. His face was so close to hers she could feel the breath from his words, like a tickle, a very serious tickle. There was no lightness when it came to Teddy Ross and mastering a race corner.
He pressed down harder on her hands, generating an almost electric heat between them.
Did he feel it too? That chemistry she felt with his hands splayed out above hers?
What would it feel like to have the rest of his capable body pressed up against hers?
Her crush, her body, momentarily distracting her from the task at hand, while Teddy took control, firmly, but quickly whipping the wheel to the left, before allowing it to straighten itself back out.
“Ohhh,” Avery breathed. “So that’s how it feels?”
Teddy smiled satisfactorily, and leaned in closer, his lips almost grazing her earlobe.
Avery’s pulse quickened. If she turned her head, their lips would be a mere inch apart.
She didn’t dare, there’s no way she’d be able to resist the temptation of leaning in even closer, seeing if he was feeling that same magnetic pull.
“That’s how it feels when you don’t hold back. When you take control,” he whispered into her ear, before letting go of her hands and pulling back, his eyes assessing her as if he had just really seen her for the first time.
“Now try it again, by yourself,” he nodded, resuming his coaching stance by the wall.
Avery remembered that they weren’t alone, her cheeks warmed at the thought that Alan and a handful of engineers had witnessed that moment on their cameras, and had probably thought Teddy was whispering something much more risqué in her ear.
Not that what Teddy had said, hadn’t affected her. Like a bolt of lightning down my spine.
Avery shook off the remaining heat from Teddy’s hands, tried to free her mind from thoughts of Teddy’s lips, his hands, and felt the oxygen return to her lungs as she took a deep steadying breath.
I’ve got this.
She went pedal to the metal once more, her adrenaline pumping through her as she raced up the hill, applying the break how Teddy had coached her.
She gripped the wheel as tightly as her smaller, untrained hands allowed, and whipped the wheel like Teddy’s hands had guided her to a moment ago.
The muscles in her forearms burned as she clenched her fists, fighting the weight of the car and pulling it away from the barrier.
Damn, Teddy had really done the heavy lifting.
Avery made a mental note to hit the gym more often.
And then she was out of the turn, guiding the car down the track to the next turn.
She’d done it. She’d actually freaking done it by herself.
“Wooo!” she yelled out as she did as much of a victory dance as she could without taking her hands off the steering wheel. By the time she slowed to a stop past the finish line, her breath was ragged and her body hot from the exertion. “That was awesome! What was my time?”
“2:25, way to go, kiddo!” Alan’s voice crackled through the speaker.
Avery grinned and twisted around to see what Teddy’s reaction to her success was, and saw that he was also grinning ear to ear, his eyes crinkling.
He gave her a thumbs up and a wink. Avery bit her lip and shrugged her shoulders in response, playing it cool, but inside she was a puddle of satisfaction.
“Want to go again and see if you can get it down to 2:20?” Alan asked.
“No, thanks. I think I’ll end on that high note,” Avery answered, unbuckling and hopping back out of the car’s cockpit.
She pulled the helmet off and shook out her now slightly damp curls. She took a step toward Teddy, fighting the urge to leap into his arms and throw her arms around his neck.
“Must be a lucky helmet,” she said, her traitorous cheeks heating at his proximity as she held it out to him.
“It is now,” he winked, maintaining his effortless cool eye-contact while he took the helmet back from her.
“That was so fun. Thanks for taking the time,” she said, letting out a big exhale as she continued to catch her breath.
“The pleasure was all mine Avery,” Teddy cocked his head and gave her a wry smile. He fiddled with the zipper on his racing suit, zipping and unzipping it at his waist, drawing her attention to his perfectly trim torso. “So, when do you get to Austin?” he asked.
“I’m heading out tomorrow mid-day. I’m planning to be at the pop-up most of the day Wednesday,” she answered.
Teddy nodded his head several times, “Nice. I’ll be there for a bit in the afternoon to sign autographs.”
That was it? He wasn’t going to ask to see her in Austin outside work?
She wrung her hands, feeling overwhelmed. “I should get going. I guess I’ll see you there.”
“Of course,” he said. “Safe travels, bella,” he leaned in again.
Avery’s breath caught in her throat. It almost felt like he was going to kiss her. There was no one around. No journalists, James wasn’t there to capture any content. If he did kiss her, it would be out of desire, not performance, just like it had been in Amsterdam. Right?
She felt his soft lips brush her cheek and then pull away.
It was over before it began. Avery’s heart somehow sank and soared at the same time.
His lips didn’t meet hers. He paused long enough to muddle the line between friendship and romance even more, leaving her hot and bothered, and more confused about them than ever.