Chapter 16 #2
‘Have you got your own racing sim set up yet?’ he asked. Every driver was given one by the team when they signed their contract. Some of them even had two like Julien, who lived in two different countries. It helped keep their heads in the game during longer breaks.
‘No, not yet. The ranch is a little chaotic, lots of stuff. I need to go home and clear it all out, fix the things that nobody else has time for. The stables are the next step, we’re supposed to be getting new horses but there’s no space for them.
’ She chewed on her bottom lip. ‘Jesse was supposed to come home with me and help, but I guess I’ll be doing it on my own. ’
‘Well, if you need a hand just give me a shout,’ he offered, genuinely meaning it. Partly because he didn’t want to leave her alone until he was sure she was truly okay, but also because he wanted to see what the Midwest was really like.
‘Wyoming is a long way to go to help clean up someone else’s mess.’
‘Teammates, remember? Just consider it, I don’t mind if you decide at the last possible second. I’ve got no plans after the race.’
‘Thank you,’ she whispered, coming across as very shy suddenly. ‘So, which is your favourite helmet? I like this one.’ She pointed to a pink and purple one with metallic paint.
‘That’s my favourite. It was one of my first IEC helmets, designed by one of my childhood best friends. She’s done a few more for me since, but there’s something special about this one.’
‘It’s beautiful,’ Savannah agreed. ‘Can I have a go on the sim?’
‘Why do you think I brought you up here? It wasn’t to show off,’ Marco laughed. ‘Take a seat, I’ll adjust everything for you.’
He admired the light in Savannah’s eyes as she lowered herself into the seat, pressing the button on the steering wheel and bringing the system to life.
When Marco wasn’t away, he was usually hiding out in here or at his small but equally luxurious apartment.
He hated being at the hotel, where all the staff knew who he was.
He woke up, went for a run, had breakfast and came home and raced until his next meal.
Aside from last time he was home when he was on the yacht and clubbing with all those women…
He was going to have to come out of hermit mode this week and show Savannah how people truly lived in Monaco.
Show her the lifestyle of the rich and famous, since her waste of space of an ex had never shown her himself.
‘This feels like the real thing!’ she yelled above the noise of the engine. He’d forgotten to reduce the volume on the surround-sound speaker system, and his ears were paying for it.
‘Because it’s tens of thousands of euros worth of equipment, designed specifically for racing drivers!’ he yelled back. ‘Something tells me we’re gonna be getting a flight back to Wyoming after Sao Paolo and getting your own sorted.’
‘I think so!’ she grinned.
He let her play around on it for the next half-hour, before deciding he should probably show her the room she’d be staying in.
Their guest rooms were all immaculately set up, each of them decorated with all-white furniture and neutral beige accents.
The whole house was the polar opposite to the De Luca family hotels, which featured bold colours, patterned wallpapers and luxurious velvet textures.
The only colourful thing in this house was the neon lighting in the shrine to Marco’s racing career.
‘They sort of all look the same, but I thought you’d like this one.’ He led her to one with a view of the ocean, his personal favourite and the room directly next to his. It was a big house, and he didn’t like the idea of her being on the other side of it at night.
‘It’s beautiful. Did you have an interior designer?
’ She stepped further into the room, her suitcases already in there thanks to housekeeping.
He had noticed she didn’t usually unpack her things, but there was a walk-in wardrobe right there and something told him Savannah didn’t often get the chance to utilise one of those.
‘No, that was all my mum. She did the entire house. She’s spent years curating every room, finding the perfect pieces that suit a specific style.
Driving Dad insane in the process.’ He laughed.
‘She’d be glad to know it’s appreciated, because we sure as hell don’t care.
The poor woman nearly had a fit when she walked into my all-black gaming room, filled to the brim with technology. She said it was like a dungeon.’
‘Well, I can see where she’s coming from. But I think I want my own set-up to look like yours. It helps draw you in to the simulation, shuts out all the noise.’
‘Sooo… You do want my help?’ He nudged her arm, hoping to score an invitation.
‘Yes. Fine.’ She rolled her eyes playfully, looking sort of pleased that he was coming with her.
‘You can come to Wyoming. But you can’t ride Mocha, and you’ll have to help out around the ranch, and with dinner.
Even guests have to get stuck in. It’s the Hart family rule.
Plus, cleaning out the stables and fixing up the stall means getting your hands dirty. Literally.’
‘Any other rules I should know about?’ His lip quirked with amusement.
‘Laugh at my dad’s jokes, no matter how bad they are.’
‘Right. I can do that,’ he nodded.
‘Your family seem like a strict, rule-following type of family.’
‘Well, yes and no. No embarrassing the family name in public, so my yacht drama wasn’t well received, but as far as they’re concerned, you and I have made up for that.
We all spend time together as a family once every month to two months, even if it means everyone else must travel for my benefit.
Uh, no women were ever allowed in this house growing up and I am still not allowed to bring them back here even as a grown adult. ’
‘Do they know I’m here?’ Savannah shot up from her spot on the bed and smoothed out the sheets, looking around like someone was watching.
‘Yes, they do,’ he laughed, mocking her. ‘You’re not just a random woman, Savannah. They think you’re my fully-fledged girlfriend, potential wife-to-be, and even if you weren’t, you’re my teammate and it’s different.’
‘Speaking of the contract…’ she muttered.
‘It still stands if you want it to, Cowgirl.’ He shrugged, not minding in the slightest if they kept up the charade.
It benefitted him in the sense that he could keep her close, but it also helped her out.
‘You shouldn’t have to deal with the media onslaught of a fake break-up in public as well as going through a real one behind closed doors.
Besides, we don’t really want to be labelled as a short-lived, whirlwind romance, do we?
It only adds fuel to the fire for those who bashed you for dating your teammate in your rookie season. ’
‘That’s a valid point. Do you mind?’ She looked up at him through big brown eyes, silently pleading and tugging on his heartstrings. ‘I know you’re probably itching to get yourself back out into the dating world.’
‘Not at all. You’ve got me for as long as you need me.’ He offered her a small smile, grateful he was allowed to keep playing one of his favourite roles.
‘Thanks Mars,’ she sighed softly. ‘But still, I hope your parents don’t come home early.’
‘They won’t. I know their schedule like the back of my hand, we have a family calendar, and we all check it every morning for updates.
It’s how we all stay in the loop when we don’t have time to talk.
Like I know Rafael isn’t working today because he’s taking his oldest to a hospital appointment for his asthma.
And Mum and Dad are taking his other kids out for a picnic. ’
‘And they know you’re in their house with a girl ,’ she teased.
‘It’s my house, too. I pay my way even though I have my own place.’
‘Well, I would hope so with the millions you earn.’
‘I may earn millions, but I don’t have millions.
I donate most of it, as do my parents. We have everything we need and more, no need for the money to just sit there.
’ He never talked about money with anyone, nor did he boast about giving it all away.
But he wanted Savannah to know the real him and respect the way he handled his finances, not wrongfully judge him.
Frankly, the amount of money he earned made him feel nauseous.
‘I like that. I wish my parents would take mine. They think I should keep it all, but despite seeing my contract with their own eyes and knowing the salary I was offered, I don’t think they can quite comprehend how big the number is.
I don’t like to see them struggle, but they’re so stubborn.
They think it’s wrong to take money from their kid, but if I can’t take care of people, what’s the point in having it at all? ’
‘How is it that we can be from two opposite worlds and yet we’re almost the same person?’
‘I’m just you but in cowboy boots,’ she grinned at him.
‘Hey, I’ll have my own pair in a couple of weeks!’ He was genuinely excited for it, to live the stereotypical cowboy life for a week or two. It was worlds away from what he was used to, and more importantly, it was Savannah’s world.
‘I guess I should incorporate that into your grand tour of Sheridan, Wyoming.’
‘Oh, grand tour?’ He raised an eyebrow.
‘That was pure sarcasm, but if you want to be excited then I will try my best not to crush your dreams. Just… don’t expect much.
The ranch is old, it needs work, and my family are under a lot of pressure.
They won’t like us helping, but I need you to help me fight them on it.
They’re very proud people, and they’ll be embarrassed. ’
‘Got it. I’ll throw myself in at the deep end, force my love on them.’
‘Like you did with Esme?’ she sniggered. ‘Sorry, that was really mean.’
He pretended to gasp and clutched his chest. ‘You’re cruel, Cowgirl.’
‘She confessed it wasn’t one-sided,’ Savannah reassured. ‘You just weren’t the one.’
‘Never am,’ he sighed.
‘Likewise, apparently.’ She gave a sad smile. ‘We’ve just got to have some patience.’
As Savannah started unpacking her suitcase and hanging clothes in the walk-in closet, Marco let his mind race with thoughts of her living under his roof, wearing his shirts and sharing his pancakes every morning.
Being his . But she was in no position to entertain his fantasies right now, which meant that she just couldn’t be right for him either.
So, while he would be patient in his journey to finding his soulmate, he would never quite understand why the universe kept sending him women who were perfect for him but would never feel the same way.