Chapter Five
Henri
Hers and Luca’s room.
That still felt surreal sometimes, my sister dating my former teammate. The guy I’d spent three years racing alongside at Hermes. It felt like a lifetime since then.
We weren’t particularly close when he was at Hermes, and at the time, I wasn’t exactly thrilled that my teammate was dating my sister.
But Luca had won me over with that cocky Italian flair of his and his signature Cheshire cat grin that made it impossible to stay annoyed at him for long.
He could charm the pants off a snake charmer given half the chance, and he was good to Georgia, which was what mattered.
She’d qualified P6 today for Valkyrie—not what she’d hoped.
Valkyrie were having a rough start to the season.
As with most spec changes in Formula 1, the previous year’s winning team didn’t always get it right.
But still, three seasons in Formula 1 had proved Georgia belonged here just as much as I did.
Maybe more, considering she’d won the last three Driver’s Championships.
“About time,” she said, stepping aside to let me in. “I was afraid you couldn’t find the place!”
I pushed past her, dropping my racing bag by the door as I entered the suite. The familiar scent of her favorite pine candle hit me immediately.
After securing P1 in qualifying, I should’ve been celebrating, but my mind kept drifting back to yesterday’s free practice. To that moment when Lily’s car nearly kissed the wall because of my error. She’d saved it, of course.
Stop thinking about it.
“Earth to Henri,” Georgia said, waving a hand in front of my face. “You just grabbed pole position, and you look like someone stole your favorite watch.”
“Sorry, Georgie, just trying to remember what qualifying P6 feels like. It’s been so long since I’ve been back there.”
She scoffed, giving me a playful shove that nearly knocked me off-balance. “That’s rich coming from someone who’s spent the past three years watching me win championships. A couple of pole positions this season, and suddenly you’ve got amnesia?”
I laughed, shaking my head as I followed her deeper into the suite, but when I turned the corner into the living room, my smile faltered. The sight before me didn’t exactly match the quiet, celebratory evening I had in mind.
Lily sat comfortably on the couch next to Luca, her auburn hair loose and wavy around her shoulders, freckles visible across the bridge of her nose.
She wore a cream sweater tucked into black trousers—simple and understated.
Beautiful in that effortless way. She looked relaxed, completely at ease, like she belonged there.
Given that Luca was her teammate, that wasn’t too far off.
A year ago, the sight of her would have made me smile. I would’ve dropped onto the couch beside her, stolen one of her biscuits, let our easy banter fill the room. Now it just made my jaw clench. I hated how much changed between us. Hated more that I couldn’t seem to stop noticing her.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” The words were out before I could stop them.
“Robbing the place,” she said without missing a beat, waving a nearby candlestick in my direction with a quick grin. “Georgia and Luca always get the nicest suites.”
I dropped onto the couch across from them, ignoring her. From behind, a comforting hand squeezed my shoulder. Georgia, steadying me like always. She’d always been there for me. Even when we competed for championships, we never stopped supporting each other.
Luca extended a packet of biscuits my way, but I shook my head. He offered them to Georgia and Lily instead, who each took one eagerly, like they hadn’t eaten in days.
My stare stayed fixed on Lily, watching her dip her biscuit into her cup of tea.
“Your dietician lets you eat sugar? Guess even he knows you won’t be winning this year.
” Every inch of me knew how ridiculous that sounded, but nothing irked me more than seeing the person standing between me and the championship looking perfectly comfortable in my sister’s room.
She only snorted, that infuriating smile never wavering as she made a show of slowly shoving the entire biscuit into her mouth. A crumb caught at the corner of her lips, and my eyes tracked it as she brushed it away with her thumb.
I tore my gaze away, the room suddenly ten degrees warmer. Once, I’d found that stubborn streak endearing. I would’ve matched it with a grin and a joke designed to coax out her laugh. Now, we goaded each other until something inside me threatened to crack.
“Well, hello to you too,” Luca laughed. “I see getting pole hasn’t improved your sparkling personality.”
“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting anyone else.” The words came out as a sigh, my hand gesturing vaguely toward Lily, who kept smiling at me like she’d won something.
She always looked so happy, and it was infuriating.
Lily turned to my sister, not remotely attempting to hide her smug grin. “Well, as much fun as I’m sure this”—she motioned, dramatically, toward me—“will be, I need to go get ready for dinner.”
Georgia rolled her eyes but said nothing.
Over the past six months, my sister had often found herself stuck between a rock and a hard place when it came to Lily and me.
Lily was her former teammate and close friend.
They’d entered Formula 1 together, two women on the grid full of men.
They’d battled sexist journalists and won three Constructor’s Championships. That bond went deep.
Lily and I had always bickered when it came to driving, but after Las Vegas, the casualness of our friendship and “oops, sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come across that way” had disappeared.
It’d escalated from professional rivalry into something sharper, more personal, bleeding into every interaction.
With each race, the discomfort between us seemed to grow into something neither of us knew how to control.
Or knew how to stop.
I looked up at Lily, who’d thrown on a maroon blazer over her outfit, the fabric settling perfectly across her shoulders. The color brought out the warmth in her auburn hair, making her green eyes seem brighter somehow.
“Dinner plans before a race?” I scoffed, raising a curious eyebrow. “Who’s the poor bastard?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” She cocked her head, auburn strands brushing her cheek as that bright, infuriating smile returned. My heart skipped, just for a second.
I couldn’t look away—my gaze was drawn back in like a magnet. She looked at me like she knew exactly what effect she had; like she enjoyed watching me squirm.
“Lily has dinner with Ollie.” Luca wiggled his eyebrows suggestively before propping his feet up on the coffee table.
Something sharp and ugly twisted in my gut—a feeling I had no right to feel when the choice to not be together had been mine.
Lily took my silence for confusion. “You know, devilishly handsome, blond hair, bright blue eyes.”
“Oh, Henri knows who he is,” Georgia interjected, shooting me a look. “They were teammates in F2.”
Lily’s eyebrows lifted, genuine interest sparking in those green eyes as she properly looked at me for the first time since I’d walked in. My pulse kicked up traitorously.
“Well, must be off,” she said brightly, moving toward the door.
She passed behind the couch where I sat, and for one brief moment, I felt the warmth of her presence at my back, caught a drift of her floral perfume.
My entire body went rigid, like if I moved even slightly, I might do something stupid.
Like reach for her and ask her to stay, just as she’d done in Las Vegas last year.
She paused—I felt rather than saw it—and I wondered if she was looking down at me; wondered what her expression would be if I turned around.
But I didn’t.
Then she continued past, now finally in view, turning back to me from the safety of the doorway with a look of pure mischief. “And don’t worry, Dubois, I’ll be sure to stay out of your way tomorrow.”
“See that you do.” I turned to face her, narrowing my eyes, heat prickling at the back of my neck as I crossed my arms.
Still paused at the door, she looked at me with an expression far too smug for someone starting P2 in tomorrow’s race. “Though if you drive like you did in free practice, I won’t need to. I’ll be too far ahead.”
Her wink hit harder than any insult could have. Something hot and frustrated coiled in my chest, making it difficult to breathe properly. The door shut behind her, and the suite fell silent.
“Henri?” Georgia’s voice cut through the fog. “You’re gripping the armrest like you’re trying to strangle it.”
I released my death grip on the leather, relaxing my fingers.
“She’s just messing with you,” Luca offered. “You know how Lily is.”
“Unfortunately.” Glancing at the biscuits scattered across the coffee table, I grabbed one, shoving it into my mouth.
That was the problem. I did know what she was like.
Knew exactly how she could unravel me with a single look, a throwaway gesture.
The way she’d winked, casual and teasing, sent my thoughts spiraling to places they had no business going.
Under no circumstances could I have Lily Blackwood.
After all the bad blood this season, we weren’t the same people who’d fallen into bed together last year.
I couldn’t allow us to be. My only goal was to win this championship. Georgia had won the Driver’s Championship three times, but I hadn’t even won Monaco, my home race. This year had to be different, and with how fast my car was, I had to take advantage of this year.
There would be no distractions, especially not from the one person who wanted more than anything to take my dream away.
Luca shifted uncomfortably, sipping his tea as if it might save him from being caught in the crossfire of my anger. He made eyes at my sister, and I could see they were having one of those insufferable conversations couples had without speaking.