Chapter 7 #3
like now. She knew him now. She didn’t know him, know him. But they’d gone running together. Given Gus a bath together. She’d even been in his arms, albeit because of Gus.
They were even the subject of a romance rumor, which did make her laugh. That was a fantasy that would never come true.
She really hoped he would do well today. If he didn’t . . . well, she sure didn’t love being around storm cloud Emilio.
Emilio felt the rumble of the engine as the cars lined up in their starting positions. Nervous energy had him on edge. The
lights blinked on in succession—one, two, three, four, five. They went out. Away the cars went.
He punched the throttle. His heart fluttered in his chest. His start was clean. The car reacted exactly as he wanted it to.
Like nothing from recent history. Almost as good as last year. Adrenaline surged through his veins as he zipped through the
Tamburello chicane.
He and the car were one. It felt so good. Like everything he’d been longing for since the start of the season.
Piper watched as lap after lap, Emilio did great, but hadn’t moved up in the order. In fact, the whole race had been a bit
of a non-event. If things remained as they were, would he be satisfied with seventh place? Would he be unhappy? It would mean
he’d bring home some points for the first time that season, but surely a world champion wanted more.
Her heart went out to him. Sure, he had a job most people could only dream of. But it wasn’t an easy thing. There was so much
disappointment built into being a Formula One driver.
Emilio was as focused as ever. Eyes trained on the road. Meanwhile, his engineer kept asking questions.
“Emilio, how are the tires?”
“No problems.”
“Please mind them. Xander’s seeing high degradation. So are the other teams. This heat is a problem.”
As far as Emilio was concerned, the only problem was that he needed everyone to simply let him do his job. Talking was only
stressing him out. “Please. Just let me drive.”
The TV announcers were talking nonstop about tire wear, and it was really starting to make Piper worried for Emilio.
“We have an unusually hot day today and everyone’s tires are taking a beating. The hard compounds this year simply aren’t
as long lasting as they were last season. Most drivers have made a second pit stop, but two haven’t. Notably, Emilio Baquero
just told his race engineer to leave him alone.”
Piper didn’t have a good feeling about this. Fifteen laps from the end of the race and Emilio had only done one pit stop.
A whole slew of cars had come in over the last few laps, which meant he’d gained two positions in the order and was up into
fifth place, but surely his tires would start falling away.
“Emilio, I know you really want to finish in fifth, but we don’t think these tires can last. Pitting now is imperative,” his
race engineer said.
“I’m not coming in.” He was laser focused. So locked in. This was his best race in recent history. He wasn’t going to mess
it up with another pit stop. What if the crew was slow? Or a wheel gun jammed? It’d be another disaster. And as much as the
press wanted to talk about Gus right now, he was sure they would jump at the chance to put him in the hot seat again.
“Emilio, we really don’t think this is a good idea. You’re risking a puncture. Then you’ll have nothing to show for it.”
He drew a deep breath in through his nose, mulling it for a fraction of a second. “I’m staying out. Just let me hold off Lockford.”
Now Piper had a sense of what might really be going on here. Emilio wasn’t coming in because he was ahead of Brett Lockford,
the driver who’d won in Miami and was currently dating Victoria.
Was he letting his ego get in the way? Was he trying to prove to his ex he was the better man? She feared he might be doing
exactly that. And she really didn’t want him to let his pride ruin his race.
“Three laps, Emilio. There’s still time for a fresh set. Come in for softs. You’ll lose a place, but that will still be net
one in grid position. And you can try for fastest lap.”
Emilio was so tired of the world weighing in on his choices. Everyone had been telling him for months that he never should’ve
spoken out against Vermillion. But he’d trusted his gut then, and he was going to trust it now. If his tires went south on
him, he’d live with the repercussions. At least he would’ve tried something different. Daring. “Sorry, Tom. I’m staying out.
Please let me drive.”
“Okay, Emilio. Okay.”
Piper couldn’t sit anymore, so she paced in front of the TV. Even Gus looked nervous as he watched Piper have her little breakdown.
Everything the announcer said made her a little more sick to her stomach.
“We’ve got two more laps to go here in Imola. It looks like nobody’s stopping Kenji Matsumoto from taking the win, but the
bigger drama is a bit farther back in the field. Emilio Baquero is the only driver who’s only made one pit stop. How are those
tires staying together? Logic says they should be in tatters and that car should be in the wall.”
One more lap. You can do it.
Emilio reminded himself of what Piper had said—everything you need is already inside you.
He questioned most advice. Most motivational speeches. So much of it was built on lofty ideas that had nothing to do with
the reality of any given situation. But that bit of wisdom did make sense to him. Could it be as simple as that?
He was about to find out.
Piper was trying not to hyperventilate when Isabel showed up out of nowhere.
“If Emilio actually pulls this off, he’ll be a legend,” she said. “Otherwise, it’ll be a total nightmare.” She pinched her
nose. “I can’t look.”
Piper gnawed on her nails. “I can’t not look.”
“We’re about to have a new first-time winner at Imola this year, and he hails from the land of the rising sun,” the announcer
said. “Kenji Matsumoto crosses the line and wins the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Second place goes to Preston Hubbard and third
is Florian Laurent. It looks like fourth will be Xander Bishop, but we’re all waiting to see if his teammate and last year’s
world champion can eke a few more hundred meters out of those tires, and oh, my word, it looks like he can! Emilio Baquero
crosses the line in fifth place, his highest finish of the season and a real change of form for the Spanish driver! It’s a
sad, sad day for Brett Lockford. He won’t be happy with sixth.”
Piper screamed. So did Isabel. Then they hugged and hopped around, up and down in place. Gus barked loudly.
“Gus, Gus. It’s okay.” Piper came to a stop and raised his face to hers, letting him give her a little kiss. “We’re just happy.”
“Come down to the garage with me?” Isabel asked. “Emilio doesn’t have any guests this weekend. I’m sure he’d love to see you
and Gus after his amazing finish.”
You and Gus? More like just Gus, but Piper eagerly nodded, then followed Isabel to the garage. They waited near the exit since they didn’t
want to get in the way of the crew. Emilio emerged a few moments later. The top half of his race suit unzipped and hanging
from his hips. His fireproof shirt was snug against his frame. His hair was swept back from his face, damp from perspiration.
Piper had never seen anyone so shamelessly sexy.
“Congratulations!” Isabel delivered a quick hug. “I need one second with Xander, then I’ll take you to the media pen.”
That left Piper, Emilio and Gus alone. The paddock was virtually empty with everyone off to watch the podium ceremony. Piper
wished she had the same privilege as Isabel. She desperately wanted to wrap her arms around Emilio while overcome with enthusiasm.
“Congratulations. You were amazing. I can’t believe you pushed your tires like that.”
He unleashed an unguarded smile she’d never seen up close before. It was like a sunrise. The promise of a new day. He raked
his epic, sweaty hair back from his face. “Thank you. My engineer wasn’t happy with me, but I had to try. Get out of my slump.”
He crouched down and Gus eagerly accepted ear scratches.
It confounded her how someone as talented and capable as Emilio could ever doubt himself, but there it was. “Sometimes the
only person who needs to believe in you is you.”
He peered up at her and narrowed his eyes, then straightened to his full height. “Where do you get these sayings?”
Piper grinned. “My dad. He’s big on encouragement.”
“Maybe I need to meet him. Ask for some advice.”
Piper laughed quietly. The thought of her life and Emilio’s life colliding like that? Pure fantasy, but nice. Her dad would
love Emilio. She was sure of it. “Can I give you a congratulatory hug?”
“Of course.”
He stepped closer while Piper threaded her hand through the wrist strap she’d added to the end of Gus’s leash. The anticipation
of the hug threatened to swallow her whole, but she did it anyway. And when he returned the embrace and his arms snugged around
her, she was pressed against the firm plane of his chest. A long-lost sensation fluttered in her stomach. It was more than
relief that their chilly dynamic was warming. It was more than surprise that she was hugging someone she’d never thought she’d
meet. She . . . wanted him. Bad. Questions spun in her head like a tornado. Was this hug a bad idea? Foolish? Shortsighted? Oh, God. Am I sweating?
Just then, there was a tightness across the back of her legs. “What the…?” She looked to the side and spotted Gus trotting
past them.
“Gus . . . what are you doing?” Emilio asked with a leading tone.
That tightness was a strap. From Gus’s retractable leash. He was running circles around them. Coiling her and Emilio in it.
Binding them together. Leaving them nowhere to go. Emilio slid his hand to the small of Piper’s back. She followed suit, astonished
by every defined muscle as her fingertips roved, but the change in position left their hips pressed into each other. A dizzying
wave of heat stormed through her. She was about to catch fire.
“Gus, stop!” Emilio called.
Gus took a few more steps, then came to a halt. At the end of his leash. Then he rose up on his hind legs and licked Emilio’s
cheek. Piper and Emilio could only stare at each other, blinking in disbelief, laughing.
“What did I say about not letting him off his leash?” she asked. “I didn’t think that idea would be disproven so soon.”
Emilio peered down at her. His cocoa-brown eyes swirled with mystery. She could get lost in them, trying to decipher what
went on in his head. “Gus keeps pushing us together.”
“It’s like he’s trying to tell us something.” Piper’s face and body were aflame. It was a four-alarm fire. Every square inch
of her ablaze. And she wondered if Emilio felt even a fraction of the heat she did.