38. Harmony
Harmony
“Okay, that’s perfect! Harmony, just one more shot along the car and then we’ll get you behind the wheel!”
I try not to glower at the photographers, but their boss really doesn’t get it.
The model car covered with movie sponsor logos is set up in the garage, slotted in between Maddock and Jaxx’s.
We'd left the pink car back in Texas, so I’m driving a different but equally pink car created by the Grace team's engineers.
They want shots of the three of us together to promote the movie and show that the Grace team fully endorses it, but all it does is make almost everyone in the garage pissed off at us.
I thought I’d earned some respect from them by driving in Texas with Jaxx, but it’s all being washed away.
I’ve become the actress with the pretty pink car again, as the photographer makes me unzip my suit, stretch out along the car, hang myself off of Jaxx and Maddock, and generally try to make the entire thing as sexy as possible.
Which it is. One hundred percent. Because Maddock and Jaxx are fully suited up, running their hands over me for the shoot, and I’m close to kneeing Jaxx in the balls because he won’t stop whispering in my ear. Probably half to annoy Maddock, half to wind me up.
“I’m still thinking about when you got out of that car the last time,” he murmurs. “Maybe we need to check your pussy again to see how you’re feeling. I’m sure Everest would like another look as well.”
Maddock lets out a low growl, but it looks like he hasn’t heard him. Maddock wraps his arms around my waist to help me up onto the nose of the car so I can ride it like a 1950s pin-up model.
“Can you both stop handling me like a piece of meat? If we don’t get this shoot over with, we're never going to get the car out of the garage. And Everest is getting stressed.”
Everest isn’t showing it, but he stands at the front of the crowd of mechanics, most of them glaring daggers at us because we’re taking up precious time.
They need to do maintenance on the cars for the free practice tomorrow, and we have already set them back by three hours.
Jaxx keeps spreading his pheromones over me, but the only person who says anything is Maddock, who also responds by dumping more pheromones, so I’m dizzy, turned on, and annoyed. Not a great start to the day. But I know as soon as I get into the car that I can leave all of that behind.
Especially my need to go to Everest and pull him into my arms and ask him if we can have a whole day tomorrow where we do our usual thing with just us, because I’m being smothered by two competitive alphas.
As soon as they get the last photos, I shoot off the car. The photographer calls for a break while they get set up for the next round, and I nearly roll my eyes. I can’t deal with any more pheromones.
But that means the three of us end up standing around awkwardly. Well, Maddock and I are acting awkward. Jaxx just keeps grinning like he normally does.
“Do you think I’ll be in with a chance of winning the charity race?” I ask Maddock, trying to fill the quiet space between us.
He pauses, his fingers knotted in front of him.
“Honestly?” he asks, twisting his lips. “Based on your last race, I don’t think you’ll do it. You’ll be up against some of us key drivers who never stopped driving, the chances of you getting ahead of them, especially on a track like Silverstone, are really slim.”
A sharp stab of annoyance hits me hard as I stare at him, but he blinks like he said nothing wrong.
“It wouldn’t kill you to lie to me for once in your life,” I say flatly.
“But if I tell you the truth, then you can temper your expectations and won’t be disappointed.”
“Did you ever think about how that might affect me? If you’d told me I could win, maybe I would have fought harder to make sure I got the top spot.”
He tilts his head. “But you always won anyway,” he says as his brow creases.
But it isn’t about that. It’s about the pressure he put on me.
Because instead of having a supportive alpha who cheered me on for every race, I had an alpha who assessed everything I did and told me how it was wrong.
Told me I would lose if I drove in a particular way.
And made every race harder because I did it to prove him wrong, rather than make myself proud of my achievements.
And I don’t know if telling him how much that fucked me up is worth it.
“Because I was looking for your support, Maddock. Not your analysis of the situation.”
“But that’s why we have our bets, isn't it? So that we both challenge ourselves and exceed those expectations.”
“Now now,” Jaxx purrs as he smooths himself in, wrapping his arms around my shoulders, popping his chin on top of my head. “Let’s not fight before Harmony’s big shoot. We wouldn’t want you to drive distracted, would we, sweetheart?”
“And you don’t think you’re distracting her?” Maddock growls.
It happens again. The small fizzle that had started inside me the first moment Maddock became jealous has been growing through the photoshoot, and seeing him look at Jaxx with so much contempt just gets me excited.
“Are you two even going to attempt to get along?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” Jaxx purrs, nudging his nose against my ear. “Have you thought any more about being a pack?”
“There is no chance we’re going to be a pack,” Maddock growls. “Not with you, at least.”
I roll my eyes again, dragging myself away from Jaxx.
“Could you sort this out between yourselves? I need to get ready.”
As I step away, Maddock goes to argue with me, but I can’t afford to go any deeper into the conversation. Jaxx is right; I’m already messed up enough as it is, and that’s partially his fault.
Before I can leave the area, Everest suddenly steps in front of me. My eyes widen because I don’t expect him to talk to me when so many people are around, but he dips his chin, looking alarmed.
“If you make a good lap time, I’ll give you this jacket,” he says softly.
My gaze roams over it. He has it tightly zipped up to his chin, and, after a hard morning of work, his scent will be soaked through it. I don’t have enough for my nest yet, and if his jacket smells that strongly, I could definitely wrap it around my pillow and smell him for weeks.
He gives me another one of his small smiles that nearly kills me.
“Would you like that?” he asks.
“You better keep your promise,” I say. “I’ll be coming after you if you don’t.”
He nods seriously again as I shoot off. I make a beeline for Jacob, the director, and the track owner, who have been discussing the movie, along with the best places to take photographs.
They’re laughing and joking and look like they’re having a grand old time, so at least some of us are having fun.
“Okay,” I say as all three of them look up at me with various smiles. “What do you need me to do?”
“Hey, we saw the clips of you driving in Texas, and you fucking killed it! Whatever those Grace assholes said, you’re the fucking best!
” Two young alpha female drivers from the Valkyrie team have hopped over as I get the car out onto the grid and are leaning over my cockpit with the same shining look in their eyes.
Runa and Aster both talk so quickly it’s like I’m being piled on by puppies.
“Yeah, Sands and Harrison can fuck off. We’re your partners today, so no one’s going to mess with you,” Runa says.
“And I’ll fucking bite anyone who says any shit,” Aster growls.
They talk so quickly that it’s like a ping-pong ball bouncing between them.
“Listen, Harm.” Aster leans over, thumping her fist against the crash guard.
“We’re not the best out on the track, but we’re definitely the funnest. I don’t care if they are using this girl-power shit for promotion or marketing or whatever.
We gotta stick together, okay? We’ll be racing like fucking demons on the next Grand Prix to make sure the Graces stay right at the back. We promise you that.”
I just nod because I learned at the beginning of the conversation that I couldn’t get a single word in. But it’s pretty cute how excited they are about it. There aren’t any other female drivers in the season apart from them, and I love that they’re both on the same team.
Alpha females are a lot rarer than males, and, like male omegas, they have to deal with prejudice. But it looks like these two don’t let it bother them.
“You’re a fucking queen, so don’t let any of those dickhead alphas tell you what to do,” Runa says.
“Yeah, if you win, we’re totally going clubbing later, okay? You better promise us you’ll hang out!” Aster says.
“We might not be hooked up on the comms, but we’re hooked in our hearts, okay!?” Runa bangs her fist against her chest.
I laugh as I wave them away, and they give me matching grins as they hop over to their own cars.
I can’t help but smile as they shout at each other from their own cockpits, goading each other on before turning to me and giving me excited smiles.
It’s the warmest welcome I’ve had since I came back for my training, and now I can’t wait to get back out on the track.
If I ever join another team, that’s the kind of energy I want in my race, not a moody alpha and an absolute flirt.
But that’s mainly because I want to fuck them so badly I can barely concentrate around them.
They put me in pole position in front of the lights. Behind me are Runa and Aster and then six of the stunt crew that have already been training on the Grace track.
Even though there are half the number than usual out on the grid, the excitement of the race still hums in me. As the red lights count up, the three of us rev our engines, and my tension fires.