CHAPTER ONE #2
Eddie responded on instinct, one hand cupping the back of her neck, the other pulling her closer by the waist. The kiss quickly turned fierce.
Her lips were soft but demanding, tongue teasing his as she pressed her body against him, the thin fabric of her dress riding up slightly as she shifted in the seat.
Her fingers tangled in his hair, tugging just hard enough to send a spark of heat straight through him.
A low, appreciative hum escaped her throat when he nipped at her bottom lip, his hand sliding lower to grip the curve of her hip, thumb brushing the edge of lace beneath her dress.
The Uber driver stayed mercifully silent in the front seat, the smooth hum of the engine and the occasional stop at traffic lights the only interruptions.
Tara broke the kiss just long enough to trail hot, open-mouthed kisses along his jaw and down the side of his neck, her breath warm and ragged against his skin.
Eddie tilted his head back against the headrest, eyes half-closed, letting the sensation wash over him.
The scent of her perfume mixed with the faint leather of the car seats and the lingering trace of track adrenaline still clinging to him.
It should have felt electric. Victory after a solid weekend.
A beautiful woman who knew exactly what she wanted and was bold enough to take it.
Yet even as his body reacted — pulse quickening, heat pooling low in his belly — something felt… scripted. Almost mechanical. The kind of encounter he had replayed too many times in too many cities.
He blamed the nagging twinge in his left shoulder, the long season, the jet lag — anything except the slow, creeping truth at forty-three.
Three world titles. A knighthood. Headlines that still painted him as a living legend.
The mirror each morning, however, showed sharper lines around his eyes, mornings that started slower, and recovery that now dragged on far longer than it used to.
“Next generation” whispers followed him through the corridors.
He wanted more than podiums and fleeting nights like this. He wanted purpose beyond the helmet.
The car slowed as it pulled up to the hotel. Tara pulled back, lips swollen and eyes dark with lust, a satisfied little smirk playing on her face. Her hand lingered on his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart. “Mmm, that was just the start,” she whispered, voice husky.
In the brightly lit lobby of the hotel, Tara’s arm slipped comfortably around his waist, her body still pressed close, the heat from their Uber ride still simmering between them.
Out of long habit, Eddie glanced sideways toward the wide glass doors that opened onto the side terrace overlooking the glittering Melbourne street below.
Dana stood there.
Alone.
She was leaning casually against the railing, arms loosely folded across her chest, staring out at the sparkling city lights with a quiet, distant expression.
In the physio room she was always sharp, unflinching, and utterly professional — her hands strong and precise as she worked on battered drivers and mechanics alike.
Out here, under the vast night sky, she looked different.
Softer. Almost unguarded in a way he rarely saw.
He paused mid-step, the lingering heat from Tara’s kisses still burning on his lips and neck.
Tara followed his gaze and gave a small, amused tilt of her head. “Friend of yours?”
“Yeah,” Eddie said quietly, his voice lower than usual. “Give me a minute.”
He gently disentangled himself from Tara’s arm and crossed the polished lobby floor, pushing through the glass door.
Cooler night air washed over him immediately, carrying the distant hum of traffic and the faint, layered scent of the city — exhaust, the rain on warm pavement, and something floral from the planters nearby.
It helped clear the fog of arousal that still clouded his thoughts.
“Dana.”
She turned, startled for the briefest half-second before recognition softened her features. “Eddie. Thought you’d still be up at the party living it up.”
He stopped a respectful few paces away, sliding his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “Saw you out here. Everything alright?”
She lifted the gold-embossed wedding invitation slightly from her pocket, a small, wry smile touching the corner of her lips.
“Mia and Lucas. It’s really happening.” Her gaze drifted back out across the glittering lights of the city.
“Makes you happy for your friends… but it also makes you feel like some things in this world still manage to work out the way they’re supposed to. ”
A comfortable silence settled between them — familiar and easy after so many years of shared garages, late-night strategy discussions, and light, teasing banter across the paddock. But tonight there was something muted in her eyes, a quiet weight that hadn’t been there earlier in the evening.
“You sure you’re okay?” he asked, his tone gentler this time, the usual cocky edge absent.
She turned fully toward him, the corner of her mouth lifting in that familiar half-grin she reserved for people she trusted.
“I’m fine, Sir Eddie. Go enjoy your night.
” Her eyes flicked briefly past him to where Tara waited patiently by the lifts, then returned to his with a quick, teasing wink.
“She looks like fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. ”
Eddie let out a quiet huff of laughter and rubbed the back of his neck, a habitual gesture when he felt slightly off-balance. “Night, Dana.”
“Night.”
As he rejoined Tara and the lift doors slid closed behind them, her arm lacing through his once more, the heat between them reigniting with a possessive squeeze of his arm, Eddie couldn’t shake the image of Dana standing alone on that terrace — tall, strong, and quietly beautiful against the night skyline.
The night ahead should have felt like affirmation. Like the reward he had earned.
Instead, it felt like nothing more than just another temporary delay.