Chapter Thirty-Nine
Luca
A few hours after Georgia left, I finally crawled out of bed, quickly packing my suitcase.
I moved slowly, still riding the high of last night and this morning.
I was going to miss this trip more than I wanted to admit.
Even with Henri’s permanent scowl, Lily’s meddling, and Edward’s nonstop commentary, the past week had been nothing short of perfect.
All week I’d been so worried about crossing the line between flirting and something more with Georgia, but the moment she stepped foot in my room last night, I knew she felt the same as me.
Knew that she, too, couldn’t resist the constant pull and electricity that had been building between us for the last few weeks.
I left my case by the door and headed to the breakfast lounge, drawn by the sound of quiet voices and the scent of fresh espresso drifting from the galley. Georgia and Lily sat together in the corner booth, heads together as they chatted away.
Despite knowing I shouldn’t eavesdrop on their conversation, my curiosity got the best of me. Every part of me wanted to hear Georgia bragging about the incredible sex we’d had.
Because it had been just that: fucking amazing.
“So, have a good night last night?” Lily asked, leaning over the table in anticipation.
Georgia let out a soft groan. “Oh God, did the entire boat hear?”
After the text I’d received from Edward this morning, I was worried that Henri had heard. He wasn’t exactly thrilled with me right now.
Lily laughed, taking the cup of coffee from Georgia’s outstretched hands. “I’m just glad you took what I said to heart! I knew Luca was into you, but no one listens to meeee…”
Georgia put her hands up. “Whoa, getting ahead of yourself there. It was just sex, Lil. Nothing more.”
I took a step back, shoving my hands in my pockets. Had I heard that right?
“Oh, come on, Georgie,” Lily said, voice rising slightly, incredulous. “There’s no way it was just sex. The way you two loo—”
“Lily, for fuck’s sake, there’s nothing going on between me and Luca. We had sex, and it was fun. I wish everyone would stop making more of this than it is,” she snapped.
Lily blinked, stunned into silence, her mouth parted in disbelief. I stood just out of view behind the corner of the galley wall, the words ringing in my ears. My heart felt like it had just been thrown to the bottom of the ocean.
Fun. That was all it had been?
I stepped away, careful not to make noise, slipping out toward the front deck with my head down.
Each step felt heavier than the last. I kept my gaze fixed on the teak wood planks beneath my feet, trying to ignore the burn spreading through my rib cage.
Last night had meant something more to me.
Having Georgia in my arms, laughing away with her as she joked and chatted about our day, it felt so different than any other relationship.
I tried to reason with myself, reminding myself that I shouldn’t be offended by her comment, that the intimacy of last night and this morning had been just two friends flirting, nothing more.
After all, I’d let her down before when I’d stood her up. I’d given her every reason to doubt that I wanted more, that this wasn’t more than a game. Especially with this reputation that I dragged behind me like a curse.
Did I really think a yacht vacation was going to fix five years of a bad reputation and an abandoned date? Georgia saw us as a friends, which was a hell of a lot better than where we’d been two months ago.
I gripped the railing, the salt air stinging my eyes more than I cared to admit.
I couldn’t force her to see what I felt, not if she wasn’t ready.
And I couldn’t keep chasing something she wasn’t ready to give.
Something she might never be able to give to someone like me.
Anthony had made it a joke. Henri had made it a warning.
But they both saw what I was too afraid to admit: I might not be what she needed—or wanted.
I needed to give us some space, I decided. Let her breathe. Let myself breathe.
Training camps would keep us apart for the next two weeks. After the Austrian Grand Prix, I’d figure out what was left. If anything was left.
I turned to head back to my room, but paused when I saw my father walking towards me. He looked about as happy as I did.
Fuck. Matteo had finally told him.
I’d begged my manager not to tell my father my big secret, the one I’d been hoarding to myself since the beginning of this vacation, because I knew it would ruin this trip.
“Luca Michael Rossi, you have some explaining to do,” he demanded, grabbing my arm as he pulled us closer. There would be no hiding from this inevitable conversation.
“Dad—” I searched for the right words to explain myself, but he didn’t wait for me to continue.
“What the fuck is this I hear about you possibly signing with Rennen F1?”
The wind whipped off the sea behind us, filling the tense silence between us. “Dad, I know this is a big surprise for you, but I’ve been considering a few options for my future.”
“I won’t have my son racing for a rival team,” he spat out.
“I owe it to myself to explore all my options, and Rennen is offering me something that Hermes can’t.”
My father scoffed at my defiance. “And what can’t Hermes offer you? They’re the oldest racing team on the grid. They’re legacy. Our legacy.”
I took a step back, letting his words settle. “A chance to win the championship,” I said calmly. “A chance to show everyone that I’m more than Michael Rossi’s washed-out son.”
“You have a spot at Hermes, but you’re throwing it all away for some empty promises from Rennen?”
“Except I don’t have a spot at Hermes.”
His eyes narrowed. “We’re working on that…”
“No,” I snapped. “I’m tired of this. I’m tired of being the disappointment, the mistake, the second choice. I want to prove myself, and Rennen is my chance to do it.”
At the beginning of this trip, I hadn’t decided if I was going to take the offer. Part of me had still clung to the hope that maybe Hermes would come through. But as I looked into his cold, furious eyes, I knew. I couldn’t wait for a seat that didn’t feel like mine.
I couldn’t live under the weight of his legacy anymore.
Matteo had warned me: Rennen’s offer wouldn’t last forever. They were willing to take a chance on me. Not the son of a legend. Not the washed-up second driver with too many headlines and too little faith.
Just me.
I met my father’s gaze and straightened my spine. but as I gazed at my father’s angry eyes, I realized that I needed to take this leap of faith and finally break out of his Rossi legacy chokehold.
“We finalized the terms in London before the yacht,” I said quietly. “The contract’s ready.”
All that was left was for me to sign.
And this time, I wouldn’t hesitate.