Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
VIOLET
“Come on, sweet girl. Just close your eyes.”
I paced the length of the hotel suite, bouncing Hazel gently against my shoulder.
She fussed, her tiny face scrunched in displeasure.
She’d been fighting sleep for nearly an hour, overtired and thrown off by the time change.
I’d tried everything—rocking, singing, even a warm bath—but nothing worked.
Griffin lounged on the sofa, scrolling through his phone with one hand, the other drumming an irregular pattern against his thigh. He’d been restless since he got back from his cycling trip.
“Is she still not settling?” he asked without looking up.
I shot him a look. “No, I’m just pacing for the cardio.”
His mouth twitched. “Sarcasm. Always a good sign you’re at your limit.”
“I’m fine.”
“Sure you are.” He set his phone down, watching me with those too-observant eyes. “Give her here.”
I hesitated, my arms tightening instinctively around Hazel. “I’ve got her.”
“Didn’t say you didn’t.” He stood, stretching his arms overhead, his t-shirt riding up to reveal a strip of tanned skin. “But you’ve been at it for an hour, and I’ve been sitting on my ass doing nothing. Your turn to sit.”
Before I could argue, he crossed the room and held out his arms. Hazel, the little traitor, immediately reached for him, her fussing quieting to curious hiccups.
“Unbelievable,” I muttered, surrendering her. “I pace for an hour, and you just have to exist.”
Griffin grinned, settling Hazel against his chest. “What can I say? I’m irresistible.”
“To sleep-deprived infants, apparently.”
He chuckled, swaying gently. “Go sit down before you fall down.”
I sank onto the sofa, my body melting into the cushions with embarrassing eagerness. My shoulders ached from tension, my head throbbed with the beginnings of a headache, and my patience had worn tissue-thin.
Griffin paced the same path I’d worn into the carpet, murmuring nonsense to Hazel. His voice dropped to that low, gentle register he only used with her. It was softer than I’d ever imagined possible from the championship’s resident playboy.
“You know what your problem is?” he asked, glancing over at me.
I raised an eyebrow. “Please, enlighten me.”
“You never stop.” He shifted Hazel higher on his shoulder. “Always working, always thinking, always doing. When’s the last time you just... existed?”
“Some of us don’t have that luxury.”
“It’s not a luxury, it’s a necessity.” He nodded toward the window, where sunlight streamed through a gap in the curtains. “Perfect pool day out there. You should take advantage.”
I snorted. “Right. Because lounging by the pool while you’re on baby duty is exactly what Julian expects.”
“Julian’s not here.” Griffin’s eyes met mine, something challenging in their depths.
“And I’m her father. Watching my own kid isn’t babysitting, it’s parenting.
Besides,”—he glanced down at her, smiling—“Hazel’s about to crash.
Once she’s down, she’ll be out for at least an hour.
Plenty of time for you to go soak up some vitamin D. ”
I chewed my lip, temptation warring with responsibility. An hour wasn’t much. And it wasn’t as if I was abandoning Hazel. Griffin was her father, not some clueless stand-in. He was more than capable of holding down the fort at this point.
Besides, he had a point. I never stopped. An hour in the sun wouldn’t kill me.
“Fine,” I sighed. “But only for an hour. And you call me if she wakes up.”
Griffin’s smile was quick and victorious. “Deal.”
I pushed myself off the sofa and made my way to my suitcase, already second-guessing this decision. Rummaging through the neatly folded clothes, I found the only swimsuit I’d packed, a deep green bikini, the kind I rarely wore outside of spa days.
I hesitated, fingers brushing over the fabric.
It wasn’t that revealing. At least not by the current fashion trends.
The deep green top tied behind my neck, cupping my breasts just enough to be dangerous without crossing into impractical.
The bottoms sat high on my hips but dipped scandalously low in the front, curving just above my pubic bone, baring more skin than I usually did outside of private, very controlled situations.
I hadn’t planned on wearing it. Hadn’t even thought about it. But it was this or nothing.
And it was just a swimsuit.
I changed quickly, refusing to overthink it. I grabbed a sheer white cover-up, tying it loosely at my waist before stepping back into the suite.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, Griffin was leaning against my doorway, Hazel still sleeping soundly against his chest. He was murmuring something to her when he glanced up and stopped moving entirely.
I grabbed my sunglasses and phone. “If you need anything, call me. I won’t be long.”
I brushed past him and headed for the door.
“Wait,” Griffin said, voice rough. “I’m coming with you.”
I blinked. “No, you’re not.”
“Yes, I am.” He handed me Hazel and disappeared into his room.
Frowning, I followed him, torn between confusion and irritation. “That’s a terrible idea.”
“Nah, it’ll be great.” He rifled through his suitcase, tossing clothes aside until he found what he was searching for. He pulled his swim trunks out with a triumphant grin.
I stared at him, barely resisting the urge to throw something. This man was going to be the death of me.
“The whole point of this was for me to have an hour off,” I said slowly, like he was a wild animal I was trying not to startle. “You said I should take a break. How am I supposed to relax with you there?”
“Easy. You sit. You read. You ignore me.” He didn’t even glance up. “I’ll handle Hazel.”
“That’s not how breaks work.”
“It is today.” He tossed the swim shorts onto the bed and grabbed a towel from the en suite. “I’m not letting you wander off to some rooftop pool alone.”
“Why not?”
“Because.” He finally met my eyes, jaw set. “You’re not here to get hit on by some trust fund idiot at a hotel bar. You’re here for Hazel.”
My mouth fell open. “I wasn’t planning on—”
“Good.” He brushed past me, heading for the bathroom. “Then we’re in agreement.”
“No, we’re not.”
He sighed and turned back to me, crossing his arms. “Why?”
“If you get seen at the pool with a baby, the internet will have an aneurysm.” I dragged a hand through my hair. “You’re in Singapore in the middle of a race week. The second someone takes a picture, the speculation ramps up.”
“We’re not staying in the drivers’ hotel.” He shrugged. “Nobody’s looking for me here.”
“Your face is on billboards all over the city.”
“And yet, miraculously, I manage to move through the world without being mobbed.” He rolled his eyes. “Most people aren’t paying attention, Vi. They’re too wrapped up in their own lives.”
“You’re delusional if you think no one’s going to notice. It’s not just about you, Griffin. It’s about the baby.”
“So?”
“So?” My voice pitched higher. “So the second someone sees you holding a baby, it’s over. The internet is already obsessed with you. One blurry photo of this, and we won’t even make it back upstairs before the headlines start.”
“Then it’s a good thing the pool’s on the roof.”
I stared at him, seething. “Oh, right, the roof. Of course. Because paparazzi are famously incapable of using zoom lenses.”
His mouth twitched, but he didn’t take the bait. “It’s private.”
“It’s not private.” I threw up a hand. “It’s exclusive. That’s not the same thing. The only difference between this and a normal pool is that the people up there have better phones.”
He took another step to the bathroom. “And yet, still not worried.”
I gawked at him. “You’re not worried?”
“Nope.” He popped the p like this was the most relaxed conversation in the world. “I go unnoticed all the time.”
I laughed. “You’re six feet tall, obnoxiously good-looking, and one of the most famous drivers on the grid. You don’t go unnoticed. You just think you do because people are too intimidated to approach you.”
His grin was slow, teasing. “You think I’m obnoxiously good-looking?”
My teeth clenched. “Focus.”
His amusement didn’t waver. “We could stand here arguing for another hour, or we could go upstairs, enjoy the sun, and maybe, I don’t know, not spend another day trapped in this suite.”
I blew out a breath, fighting the urge to strangle him. “Can you take this seriously? We’re not handing the world your biggest secret on a silver platter.”
A smirk claimed his lips as something devious glinted in his eyes. “Not much of a secret if I don’t care who knows.”
My stomach dropped. What did that even mean and why did I think it spelled nothing but trouble for me?
“Relax, Carter.” He ran a soothing hand down Hazel’s back as she let out a tiny sigh. “She loves fresh air. And don’t you always say the sound of water helps her sleep?”
“That’s not the—” I pressed my fingers against my temple and bit back a growl of frustration. “This is a bad idea,” I muttered.
“Disagree.” He grabbed Hazel’s tiny swimsuit and tucked it under his arm. “Come on, Carter. Live a little.”
I gritted my teeth, resisting the urge to murder him. But the alternative was staying behind while he took my baby—his baby, technically, but still—out there alone.
And that wasn’t happening.
Not even in my worst nightmares.
Muttering to myself, I handed Hazel back to him. “If someone does recognize you—”
“I’ll say I’m on a family holiday.” He grinned, adjusting Hazel against his chest. “Wouldn’t even be lying.”
“Don’t push it.”
The rooftop pool was mercifully quiet. A few guests lounged on deck chairs, most with books or phones, paying us no attention as we found two empty loungers in a secluded corner.
I slipped off my cover up and arranged my towel, hyper aware of Griffin’s presence beside me. The midday sun beat down, intense even through my sunglasses.
“Drink?” Griffin asked, nodding toward a waiter circulating with a tray.
“Just water.”