“Ugh, I came in dead last. I was down to nothing.” She fucking shrugs at me.
My molars grind painfully, my jaw clenching to the point of popping. I take a deep breath. Sophie jabs me in my side with her elbow, her breathy laugh filling me with warmth and calm.
She turns toward me. My eyes land on her bright ones, the evergreen shade easily becoming one of my favorite colors. “Relax. I’m joking. I watched about three hours’ worth of YouTube videos before playing that night. You’re looking at the proud winner of eight-thousand euros.” She swipes her hand across her palm, making invisible money fly away. “It wasn’t the full strip-poker experience, but I made it down to my bra. I can’t say the same about the boys though because Maya and I hustled.”
I bark out a laugh, letting go of my previous annoyance. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you. And the porn experience? I should be offended about not having an invite to that one.”
She rolls her eyes while fighting a smile. “That one was just me and Maya after we had a few too many glasses of wine.”
“What type of porn did you watch? Girl on girl? Girl on boy on girl? Maybe you’re into soft-core porn with a riveting storyline?”
Her laughing into the sky makes my heart beat faster in my chest. I sit, wanting to take a deep breath of fresh air to calm my body down. Except now I get a full visual of Sophie with her soft lips parted slightly, luring me in, her eyes shifting from me to the sky.
My hands move on their own, brushing away some loose strands of hair that escaped her ponytail and trail down her face.
She takes a deep breath. Her eyes close for the briefest second before they open again. “Liam…”
One word sobers me because her eyes tell me she needs more time. She likes our friendship, and shit, I do too.
I didn’t think I would. When she turned me down in Barcelona, I wasn’t sure I could be her friend. The idea made me nauseous, reminding me of memories I wanted to keep hidden forever. But the more time I spend around Sophie, the more addicted I get. It’s impossible to ignore the pull I have toward her, both physically and emotionally, something I thought was long gone from my life. She pushes me in every way and meets me stride for stride. And fuck if my relationship with her doesn’t terrify me as much as it excites me.
“All right, let’s get this show on the road.” Sophie tugs me away from two girls who look annoyed at the intrusion. I follow her through the event for the Canadian Grand Prix, ignoring sponsors calling my name. F1 put on a nice dinner with music, dancing, and decent alcohol. Candles flicker around the room, shrouding us in darkness except for shadows moving across the walls.
I’ve barely seen Sophie tonight. We’ve both been busy since she needs to hang with her dad while I schmooze. Earlier, Rick found me and gave me bleak news about no offers from teams, leaving me disappointed and irritable. But the smile on Sophie’s face knocks my bad mood right out of me.
“I was in the middle of something.” I really wasn’t because girls like those are only after one thing and I’ve been on a body-wide lockdown for everyone who isn’t Sophie. But I’m curious why she feels the need to pull me away.
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
“I’m going to start logging all these favors you owe me. First, you wanted me to distract Noah from Maya, then it’s to help with your list. Next, you’re going to ask me for money.” I add the last one to get a stir out of her.
“First of all, you imposed yourself on my list. Second, I don’t want or need money from you! Don’t insult me.”
Sophie has good intentions and never tries to go after the wrong things. She’s the perfect girl if I were looking for that kind of thing, but I’m not, so I digress.
She huffs as she drags me away from any prying eyes. “Anyway, I need help. I want to get high once.”
I can’t help the snort-laugh that comes out of me. “You can’t be serious. Now?”
The look she gives me tells me that she is.
“I know you can’t smoke because of racing and drug tests. But Maya isn’t here and it’s legal to do it recreationally in good ol’ Canada. So, it has to be done tomorrow because I’m falling behind on items. And I need your help getting the goods and stuff.” She rambles while I grin like an idiot.
“All right. Your wish is my command.” I extend my elbow to her, craving the feel of her arm wrapped around mine.
I can’t help the smile that crosses my face as we ditch the gala without a backward glance. Corrupting Sophie has become my favorite hobby, right up there with racing and reading.