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TWENTY-FIVE

CHARLOTTE

I’ve discovered that mornings are tolerable when they start with coffee and multiple orgasms from Lucas Adler. Though not at the same time or in that order. Lying on his side, propped up on his elbow, Lucas watches me sip my coffee and nibble on a krapfen , an Austrian jam-filled doughnut. Knowing my blood sugar tends to drop after sex, he got up early to pick up sustenance and caffeine. Then he woke me with warm, sweet kisses and greedy hands.

The early morning light peeps through the curtains and catches on the curve of his jaw, highlighting the sharp lines of his face. He’s breathtakingly beautiful. My eyes can’t help but stray to his Taylor Swift tattoo—not that I’d ever call it that to his face. I’m still stunned. This man legitimately tattooed my words on his skin. And suddenly, I’ve discovered a new kink.

“Should I be worried that you’ve groaned more while eating breakfast than you did when I was inside you?” he asks with an easy smile.

Head tilted back, I laugh. “Nah, but the Austrians do know how to brew a cup of coffee. Want a sip? ”

Lucas shakes his head. “I’m good. I’ll get a cup after I work out.”

“You’re still going to work out?” I make a sweeping motion with one arm, motioning to the tangled bedding and his nakedness. “We’ve burned a minimum of a thousand calories since last night.”

“There’s no denying it was a great warm-up, baby.”

“Warm-up?” I gasp, pressing my free hand against my chest. “Should I be jealous that you’re insinuating you put in more work at the gym than you do in pleasuring me?”

He waggles his brows. “If I didn’t think you’d claw my eyes out for taking away your coffee, I’d show you just how wrong you are.”

I lift the to-go mug to my lips and take a small sip. “Glad you know where my priorities lie. Do you want a bite of the pastry, at least? It’s delicious.”

Dipping forward, he takes a big bite of the apricot-filled baked good in my hand. Licking his lips—something that has me involuntarily clenching my thighs together—he nods appreciatively. “Mmm. I have good taste.”

“Well, duh,” I reply. “That should be obvious, considering you’re in love with me.”

With a snort, he rolls out of bed. He putters around, picking up his clothes from last night. Then he does something completely unhinged. Before putting anything else on, even his briefs, he pulls on a pair of white socks.

My jaw drops, and a piece of flaky dough falls out of my mouth and onto the comforter. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Getting dressed.”

“But you put your socks on first.”

He peers up at me as he bends over and tugs his briefs up. “Yeah, so? I don’t want my feet to get cold.”

“So you put your socks on first?” I ask, holding a hand to my mouth. “That’s a major beige flag. ”

Chuckling, he shrugs. “What’s a beige flag?”

Willow’s comment about our generation being chronically online and his, well, not, is starting to make sense. The beige flag trend was on all my social media feeds for weeks.

“They’re neutral or mildly quirky traits,” I explain. “Not a deal-breaker or dealmaker, just something that makes you pause and consider.”

“Ah.” He nods. “So like how you murmur in your sleep and have the cutest little snore?”

Heat rises in my cheeks. “No, that’s not a beige flag, and also, I don’t snore.”

“Yes, you do,” he says with a laugh, tugging on his T-shirt. “I promise you it’s adorable, though.”

“Adorable?” I huff. “That’s worse than cute.”

“My dad has sleep apnea and my brothers all snore like lawnmowers, so yeah, your snoring is adorable, Roo. It’s rhythmic and soft, like a snuffle.”

“A snuffle?” I ask, my voice pitching. “Do you know what kinds of animals snuffle, Lucas? Dogs. So thank you for comparing my sleeping habits to that of a furry four-legged creature.”

His lips quirk up. “You’re just one snuffly snore away from your childhood dream of becoming a detection dog, Roo.”

I press my lips together to hide a smile, the corners of my mouth twitching. The bubbling sensation in my chest grows as the laughter builds. I only last a moment longer before bursting into hysterics, my stubborn annoyance dissipating into thin air.

My pump beeps, and with a groan, I snatch my phone off the nightstand to check my levels. Either the doughnut I’m eating hasn’t done its job yet and I’m still too low, or it did its job a little too well and my levels have skyrocketed.

Lucas sits on the edge of the bed and watches me silence the alarm. “Is there a way for me to get that app on my phone? ”

I lift my head and stare at him. “ This app?”

“Yes.”

“That’s very sweet, but trust me, babe, you don’t want to deal with it. It never shuts up.”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want it, Roo,” he says, his expression so sincere. “I know you can manage your health on your own, and the last thing I want to do is micromanage you or judge how you handle things. I promise to respect your privacy. I just want you to know that you don’t have to do it alone anymore. You have me and my support.”

Tender affection fills my chest, making my heart practically float. “Okay.”

Lucas opens his mouth, like he’s prepared to argue, then snaps it shut. “Wow. That was easier than expected.”

“I’m less combative in the mornings,” I explain, then quickly correct myself. “That’s a lie. I’m an absolute gremlin when I first wake up, but I’m usually too tired to put up a fight or make a good argument.” I shrug. “Plus, you’re sexy and I love you. Also, you said all the right things. That made the decision rather easy.”

He slides back and leans against the headboard, then pulls me into his lap and presses a kiss into my mass of curls. I’m rocking a combination of sex hair and bedhead, but all morning, he’s looked at me like I’m the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. “Do you want to open your gift before I leave for my workout?”

“Huh?” The sudden topic change has my brain scrambling. That’s usually my MO, not his.

“The gift I brought,” he reminds me. “You never opened it.”

“Oh.” I wiggle in his lap, making him excited in the process. “I can’t believe I forgot about it. Although, in my defense, I got a little distracted.”

To prove my point, I slip my hands around the back of his neck and pull him in for a brief kiss. Tilting back before we get carried away and forget about the gift once again, I smile. “Present time now?”

Chuckling, he gives my arse a small smack. Then he slips out of the bed and saunters to the table. I don’t bother trying to play it cool as he hands it to me. No, I go for a world record as I yank at the ribbon and tear at the paper as quickly as I can. As I peer into the box, my throat goes tight, and when I pull out the beautifully constructed professional yet portable sewing machine, my hand trembles.

“I did some research and read a ton of reviews, and this was the most highly recommended,” Lucas explains, his expression a little bashful. “It has the best selection of stitches, and there’s a screen where you can pick fonts to personalize things. I thought it could help with your designs while traveling.”

“I-I don’t know what to say,” I admit, my voice thick with emotion. “Thank you.”

The simple phrase doesn’t feel like enough, but it’s all I can get out without bursting into tears.

“What Theo said was bullshit,” he continues, brushing my hair off my face. “Finding inspiration and creating more is exactly what’s going to help you figure out what you want to do.”

“You think?” I ask, blinking rapidly to hold back the tears pricking at the backs of my eyes.

“I know,” he confirms, certainty marking his words.

While Theo apologized for being an arse at the Melbourne Grand Prix, and although I know his goal wasn’t to hurt me, his words still cut. I don’t know which was worse—that he believed what he was saying or that he didn’t believe in me. But Lucas does. He always has. He makes me feel delicate and strong at the same time, and that’s a gift no one’s ever given me before .

“Not my finest segue, but how do you want to tell Theo about us?” he asks, twirling a curl around his pointer finger.

My expression must give away just how badly I don’t want to even think about it, because he chuckles and scoots closer, grasping my chin.

“We’re going to have to talk about it, baby. We can’t keep this from him.”

I’ve never been into pet names, not really, but the way Lucas calls me baby does illegal things to my body. Placing my coffee mug and half-eaten doughnut on the bedside table, I inhale, mentally preparing myself. I’ve got a laundry list of reasons to wait, but I have a feeling Lucas isn’t going to like any of them. But I clear my throat and get the words out there. “I don’t think we should.”

“Um, what?” he asks, his green eyes widening like saucers. Shaking his head, he crosses his arms over his broad chest. “Absolutely not. Fuck that. I’m thirty-one years old.”

“And I’m twenty-three, soon to be twenty-four,” Itell him. “What do our ages have to do with anything?”

He presses his palms into his brows. “It means I’m too old to be hiding a relationship from my best friend.”

“I’m not saying I want to hide it forever.” I duck my head and nibble on my lower lip. “I just want to figure this out before we tell him.”

He waves at the space between us. “What do you mean figure this out? It’s a relationship, Roo. It’s not a one-night stand or friends-with-benefits situation or a casual fling. It’s real and it’s us.”

Warmth spreads through me at the certainty in his words. “I’d still rather take the time to make sure we’re good and solid before involving anyone else.”

Lucas frowns, lines bracketing his mouth. “Why? Are you having doubts?”

I rest my hands on his scruffy cheeks. “No, not at all. ”

Through all the chaos in my life, the one thing I’ve always been certain about is my feelings for Lucas Adler.

“Good, because if you were having doubts, I’d just dick-matize you until you forgot all about them.” He drops a quick kiss on my lips. “The sooner we get it over with, the more time he’ll have to get used to it. He’s going to be upset regardless of when we tell him, but I’d rather he only be pissed that we’re dating than pissed that we’re dating and that we hid it from him.”

“But what if we tell him, and then you realize that you can’t date someone who’s so disorganized? You’re the king of schedules, and I’m the queen of doing my own thing. I’m not a cactus. I need lots and lots of attention to thrive, you know? What if?—”

He holds my lips shut with his fingers. “I’m going to stop you right there.”

I try to argue, but it’s impossible when I’m unable to open my mouth, so I simply narrow my eyes.

Satisfied that I can’t interrupt him, he says, “I don’t know who made you feel like that, and if I ever find out, I’ll knock them the fuck out, but you’ll never be too much for me. If anything, I’m going to want more of you. Any red flags you think you have? They’re beige to me, baby.”

He waits a moment before removing his hand, and when he does, I once again latch on to him like a fucking octopus and bury my face in his neck.

He chuckles and hugs me tight. “So we’re good?”

Angling back, I grimace. “Theo’s dealt with so much change lately, and when he learns we’re dating, two of his closest relationships are going to inevitably change. There’s never going to be a good time to tellhim, but…”

“You think now’s an extra bad time,” Lucas finishes for me. He doesn’t sound annoyed or angry, but I can’t get a read on where his head is at .

“There are only three races, including today’s, before summer break,” I say. “I was thinking that if we waited until then, he’ll have half the season under his belt. You two usually do your own thing during the break, so he’ll have plenty of time to cool off and process it before the second half of the season.”

“And hopefully Josie can talk him down,” Lucas adds with a considering nod.

“Exactly,” I say. “If you really want to talk to him now, we can. This isn’t my decision to make; it’s ours.”

He rests his forehead against mine. With a slight hint of warning in his tone, he says, “Summer break, then we tell him.”

“Agreed.” I give him a resolute nod. “And in the meantime, you can spend your free time traveling with me.”

Now that his assistant has reworked his schedule, he can stay a few extra days in some of the cities he’s racing in. He’s not extending after today’s race because he has meetings in London, but he’s going to stay in Budapest after the Hungarian Grand Prix next weekend, which was my plan, too.

My plan, more specifically, was to stroll around and explore, which made his eye twitch despite his reassurance that it was “fine.” He’s a meticulous planner, and since I don’t mind having a schedule—I just don’t care to create one myself—I gave him carte blanche to create our itinerary.

“Yep,” he confirms. “I’m going to start booking things tomorrow. Nat sent me a few recommendations, but I want to read reviews first.”

Snorting, I give my head a shake. “You’ve got a serious hard-on for reviews, babe.”

“Nope, only for you.” He presses a lingering kiss against my neck. “Now finish your doughnut.”

“Why?” Confused, I wrinkle my nose. “My blood sugar’s fine now. If anything, it’s a bit high. ”

He breaks into a wicked smile. “I need another warm-up before I head to my workout at the track, so it’s definitely going to drop again.”

I throw my head back and laugh. If I wasn’t already in love with Lucas, this morning would have sealed the deal.