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CHAPTER TWENTY

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ICY TEMPERATURES OBSERVED AT PARAGON RACING

There’s clearly no love lost between Lars Bachman and Vanessa Lennon. The two barely speak, and when they do, it’s strained. Formula 1 hasn’t had a proper driver rivalry in a while, so while we know how difficult it can be in a team where the drivers don’t get along, out here? We’re salivating.

James was already sitting with Vic Pritchard, owner of Xelerate, when I opened the door to the small conference room in our trailers. My own owner nodded as he continued speaking. We had a good relationship, but the very nature of it was strained sometimes because we both wanted the best things for the team, but we sometimes wanted them in different ways.

I doubted this meeting was going to make our relationship better. At the moment, I merely hoped it would survive it.

Vic stood and smiled at me, holding out his hand. “Good to see you, Grayson.”

“Likewise.”

“I was pestering James here to see what this was about, but he doesn’t know either. So color me intrigued.”

I laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m not about to give you crushing news.”

He gasped in mock relief and pressed a hand to his chest. “Thank goodness.”

The door behind us opened and River stepped in. Hints of Vanessa’s scent clung to him, and his lips were red not only from spending time at the photo call in the cold. He smirked at me like he knew I was scolding him in my head.

“Hey, Vic. Hello, Mr. Robertson.”

“River.” James nodded. “I guess we can get started?”

I pulled out a chair and sat. “We’re waiting for one more person.”

“Who?”

Like the universe had decided to answer him the door opened again and Vanessa stepped inside. She smiled softly. Almost shyly. She was nervous, and I knew why. But if you weren’t looking for those nerves you would never know. “Hello.”

Vic tilted his head. “Now I’m even more intrigued. Hello, Miss Lennon. It’s good to meet you.” He shook her hand.

“You too. Hi, Mr. Robertson.” She sat between River and I.

James nodded. “Vanessa.” Then he turned and raised an eyebrow at me. “Care to tell us what we’re all doing here so we can get on with our days?”

“Why?” River asked. “Is there something important we need to do?”

We all laughed, and I sent River a look of thanks for breaking the tension. I cleared my throat. “I assume all of our mutual NDAs cover this conversation?”

James waved a hand. “Spit it out, Gray. The dramatics aren’t necessary.”

Vic chuckled, clearly amused with the frustration, but I saw his curiosity was reaching his limit as well.

“Vic, you might not know this, but I hadn’t met Vanessa in person before our announcement about her joining Paragon because that’s the way we planned it. Everything was done digitally, so there was no way for anyone to see it coming.”

He shrugged. “Probably a little extreme, but I get it.”

“Because of that,” I continued, “the first time we ever met was on that stage. Which was when we found out that we’re a scent match. She’s our Omega.”

Breathless silence filled the room. It felt like the world had frozen. Beneath the table, I squeezed Vanessa’s hand and wove our fingers together. The tension in the room made her scent lightly sour.

“You’re shitting me,” James said.

“I would say I wish I was joking, but I don’t wish that,” I said truthfully. “Because once you’ve felt it, nothing else matters. But the two of you needed to know because when it comes out, and it will have to eventually, we didn’t want you to be blindsided or think there was more to Vanessa’s contract than met the eye. And further, Vanessa is willing to sign the same set of NDAs that River has in this unique situation.”

“I’ll be damned,” Vic said. “As someone who has a scent match, congrats. And I believe you, because there’s pretty much nothing I wouldn’t do for my Omega. If she’d been yours before you hired her, I think it would have been clear.”

James still stared at River, Nessa, and me, eyes hard. Like he was trying to see through all of us and determine if we were lying.

“I was just as surprised,” Vanessa said. “And like Gray, though this is probably the worst timing and pairing fate could have chosen, I can’t exactly regret it. I just hope the interviews I did that day are coherent, because I honestly don’t remember most of it.”

That finally made James crack a smile. He laughed and shook his head. “I’ve seen all of them, and I never would have known.”

She blew out a breath. “That’s good, I guess.”

“You want to keep it quiet?” James looked at me. Now that he was over the shock, he didn’t seem angry. But James was also notoriously hard to read.

“For the moment.” I nodded. “I’m sure you can see why.”

“Yes. It gives us a chance to consider a way to reveal it without it having a negative impact.” James sighed. “Thank you for telling me. You’re right that I wouldn’t have reacted well finding out any other way. But there are still things to talk about and things I expect. I’m sure Vic can say the same.” The other man inclined his head.

Vanessa grabbed my hand with her other one, practically strangling it. But her scent had evened out into that beautiful sweetness. “Like what?”

“Like understanding that Grayson being your Alpha doesn’t mean anything when it comes to the team. There are two drivers for Paragon, and Grayson has to make decisions that make sense for the team, no matter what. Even if those decisions don’t favor you. You can’t be upset about that.”

I was the one who would have a harder time than she would. Because I would have to fight against every instinct to not always put her first. Lars wasn’t my favorite person, but he was a damn good driver, and I couldn’t ignore it, no matter how much I wanted to make sure he never beat her.

James continued. “And by the same token, you cannot take having your Alpha as Team Principal as an excuse not to put in the work we hired you to do. I still expect you to drive like hell.”

My Omega’s face was adorable when she was offended. “I would never do otherwise. Being scent matched doesn’t change the fact that I’ve worked my whole life for this.”

“Good.”

“My secretary will send over the NDAs,” Vic said. “And I’m also glad you told us. I respect it, Gray. Especially going into this without knowing how we would react.”

I nodded to him once.

“Do you have any idea how you’d like to announce it?” James asked.

“Not yet. The five of us are still trying to wrap our heads around it.” I laughed. “We only waited to tell you until now so we could be face to face. As far as when, I was thinking around the summer break. Gives us a few weeks to deal with the press attention without also having to deal with races, gives Vanessa a chance to establish herself now, and could be a nice distraction from any driver negotiations and Silly Season.”

The midpoint of the season ran rampant with rumors about who was switching teams and what they were asking for. It was exhausting. Though it would be a personal sacrifice, giving the press the chance to feed on our story could give some breathing room to those of us behind the scenes. Especially since Lars’s contract was up at the end of this year, and we would be one of the teams negotiating.

Vanessa spoke. “I wanted to say… River and Gray don’t know this. The documentary. I hadn’t actually decided whether to participate. But I think I’d rather sit it out this year. Aside from not needing more on my schedule, I don’t want there to be any question or idea that us being together was formulated purely for television. That being said, if either of you really want us to participate, I’ll make it work.”

They didn’t have an immediate response. Instead, they were thoughtful. James finally looked at her and smiled. “I can see the value of both. But I agree with you. I’m fine with Paragon sitting out this season.”

Vanessa let out a quiet breath of relief.

“Fine with me.” Vic looked to my left. “You’re awfully quiet, River.”

“Just listening.” He laid his arm across the back of Vanessa’s chair, casually touching her shoulder. No one missed the gesture, subtle as it was. “If Nessa’s out of the documentary, then so am I. And as far as us being together? I don’t care if people know. Hell, I’d shout it through the commentator’s mics at testing today if I could. But I understand why that’s not a possibility. I’m just glad you’re not pissed.”

“The only reason I’m not is because this,” he gestured between River and me, “worked last season and there were no breaches. And like James said, you told us early. Plus, as you know, I get it. When I met Kat, my world turned upside down between one second and the next.”

That was exactly how it felt.

“We know it won’t be easy,” Vanessa said. “But we have no plans to let it interfere with anything on the professional side.”

James knocked on the table. “Then I think that settles it. We can talk about the media side of it a little later, but I think all of us have places to be very shortly.” He shook my hand again before Vanessa and River. Vic left with him, and the three of us took a beat. We were alone for the moment, and with the door closed, we could breathe.

“That went better than I thought it would,” River said.

Vanessa leaned back against the table. “Me too.”

I looked at River. “Now get out of here before someone starts asking questions.”

“Just one more.” He pulled Vanessa into him and kissed her. It wasn’t at all chaste, and not even her racing suit could contain all her perfume. “See you later, baby.”

After he left I raised an eyebrow. I’d known, but now I was curious. “One more ?”

She threw up her hands. “He snuck into my driver room. I had nothing to do with it.”

“I need to put him on a leash.”

“Somehow I think he’d object to that.”

“Only one way to find out.”

“Well,” she pushed off the table and headed for the door. “If you do try that, make sure I’m there to see it.”

I caught her before she could leave and I took my own kiss, savoring the way every bit of her softened against me. Just one taste and I needed more. I hadn’t touched her in more than a day and that was just fucking unacceptable.

Nessa’s moan brought me back to myself. It took everything I had to pull away. “Good luck on the track.”

“Don’t need luck when you’ve got skill.”

She walked away every bit the cocky racing driver I knew she was and needed to be. This season was going to be fun to watch.