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CHAPTER FORTY

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THE WATCH FOR PACK DE CLARE

Since the news broke about the new love match in the Formula 1 paddock, everyone’s been trying to catch a glimpse of their pack in action. But so far they’ve been frustratingly professional. Grayson de Clare kissing Vanessa Lennon’s hand is the closest we’ve gotten. Come on, guys! Show us a kiss!

River already waited in the garage by the time the race was over, with Vanessa in P-4. He, on the other hand, had his first DNF of the season. I lifted my chin at him as I approached. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. Annoyed, but fine.”

“Yeah…” What had taken out River was a controversial move by John Lockwood. They bumped tyres, enough to send River spinning off the track and into the gravel. Unfortunately, the wing was also damaged and there was no way to get the car back fast enough to make a difference. Vanessa had avoided the incident, barely. “He got a penalty for it.”

“I know. I’m honestly more frustrated that Bachman won than that Lockwood hit me,” he muttered.

“No arguments there.” In the two days since the news had been announced, the Alpha had been colder than ice to everyone on the crew, including Grayson. He was fucking pissed , and I knew without having to ask that he didn’t believe the truth.

Vanessa came into the garage after hopping out of her car, but there was someone behind her. I froze. John Lockwood. He’d finished fifth, and he was following her into our space. “Stay here,” I told River.

My Omega took off her helmet, and their words came into focus over the cluttered noise of everything post-race.

“—glad you’re okay, even if you took out River. You deserved that penalty.”

I stepped up behind Vanessa and saw her relax when my scent reached her.

“Worth it. You know, figured I’d give you an edge,” John said with a grin. “Gotta beat your boyfriend sometime, right?”

What the actual fuck?

“Please tell me that’s not true,” Vanessa whispered. “Tell me you didn’t do it on purpose.”

All the humor dropped from John’s face. “Of course not. It was a joke. You know I wouldn’t do that.”

“A little too soon around here for jokes like that,” I told him. “After race four.”

“Point taken. Sorry.”

Suddenly River was there with us, despite me telling him to keep his ass on the other side of the garage. “Hey, baby.”

“Hey.” She smiled at him, but they didn’t touch, didn’t kiss. The press had been hounding all of us for pictures of PDA, and while it was bound to happen eventually, we wanted the focus to be on the racing first and us second. But I pulled her closer to me, stroking a hand up and down her back.

“Lockwood,” River said in greeting.

“Daniels. Sorry about that. You know how it is. Just made a joke that was in poor taste.”

“I heard,” River said, and the coldness in his voice drew my gaze to him. He was pissed and territorial. Hell, so was I. But we weren’t alone here. Elias approached, watching the interaction the same way I was. “You sure it was a joke?”

John rolled his eyes. “Not you too. I promise I’m not actually that much of an asshole.”

“I’ll pretend I believe you.”

The other driver actually looked surprised. “You don’t?”

“I think that sending me off the track two days after our relationship was made public is one hell of a coincidence,” River said coolly.

Lockwood laughed, a sound that wasn’t at all pleasant. “You think I would go out of my way to put you in the gravel over that? Your ego really knows no bounds, does it?”

“You’re going to tell me I’m wrong? It was my line, Lockwood, and we both know it.”

“Whatever. The world doesn’t revolve around you.”

“Think I don’t fucking know that?” River snarled. “But you came awfully close to taking out Vanessa too, and my world revolves around her. So think twice next time.”

“Hey,” Vanessa snapped. “I don’t need anyone to fight my battles for me. River, John already apologized. I finished the race. Now both of you stop acting like you’re still in go-karts and get it together.”

John tilted his head. He seemed calm. A little too calm. And not looking at Vanessa or even acknowledging he’d heard her. His instincts had hold, and they weren’t letting go. He clearly enjoyed River’s anger. His small smile told me he wasn’t getting it together. “And why would I go after you for that anyway? She was mine long before she was yours. Everything you’re getting now I’ve already had.”

River lunged, Elias just close enough to hold him back from landing the punch he’d intended.

“ Enough .” Vanessa’s voice cut through everything, pushing away from me to stand between River and John. The disappointment on her face when she looked at John was so visceral I felt like I should be ashamed. “I thought you were better than that.”

“Vanessa—”

“I said enough . We’ve known each other a long time, Johnny, and up until this moment, I’ve considered you a friend. But I’m not a toy. I’m not a possession you lost. I am not something you can use to beat other people over the head, and I’m so fucking disappointed that this is who you are. Further, none of us want stories about you fighting my pack over me, or have you forgotten you’re in the middle of a damn garage? Get out.”

He took a step back like she’d slapped him. Frankly, it looked like he’d woken up and realized what an ass he was being. But at this point? I wasn’t sure I believed it.

“Nessa. I didn’t mean it. It was heat of the moment.”

“Get. Out.” She said it through her teeth. “You don’t have a right to nicknames anymore, and you certainly don’t get to have the last word. Don’t make me ask you again.”

He stalked away, anger clear in his stride.

River was crouched on the ground, breathing. He shoved a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry.” The words were quiet enough that only we heard him. “I shouldn’t have gone for him.”

“You absolutely should have,” Vanessa said, pulling him up from his crouch and wrapping her arms around his waist. He tucked her in, and my heart warmed at how natural it looked. “He was baiting you.”

“Which is why I shouldn’t have fallen for it.”

“We’re racers.” She was so much shorter she had to tilt her head back to see him. “We’re all a bit hot-headed. Having reactions makes you human, River.”

His jaw worked, and I watched his fingers knead the small of her back. “Yeah.”

“Look at me, please.”

He did.

“I’m not mad at you. But you weren’t going to be able to diffuse that situation. Now stop throwing a pity party and beating yourself up before I do get mad at you.”

A smile finally cracked. “Okay.”

She leaned up to whisper in his ear, but I was still close enough. “I’m never going to be mad at you for your instincts. Or for trying to protect me. Please stop making it so heavy. You’ll make it harder for both of us, and we’ve already talked about that, right?”

River nodded, his cheek pressed against hers.

“Gotta let things roll off your back. I’ll teach you. Been doing it for years.”

“I’d rather just put you on your back, and I’m not the only one.”

She pulled away and smacked his arm, but the color high on her cheeks told me if her racing suit wasn’t keeping her perfume at bay we would be flooded with it. “That’s later.”

“You tell her yet?” Elias asked me.

“Tell me what?”

I shook my head. “Haven’t had the chance.”

Vanessa looked between us suspiciously. “And what, exactly, are you waiting to tell me?”

Elias crossed his arms and grinned. “We know where we’re going for the next date night.”