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CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

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After the incidents in both Free Practice and Qualifying, people are once again wondering if sabotage is afoot in the Formula 1 paddock. Vanessa Lennon’s car was retired from both sessions due to mechanical failures in the braking system. While it’s not uncommon for these things to happen, it is uncommon to have the same issue arise multiple times in close succession, which is also what happened with her tyres in round 4.

“Last lap.”

Elation surged through me, my smile so wide it ached even behind the helmet. “Are we really fucking doing this?”

Beck laughed. “We’re really fucking doing this.”

The only car in front of me was River. Us both being on the podium wasn’t new, but we’d never come first and second. We were about to. I only wished our radios connected so we could celebrate right the fuck now.

“Here we go.”

The checkered flag waved, the crews hanging over the pit wall celebrating with us. I raised my fist in the air with them, with the crowd, and with River. Joy soaked me with every breath, and I reveled in it.

More joy than could fit in this moment. It was also the joy I’d felt but had been unable to show during my win. That first win would always mean everything to me. Absolutely everything. But I wanted this joy too.

River barely waited for me to get out of the car, pulling my helmet off as soon as he could reach me and kissing me senseless. I couldn’t stop smiling and laughing, which made kissing him harder, but I couldn’t stop that either.

“Fuck yes, baby.”

“Now we just have to do this with you in second place.”

He burst out laughing. “I’m sure we will.”

Our crews surged around us, cheering. Ronan hugged me, and Annika was celebrating right along with us. I wasn’t the only one making up for lost celebration.

“You know what just happened, right?” River’s voice could barely be heard in the commotion, even pressed up against my ear.

“Us being badasses?”

He shook his head. “You just moved up to fourth.”

My face went slack with shock, and I did the math in my head. He was right. This second place moved me ahead of Ossi Ivanov for fourth place in the Drivers Championship. There weren’t enough races left for me to move up again unless I won all of them. But I would fight to keep fourth, because fourth place in my first season was a miracle. It was practically unheard of.

“Holy shit.”

River grabbed my hand, and we went straight to the podium. It felt surreal to be in the second spot next to River. All I could do was soak in the electricity of the moment and let it flow, trying to remember every fucking second.

We listened to the national anthem, which was for River, but for me too. And when he turned to kiss me like he always did when we were on the podium together, he didn’t. Instead he stepped off the podium and pulled me with him. “What are you doing?”

He laced our fingers together and lifted them, showing me his hand as he kissed the back of mine. His ring—the one I’d picked out—sat on his finger. Then he glanced behind me, a knowing smile on his face.

I turned and found them all there. Beck, Elias, and Grayson stood on the podium. No, that wasn’t right. They were kneeling .

My jaw still held its residence on the floor. “Right now?”

River kissed my hand again before pulling me toward them. “Right now, baby.”

They all had their rings on. Elias held a black box in his hand. It was open. I could just spot the sparkle of my ring inside it.

“We each have something to say.” He was shouting to be heard over the roaring of the gathered crowd. “And that can wait until we’re not standing in front of thousands of people. But for myself, I love you. I love you so fucking much and I am done not being able to feel you.” Another fierce kiss on my lips. “You belong to us, and we’ve belonged to you since that first moment. Please let us make you ours forever.” He took a step back to be with them, and knelt. “Bond with us?”

Tears flooded my eyes, and I looked around. The crowd in the stands were on their feet, the crews below the podium cheering, and we were all on the giant screens. Fucking surreal.

I smiled and looked back at them, and because everyone was watching, I nodded before I said, “Yes.”

Noise erupted as they circled me. Elias slid the ring on my finger. Just as beautiful as the day I saw it, but now it fit perfectly. Just like the five of us. He grinned. “Surprised?”

“Yes.”

Grayson wrapped himself around me from behind. “Do you think they’ll ask you any questions about racing during media?”

I laughed, the sound swallowed as Beck held me close with no words needed. Finally, I looked back at Grayson. “Should we go find out?”

Because it was Grayson, he’d already planned a full press conference, knowing they would want to speak to me. I tried to get them to sit with me, but I gave up when it became clear they would only answer questions with growls. I loved it.

No one asked me any racing questions. My eyes kept straying to where they stood, dodging the questions that went to far and trying to make the reporters laugh for the ones that didn’t. But all our threads were close to snapping. The last place we wanted to be was anywhere with an audience.

“I think that’s enough,” the moderator finally said with a laugh. He glanced toward the edge of the room where all four of my men stood, feral energy roving out in pulses. I felt drawn to them so much I couldn’t stop looking at them. Or down at the ring, though I was trying desperately to pay attention. “If we hold you hostage any longer we’ll have some angry Alphas on our hands.”

I set the mic down on the couch and went. We were outside in seconds, and a car was already there. Thank goodness for Grayson’s forethought. Beck had me in his lap about ten seconds after we climbed in, his purr rumbling through both of us. “We can’t go all the way home if we want to do this now,” he said. “Are you okay with that? Or do you want to wait?”

“We’d better not be waiting.”

Grayson chuckled. “We thought you might say that. It’s not home, but I put in some calls.”

I looked over my shoulder. “Like?”

“You’ll see.”

“I’m going to need a couple minutes when we get to the suite,” I said, looking at River. “I need to change, and I don’t trust myself to shower with you.”

“You don’t have to shower at all,” he made an overly lustful face on purpose.

“I’m bonding myself to you for life. I’d rather not worry about whether I smell while I do it.”

We all laughed.

“I can’t believe you did it on the podium.”

Elias shrugged. “Seemed appropriate. And the look on your face was incredible. Not to mention we now have the proposal filmed from about a thousand angles.”

No chance we would ever forget that moment.

A twinge of pain surfaced in my chest at the thought that Grandpa wasn’t here to know. But this was what he’d wanted. He’d said as much. I knew he’d be happy even if he pretended to be grumpy for ‘losing’ me to the pack.

I pressed our button on the elevator, only for Grayson to shake his head. “We moved.”

“We moved ?”

The button he pressed was all the way at the top. The penthouse. Of course.

“You Alphas and your obsession with being on top of things.”

River smirked. “As I recall, you liked the last time I was on top of you.”

Heat streaked through me. I needed to change quickly because I wanted them on top of me. Inside of me. With me.

Grayson opened the door and held out a hand. I took it. He led me to a side bedroom. “I’ll grab your suitcase, little one. You can shower in here.”

I gave him a look and gasped in mock horror. “Am I being banished from our bedroom?”

“Never. But there might be one more surprise, and once you’re in the bedroom,” his gaze traveled down my body all the way to my toes and back up, “there’s no turning back.”

My mouth was dry. “Yeah.”

I didn’t wait for him to come back to get in the shower.