Page 44 of Overdrive (Speed Demons #1)

The camera flash hit like a slap, yanking me out of the haze Callum had drawn me into. The faint click of the shutter brought the world crashing back, the crowd around us snapping into sharp focus as adrenaline shot through my veins.

I spun back around and stepped back, my hands coming up between us as if to shield myself from him—or maybe from what had just happened. What continues to happen between us. “Callum, we?—”

“Aurélie,” he said softly, his voice steady in contrast to my racing pulse. It was foreign to hear him say my full first name; it jarred me, grating against my already frayed nerves.

“No,” I hissed, glancing around frantically. “There are cameras, people. God, I can’t?—”

Before I could finish the thought, his hand closed around mine, warm and firm, pulling me toward a shadowed corner behind the staircase to the VIP area. My heart thundered. I didn’t resist, even though my mind screamed for me to.

My body and mind were at war. This was a bad idea. But I couldn’t stop.

The alcove was dimly lit, tucked away from prying eyes, but the pounding bass of the music reminded me that we were still far from alone. He turned to face me, his hand never leaving mine, his grip grounding me when everything else felt like it was spiraling out of control.

“Callum, I can’t do this,” I whispered, though the words felt hollow even as I said them.

“You can,” he said, his voice low and steady. “And you want to. Don’t tell me you don’t.”

His other hand slid up, threading gently into my hair, and I couldn’t stop the soft gasp that escaped my lips. The world around us blurred again, the music and lights fading into the background as his thumb brushed against my cheek.

My skin burned where he touched me, my body leaning into his as if drawn by some unseen force. He pulled me closer until there was no space left between us.

“What do you want, Callum?” I whispered.

He hesitated, his eyes searching mine as if looking for an answer he couldn’t find. “You,” he said finally, the word raw and unfiltered.

Then his lips were on mine, the kiss soft at first, testing, but quickly deepening. His hand in my hair tightened slightly, angling my head to deepen the kiss, while his other hand pressed against the small of my back, holding me firmly against him.

This was different than earlier. Still hungry, but not frantic.

Just pure, unadulterated lust. I melted into him, my fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as my mind went blissfully blank.

There was no grid, no media, no rivalry, no pressure—just us, lost in the moment for the second time tonight because we couldn't stay away.

Our tongues met hungrily, and I stood on the tips of my toes to taste more of him. I was so fucking wound up that I forgot where we were. Who we were. What we were.

He grabbed my wrists, pinning them over my head so our bodies were flush.

One hand pinned mine in place. The other hooked my leg over his hip.

I whimpered into his mouth, hips grinding instinctively at the friction—his cock hard, pressing right where I needed it most. My body reacted, remembering the hallway.

The wall. His hands. The way he made me feel like I was seconds from falling apart.

Except this time, it wasn’t almost. This was happening and I didn’t know how to stop it.

I wanted to die .

No, I wanted to come. Fuck.

When we finally broke apart, both of us breathing heavily, his forehead rested against mine. “Tell me this is real,” he rasped.

“It is,” I replied, mine shaky but sure. “Fuck.” My hips rolled against his as we breathed each other’s air. He groaned, his eyes closing for a brief moment.

But real didn’t mean safe. Real meant consequences, headlines, team contracts. It meant pit chasers and fake smiles, not fanfiction girls who got the fantasy, but instead the fallout.

I couldn’t keep resisting but I also knew what would happen if I caved.

As the fog of the kiss lifted, reality came crashing back with brutal clarity.

The flash of the camera was etched into my mind, and the panic settled in like a lead weight.

Shit, I felt like I couldn’t breathe—between the panic and the kiss that left my body hot and bothered, and all the ways we were touching…

“Callum, I can’t,” I said again, my voice trembling as I struggled against his hold. He released me, and I stepped out of his reach. “If this gets out, if Luminis?—”

“Auri, wait,” he said, his hands reaching for me but stopping short. The nickname, normally so infuriating, sounded like a plea.

“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice breaking as I turned and hurried away, tugging my dress back in place. My heels clicked against the tiles, the sound as deafening as the dull roar in my ears.

I wanted him. That was why I taunted him all night, why I almost caved upstairs in the hallway. But once the alcohol started to wear off and I realized all that was at stake?

God fucking damn it.

The world couldn't bend around us. It wouldn't. It never had, not for women like me. Not when one wrong move could be the end of everything.

I didn’t stop moving—up the stairs, grabbing my clutch, out the door—until I was outside hailing a cab. The city lights softened as tears stung my eyes, a thousand what-ifs and what-nexts spinning in my mind.

I couldn't give him the chance to stop me, because if he asked me again, I would say yes.

He felt like everything I’d ever wanted.

But it would cost me everything I’d built.

And worse, he might never forgive me for walking away again.