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And thebeside me was the one who’d won

EIGHT

VANCE

Kissing E I didn’t kno to describe it, other than the ets under the hull of a boat I knew the water was there beneath me and that I’d land safely on it, but that experience of floating just before crashing doas always thrilling

This wasn’t like any kiss I’d ever given before, and it left me disoriented I wanted more—a hell of a lot more

You’re just tired, that’s all this is

Fuck, I couldn’t even convince myself I’d been with her in Monaco for all of six hours and already kissed her How the fuck was I going to last a ithout having more?

I focused on the task at hand, rather than think about it The black sports coat fit well enough, and I appreciated hoas lightweight so I wouldn’t get too hot under the warm sun Nearly every event would be outside

The jacket was paired with jeans and a crea roo and E Niko Leitner

I didn’t want her within a hundred yards of the Austrian Asshole, and certainly not standing right beside him His reputation on the track was just as bad as it was off it He was aggressive and selfish in everything When his brakes overheated, it was the car’s fault and not his If he won a race, he’d deliver the standard line that it had been a team effort, but no one believed it—most of all, him

Niko had won the drivers’ championship last year, but it needed an asterisk beside it In the final race of the season, he’d interfered with Sem Janssen’s line, and when their tires had touched, it had sent his rival into the barrier at two hundred miles an hour Janssen had thankfully walked aith only a concussion, but Leitner hadhis lead in the points and the championship win

I understood the drive to win, but even I had my limits He could have killed Janssen