Collided: Dirty Air (Book 2)(33)

Maya’s jaw drops open while Nikolai looks at me with a mix of respect and hesitancy.

“You sure about that, blondie?” Michail looks at me in disbelief. “Although I won’t mind checking you out in your underwear.”

Men, so easily distracted by the little things. “Sure. Let’s see the cards.”

The dealer reveals the flop of a six and nine of hearts, along with a king of clubs.

My heart beats rapidly in my chest. Michail lets out something that sounds vaguely like a curse word in Russian. Both of us stare at the deck as if it can reveal the answers. Blood rushes to my ears as my heart rate accelerates past what should be considered normal.

The dealer shows the next card.

“Holy shit.” Nikolai whispers as the dealer reveals an eight of hearts.

Maya and I both jump out of our chairs as we rush to hug one another.

“Oh my God, a Straight. You did it! You just won!” Maya squeals.

Michael stands to remove his pants.

I lift my hand. “Don’t bother. We’re done here, boys. Gotta leave before Lady Luck doesn’t want to share her magic anymore.”

Maya and I grab our money and clothes off the floor. Maya struggles to put on her layers before she decides to shove most of her clothes in her backpack.

“So that’s it? We lost all our money and didn’t even get to see you with all your clothes off.” Nikolai puts on his pants.

Michail flashes us a smile before he grabs his shirt off the floor. “I’d feel used, except you both were fun to hang around. We’ll have to do this again.”

As much fun as they’ve proven themselves, I think Santiago would kill Maya if she hung around these two more often. They scream trouble.

We say our goodbyes. Maya and I exit the hotel room arm in arm, laughing up to the ceiling as we walk back to my suite.

Turns out twenty-two is off to a strong start. I’ve made a good friend, knocked off a Fuck It list item, and won thousands of euros.

Siri, please cue Taylor Swift’s “22.”





12





Liam





“I have a plan for us that involves knocking off one of my list items.” Sophie’s hoarse voice greets me at the entrance of McCoy’s pit garage after my qualifier and press conference.

“Which one?” My voice betrays my excitement.

“It’s one I just added.” She winks at me, but it comes off as a twitch.

It looks like I tempted the little demon inside of her by challenging her list and adding a new item. A feeling of satisfaction runs through me at the idea of her branching out.

“Should I be worried?” I nudge her in the ribs.

Her eyes shine with mischief and something else I can’t place. “Only if you’re afraid of cliff diving. Think you can handle it?” She shoots me a smile that would make a normal guy run for the nearest exit.

I drive us to the location of the new item on her list. Her hair blows in the wind as she throws her arms up in the air and dances in her seat to music, enjoying the drive in my convertible I snagged from my Monaco flat. Fuck me, Sophie’s gorgeous without trying. She abandons her cautiousness, enjoying the moment, singing along to songs while I drive. I fight to keep my eyes on the road and dismiss the tug on my heart at how happy she looks.

When I added the date to Sophie’s list, I wasn’t expecting her to go ahead and add one of her own. For sure not something as crazy as cliff diving in Monaco. Let this be a lesson for me to not underestimate her because she surprises me every step of the way.

After I park the car, we stroll together along the jagged shore before I tell her to walk in front of me in case she falls back on the slippery rocks. I came up with an idea out of the goodness of my heart. Checking out her ass ends up being an awesome plus.

“Oh God. Why on earth did I agree to do this?” Sophie fails to hide the fear in her voice.

“Is this part of your pep talk? Because you’ve been doing a shit job at it for the past ten minutes.” My eyes land on her tattered shorts. A hint of her ass peeks out from the bottom, tempting me to touch her. She looks like a present wrapped up just for me. The straps of her bikini call my name, begging me to undo the two little bows holding up each side.

She shoots me a glare over her shoulder. “Why did you convince me to go cliff diving? It’s so reckless when you have a race tomorrow. What if you get injured?”

I didn’t come up with this idea. Do I tell her this? No way. A stupid man would do that.

“Yeah, you know me, always looking for the next adventure.”

“This is why you’re in trouble with McCoy. You’re too rebellious for your own good.” She shakes her head.

Her comment doesn’t come across as a jab, especially when she has a point. Would she be into me if I didn’t fuck up so badly with McCoy? My mistake is probably why Sophie came up with her stupid “just friends” idea in the first place.

I threw a wrench in her plan the moment I flirted with her during Maya’s games. I’d feel dejected if it weren’t for how she looks at me when she thinks I’m paying attention to something else. She presses the brakes when I want to floor the accelerator.

We finally get to the top of the cliff after a short walk. I spent half the hike watching the view, both of Sophie’s ass and the Monaco shore. Even my insanity has its limits, my heart beating in my chest as I check out the thirty-foot jump. Churning water slaps against the ragged edge and creates whitecaps.