A SECOND CHANCE MAY BE TOO HOT TO HANDLE
They say there are no second chances, and for Lily Onassis, ever since she walked away from Formula World driver Max Becker, she's considered this true. Instead of a glitzy, glamorous life on the auto racing...
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LILY
After Mom and I eat, we head back upstairs so I can say goodbye to Dad. He wants to know if I'm headed immediately to Montreal, and hedge.
"I've been invited to a cabin in Quebec for a couple of days."
"So cryptic." He frowns. "Is it with a man?"
I clear my throat. "It's a chance for a little rest and relaxation before the race. Don't worry, I'll be doing lots of work while I'm there. And it's only a couple of hours from the track in case I need to get there quickly before practice."
"How is everyone on the team treating you?" Dad asks.
"Good," I say slowly, and when he eyes me suspiciously, I quickly follow with, "excellent, actually. No problems so far."
"Esteban looked solid. And Max was superb as always."
"Yes, he was." I can't meet my mother's gaze because I'm worried I'll reveal too much. "Oh, look at the time. I have a plane to catch."
I kiss Dad, then Mom, goodbye, beg Mom not to kill my plants while they stay in my condo, and leave the hospital. As arranged, Max is already at the executive airport on the plane by the time I arrive, and we take off without any contact with the media. Max's presence at the charity event seems to have appeased them.
Once again, on the flight and the ride from the private airport in Canada to the cabin, we barely talk with each other beyond a few race details. I work on my laptop, and he's on his phone. But there are long, lingering looks, and every time I glance over at him, he's staring at me with a half-smile that cuts into my heart like a blade.
With every minute we spend together the air between us crackles and sparks like an electrical storm.
Somehow, not acknowledging each other's presence beyond business makes me even hotter, and the minute we get inside the cabin, we collide. I wrap him in a giant hug, and he lifts me off the floor, twirling me around.
"Don't you want to look around the cabin?" he asks. As he puts me on my feet, I slide slowly down his body.
I swivel my head and take in the new surroundings. It's a log cabin, decorated with a few tasteful moose knickknacks. Very Canadian. The furniture screams of luxury and pine, and the open floor plan with the living room-kitchen combo is pleasantly benign.
"I'd rather look around the bedroom."
He laughs and grabs my hand. "Let's go exploring, then."
It doesn't take long for us to find the master bedroom, or for me to wrap my arms around him and press my lips against his neck.
Max and I move together toward the bed as we kiss, a fierce, quick dance that ends when the backs of my knees hit the bed. He presses me back and cages my body with his hands. We're still kissing, and the reality of what we're doing makes everything a little off-kilter, as if the world is tilting off its axis because of our intensity together.
