Read Online Race to the Top: Book one in the Racing to Find Love series by KT Shears - Free Book Online

opposite him.
    Erik laughed.
    ‘Devlin always eats in his room,’ he said. ‘But I just hear
my mother’s voice telling me not to be so lazy.’
    Anna laughed at that.
    ‘I don’t know,’ she said, ‘I like the idea of being served
breakfast in bed.’
    Erik smiled, and an image flashed in his head suddenly of
him serving breakfast to Anna, as she lay in bed in her bear pyjamas. Or even
better, without her bear pyjamas. He shook himself. He couldn’t afford to lose
any focus this week, especially not because of a woman – even if she was smart,
funny, and pretty gorgeous.
    ‘I saw Devlin cornered you at dinner last night,’ Erik said,
interested to know what they had chatted about.
    Anna nodded, rolling my eyes dramatically.
    ‘He was telling me how he’s the best racing driver in the
world.’
    ‘He tells us all that,’ said Erik, smiling, waving down a
waiter who was passing.
    Anna ordered a coffee and the waiter hurried off.
    ‘I’m not sure I believe him,’ Anna said.
    Erik laughed again.
    ‘I’ll let you in on a secret,’ he said, beckoning her in
closer. She obliged – Erik could smell her hair again, and he breathed it in,
trying not to appear too obvious. ‘I don’t believe him either,’ he whispered,
and Anna laughed.
    ‘I didn’t realise he was married,’ Anna said, and Erik
nodded. ‘What’s his wife like?’
    ‘Beautiful,’ said Erik. ‘And incredibly boring. She doesn’t
come to races any more, Devlin got bored of her hanging around and told her not
to come.’
    ‘That’s awful,’ Anna said, sounding horrified.
    ‘It happens a lot here,’ Erik said, smiling sadly. ‘It’s a
difficult environment for relationships, the travelling and the stress. A lot
of wives choose not to come of their own accord.’
    ‘What about yours?’ Anna asked.
    Erik shook his head, and thought he detected a slight glow
of pleasure on Anna’s face. Perhaps he was imagining it, though.
    ‘I’m not married,’ he said, taking a sip of his coffee.
     ‘No girlfriend either?’
    ‘No,’ Erik said, simply. Then figuring he should explain
himself more, added, ‘I’m totally focused on winning the championship this
year, I can’t have any distractions.’
    He knew that was true, but he wouldn’t have minded having
Anna as a distraction.
    ‘That’s romantic,’ Anna said, laughing, and Erik smiled
back, shrugging slightly.
    ‘How about you?’ Erik asked, watching her reaction
carefully. He hadn’t thought she might have a boyfriend, or even a husband, and
now the thought had occurred to him, he felt odd, suddenly.
    Anna shook her head quickly.
    ‘I’m single,’ she said.
    Erik disguised his relieved smile by lifting his coffee to
his lips.

Chapter eleven
     
    The media event had been suitably
boring. Anna had been in the audience of enough of them to know what to expect,
even if she hadn’t ever attended one for racing drivers. Erik and Devlin sat at
a table, with Gary in the middle, as journalists asked them various questions
about how their cars were this year, what did they think of the new rules that
had just been brought in, would they be ‘racing’ each other… Anna thought the
latter one was a stupid question, and voiced as much on the phone to Jules that
night.
    ‘Hang on,’ she said, ‘I’ll ask Dan.’
    There was a pause and Dan came on
the line. Anna repeated her remark and she could almost hear him shake his head
down the line.
    ‘No, no, it’s a valid question,’ he
explained. ‘Last season the team was really reluctant for them to challenge
each other out on the track, in case both cars got damaged or the drivers got
hurt. They came in for a lot of criticism during the off season for not
allowing them to race each other properly, to be more aggressive.’
    Anna thought she understood.
    ‘They said that they would be allowed
to race at the interview,’ she told him.
    Dan drew in a whistle.
    ‘Then be prepared for some good
races,’ he said, his voice