Page 26 of Full Throttle

Juliette gave him a look. For a moment Dominic thought she might refuse, but then she gave Anthony a smile that felt like a loaded grenade. “Excuse us.” Cameras flashed. They’d made it three steps before Juliette spoke, her voice low and annoyed. “Care to explain what that was about?”

Dominic’s neck felt hot. “Stay away from Sinclair. He’s…” A self-important dickhead. “You don’t want him as a friend.”

“Why? Because he took your seat?”

“Because he’ll do anything to win.”

Juliette came to a stop. “So would every racer alive.”

Dominic exhaled. Honestly. This woman. “There are limits.” They were standing by the pirate ship, huddled beneath the gangplank. “There are things most drivers wouldn’t do.” Like endangering a fellow driver. Or bedding the competition.

Hypocrite, his brain purred.

Dominic ignored this. He’d become an expert at ignoring most of his thoughts. The sweat-soaked nightmares, the lung-burning runs, the times when Juliette’s picture would pop up on social media…He was a professional underthinker. An “I don’t care” savant. Anyway, all he had to do was recall her parting words to him two years ago.

That usually did the trick.

Juliette’s blue eyes were shaded. “Why do you care?”

Dominic glanced at the throng of cameras. “Because we’re teammates.”

“Right,” Juliette said flatly. “Teammates.”

He mentally counted to ten. “I meant what I said before. We can be civil—”

“I don’t want to be civil,” Juliette said. “I don’t want to share protein shakes, or joke around, or act like we’re mates. I don’t want to be near you. I despise you.” Her eyes were the darkest part of the sea. “Is that clear enough for you?”

A sharp pain registered somewhere near his gut, although Dominic’s expression didn’t change. “Then what do you want?”

She raised her chin. “An apology.”

He could have laughed. Great. Same thing he wanted then. “Marchmont…”

“Go on,” Juliette prompted. “Apologize for what you did. Then I’ll be civil.”

“And you?” Dominic’s voice was tight. “Are you going to apologize?”

She crossed her arms. “For what?”

Oh, that was cute. “Come on. You know what.”

They observed each other. A pulse hammered in his throat. Damn it, he’d forgotten how good she was at getting under his skin. How did she do that? The flash of a red velvet jacket caught his eye; Anthony was moving in their direction, his eyes determined.

For fuck’s sake.

Dominic took her arm. “Come with me.”

Predictably, Juliette stiffened. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“We need to figure our shit out,” Dominic said. “Before the season starts. I’m not bringing any problems on track.”

Her eyes hardened. “So now I’m a problem?”

Dominic ground his teeth. Another thing he’d forgotten: how stubborn she could be. “Two minutes. That’s all I need.”

He didn’t realize his fingers were digging into Juliette’s wrist until she flinched. “Let go of me.”

She might as well have slapped him.