Risk: A Driven World Novel (The Driven World)

by Harlow Layne

  From the minimal amount of time I’d been in Monaco, I’d heard more than one fan talk about how difficult the track was and how being in the top three in that location was a high honor. I was sure it was extra special for Callum since he had missed five races after his accident and only raced once since.

  “Congratulations, Callum.”

  “I wish you had been up there on the podium with me. I would have told them it was all because of you.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and started moving us out of the small but luxurious room I’d watched the race in. “How about I buy you dinner and then we can visit a museum or something? Whatever you want. I think I’ve seen almost everything since I’ve been doing this for so long.”

  The excitement on his face had me agreeing with him. It was infectious, and a little scary at how easily I melted at his illuminating smile and boyish charm.

  “Let’s head back to the hotel to get changed. I’m in desperate need of a shower.” He pulled me closer with a squeeze of the shoulder and then let me go as he opened the door that led out to a waiting car.

  The entire ride to the hotel, I could feel the vibration of his energy even with the couple of feet that separated us in the back of the town car. Every once in a while, I’d see his fingers tap against his knee, and his lips tip up.

  Even though it was highly unprofessional, I couldn’t help but think how cute it was to see him so excited. I couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be to lose your dream job in a second. Actually, I could imagine because Callum was constantly hitting on me and definitely let me know that he wanted to hook up with me. Something that would have led me right back to Spain and quite possibly losing my license if they wanted to file a complaint against me. I couldn’t let that happen just because the man had a pretty face and a smile that melted me like butter on a sidewalk in August.

  “Why the face?” he asked as we rode the elevator up to our rooms.

  “It’s not important.” I tried to school my face, so it didn’t show any emotion.

  “If it wasn’t important, you wouldn’t have looked like someone had pissed in your Cheerios.”

  At that comment, I had to laugh. “Where are you from?” I finally asked. I hadn’t wanted to ask him where his sexy accent originated. I’d tried my best to ignore it up until now.

  “Born and bred in Austin, Texas.” He dipped his head as if he was tipping his imaginary cowboy hat at me. I couldn’t imagine Callum as a cowboy, but I wouldn’t mind seeing him in a pair of leather chaps. “Where are you from?”

  “I’m from a small town in Colorado that no one’s ever heard of.”

  He chewed on the inside of his lip and then hummed. “I’ve been wondering where you came from since you don’t really have an accent. I have to be honest with you, I was shocked the first time I heard your voice, and there wasn’t a Spanish accent.”

  He placed his hand at the opening of the elevator as I stepped out. Did he think I’d be slow to leave, or was he that much of a gentleman?

  “That’s alright. I wasn’t sure what I’d get with you either. Most of my patients are local, so imagine my surprise when I got someone from the United States who doesn’t even live in Spain.”

  We reached our rooms that were side by side, Callum’s on the corner and much larger than my own. Although I didn’t need a big room just for myself, especially since it didn’t seem I’d be spending much time in it with all the sightseeing we’d be doing. Plus, mine was nicer than any I’d stayed in before.

  “I’ll come knock on your door once I’m ready. It won’t take me too long unless my mama calls to congratulate me.” His southern drawl came out even more when he spoke about his mom.

  “Take your time; I have no problem keeping myself entertained.” It wasn’t actually entertainment but checking in on my patients. I wanted to make sure they weren’t having any crises while I was gone.

  It had been a difficult decision to leave them and not be updated on their wellbeing. I only had a couple of patients who I was on call for twenty-four-seven, and with traveling all over the world, that made it difficult to be there for them. So far, I hadn’t received word there were any problems, but I still wanted to check in while I had a chance.

  Slipping out of my shoes, I curled into the comfortable chair that sat out on my balcony and opened my laptop. There weren’t any messages from or about my patients. Instead, I had an email from my ex. Why was he now trying to contact me when he’d been the one to wrong me? If he thought there was a chance in hell I was going to take him back, he needed a reality check.

  I thought about deleting his message, but I was curious. Plus, whenever I read a book and the person deleted or didn’t listen to a message, it always came to bite them in the ass, and I wasn’t going to be one of those people.

  Taking a deep breath, I clicked his email. I only saw a flash of words before I hit delete. Alejandro had seen me on some sports show with Callum and was enraged I was with another man. I’m not sure why and I didn’t care. First of all, I wasn’t with another man, and second, we weren’t together. I understood the hurt, but he had no right to be lashing out at me. Powering down my laptop, I sat it beside the chair and stared out at the city. Our beautiful hotel rooms overlooked the harbor giving me a breathtaking view. In all truth, I could have sat there for the rest of the day and been happy, but I was sure Callum needed to expend some energy, and he seemed keen on being my tour guide even though he was used to seeing everything alone.

  A loud knock on my door had me jumping in my seat before I scrambled to answer it. After Alejandro’s email, I was unnerved about how he’d somehow seen me on television. Would others feel the same way? I knew how sports fanatics worked, and I didn’t want to be on the receiving end of their ire.

  Swinging open the door, I took a step back to take him in. He was in a pair of dark washed jeans that hugged his muscular thighs, and a white button-down shirt, he had rolled up to his elbows. As he walked in, I turned to grab my shoes, but the moment I turned to walk away, he asked with wrinkled brows, “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Why?” I walked quickly over to slip on a pair of sandals and grab my purse.

  “I may not be trained at reading people, but I’m observant and a good read of character, and I can tell something’s wrong.”

  Looking back one last time at my computer, I wrapped my hand around his bicep. “Can we go to wherever you’re taking me to dinner, and I’ll explain then?”

  He brought his hand to rest over mine. “Only if you promise you’ll tell me what has you upset.”

  “I can promise you that I’ll never lie to you.” Liars and cheaters were my biggest peeves.

  “Then let’s go celebrate even though this is feeling decidedly less celebratory and more like a heart-to-heart.” He patted my hand and then let go to open the hotel room’s door. “Lady’s first.”

  Callum’s sweet, gentlemanly nature put me at ease. I wasn’t one to be typically bothered, but even with that one line I’d read from Alejandro, I could tell it had set something in motion. What it was, I didn’t know. Yet.

  “You don’t like opening up to people much, do you?” Callum asked as we set out on foot from the hotel.

  “Not really, but especially not to my patients.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s not professional. I shouldn’t be telling you about my problems.” How was that not obvious?

  “So, you do admit there is a problem.” His voice was light, but the expression in his eyes was the opposite. Callum was genuinely concerned about what was troubling me.

  “I’m not sure how much of a problem it is, but something has me feeling a sense of unease,” I admitted.

  He nodded as if it all made sense to him when he knew nothing yet. Callum grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me to the right to where a little café had tables on the sidewalk. “It may not look like much, but I can promise you they make some mean food.”

  He pulled out my seat and push
ed it back in after I sat down. I looked around at the cute little table spreads they had on each of the outdoor tables and the couples who were sipping their wine until he was seated across from me.

  “Does this mean you’re going to eat something maybe a little unhealthy?”

  “What do you say we order a few things and share? That way, I can eat a little on the wild side and not hate myself in the morning.”

  At least he was willing to try. If he could push himself to step outside his strict guideline, I could open up to him. I laughed at the notion. “Deal. I’ll let you pick.”

  When our waitress stopped by our table, I ordered a white wine that would work with everything we would be eating while Callum ordered a sparkling water and four different dishes for us to share. He sat back once we were alone with his arms crossed over his chest and waited for me to speak.

  Letting out a nervous laugh, I unrolled my silverware and placed my napkin on my lap to buy me a few more seconds. “I feel silly now. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

  “Don’t do that.”

  “Don’t do what?” I asked.

  “Trivialize your feelings.” He tapped one finger on the crook of his elbow.

  “Are you sure you’re not a therapist or haven’t seen one before? You’re pretty good at this.” The way he asked was like he’d been seeing a therapist for years and not the brief time he’d been seeing me.

  “Funny,” he cocked his head and stared at me while our server sat our drinks down in front of us.

  “You’re persistent, I can give you that. Fine,” I huffed. “When I got back to my room, I wanted to check in with my patients, so I opened my email and saw one from my ex-boyfriend.” Callum sat up straighter in his seat as the muscle in his jaw ticked. “I thought about deleting it, but thought better of it. I only read one line, but he was extremely mad about seeing me on TV today before your race. I’m not sure why he feels he has any right to be upset if I’m with another man, which was his assumption. I deleted it, not willing to let it affect me. So far, I’m not doing a great job of that. I haven’t figured out yet why it causes me a sense of unease.” I lifted one shoulder as I looked out onto the street. “See, it’s silly.”

  Leaning forward, Callum took my hand in his. “It’s not silly. Was he ever cruel when you were with him?” His thumb caressed over the top of my hand.

  “No,” I shook my head. “He was always sweet.” Until I moved with him to Spain. “That is until he decided to cheat on me. When I found out, he didn’t try to fight for me. Not once, but right before you came to see me, he showed back up in my life. I didn’t handle it the best, refusing to talk to him, but I had nothing to say, and I wasn’t going to allow him to make me late to see my patient. It’s been months.” I added the last a little too loud, causing the people who were seated around us to turn their heads and look at us.

  Our waitress brought out our dishes and placed them around our small table. It didn’t leave us much room, but they smelled divine, and I couldn’t wait to dig in.

  Callum put a little bit of everything on his plate but waited until I took my first bite before he started to eat. Once I moaned at the heavenly gnocchi that hit my tongue, he seemed to be appeased and took his own bite.

  “I wasn’t wrong, was I?” He pointed his fork to the dish.

  “Not wrong at all. I can’t believe you don’t eat this for every meal while you’re here.” I shoved in another bite and chewed.

  “If I did that, I wouldn’t look like this, and I’d be a shit driver. I’ve got to fuel my body with what it needs to be efficient out on the track.”

  “I have to say I don’t think I’ve ever met someone as dedicated to their job as you. I really do believe it’s part of the reason you’ve done so well with getting back behind the wheel.” I was astounded after watching him compete against nineteen other drivers. I would have been a nervous wreck out there, but when he felt the smallest inklings of a panic attack come on, he had me talk him through it. There were only three instances, and the amount of time he had me speak to him was shorter each time.

  “You’re the other reason. If it was anyone else over the system, I would have lost it.” The look on his face said he believed every word out of his mouth.

  We had tried letting Kaspar talk to him, but after thirty seconds, Callum demanded in a desperate voice for me to come on the line.

  “You didn’t give Kaspar a chance. Maybe we can slowly work him in the routine. I—”

  “No,” he interrupted me. He looked about ready to jump from his seat and run at the mere mention of having someone else talk to him. It wasn’t as if I was telling him my deepest, darkest secrets. Today, after he’d calmed down, I read some of the book I’d been reading for the last several days to him.

  “Callum,” I said his name softly, “what would happen if I got sick and couldn’t be at one of your races? What would you do then, not race?” I wanted to say when I wasn’t around any longer, but I knew that would send him over the edge, so I kept that to myself. For now.

  “We’ll buy you some good vitamins tomorrow and make sure you eat healthy. Then you won’t get sick.” The statement somehow didn’t sound desperate but more of a demand.

  Not wanting to unnerve him any more than I already had today, I kept quiet with my observations and ate the amazing food he’d ordered for us. If this is what I got to experience at every destination, I was going to have to start doubling down on my workouts. Otherwise, I’d gain a hundred pounds by the end of the season. Now Callum’s early morning workouts made sense.

  “I was thinking after this we’d go to the Oceanographic Museum. Does that sound good to you?”

  My forehead wrinkled at the thought of a museum about water. It didn’t sound exciting, but since Callum had probably already gone there before, he must have liked it.

  “Whatever you’re thinking, you’re wrong.” He laughed, throwing his head back. I couldn’t help but stop and watch. He had a laugh that drew you in. Even though Callum was a happy-go-lucky guy, I didn’t think he let himself laugh all that much.

  “Tell me about this ocean museum.”

  “Like I said, it’s not what you’re thinking. I’m not sure why they call it a museum when it’s an aquarium. What I do know is that it’s beautiful and peaceful. It will be perfect after our meal and to further bring me down so I can sleep tonight.”

  That made me smile. I couldn’t get over how happy it made me see how much his win affected him. I had a feeling when he lost, Callum took it very hard.

  “Sounds perfect. I need to walk off this food baby I’ve got going on over here.” I rested my hand over my stomach. If we had been back at the hotel, I would have unbuttoned my jeans, or better yet, taken them off.

  Callum sat up straighter and acted as if he could see my food baby. His eyes flared before he settled back down in his seat. After taking a sip of his water, he cleared his throat. “Are you ready to go start an adventure?”

  “I thought I already had,” I shot back.

  “Good answer,” he stood, smiling down at me. “Let’s do this.”

  “Do you see that building right there?” He pointed out over the water to what looked like a palace to me. It was spectacular. A broad smile broke out across his face. “That’s the museum.”

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. That’s it? I never would have guessed. It’s one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen.”

  While I stared out at our destination and watched as it came closer and closer, I could feel Callum watching me.

  “Do you know how lucky you are that you get to travel the world for your job?” I asked as we sat side by side in our taxi, and I stared out the window in awe of our surroundings. Before moving to Barcelona, I’d never been out of the country. Looking back on the little time I lived in Spain, I wish I’d explored more. Instead, I’d been trying to mend my broken heart by working and isolating myself. Now I knew it would have healed a whole hell of a lot faster if I
had been experiencing the beauty of the land around me. After this, I wasn’t going to take my location or time for granted. One gorgeous city and I wanted to explore the world.

  Placing his hand on my knee, he squeezed. “I do know how lucky I am. I will admit, after having dinner with you tonight, it’s nice having the experience with someone.”

  “Does that make you want to have a girlfriend?”

  He moved away and rested his forehead to his window. “Even if I did, I don’t have time for one. When am I supposed to see her? I only have a few months I’m not traveling, and I can’t imagine any girl putting up with that.”

  He had a point.

  Slowly he turned to look at me. “Maybe you’d like to be my girlfriend.”

  Callum

  Austria

  No matter how many times Aspen turned me down, I wasn’t going to stop trying to convince her there was something between us. I knew she found me attractive. It was hard to miss the way she looked at me when she thought I wasn’t looking. I only had to find the right way to convince her because so far, all I’d done was push her further and further away.

  Aspen had started to retreat into only being my therapist after I mentioned her possibly being my girlfriend in Monaco. She still accompanied me around the city, but it wasn’t the same. She always kept at least three feet between us, and with each new city, she went back to her room earlier and earlier, cutting our time together short. Somehow, I had to get the woman who had been easy to smile and wrap her hand around my bicep back, the woman who had started to open up to me on our first plane ride. She was there for me when I drove, but she’d stopped giving me anything that pertained to her life. Each day that passed, I worried about what would happen if I pushed her too far and made her leave.

  She wouldn’t leave, right? Aspen was too much of a professional to do that to me.

  After coming in second today, when I came in for a hug, she backed away and held her hands up, stopping me in my tracks. She was further away than ever. Four countries and four races later and I was trying to get back the fun girl I’d traveled around Monaco with.