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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
LILY
His question hangs in the air.
"I don't know." I draw out my words.
He nods, a shadow crossing his face.
"I feel bad about how we ended."
Another nod, and a glance up at the ceiling. Oh, great. The uncommunicative Max has taken over. The Iceman.
"I do, too," he finally says.
"I panicked, and I ran. I shouldn't have. I regret it." This is the first time I've admitted that aloud to anyone but my mother, and Max is staring at me, unblinking.
"Although I love the sport itself, I don't like a lot of the lifestyle. The incessant travel, the showiness, the parties. It's torture for me. Don't like the spotlight. Hate the media attention. Still do. But I really, really, really loved having you in my life. Being with you these past several days have made me want more of you, and maybe I shouldn't say this but, I miss you. Now that I'm older, and more secure," I pause here, because I'm still not sure I'm more secure, but I'm already well into my monologue, "I think I can handle the rest because I know it comes with the goodness of you."
He's still not blinking, just staring at me from the other end of the sofa. The luxurious log cabin now seems altogether too airy and spacious, and the only sound is the tick of a rustic cuckoo clock on the wall.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Ten ticks go by, an interminable amount of time.
I've said the wrong thing. I've opened myself up to a man who only wants sex. Max is no longer the man I once knew, the guy I fell for. Of course he isn't. He's changed. The years of Formula World and easy sex and women available at the snap of a finger has changed him irreparably.
"You don't feel the same, do you?" I whisper. Humiliation burns in my stomach, mixing with the sweetness of the apple pancake and the bitterness of the whisky.
"Lily," he says, his voice cracking. "I..."
"I'm sorry. Sorry to have brought this up. It's too soon, too fast." I start to rise and he grabs my wrist.
"Sit," he commands, while gently tugging me next to him.
I'm on the verge of tears. I revealed too much, took too much of a chance. He releases his grip on my wrist and leans forward, his palms against his cheeks. This is going far worse than I expected, and I can barely breathe.
"Forget I said anything, okay?" My mind is already spinning to tomorrow morning. I'll get a car and head to the team hotel. Maybe I still could tonight, since it's not that late...
"Lily."
"Seriously, ignore me. I'm in a mood. I shouldn't burden you with my emotions. I'm all over the place because of dad and all the travel and my recent job situation and—"
