slow down | lando norris

twenty-six.

And the winner of the 2024 Miami Grand Prix, Lando Norris.

Holy fucking hell. Staying as far away from Lando as possible was now a completely void concept.

Lexi may have considered herself a strong woman, but she couldn't find it in her heart to not celebrate the first Grand Prix win of his career. That would be incredibly cruel, but then again, so was pretending like she hadn't cried herself to exhaustion over their conversation last night. It's amazing how the world worked.

The sight of him jumping into the arms of his team members had her heart feeling all warm, and that reaction alone solidified the fact that she would find it impossible to avoid him the entire evening. Seeing him absolutely over the moon had all of her annoyance melting away in an instant.

Lexi's own smile started to hurt her cheeks as she looked up to watch the podium ceremony. She shoved her camera into James's hands to handle because right now, he had her full attention. Bless the man for not complaining and temporarily taking over her job to let her enjoy the moment.

It was only in the midst of the team's separate celebration that she managed to catch his eye, even among all the other photographers there to document the historic moment. He sent her a wink, making her laugh, before he nodded in the direction of his private suite in the stadium, quirking his eyebrow in silent question.

Her self control had already crumbled when she caught glimpses of how effortlessly enchanting he looked post-champagne showers. On top of that, the smile that took up a permanent residence on his gorgeous face was bright enough to light up even the darkest corners of her thoughts. As much as she was pissed off at him, she was quickly learning that even that emotion had limits when it came to him.

Logical Lexi was jumping out of the window for the rest of the night, which also meant the argument and her current worries about their relationship would be tucked away in a box temporarily. Their personal conflict was null for the next 12 hours. This was an important moment for him and she knew she'd never forgive herself if she let this fight get in the way of celebrating together.

Lexi nodded her head in agreement. How could she even find it in her heart to say no when he was literally glowing with pride? Race winner was definitely a good look for him.

She had gotten the photos she needed and even managed to sneak a few photos with trusty ol' Bertha. A silent thank you was sent to the gods for even reminding her to bring the digital camera with her today. She needed pictures of his winner's glow and the shit eating grin on his face for her personal records.

Once she had the all clear from James to dismiss herself and Lando had finished his own celebrations and post-race activities, Lexi speed-walked through the corridors to his suite. Running there would make it seem like she was eager to see him, which she didn't want to be.

Her knuckles tapped against the door twice to signal that she was walking in before throwing the door open. Not able to contain her excitement any longer, she practically jumped on him, wrapping her arms and legs around him as he caught her with a chuckle.

"Just so we're clear, I'm still pissed off at you," she reminded him, the words being mumbled into his neck.

"If you're pissed at me, why are you here?" The contempt that should have been in his voice was instead preceded by something a little more rousing. She didn't have to look up to know he wore a cheshire cat smile.

The arrogance, his bare torso and the winner's glow all added up to her tough girl exterior disintegrating, as if it never existed. Both of them knew she'd be at a disadvantage the minute she agreed to meet him here in private. Despite conflict, they were drawn to each other, and Lando was absolutely using this win to his advantage.