This, Noah thought, had to be one of the worst moments of his life. And that was really saying something.

He looked at his younger brother Levi, who was lounging on his bed, a Gameboy propped on one knee. His mother, who had a hand over her mouth. And then to Amelia, who was hovering near the door, bearing a strong resemblance to a deer about to bolt across a road. Possibly in front of a car. On purpose.

Fuck.

"Er, hi." Noah cleared his throat. "I wasn't... expecting you."

Obviously.

He rocked back on his heels, trying desperately to redirect the blood flow. And to look anywhere but at Amelia's mussed hair, or the red welts on her chest where he'd kissed her. Something stirred in his chest, and he shut it down immediately.

No.

Not thinking about that.

"The porter let us in," his mother said. "Such a kind young man."

"Brilliant," Noah said mildly, thinking he was going to have words with the porter, some of which would include disappointed, timing, and policy violation.

"And this is...?"

His mother trailed off, looking at Amelia expectantly. Amelia held out a hand.

"Amelia," she said.

"Cartwell," Levi supplied. "She races for Alpine."

Noah raised an eyebrow. If his younger brother looked surprised to find the world's first female F1 driver in Noah's bedroom, he was doing an exceptional job of hiding it; explosion noises emanated from his Gameboy, accompanied by a dramatic swell of music.

"Would you like to join us for dinner?" Catherine asked.

Amelia's face was blank. "Dinner?"

"There's a nice Italian place," Catherine continued. "Just down the road. I figured Noah wouldn't have had a chance to eat yet."

Catherine Wood smiled. It was a shame, Noah reflected, that his mother was so friendly; she was the sort of woman who put birdseed in the garden, and baked fairy bread for the children next door, and could tell you the name of every person in their local supermarket. He'd inherited the signature Wood charm from her.

Now, it was going to bite him in the ass.

"Oh, that's so kind," Amelia said. "But I've already eaten."

Catherine raised an eyebrow. "When?"

"Er. An hour ago."

"What did you have?"

Amelia looked sheepish. "A power bar."

Catherine clucked her tongue in the way that only mothers could manage. "That's hardly a full meal, darling. What would your parents say?"

Amelia looked at her feet. "I'm fine. Honestly. Thank-you, though."

Noah glanced at her, and then instantly realized his mistake when a pulse of desire spiked through him. Right. He half-closed his eyes, trying to think about something else. Seasonal TimTam flavours. The Monaco track lay-out. The lyrics to the Australian National Anthem. Hell, he'd resort to counting backwards from ten million if he had to.

"Noah?" Amelia asked.

It took him a second to realize they were all staring.

Noah blinked. "What?"

"I was just saying," Amelia began slowly, "that I'm knackered. I'm going to have to pass on that racing film."

She was smiling, but her eyes were giving him "tell-your-family-the-truth-and-I-will-slice-off-your-balls-and-play-tennis-with-them." It was kind of hot, actually. Noah leaned against the sideboard.

"Fair enough."

"Oh, but you'll stay for tea, won't you?" His mother was already filling up the kettle. "Noah, make her some tea."

Exasperation filled him. "Mum—"

"Go on, Cupcake."

Noah sighed. Still, trying to ignore Catherine Wood was like trying to ignore an 80-pound steel battering ram to the face, so he began pulling teacups out of the drawer. Near the door, Amelia mouthed, 'Cupcake?' Noah made sure that his mother wasn't looking, and then shot her a rude gesture.

"I saw that," Levi said, eyes fixed on his Gameboy. "Such a gent, Noah."

Noah poured the boiling water into cups. "Did you watch the race?"

"Obviously." His brother punched a few buttons. "Nice overtake today. Walsh was fuming on the radio."

"Walsh is always fuming."

Catherine accepted a cup of tea. "How is Cedro? And darling Matthew?"

"Still insufferable," Noah said.

She added a packet of sugar. "And how's that lovely man? Your Team Manager?"

Amelia's eyebrows flew up. Not, Noah thought, that he blamed her; describing Alex Yarmouth as a 'lovely man' was like describing Eeyore as a 'cheerful bloke.' But Alex had come to the annual Wood family barbecue last summer, cracked out a bottle of rum, and made everyone pina coladas. So naturally, Catherine loved him.

"Alex is good," Noah said. "Busy."

Levi punched a few more buttons. "There are rumours he's dropping you next year."

Amelia turned so quickly that her tea splashed on to the carpet. Noah stirred his tea, avoiding her gaze.

"You need to stop reading Reddit threads," he said.

Levi chucked the Gameboy on to the bed. "Is it true?"

"Of course not."

"Really?" His younger brother raised an eyebrow. "Because CandyKitten69 says that Mercedes won't renew your contract unless you win this season."

"Oh," Noah said mildly. "Well, if CandyKitten69 says it's true, then it must be true."

Catherine frowned. "Alex loves you, doesn't he, darling?"

Wariness filled him. "We had a... disagreement. That's all."

"What?" Catherine set down her tea. "You didn't mention this before. What sort of disagreement did you—?"

Levi coughed.

It was a small sound — damp, like the rattle of wet coins in a tin can — but Noah felt it cut through him. He lowered his tea. Catherine moved to Levi's side, rubbing his back, as if she could massage straight into his lungs.

"Are you okay, love?"

Levi shrugged her off. "Fine."

Catherine turned, rummaging through a bag on the sideboard. "Where are your meds?"

"I'm fine, Mum." Levi's voice was laced with exasperation. "Honestly."

"Just keep coughing," Catherine said. "That should help."

Noah stared down at his tea; it was going cold in his hands, turning to lukewarm soup. He ought to be relieved, Noah thought, that Levi had distracted their mother — Catherine had been wading into dangerous territory. But a part of him was...

Well.

He didn't know what he was.

"Sorry, darling." Catherine didn't look up from the bag. "Were you saying something?"

"No." Noah swirled the tea around the cup. "Nothing important."

Catherine made a non-committal humming sound, her eyes fixed on the bag.

Amelia set her teacup down. "Look, I really should be going." She cleared her throat. "It was lovely to meet you both."

"Oh." Catherine paused her rummaging. "You really won't come for dinner?"

Amelia shook her head. "I'm knackered. Thank-you, though."

"Well," Catherine said, "you must come over for strawberry pancakes the next time you're in Melbourne." She pulled a bottle of pills from the bag. "I make these little race car-shaped ones that Noah loves. With extra syrup and whip."

Noah pinched the bridge of his nose. "Mum."

Amelia smiled. "I do love pancakes."

"Stop by anytime," Catherine said.

"Alright," Noah said, steering Amelia towards the door. "We're going."

"And you're welcome to stay with us next year!" Catherine called. "We have a guest room."

Noah directed Amelia into the corridor. "Goodbye, Mum."

The door shut behind them.

Amelia leaned against the wall. Shafts of light filtered through a skylight, shadowing her in black-and-white bars. He could just see the green of her eyes. The freckle by her mouth. The tattoo of little birds that curled around her ear. He'd kissed those little birds, Noah thought, and then immediately wished he hadn't.

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "So."

"So."

"I like your Mum," Amelia said.

Noah hooked his thumbs in his pockets. "You don't have to say that."

"I know. But it's true."

"She forced you to drink tea," Noah said. "I bet your Mum would never force someone to drink tea."

She leaned back, her eyes falling into shadow. "Mum died when I was little, actually. Cycling accident."

Noah could have kicked himself. "Oh. Shit. Cartwell, I..."

"Don't feel bad for me," Amelia said. "I hardly remember her." She rubbed her neck. "Your Dad's not in the picture, is he?"

Noah blinked. Wow. Blunt. Then again, he thought, this was Amelia Cartwell; she didn't do social niceties unless it was strictly necessary. Not with reporters, not with managers, and not with him. It was oddly...

Refreshing?

Yes. That was it.

It was better to have it out there, he supposed. No beating around the bush.

Noah dug his hands further into his pockets. "Dad left when I was six. My brother..." He paused. "He's not very well. Dad couldn't handle it. So it's just Mum, Levi, and I." He ran a hand through his hair. "Look, Cartwell, about tonight—"

She looked away. "You don't need to say it."

"Let's say it anyway."

"It's not worth the risk." Amelia met his gaze. "If the FIA finds out... And I can't afford to be kicked off the team. Nobody else would take me."

Something knotted in his chest. "They'd be stupid not to. You're a damn good driver."

Her mouth quirked into an almost-smile. "You know, Wood, that might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"So that's it, then," Noah said.

She nodded. "That's it."

"We're friends."

Something about the word tasted odd in his mouth, lumpy and chewy like undercooked oatmeal. Amelia rocked back on her heels.

"Associates," she amended.

Noah held out a hand. "Friends."

"Colleagues," she offered. "Acquaintances."

Amusement filled him. "I don't know about you, Cartwell, but I like to think I can call someone a friend after sticking my tongue down their throat."

Amelia held out a hand. "Fine. Friends. But only," she added, a warning in her voice, "for Cedro's sake."

Noah sighed. Fine. He supposed he could live with that. They shook hands, and Amelia dropped his hand with the speed of someone that had accidentally picked up a live snake. Noah tried not to be offended.

Maybe his hands were hot from the tea.

Yes.

That must be it.

Amelia's green eyes narrowed. "Just to be clear, this doesn't mean that I'll go any easier on you. I'm going to win this season." She took a step closer. "If you get in my way, I'll knock your car out of my path."

Something dark and heady stirred in his chest. Something that felt like midnight wine and crushed velvet.

"Trust me, Cartwell," Noah said, his voice low. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear."

A/N: Hello lovely readers,

Ooh, the game is on! Who do we think is going to break first and go in for a kiss again? Noah or Amelia? ;)

Question of the Day: what TV show are you currently watching? "Bake Off" is back on in the UK, and I'm already obsessed hehe

Affectionately,

J.K.