Risk: A Driven World Novel (The Driven World)

by Harlow Layne

  I could still hear her words after I mentioned she could be my girlfriend. “Callum,” the veil had dropped over her face right then, “you’re my patient, and I’m here for your well-being. You know we can’t go there.”

  “Why fight it? Don’t pretend you don’t like what you see.” I knew right then and there, I’d said the wrong thing.

  After my race, she’d gotten a ride back to our hotel by herself, stating that she had a headache and needed to go lie down. I didn’t fight her on it. At that point, I wasn’t sure if she was only saying it to get away from me, or she did indeed have a headache. That was how I found myself standing at her hotel room door with my hand in the air, ready to knock. I knew she wasn’t expecting me since our rooms weren’t on the same floor. There was no reason for me to come to her room.

  Knocking, I held my breath as I waited for her to answer. I waited with bated breath and started to get worried when a couple minutes ticked by without a sound coming from inside. I knocked again and heard a loud bump from deep inside before her door cracked open, and one of Aspen’s eyes appeared in the sliver between the door and wall.

  “Callum, now’s not a good time. I told you I had a headache and needed to come back to rest.” Her voice was quiet and raspy as she spoke.

  “I know you did, and I wanted to check to make sure you’re okay.”

  She winced at the sound of my voice.

  “I’m obviously not okay. I need dark and quiet.” Her face was scrunched in pain.

  “Have you taken any meds for it?”

  “Yes, but not the good stuff. I ran out before I left and didn’t refill my prescription.” Her eyes became glassy before she shuffled away from the door.

  I followed her inside and locked her door.

  When she saw me, her shoulders slumped before she walked into her bedroom and crawled onto her bed.

  Kneeling beside her, I asked in a quiet voice. “Do you, by any chance, have any Icy Hot?”

  “No, Callum,” she said my name like I was the dumbest fucker to ever live.

  “Okay, I’ll be right back.” I reached out and squeezed her hand before I went to the seating area and called downstairs to request anything that was remotely like what I needed. I wasn’t sure the equivalent in Austria. If I knew she’d let me back inside, I would have gone to the pharmacy myself; instead, I had to rely on what the concierge brought up.

  Half an hour later, there was a light knock on the door to her room. With a quick glance through the bedroom door, I answered. Handing over a hundred, I took the bag and went back inside and into the bathroom.

  Slipping the cream out of the bag, I pulled the protective silver seal off and put the lid back on. I left the light on and closed the door until there was only a sliver of light shining out so I could see. Sitting down on the edge of her bed, I squeezed a small amount of the cream onto my index and middle fingers, placed them at her temple, and started to rub.

  “What are you doing? I thought you left.” Her hand reached out and rested on my leg limply.

  “I’m here to take care of you. Can you turn your head, and I’ll put this on the other side?”

  “What is it?”

  “A muscle relaxer type cream. It has menthol that will hopefully help your headache.” I’d never tried it, but I’d heard it could be a remedy and thought I’d try it on her.

  “At this point, I’ll try anything,” she mumbled.

  Moving around to the other side of the bed, I climbed up and leaned back against the headboard.

  “Come over here and let me give you a massage. It will make you feel better.” Or at least I hoped it did.

  She lifted up, and I helped guide her over until her head rested on my thigh. My fingers slipped into her hair and started to rub over her scalp. The longer I rubbed, the more I felt her relax against me. Since she had a horrible headache, I kept quiet and let my hands work.

  Her breath started to even out, and I thought she fell asleep until she spoke. “You’re such a good guy, Cal. Thank you for being here after the way I’ve been icing you out.” She moaned when I applied more pressure and snuggled deeper into my leg.

  “That’s what friends are for, right?”

  “You understand why, though, right?” she asked instead of answering my question. When I didn’t answer, she continued. “I like helping people, and if I was reported for sleeping with a patient, I could lose my license.”

  “I don’t want you to lose your job, Doc, but I can’t help the attraction that I feel for you either.”

  “All I can offer you is my friendship, Cal,” she mumbled. “I hope you can accept that.”

  I didn’t want to be put in the friend zone, but I’d take what I could get. Maybe once the season was over and I was no longer her patient, she’d give me a chance.

  “I like you calling me that.” My hand swiped down and massaged along her neck.

  “I’ll call you whatever you want if you keep doing whatever you’re doing.” She let out a big yawn.

  No matter what she said, I knew she wouldn’t call me the one thing I wanted.

  Boyfriend.

  Pressure lifted off my leg, causing me to wake up and groan at the stiffness in my neck. Cracking open my eyes, I watched as Aspen slipped off the bed and made her way into the bathroom. After a moment, I heard the toilet flush, and then the shower turn on.

  I wasn’t sure what to do. I desperately needed to take a piss, but I didn’t want to head back to my hotel room until I talked to her and made sure she was okay.

  This time when I knocked on her door and opened it, it was to a bathroom full of steam.

  “I’m coming in,” I called before I stepped inside.

  “Cal, what are you doing?” she shrieked and stumbled as far as she could back into the shower.

  “Peeing.” I unzipped my fly and relieved myself, much to her dismay.

  “Oh my God, Callum. This is beyond what our friendship is. Please leave.”

  “So, you’re admitting we’re friends?”

  “Yes, of course, we’re friends, but not the type of friends who pee in front of each other.”

  A smile spread across my face. “I’m going to head up to my room to get cleaned up, and then I’m going to take you to breakfast and on a little day trip. I’ll be back down once I’m ready.”

  She sighed loud enough for me to hear before she agreed.

  Since she was otherwise occupied, I grabbed the keycard I saw on the dresser and slipped it into my back pocket. Afraid that she might try to give me the slip, I took a quick shower. I didn’t bother to shave before I got dressed and slipped my Aviators on top of my head and went back downstairs.

  Without knocking, I made my way inside her room. Aspen squeaked with her hand clutching her chest. “Are you out to give me a heart attack today?”

  I rolled my lips in an attempt not to laugh. That was until I took in what she had on—or more like what she didn’t have on. The tiniest pair of sleep shorts I’d ever seen hugged her ass, and a white cami that was becoming see-through from her wet hair dripping down her chest left little to the imagination.

  “Keep moving, Cal,” she growled out like a tiny kitten before she slammed the bathroom door closed.

  Laughing to myself, I made myself comfortable on the couch and waited until Aspen slipped out of the bathroom, fully dressed and looking ready to go.

  She looked at me warily before she grabbed her purse. “So, what’s the plan for the day?”

  “Would you trust me if I said I wanted to keep it a surprise?”

  Her eyes lit at the word surprise, and I was taken aback when she agreed after she’d been so distant the last month.

  “I’ll tell you we’re going to eat breakfast at a little café just around the corner.”

  Her stomach growled at the mention of food. “Good, because I’m not sure how much longer I can go without any food. I didn’t eat dinner last night, and now I’m famished.”

  Placing my hand to the smal
l of her back, I ushered her to the door. “Let’s not waste any time and get you fed then.”

  The closer we got to the café, the louder Aspen’s stomach growled. It was comical, but it also reminded me of how she’d looked last night when I got to her room.

  Holding the door open to the café, I watched as she practically salivated when the smell of croissants hit our noses.

  Her eyes widened as she looked up at the menu over the counter. “Have you been here before?”

  Pushing up behind her, I fought to keep my hands to myself. It was nearly impossible, but I managed to resist. There wasn’t a large selection, but nothing was in English. If you could order from smell alone, I would have ordered at least one of everything it all smelled so heavenly. “I have.”

  “What do you suggest? I could eat a horse, I’m so hungry.”

  “You probably shouldn’t say that while traveling because they might actually serve you horse meat.”

  The horrified look on her face had me laughing.

  “No,” she whispered.

  “I can’t say it’s here in Austria, but it does happen in some countries.”

  “Do not let me eat horse. If I find out you tricked me, I’ll kill you.” She poked me in the chest with each word.

  With her eyes on the menu like she’d magically find the word horse in German, I put my hands on her shoulders and turned her around. “I won’t. I promise. Why don’t you go pick a seat outside, and I’ll order us an assortment?”

  She nodded and mouthed, ‘no horse’ as she walked backward to the door. Why had I mentioned it? She’d probably freak out every time she ate from now on, trying to find it on the menu.

  I ordered a dozen croissants with honey and a selection of jams along with two coffees before I went out to sit with Aspen as we waited for our food.

  “Oh my gosh, I thought my stomach was going to eat itself while standing in there,” she held her hand to her flat stomach. “I’m so hungry.”

  As if on cue, a little old lady walked out with a basket full of croissants and jars of jam and set it in the middle of our table.

  “Is this normal?” Aspen questioned as she grabbed one of the buttery croissants and started to lift each jar to decide which jam to use.

  “No,” I chuckled. “I wanted to bring some with us for my surprise destination, so I asked them for a to-go package.”

  “Like a picnic,” she softly said as she opened the strawberry jam.

  “Is that okay? I wanted to make sure we had something for lunch since there isn’t any place close to where we’re going.” I wasn’t sure if she thought it was romantic. That wasn’t my intention, but when she mentioned a picnic, my mind went to a romantic picnic on the beach.

  “It’s okay with me as long as you’re willing to eat all these carbs for breakfast and lunch.” She quirked her lips up.

  “If it means I get to spend the day with a beautiful woman by my side, then I’m more than capable of throwing out my diet. I’ll just work out a little extra tomorrow.”

  “Thank you for saying I’m beautiful,” she said shyly. “Today, I feel drained after my headache from last night.” She looked down as she slathered a thick layer of jam on her croissant.

  Shit, I hadn’t thought she might not be up for what I had planned.

  “Are you up to our adventure today?”

  She bit her bottom lip as if she was contemplating saying no. “I think so.”

  A slow smile spread across my face. “Good.” I looked down at my watch to check the time. “You should eat up because our car will be here in thirty minutes.”

  I grabbed a pastry and took a large bite. The flaky, buttery goodness was divine. It was days like today that made me want to chuck my lifestyle into the wind and gorge myself on the goodness in front of me.

  “Car?” she asked before she took a bite and moaned. That one little moan had all my blood pumping to my dick and leaving my mind blank for a few seconds.

  Shifting in my seat to ease my pulsing cock, I cleared my throat. “I thought it was best to hire a car for the day. I wasn’t sure if I’d have any problems driving, and I wasn’t sure if you’d agree.”

  I shoved the rest of my croissant in my mouth and chewed angrily. I hated that what I loved most in the world was so close to being taken away from me. I knew I couldn’t have Aspen with me every time I drove for the rest of my life.

  “Hey,” she called quietly. Her hand reached across the table and grasped mine. “It won’t be like this forever. I promise. You’re doing an amazing job; maybe I don’t tell you that enough, and for that I’m sorry. I can promise you that it won’t be like this forever.”

  The lump in my throat was hard to swallow. I hooked my index finger with hers and shook it. “Thank you. That means a lot to me. I’m not going to lie; this has been the hardest time of my life. I hate being this weak individual that can’t get behind the wheel of a car without losing his shit.”

  She sat up straighter in her seat and squared her shoulders. “Do you think someone coming back from war with PTSD is weak?”

  “No, of course not, but I didn’t come back from war. I was in a car wreck. Something that happens thousands if not millions of times every day.”

  Aspen linked her fingers with mine. “You almost died, Cal. That’s a lot to take into your psyche, no matter how much you love your job.”

  “I’ll try to keep that in mind.” Wanting this conversation to be over with, I put some butter and some plum jam on my pastry to eat my feelings away.

  We sat silently until my phone pinged, letting me know our driver was waiting for us at the hotel.

  “We should go. The driver is waiting, and it’s a bit of a drive.”

  “Oh?” She perked up. Her long brown hair swept around her shoulders in the light breeze. “How long?”

  “About an hour and a half, but trust me, it’ll be worth it.”

  Packing our food away, I texted the driver to come pick us up and swallowed the last bit of my coffee.

  “Are you ready?” I stood and held my hand out to help her up.

  “I’m kind of getting nervous.” She laughed apprehensively when our driver pulled up alongside where we were sitting. Opening her door, I let her slide inside before I set the basket between us. Once inside, I sat back against the cool leather seat.

  The second the driver started driving, Aspen turned to me with excitement in her eyes. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going now?”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle at her. I loved her excitement. “You’re like a kid seeing her presents under the Christmas tree for the first time, and can’t wait to open them.”

  “I’m not that bad,” she laughed.

  “Just be patient and enjoy the scenery. It’s a beautiful drive.”

  Aspen lifted her hand as if she was going to touch me or hold my hand, but dropped it a second later. We stared out of our windows for the next thirty minutes before she broke the silence.

  “It’s so beautiful here. Thank you for taking me on this journey.” She spoke with her forehead plastered against the window.

  Leaning back in my seat, I watched out her window. “You’re welcome. It’s one of the most tranquil and stunning places I’ve been to.”

  “I don’t understand why the others don’t sightsee while we’re in all these incredible locations. After this, I’ve promised myself that I’m going to travel whenever I can. There’s so much of the world that I’ve yet to see.”

  “I can’t say why the others don’t get out of their hotel rooms more. I also can’t say what they do with their free time. Maybe they go home during the small breaks we’re given between races. For me, it’s too much going back and forth. I like to take my time and enjoy where I’m at and get acclimated to the weather and the time zone, so I’m more prepared for my race.”

  “Seems like the best way to do your job and travel. Is this…” She chewed on her bottom lip and then glanced out the window.

  “Is it
what? You can ask me anything you want. No need to be nervous.” But even as I said those words, I was nervous about what she could want to ask me that would make her nerves show.

  “I just don’t want to ruin our day, and I’m not asking as your therapist, but as your friend.”

  “Okay, hit me.” I flashed her a smile that caused her lashes to flutter and her mouth to part.

  “Is it hard having someone else drive you when you’ve driven this before? I mean, I assume you’ve driven it since you made it sound like you’ve been wherever we’re going before.”

  I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I thought about her question. If I had been alone and was headed to the Grüner See, then I had a feeling I’d be pissed the entire way. In fact, I doubted I’d be going anywhere if I couldn’t drive or if I didn’t have Aspen as my travel companion.

  “Before you asked, I hadn’t thought about it, but yeah, if you weren’t here, it would be difficult to be in this situation. I don’t think I’d be making my way to our destination. I’d probably stay around town, and if it was too far to walk comfortably, I’d hire an Uber. Like I said before, I’m finding that I like having a travel companion and someone to be a tourist with. You’re definitely making this ordeal easier on me. Thank you for that.”

  “It’s been a pleasure, and it’s opened my eyes as well to what I want to do. Maybe travel to one country a year or something like that. I can’t do anything on the level we’re doing, but I want to experience the world and people.”

  “I’m glad you’re enjoying it. That’s all I wanted.” We both knew that wasn’t entirely true. I wanted more with Aspen, but I had to respect her wishes. And I did understand not wanting to lose the job that she loved. She was here so that I didn’t lose the career I loved so much. Once I was out, I knew I’d never be able to come back. There was an edge a person lost when they were away from the track too long, and I was clinging to the edge with one hand while Aspen spoke with her sweet voice and calmed every part of me.

  For the rest of the drive, we spoke sporadically as we watched the trees, farms, and countryside pass us by. I knew the moment she saw the water. Her mouth fell open as she took in the clear green water and the trees that surrounded it—their reflection, along with the clouds, made for a beautiful sight.