Later that evening, Casey found herself cuddled up with Seb on a couch in the lounge area as he watched the last race back. She'd stolen his shirt to wear after getting out of the spa, which to her delight, resulted in his continued state of shirtless-ness.
He watched the footage very intently, sometimes snorting in response to the commentary. Casey, meanwhile, was content to lay against his side quietly, dozing in and out. On one such occasion she opened her eyes and couldn't help but lean up and bite his jaw lightly. It was just right there, and she was increasingly struggling to get enough of him.
He chuckled without shifting his gaze, "Well that's not distracting at all."
"Sorry," she mumbled, biting his earlobe instead.
"Alright, that's it," he muttered, jumping up quickly before leaning back down and scooping her over his shoulder. She shrieked, laughing wildly as he swung around and headed into the bedroom. Once he reached the edge of the master bed, he dropped her on to the pillow-covered mattress. She tried to catch her breath as he landed on top of her, pinning her arms down.
"How am I supposed to focus on anything ever again with you around?" he exclaimed in exasperation, squinting at her as she shrugged innocently.
"You know, I had this whole plan all worked out in my head to take it slow with you," he said nonchalantly.
"Oh really? Did you?" she smirked, "So at what point in that plan did you think, oh, I know, I'll invite her to the most expensive hotel I can find for a week, what a sensible, super slow step to take."
He grinned down at her, "I didn't say I was good at planning."
She laughed and wriggled, testing his grip on her arms.
"Got somewhere else to be?" he challenged with a cheeky smile as she shook her head, her eyes darting over his shoulders.
He gazed down at for a moment before leaning in and kissing her gently. After he finally released her arms, she immediately ran her fingers down his torso before hooking them in his belt, making him shiver.
"You sure?" he mumbled against her lips.
"Are you sure?" she teased.
"You can tell I'm sure," he whispered, a smirk playing across his lips.
"Mhmm, I can," she grinned, tugging his belt to pull him closer.
"Before what comes next, I just need you to know," he began, "I'm all in on this thing, with you... only you."
She pulled back a little to analyse his face, he seemed completely sincere, "What does that mean exactly?" she asked, trailing her fingers down the sides of his face.
"I want to see where this can go. I want you to be with me."
"That works," she whispered, squeezing him against her chest tightly, "Because I'm really starting to hate it when you're not around."
A whimper escaped her as his lips crashed back to hers in an instant.
---
The next day, they didn't get up until well past eleven. Casey was the first to wake, listening with her eyes still closed to the noise of the ocean and people laughing and talking in the streets below.
She lay on her side with Seb's arm draped over her hip. She played with his hand for a few minutes, tracing his fingers and knuckles.
She thought back to how they'd got to this point, all the way back to the first time he'd crouched next to her in the garage. He'd jokingly told her to work on her loyalties. Back then, she'd have died laughing at just how far she'd take that advice.
She felt him stir behind her and released his hand as he stretched and balled it into a fist. She smiled as she felt him kiss the back of her neck.
"Morning beautiful," he mumbled, "Can you do that again, whatever you were doing to my hand..."
She laughed quietly and took his hand back, massaging his palm carefully. He felt incredibly relaxed, not knowing for sure if he'd ever be able to move again.
"Tell me, when did you start to feel differently about me?" she asked after a moment, her voice still heavy with sleep.
Seb had to think for a moment. He couldn't seem to pinpoint a particular moment, "I remember it pissed me off when Heikki picked you up at the pool. So maybe then or... Sometime before..."
Casey was surprised, "Really? That far back?"
He laughed sheepishly, suddenly remembering the bus ride in Malaysia, "I used to get jealous of Evan too."
She smirked, "Oh, yeah, he picked up on that pretty quickly."
She thought back to the club in China, where Evan had been suspiciously affectionate. She'd quickly discovered the ploy was to see if he could get a reaction out of Seb.
"I wanted what he had with you."
"You got more than you bargained for then."
"Not complaining," he laughed quietly against the back of her neck. "Though... I'll have to tell work soon. You ready for that?"
Casey's heart thumped uncomfortably, "What's going to happen to me?"
Seb frowned, not expecting that question, "Nothing is going to happen to you."
"I just wonder if I can keep my current job, I mean, maybe they won't want me near the car anymore," she replied worriedly.
"I don't think that will happen," he soothed, although in reality he was a little unsure himself.
Casey sighed before shaking her head, "It doesn't matter, I wouldn't change anything that's happened. Even if they decide to let me go."
Seb felt warm at her words. He didn't know how to tell her what that meant to him. Of course, there was a risk that she was sacrificing her job. He was selfish though, he wanted her even if it meant she'd disappear from his front left tyre. Even if she'd be devastated to lose her job.
"Unfortunately for you, I can be quite selfish," he admitted.
She laughed, snapping out of her worry. If there was anything worth losing her job over, it was him.
"Don't worry. Dream job, dream guy, who am I to expect both?"
Seb felt a little giddy, she always said the right things to make him happy.
She lifted his hand up to her lips and kissed the back of it.
"What do you have to do today?" she asked, hoping the answer wouldn't be too long.
"I have to lay beside a beautiful girl all day, maybe take her to dinner," he replied, nuzzling against her neck again.
Casey had a mini internal meltdown and rolled over to face him, "Are you serious? No appointments? No meetings?"
He pulled her into his chest, "Nope. Just you."
---
On the following Monday morning, Casey walked into the garage looking the epitome of guilty. She'd spent the entirety of her four days off holed up in the Hotel De Paris. They had barely stepped foot outside. To her huge excitement, Seb had ended up having all four days off as well. He was back to work this morning though. He'd dropped her at the track before leaving to meet his PR Manager, Britta, at their first interview of the day.
Casey knew the minute she saw Evan and Jacob they would set about tormenting her. She walked over to her station, getting her equipment out and setting to work unpacking the rest of the garage. Only a few other people were already there as most would arrive together on the buses.
"You're here early?" Rocky said inquisitively as he walked past her through the garage.
She grinned and shrugged.
"How are you going with the notes I gave you last week?"
"I think I've got them all down," she replied happily.
She thought back to the various times over the weekend that she'd spent laying out on the hotel balcony in the sun. Seb would call out the commands and she would reply with a description of the button combinations she should press. He had been overly excited to teach her a small part of what he did. His enthusiasm and subsequent level of adorableness had been quite distracting.
"Fantastic," Rocky replied, patting her lightly on the shoulder as he walked away.
"We'll get you in the car again on Wednesday morning," he called back over his shoulder.
Casey nodded to herself, momentarily wondering when Seb would be talking to Christian about her. Her stomach lurched nervously every time it crossed her mind.
More and more people began walking past the front of the garage, meaning the bulk of the team personnel were arriving to start work. Soon they'd start filtering into the Red Bull garage too.
---
"Case!"
She looked up to see Jacob moving towards her through the garage and immediately forgot the guilty feeling, jumping up excitedly to see him. He pulled her into a hug when he reached her, lifting her off her feet.
"Jake!" she squeaked.
"Guess what?" he whispered in her ear.
She went blank, "What?"
"Evan and I uhh..." he pulled away, biting his lip.
She gasped, "Are you serious?"
He nodded, his eyes glinting. They both looked over his shoulder as Evan announced his arrival.
"Casey Larsen!" he called across the garage, jumping over a box of supplies to reach her.
She laughed and he scooped her away from Jacob and swung her around, "Did my boy tell you the big news? And it is big news, cause you know, not everything is about you."
"Mhmm," she grinned, "He just did."
"Looks like it's both of our year, huh?"
Jacob watched the two of them serenely, his hands buried in his pockets.
"So it seems I was getting in the way this whole time?" she laughed, looking between them.
"Yep. That must have been it," Evan agreed.
"It wasn't just you being a wuss or anything, huh Ev."
"No, definitely all your fault," Jacob winked at her.
"Okay, we need to have a huge catch-up tonight because I've made at least 15 different bets with Jake on various details of what you got up to this weekend and that all needs settling."
She groaned, "Oh god. Fine. You can come to my hotel if you want? You have to see it," she said, talking quietly to avoid being overheard. As far as anyone else knew, she was still staying in her normal room.
"Perfect!" Evan grinned, clapping his hands together, "Well, until then, work to see, people to do." He placed his hand on Jacob's shoulder and squeezed it before walking away.
Casey and Jacob exchanged a smirk as they watched him saunter out the back of the garage and disappear form view.
---
"Is it okay if Ev & Jake come over for awhile tonight?"
Casey set her phone back in her pocket before grabbing her backpack and jogging out the door to catch up to the team as they headed to the buses. As she took her seat she pulled her phone out again to check for a reply.
"You don't have to ask! I'll be back around 8."
She smiled to herself and leaned back in her seat.
The three of them went back to Jake & Evan's hotel room for a little while, giving them time to shower and change, before heading back out to grab a taxi to the Hotel De Paris. Jacob and Evan were floored as they walked into Casey's suite, just as she had been when she'd first walked in.
"This is sickening," Evan breathed, gazing over the city from the huge wrap-around balcony. Casey stood next to him and nodded in agreement.
Jacob was still inside, wandering from room to room.
"So, how did it happen then?" she asked.
Evan's face broke into a sheepish smile, "Well, I didn't take him to an 11 thousand a-night hotel. I can tell you that much."
She jabbed him lightly in the ribs with her elbow, "How then?"
"I honestly don't know, one minute we're just sitting there watching TV, and then boom, I just, turned around and kissed him."
She bounced up and down on her toes, "And?"
"And he kissed me back, obviously, who wouldn't."
She squealed quietly before her eyes landed on Jacob, who'd just wandered outside to join them.
"This is not fucking fair," he laughed as he walked over to them, "It's bigger than any house I'll ever live in."
"So now it's your turn," Evan said menacingly, returning them to the predominant subject.
Casey snickered and walked over to the outdoor dining table, taking a seat.
"Alright, let's get this over with. What do you want to know?"
"Have you slept with him?" Evan asked with an arched eyebrow.
She snorted, "How did I know that would be the first question."
"So that's a yes. When?"
"The first night we were here," she said, a sheepish grin spreading across her face.
"Damn it," Evan whispered.
"Told you," Jacob laughed, nudging him.
"I would have thought you'd both bet the other way around," Casey said, slightly bemused.
They sat around the table as the sun slowly set behind them, exchanging all of the finer details of each other's weekends. Eventually, they decided to order some food up to the suite. Casey checked the time. As Seb would be back in about twenty minutes, she decided to order for him too.
Shortly after that, the food arrived and they moved inside to the lounge room to eat, putting the TV on and sitting around it, just like usual. At five past eight, Casey heard the front door open and raced down the hallway to meet Seb as he walked in.
"Hey..." she exclaimed happily against his lips as her arms found their way around his neck.
"Hallo schöne," he replied dotingly, throwing his bag against the wall and placing his hands on either side of her jaw to kiss her.
Evan and Jacob peered over at them with great interest. They had never seen Casey and Seb interact in private before and hadn't really known what to expect. It was kind of fascinating.
"Cute... but still, kind of weird," Evan quipped quietly, exchanging a coy smile with Jacob.