Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 128313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
What a mindfuck.
When people on the circuit found out Jasper was here in Doha, his schedule quickly filled up. Atticus told us that Jasper’s secretary from England was constantly refreshing his calendar with a myriad of meetings. And that was fine . . . good. At least that’s what I’d told myself. I had a course to prepare for. One I was intending to clear. And looking at the jumps before me, it was going to be a harder feat than I’d ever imagined.
Welcome to the big show, I suppose.
“Earth to Hallie!” Sage said from beside me and nudged my arm. I shook my head and took myself from my wandering thoughts. Focus, Hallie. “Are you ready?” Sage asked and pointed to the arena. We were here to walk the course. To familiarize ourselves with the order of jumps, the ideal striding, the best and tightest turns, and anything else they wanted to throw at us. From here, I could already see there was a Liverpool underneath an almost neon-colored oxer. That didn’t faze me. Huxley wasn’t fazed by the sight of water.
Sage was silent as we walked to the first fence. She was staring straight ahead with a forced-neutral expression on her face. I looked to what had pulled her attention. Atticus. Because of course it was. He was already way ahead of us, walking with Spencer and Lucy Franklin from Team GB, who I knew were close family friends. There were other riders around us too from all over the globe, but no one in earshot. She and Atticus had agreed on a ceasefire of sorts during this tour. No bickering, no jabs at one another. Even their history meant nothing when it came to our team. Here, they were colleagues and had to be professional. I could see the strain it put on Sage to not call Atticus a prick or asshole daily, but she was taking one for the team.
Unfortunately, now that she wasn’t allowed to verbally spar with her archnemesis, she’d directed her attention to me. Sage turned from staring at Atticus, then gave me the side-eye with a cocky smirk.
“You’re still thinking about your freaky night, huh?” she asked.
“Shush!” I hissed, and looked around me to make sure she wasn’t overheard.
Sage rolled her eyes. “Oh, shut up, Hals. No one can hear.” She shook her head. “But, jeez, girl, if I looked as ruined as you did the other night, I’d still be reliving that epic fuck too.”
I sighed. I wished Sage hadn’t seen me that night. But not long after Jasper had dropped me back at my hotel room, there was a knock at my door. I’d thought it was Jasper again, and like I’d been conditioned to his cock, rushed to open it. But it was Sage, and when she saw me, hair mussed, lipstick smudged, dress askew, and rein marks on my wrists, she burst through the door and demanded to know everything.
So I told her. Every detail. Sage, for once in her life, was silent and slack jawed. Until . . . “Who knew Jasper Knighton was such a fucking beast in bed?” she’d said, fanning her face with her hand. I’d flopped back on the bed and groaned.
“I like him, Sage,” I said, almost inaudibly. Sage lay beside me, sympathy on her face. “I dangerously like him.”
“I know” was all she said. Then she ran me a bath, filling it with scented and soothing oils, and had Tariq, our personal butler, bring up some chamomile tea to help me sleep. It hadn’t worked. In fact, I’d barely slept since. Not because I didn’t like the sex, or that I regretted it.
Exactly the opposite. I craved more. I craved Jasper—his touch, his kiss, his control in bed.
But I didn’t know how things stood between us.
He’d brought me home after we’d fucked in the trailer. He was sweet and attentive and had kissed me good night at my door, like a true gentleman. Then . . . silence. I understood he was busy. But I couldn’t get a read on him after our night together.
“Hals!” Sage’s voice pulled me back to the here and now, and I realized I’d zoned out again. Shit. Sage tapped my cheek with her hand (not softly), and I narrowed my eyes at my best friend. She ignored my pissed-off stare. “Girl, focus.” Her hands moved to rest on my shoulders. Staring me dead in my face, she said, “I know you’re cock-stunned, but you need to forget about your ravishing of a lifetime and switch to your fierce competitor self. Get your head in the game. Do not let one night of ravenous domination ruin your big chance!”
As crass as Sage’s words were, they hit the mark. “On it,” I said with a firm nod, and kissed her cheek. Sage winked at me and linked her arm through mine. “Now, fence one,” she said, and we began measuring and counting the strides between each jump.