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)
“Sadists,” Sage said as we moved from jump five to six. The fillers were gaudy and bright with moving parts designed to spook. She shook her head. “Gonna be a rough one, Hals. This course is insane.”
“We can do it,” I said, and tried not to get starstruck as Austin Marks from Canada walked fence seven.
When Leni Klein from Germany walked past us and said, “Good luck, ladies. I’m excited to see you ride,” I almost passed out. It was a strange feeling to suddenly “make it” after years of climbing the ranks. Finding that your heroes were suddenly your peers and fellow competitors was a head rush.
It also taught you that your heroes were just people. Ordinary people who just happened to achieve extraordinary things. And my biggest hero, my biggest inspiration in life . . . well, I could still feel him between my legs.
As if I’d conjured him into real life, I looked over my shoulder and caught sight of Jasper watching from the balcony of a private box, arms crossed over his chest. He wore a light-blue button-down and navy slacks. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, showcasing his forearms, and that alone sent my heart into a sprint.
Then his lips kicked up into a hint of a smile as he caught me watching him, and I was done. What did that mean? What did that smile mean?
Not now. I couldn’t think of this right now. Inhaling deeply, I refocused and counted the strides between jumps eight and nine, and knew I would nail these two jumps, even if that’s all I managed to clear. And despite myself, knowing Jasper was this close energized me. I wanted to show him how good I was. How amazing Huxley was. I wanted his respect as a rider.
“Fucking Liverpool,” Sage muttered as we reached fence ten. Fefe, her hell-born horse, didn’t like water and liked to refuse fences including them whenever she could—a lake of fire was probably more her thing. I knew Sage would be a little off-put by this, but like my best friend always did, she shrugged and said, “Looks like me and my precious mare may have a fight on the course today.” She smiled. “Those are always the most memorable rounds. The battle of the bitches.”
I laughed, and we finished the rest of the course. Once we were sure we had the route down pat, we walked back to the stalls where Huxley and Fefe were already tacked up.
“You good?” Mila asked me as she handed me my navy-colored hat. I was dressed in a navy show jacket, a crisp white show shirt, and white show breeches with pristinely polished tall riding boots on my feet. All Knighton Equestrian–branded, of course. Then again, most would be wearing some article from Jasper’s line today. His was the highest grossing and most worn equestrian brand in the world. My head spun if I thought about that too much. The man was more than impressive.
As I slid my helmet on, Atticus came over to us. “Ready, team?” he said chipperly, and Sage discreetly rolled her eyes at him. She was trying, really, she was. But no one was perfect.
“The team comp is tomorrow.” Sage smiled sweetly at her biggest rival. “Today is every man for themselves.”
A heated spark burst in Atticus’s eyes. “You can’t beat me, Miller,” he said with all the confidence of a seasoned competitor and an Olympic gold medalist. Even though Atticus was our age, he’d joined the five-star ranks much earlier than me and Sage. He really was amazing. Only one rider had ever kept him in second place, and that man was now hidden away in a private box, far removed from the competitive circuit.
“We’ll see about that,” Sage sang as she clipped her chin strap closed. Dressed in the same outfit as me, but for her jacket being burgundy, Sage looked more stunning than ever. A fact Atticus hadn’t missed, if the slow rove of his eyes over my best friend was any indication.
“Then how about a wager?” Atticus said. He shrugged. “Just between us teammates, of course.”
Sage went to snap back at Atticus but caught my eye. I shook my head. These two would be the death of me. Sage breathed slowly through her nose, then simply shook her head. She then turned toward Horatio, who was walking out of the stall with Fefe. She hadn’t made it four steps before she reluctantly turned around and questioned, “What stakes?”
I sighed. Truce, my ass. I knew she wouldn’t be able to resist his offer. Sage was the most competitive person I knew.
Mila brought the mounting block beside Huxley. I moved in front of my horse and looked him dead in the eye. “Well, milord,” I said, a fun little ritual I’d developed with the stallion. His ears flicked back and forward as he listened to me talk. “You and I have quite the task to achieve today.” I ran my hand over his nose, then his cheek, and dropped a kiss over his white blaze. “We’ll start off steady,” I said. “Being our first course, our biggest goal is a clear.” I smiled in excitement. “We may be against the clock, but we’re gonna have a smooth start, okay, beautiful boy? Today is about getting used to this new arena. We can pick up speed the more the tour progresses. Slow and steady wins the race.”