Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 82112 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82112 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
“Saxon Houston, is the rumor true?” she asked, smiling as she pulled off her helmet, then shook her shoulder-length hair.
Another thing I knew about Allegra was that she was a flirt. I leaned on the fence and studied her. She had the cute thing going. Heart-shaped lips, perky and tiny nose, big blue eyes.
“What rumor?” I asked.
“That you’re available,” she replied with a grin that showed she had a dimple in her right cheek.
“Have been for a while,” I replied.
“You had a gorgeous brunette on your arm at the Breeders’ Cup.”
Declan. Mom had invited her. I’d been forced to deal with her.
“She’s an ex who won’t go away,” I explained. “You and Rig look good.” I changed the subject. “Think you two can bring home first place if we get him into one of the derby races?”
She cocked an eyebrow as if I had asked her a ridiculous question. “You doubt me?”
I didn’t point out that Phantom and Hurst, who had more wins under his belt than her, would more than likely be competition.
I shrugged instead. “Just asking.”
She nodded. “I know I can. Hughes might have the most wins and be known for their champions, but Phantom has nothing on Rig. Hurst got lucky. He won’t be next time.”
I liked her outlook. I wasn’t so sure Rig was the better horse. I’d watched Hurst and Phantom on that track at the Breeders’ Cup. I was willing to admit they were an equal match. It had been a very close end.
“So, you down here to watch me ride your horse, or are you down here just to check me out?” she asked, looking completely sure of herself.
I doubted Allegra had been shy a day in her life.
“My horse,” I replied, then smiled. “But you were an added bonus.” Not that she needed her ego stroked any more. But I could use a distraction, and Allegra seemed to be hinting.
“Race is months away. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other,” she pointed out, looking pleased about that fact.
“Yeah, we will,” I started to say more when Levi’s car pulled up to the stables.
I turned to see if he was headed toward me or up to the house. Dad had gone inside an hour ago to get ready for a business meeting this evening at the Hugheses’.
Levi’s gaze locked on mine, and I glanced back at Allegra.
“I’ll, uh, see you later,” I told her, then headed toward Levi.
This couldn’t be good. Normally, he’d call or text, and my phone was in my pocket. There had been no text or call.
“What’s up?” I asked, already concerned by the scowl on his face.
“Did you fuck Haisley Slate?” he asked me point-blank.
What the hell? I stared at him, not sure why this was his business and why he looked pissed off about it. He knew I’d dated her for two weeks. I’d come clean about all that, and then she’d cut me out of her life like it had all meant nothing. Not one damn thing.
“Please tell me you wore a goddamn condom,” he growled.
This conversation was going in a direction I didn’t like.
“You want details on my sex life?” I asked.
Levi grabbed the front of my shirt and shook me as his eyes bored into mine. “Did you fuck her bare?!” he demanded.
What was wrong with him? Jesus!
“I used condoms!” I shouted, backing away from him.
Levi was typically calm until he wasn’t. Then, he was fucking insane.
“Every time?”
He was looking at me as if he could detect any lie that came out of my mouth. If I hadn’t already lied to him once and gotten away with it, then I’d believe he could. Telling him that I’d pressured Haisley to skip work at the hospital to spend the day with me had seemed vital to protecting her. I wasn’t positive she’d not known AJ had planned to take Aspen. All I had known was I couldn’t let her pay for her hand in it if she had. But there was no reason to lie now.
“For the most part. Why does this matter? I’ve been checked. I’m clean.”
“Goddammit, Sax!” he roared and ran his hand through his hair.
I watched him as he took a deep breath, and the niggling feeling I was getting about this entire conversation wasn’t good.
“Why?” I demanded, needing to be told something to stop my imagination from taking over.
“I decided to do a check on her. See if she was in Gainesville because of her brother and make sure his ass wasn’t trying to get closer to Ocala. What I found out was, she’s living in a dumpy-as-hell apartment, walking to that hotel to work every day, and she’s been to an OB-GYN and has a prescription for prenatal vitamins.”
I shook my head. “I pulled out. It’s someone else’s.”
She hadn’t been a virgin. She had been tight as fucking hell. I’d never fucked anyone that tight, but I wasn’t the one who had taken her virginity. She could have fucked someone else after me. Or before me. Both scenarios shouldn’t bother me but they did.