Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Smirking, I glanced over at her, standing so damn straight and tense beside me on the elevator. The room situation seemed to have upset her. She’d see soon enough that it was equivalent to a luxury three-bedroom apartment.
From the moment our limo had entered the city, she had been glued to the window. It was clear she hadn’t expected to see Manhattan while we were here. We were an hour’s drive from The Big A—the Aqueduct Racetrack, the only racetrack in New York City—but the accommodations here couldn’t be found in Queens. If it had just been me, I’d have slept in the trailer that Bloodline was brought here on. This was for her. The wide-eyed excitement on her face had immediately dropped when she realized we were in the same suite. I didn’t care for that.
When the elevator doors opened, I stepped out, not waiting on her to go first. If I had, we’d still be standing there. I knew she’d follow me. The wide hallway was short and led to the two doors of our suite. I tapped the round key card against the lock and then pushed down on the elaborate handle to enter the suite.
Stepping inside, I held the door open for her. Capri moved slowly, as she was once again checking things out with a look of amazement on her face. The entrance was rather impressive, I supposed.
“This is a suite,” she breathed, passing me as she headed for the windows overlooking Fifth Avenue. “It has a balcony!” The thrill in her voice made me grin involuntarily.
She opened the French doors and went outside. It was hot as fuck in New York today, but clearly, she didn’t care.
I headed for the bar and got a glass down to fix a drink while she took in the view. Miller was expecting us in two hours, but I hadn’t decided yet if we would be going to the park today or waiting until the morning. The way Capri was clearly enthralled had me leaning on staying here today.
My phone buzzed, and I pulled it from my pocket and looked down at the text to see my brother wanted to know when we would arrive. Pushy fucker. Probably not today. I didn’t respond before placing it on the bar and picking up my glass of bourbon.
“That view is insane. It’s like every movie set in New York that I’ve ever seen,” Capri said with a glow on her face.
I took a drink, watching her. Having her here with me was going to be an issue. I liked it. Weird shit was happening in my chest when she smiled like that. Knowing I’d put that look on her face struck some possessive chord inside me that I had not known existed. It could be unpleasant for others. I wasn’t sure yet how this would play out. With Capri, I could never seem to correctly predict my reactions.
“You’ve never been to Manhattan?” I asked her, already knowing the answer.
She shook her head. “I’ve raced at Belmont and even The Big A, but we always stayed there. We never came here.”
I’d say that was a shame, but knowing I was the first one to bring her here gave me pleasure. Another potentially bad thing. I guessed we’d find out just how adversely this would affect me and my actions.
“Are you hungry?” I asked.
She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, and I could see the indecision on her face. It was a simple question. Was she hungry or not? Why the fuck did women make everything complicated?
“I probably shouldn’t eat. I had the cookies, and I don’t normally eat sweets or fats on race weeks.”
The jockey life. I didn’t much care for the fact that she was hungry, but depriving herself. One fucking meal wasn’t going to make her gain weight before Saturday. I respected her dedication, but she could have food when she needed it.
“I’ll order lean meat, salad, and vegetables,” I told her.
“Order?” she asked.
I smirked. “Room service.”
She glanced back toward the balcony.
What’s on your mind now, little doll? Just say it.
“Do we, uh”—she stopped and scrunched her nose—“have time to maybe go out there?”
“The balcony?” I asked.
She shook her head and gave me a shy smile. “No, the city. I just want to see if it feels like it looks.”
I had no idea what the fuck that meant, but I let it slide. I would need to make a call to have a meal prepared for her that she would be comfortable with and to have preferred seating handled at my favorite restaurant. I set my drink down.
“If that’s what you’d like to do.”
“But we have time?” she asked.
“We have the rest of the day.”
I could see the question in her expression.
“When do we leave for the track?”
I shook my head. “Not going today.”