Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 73568 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73568 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
“Oh,” I murmur, but there’s no controlling my wide smile. “I didn’t bring any riding clothes.”
Lex’s mom beams. “You’re dressed perfectly fine. Now, I’m going to get changed and I’ll take you out to the stables.”
♦
Lex and his dad stay back at the house, weirdly in charge of dinner. I say weirdly because with a house this big and their money, I assumed they would have a chef. Tori assured me as we walked out to the stables that Charles was an amateur chef and dreamed of quitting his law practice to open a restaurant.
The stables are beautiful, the horses magnificent. The groom has two rides already tacked and I’m helped up onto a beautiful bay gelding named Dash. Tori is on a red mare named Spree and she leads me across a pasture and to a trail that meanders through some woods.
As we ride, I try to steer the conversation, asking questions about Lex’s childhood, funny family stories, and Tori’s passion for riding. I’m enchanted by everything she tells me because it paints such a beautiful family life and humanizes Lex even more than before.
We plod along, the air crisp and fresh. There’s something about the peacefulness of the countryside, the gentle rhythm of the horses’ hooves on the trail that puts me more at ease than I’ve been since arriving in England. Tori’s warmth and outgoing personality make me trust her.
When we reach a quiet clearing, I feel a sudden need to come clean. “I need to tell you something,” I say, my voice softer than I intended. “It’s about why I’m really here.”
She halts her horse, and I do the same. Her expression is unreadable. “Go on.”
“I’m not a journalist,” I confess, the words tumbling out before I can stop them. “I mean, I am writing a piece, but… I’m really here to research a romance novel I’m working on. Lex is the only one who knows, and I feel awful for lying to everyone else, especially the people at Crown Velocity. But I didn’t think anyone would welcome me to this world if they knew the truth.”
I continue rambling for a good five minutes, telling her everything from the start of this harebrained idea to my panic in her sitting room when I was asked about what I did for a living.
When my words trail off, there’s silence, and I brace for disappointment, for judgment. But then she surprises me.
“Well,” she says slowly, her eyes softening, “that explains why Lex has been so smitten.”
I blink, taken aback. “Smitten?”
She laughs, nudging Spree forward a little. “He’s never asked to bring a woman here before and you may not know this, but he and I communicate frequently by phone and text. He mentions you a lot.”
“He does?” I ask.
She nods. “And as for your secret… well, I won’t lie, I’m surprised. But I understand why you did it. But if Lex is good with keeping your secret, then so am I.”
Relief floods through me, and I nod, grateful beyond words. “Thank you.”
She gives me a kind smile. “Just promise me one thing—don’t hurt my son.”
My head jerks back at the request and I pull on the reins a little too tight. My horse scoots sideways before stopping. “I would never. I mean… there’s no reason to. He’s just going to help me learn all the ins and outs of formula racing and then I’m headed back to the States as soon as the Bahrain race is over. We’re just friends.”
Tori stares at me, those same sparkling blue eyes that Lex has. “You’re more than just friends. I don’t know what you are, but given the way my son talks about you, given the fact he is keeping your secret and given the fact he brought you to our home when he’s never done that before, I know there’s more. So please, don’t hurt my son.”
I want to assure Tori that our relationship is casual and can’t even cross into a territory where feelings could be hurt, but that would be a lie. I know I’m already at a point that it’s going to sting when I leave.
So I give her the promise. “I’d never intentionally hurt him. But I am leaving, so I don’t want you to think this is any kind of serious relationship.”
“Mmm,” she says, her disbelief evident and highlighted by the knowing smile on her lips.
CHAPTER 16
Lex
The clang of weights hitting the floor echoes through the gym as Ronan finishes his set of deadlifts, his grin wide with satisfaction as he undoes his belt.
We’ve been at it for an hour, pushing ourselves through a grueling strength workout. It’s the kind meant to hone our bodies to withstand up to six g’s, which means a driver feels six times their normal weight while slinging themselves around high-speed corners. Such stress to the body requires significant physical conditioning and neck strength to withstand the forces. It’s hard for people to understand what that feels like, but I often tell those who ask, it’s comparable to what fighter jet pilots experience during sharp maneuvers.