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)
Unable to wait, I took a bite and fought back the moan of pleasure even if it was cold. It was more than I’d had since my mother had tossed me out. My thoughts went to the last slice of pizza I’d had, and I wished I could just forget it. All of it. Every moment.
Two Months and One Week Ago
“Sausage, bacon, and mushrooms, right?” Saxon asked me as he pulled out a large black cooler from the back of his truck.
“Uh, is this a pizza question?”
Last night, we’d talked on the phone for hours. He’d asked me about my favorite pizza, and I’d told him. But we were currently in the woods at a large tent he’d apparently put up earlier. There was no pizza around here.
“Do you like those toppings on something else?” he teased.
Unable not to smile when I thought about the night ahead and getting to be with Saxon alone, like this, I shrugged. “Maybe. I mean, it sounds like something that would be good on a hot dog or maybe smothered tots.”
He paused, then nodded. “Fuck. You’re right. That sounds good. But, yeah, I’m talking about pizza.”
Setting down the cooler, he opened it and pulled out a box of pizza from a place in town I’d never been to, but I recognized the name. It was popular.
“Come with me,” he said.
I walked over and fell into step beside him as he led me down a small path that opened up to what I assumed was the springs. Stepping onto a small deck that overlooked the crystal-clear water, he set the pizza down, then lowered himself, dangling his legs off the edge. I did the same and leaned forward to stare down at the smooth rocks beneath the water.
“It’s so pretty,” I said in awe. I’d never seen water this clear.
“Mineral springs,” he said to me, opening the box of pizza and taking out a slice. “Hungry?”
He held the slice out to me, and it was surprisingly still warm. The cheese was melting off the side, and I could see the heat rising from it.
“Yes, thank you,” I told him, taking the pizza and inhaling. I loved that smell.
At home, I made whatever frozen boxed pizza was on sale that week, or we made bread pizza with slices of stale white bread, sauce, and cheese. They definitely didn’t compare to this.
We ate in silence for a few minutes, and I enjoyed yet another delicious meal, thanks to Saxon. This week, he’d taken me to several restaurants. Each one seemed better than the last. However, this pizza, sitting out here, in a setting this breathtaking, alone with Saxon, made this one my favorite.
“That good, huh?” he asked in an amused tone.
Had I said that out loud?
Saxon reached over and brushed his thumb over my bottom lip, then stuck it in his mouth and sucked. When he pulled it out, his eyes were still watching me. “I like the little noises you’re making. Please keep eating.”
I swallowed the bite in my mouth. “I don’t make noises.” At least, I hoped not.
He leaned closer to me and pressed his lips against mine. “Yeah, you do.”
Was he teasing me? I started to say more when he reached for my half-eaten slice and set it down on the box, then cupped the side of my face with one hand while leaning in to kiss me again.
Kissing Saxon had become my favorite thing in the world. No one had ever kissed me the way he did. Somehow, without words, he made me feel special and cherished. My body hummed with pleasure while my heart raced. Everything about him was perfect.
Six
Saxon
Watching the female jockey who had ridden Rig in the Breeders’ Cup last month, I understood why my dad had replaced Manuel. Although Manuel was the one who had ridden Rig in the Kentucky Turf Cup, which got him into this year’s Breeders’ Cup. I’d been against his changing jockeys that close to the race, but this was business, and Allegra Grace was good. Better than good. She was possibly the best right now with the exception of Tony Hurst, but he had been on Hughes Farms’ Phantom. And they’d won. But Rig and Allegra had come in second.
Allegra was coming out to ride Rig every few weeks to keep their relationship up. I knew we would be using her again on Rig, and she wanted the win. It was in her blood. She craved it.
Allegra walked Rig over to the fence where I stood. She was tiny, but then she was a jockey. She might be five foot with her riding boots on. I doubted she weighed more than a hundred pounds. I knew under her riding helmet, she had light-brown hair with blonde streaks from being in the sun all the time. I liked her light-blue eyes the most. Well, that and her riding abilities.