Love and Lies (Sunshine & Shadow Book 4)
Page 5
April frowned. “Buyers? But you were going to put him down, right?”
“We were when he was being difficult, but seeing what you just did proves that he’s got more potential than we thought. When my connections, and Damian’s, hear about him, I think we might have a bidding war on our hands.” He rubbed his hands together, grinning viciously.
April didn't know what to say. She moved her fingers over Prime Time’s soft coat, feeling his large head swing to look at her; he felt her fear. She didn't want to lose him, this horse that she had just won over. It was like she had given him a part of her soul.
“But...you can’t...You can’t just...” April stammered.
“On the contrary, April, I definitely can. Damian, take the horse back to his stall and start making phone calls. I want a buyer by the end of next week.” He clapped his hands again, making April jump and turned to leave. Over his shoulder, he said, “Hope you’re not too upset. This is L.A, sweetheart. Next time, just try not to get your hopes up.”
April watched as Damian slipped a halter over Prime Time’s face and led the reluctant horse out of the arena. She couldn’t believe what had just happened, feeling her legs turn to jelly. She knew there was nothing she could do, and her heart began to ache.
Lex went to her side, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his solid chest. He held the back of her head, turning so that she couldn’t watch the horse disappear.
“He can’t just...I have to do something.”
Lex shook his head. “April...He’s right. This is L.A....and Campbell has a job to do.”
“It’s not right...” April’s voice shook but she refused to cry.
“I know. But if you hadn’t been here, he’d be dead. Just think about what you’ve just done for him. You saved him. That’s what you wanted to do, right?”
April nodded. “I guess so.”
“You did it,” Lex said.
April smiled back, stretching out her fingers along his chest, feeling his heartbeat against her palm. “I did it,” she murmured.
He kissed her forehead, and then moved lower, trailing kisses down her cheek and jaw, hovering above her lips.
April inhaled and then closed the gap, feeling the part of her that had been in chaos without Lex settle into place in her heart.
Chapter 5
April looked up at the man of her dreams. He lay on his back, his bare chest lightly covered in a soft layer of dark hair. She entwined her fingers in it, being careful not to wake him. Watching his face, she saw his pale eyelids flutter once, twice, then open on the third time.
They regarded her warmly.
“Hey,” she murmured, trailing her fingers up over his shoulder and down the inside of his arm. She was still filled with the heavenly glow that she felt after spending time in Lex’s bed.
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” he said.
“Obviously you needed it.”
“I guess I did. I haven’t been sleeping very well lately.”
“Me neither.”
“Damn,” Lex looked at his watch quickly. He breathed a sigh of relief.
“What?”
“I was worried I slept all night.”
“Just an hour.”
“We need to leave in thirty minutes. Can you be ready in time?”
April frowned, nodding. “Sure. Where are we going?”
“I’m not telling you.”
“How do I know what to wear?”
“Wear whatever you like. You’ll look beautiful no matter what.”
April rolled her eyes, sliding out of bed and grabbing a short-sleeved black top from the closet.
“Does this work?” she asked.
Lex nodded. “Yes.”
“Okay then.”
April pulled the shirt on, grabbed her jeans from the floor and headed to the bathroom to run a brush through her tangled hair.
Thirty minutes later, April and Lex drove down the strip, casually maneuvering through the traffic, holding hands. Lex wore a wide smile.
“What are you so happy about?”
“Do I really need a reason? I’m driving a nice car, through a beautiful city, on a starry night, with the girl of my dreams sitting next to me. Life doesn’t seem like it can get much better.”
April smiled. She admired the way the bright lights from the buildings and the traffic made the road glisten like a rainbow. “Where are we going?” she mused.
“You’ll see.”
They weaved through the cars and found their way to the end of the strip. They were heading in the direction of April’s house. After a few short minutes, the car turned down the driveway. As they pulled up in front of the cottage, Lex hurried around to open April’s door for her. She watched the way his eyes sparkled.
“Lex why are we...?”
“Hush.” Lex pulled her around the back of the house, through the willow trees and down into the meadow that the deck overlooked.
“What are we doing here?”
April glanced into the darkness, wondering what the glinting lights were that peaked through the trees. Lex opened the gate and led her through, shutting it firmly behind them.
“Lex...this is the neighbors’ property...We shouldn’t be here.”
Lex winked at her and tugged on her hand. She followed him down an overgrown path towards the lights. As they rounded a corner of thick trees, April could make out the outline of a large building. It was a barn, with high windows.
The door creaked as Lex slid them open and April stepped inside.
The barn was complete with four stalls on one side with a winding staircase beside them, leading to a loft. On the other side there was a tack room and a feed room, their doors open, opposite a long hitching rail.
“Lex, this is trespassing,” April whispered. “We should go.”
Lex shook his head. “It’s not trespassing if you’re on your own land.”
She frowned. “What?”
“Well, I figured you needed a little more space. So I bought the 10 acres that bordered Mrs. Avengo’s place. Oh, and I also bought Mrs. Avengo’s place. As a gift for you.”
April’s eyes widened. “What? Why?”
“Well, with the baby coming, Violet’s gonna be moving in with me...So this way, I can just come here anytime, and no-one needs to know.”
April smiled. She couldn’t believe that Lex had done this. He was really doing everything he could to make sure she was comfortable in L.A. Commotion in the far stall distracted her and she took a step forward.
Behind her, Lex whistled and a giant chestnut head leaned out of the stall, swinging to look at them.
“Prime Time!” April exclaimed, rushing forward to be sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her. “How did you...when did you...?”
Lex laughed at her bewildered expression. “As soon as I saw how torn up you were when Campbell said he was gonna sell him, I knew I couldn’t let him go to the highest bidder.”
“He must have cost you a fortune!”
Lex nodded. “He did. But it’s totally worth it to see the look on your face right now.”
April’s mouth was open, staring at him in awe. How could she be so lucky? She rubbed Prime Time’s forehead and grinned from ear to ear.
“I can’t believe this,” she said.
“Why not?”
“I can’t believe you did this for me...”
“It’s the least I can do.”
April looked at him, frowning slightly. “Why?”
Lex shook his head. After a pause he said, “You do so much for me, just by being here. And now you have everything you need.”
She smiled. She was the luckiest girl the world. Wrapping her arms around Lex’s waist she watched Prime Time dip his head twice, like he was agreeing with her.
The final installment of Sunshine & Shadow
Blazing the Trail
Now available on Amazon
Love and Lies (Sunshine & Shadow Book 4)