"I hadn't stopped to consider that. She does have everything tied up in that bloodline, doesn't she?"
Ben nodded. “And all of them with the propensity to blow up."
"Speaking of, how's Sam doing?"
"Position eight, Brimstone,” the secretary announced, giving his bottle another shake.
"He's out for the season. Snapped his collarbone clean in half. Riley set up something for his expenses."
Two more horses, and Mister Spoilsport tended to drift to the outside without another horse blocking his right side. Ben could only imagine the oaths floating around Riley's head.
"Position nine, Sound And Fury. Which leaves Mister Spoilsport in tenth."
Damn. Far outside. Nothing worse when it came to Spoil. Ben sighed.
"Not what you wanted, was it?” Pete asked.
"I think you know the answer to that."
Pete gave him an understanding nod, extended his arm and shook his hand. “Good luck Saturday, Ben. I'll keep our talk between us."
"I know you will."
Ben stood up as Riley strode past, sporting a dark expression. He knew better than to follow. Instead, he headed for his car, his work for the day finished.
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CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Riley stormed through the hotel room door, furious with his luck. Of all the things—last place on the outside rail. Spoil never ran well when he landed an outside post. He strayed too close to the stands and lost precious seconds before he veered to the inside rail. Ben was going to have to work hard, be on top of things unlike any other ride.
Infidelity drew a better spot in comparison, although he was close enough to the middle, he ran the risk of getting boxed in. With a new jockey on his back, Lord knew what might happen there.
All of a sudden, his in-the-bag first and second place looked rather dismal. Particularly with Rival Scout two back from the number eightwhite Brimstone.
"Damn it,” he muttered as he slapped his stack of papers on the desk.
Maddie appeared in the doorway between the bedroom and the sitting room, her brows crinkled into a frown. “I didn't watch the telecast. Didn't go well?"
"You're in seventh."
"And Spoil?"
"Goddamn tenth."
Even Maddie winced.
He leaned against the desk and splayed his fingers out in front of him, dropping his head down to take a deep breath. He didn't usually get this worked up over a race. But he was so close to the Triple Crown, he couldn't help himself. He wanted it. He could taste the victory.
He felt her hands slide up his back and settle on his shoulders. Her fingers kneaded into his tight muscles, squeezing almost painfully as they dug into the knots. He relaxed a little and closed his eyes, letting her hands work their magic. She massaged down the length of his spine to the small of his back, then slipped her arms around his waist, leaning into him.
"Spoil will do fine."
"Maddie, I didn't think a race could feel so important. I can't stand the idea of losing this one now that we're here."
"I know,” she replied in a quiet voice. Her lips brushed against his shoulder blade.
With a bone-deep sigh, he swiveled around, bringing her against his chest. “At least your post position didn't turn out so bad."
She shrugged her shoulders, downplaying her decent draw. “We'll see how things go."
"Oh, come on,” he teased. “You've got to be pleased."
When she tipped her face up to look at him, her smile shone bright. “Of course I am. Tahiti's on the line, you know."
Riley grinned at the same time he poked her in the side. “You know damn well we leave December twenty-first, regardless. Quit trying to play off Infidelity's good luck."
Lifting on her toes, she gave him a quick kiss and slid out of his arms. “That's right. I'm mad at you for making me stay home. I should have been there to see it happen."
He caught her by the wrist and dragged her back into his embrace. “I didn't say run off. How are you feeling?"
"Much better."
"Did you get any sleep?"
"Right up until you slammed the door."
He tightened his arms and brought her waist against his, leaning back to look her in the eyes. “Let's do something special tonight. Just you and me. Everything this week has revolved around obligations."
Her eyes sparked with interest. “What do you have in mind?"
"Hell, Maddie, I have no idea. I can't stand New York. Too many people for this Kentucky hillbilly, and I'm not in the mood for a bar scene."
She ran her finger down his chest and murmured, “We could stay in."
His blood heated at the suggestion, and his gut tightened with the thought. “Darlin', I've seen that dress hanging in your closet, and I already plan on keeping you up all night tomorrow."
She blushed a pretty pink color. “All night?"
He leaned in closer, whispering in her ear, “And it'll be so much more incredible if I have to keep my hands off you tonight.” Emphasizing his point, he drew her dainty earlobe between his teeth and gave it a gentle tug.
Her eyes flashed the bright way they did when she was aroused. With effort, he set her back a step so her hips weren't quite as flush with his. “Let's go down to the Seaport. I want to clean up—it's dusty as hell on the track today. Wind's really picking up."
With a grin she followed him to the bathroom where he turned around and fixed her with an impish smirk. “You're welcome to join me, angel, but I meant it, I'm not touching you until tomorrow night."
Giving him a playful pout, she ducked under his arm and stepped inside. Riley took a deep breath. He hadn't expected her to take him up on the offer. When he turned around, he found her leaning against the counter ... stark naked.
Damn it all. One of these days he'd learn how to keep his mouth shut.
Doing his best to ignore her, Riley went to the shower and turned the water on. As he slid back the glass door and stepped inside, he heard her leave and, like a stone thrown into water, his stomach bottomed out. Maddie not share a shower? Not like her at all.
He turned to let the water splash across his face, trying to ignore his ever-increasing dread, and talking himself into believing she must still feel ill.
* * * *
Maddie pulled her clothes out of the drawer and slid into jeans and aefore white sweater, careful to put on both bra and underwear. She'd slept a little, and had been asleep when Riley stormed in; however, she had spent a good portion of her morning dwelling on her deepening sorrow. Riley's suggestive whisper only added to her insecurity, making her question whether he merely enjoyed the physical part of their relationship.
Logically, she knew he wouldn't do the several dozen other things he did for her just because the sex was good. But she didn't know why. And as hard as she tried to deny it, the distance she felt between them only made her hurt.
She couldn't tell him how she felt—he plainly didn't care to hear it. She had no idea how he regarded her. Sure, he might say he wanted to stay around, but when he got bored in bed, how soon would all that change? Scared and confused, she didn't have an outlet for her fears, and the more she tried to convince herself out of them, the more they grew.
Barefoot, she stepped onto the balcony and gazed out at the Manhattan skyline. She hated New York too. Lexington was quaint compared to this monstrosity of noise. The tall skyscrapers intimidated her. Everywhere she looked, she saw nothing but people. Even in the historic areas, tourists gathered in throngs, making it impossible to find a moment's peace. The racket of bustling people, the piercing song of automobile horns and sirens, and the constant flickering lights at night—even when she looked out over the harbor—only added to the chaos running frantic in her mind. She couldn't wait for the Belmont to be over. She wanted to go home.
Right now, her home sounded better than anywhere.
"What are you doing, angel?” Riley's voice drifted from inside the bedroom.
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She turned around and forced a smile onto her mouth. “Just looking at the view."
A frown touched his eyes, but he nodded as he rummaged through his suitcase.
She wasn't really considering leaving Riley, was she? She couldn't be that stupid. He was so good to her. Maybe she just hadn't gone about it the right way. Maybe he didn't know she needed some assurance that he felt something deeper.
With a deep, fortifying breath, she stepped inside and sat down on the bed. “Riley?"
"Hm?” He shook out a clean pair of jeans and unbuttoned them.
"You're happy with me, aren't you?"
Without looking at her, he pulled one leg on. “Of course, angel."
Not the sort of reaction she'd hoped for. He didn't even seem concerned by the fact she was asking.
"I mean, deep down, where it matters, you're happy. Outside of the bed."
He pulled the other leg on much more slowly and turned around, looking at her through the mirror. “Yes, I am."
At least he sounded sincere. There wasn't the slightest touch of hesitancy in his answer. Better than nothing, she supposed. Still, nothing fulfilling, though.
"Is something wrong, Maddie?"
She plucked at the buttons in the duvet cover, keeping her eyes cast downward. “I don't think I understand why we're here, or where we're going."
Riley didn't immediately answer. His silence inched her throat closed. The mattress moved, and she chanced a furtive look in his direction, only to find him gazing at her, his eyes filled with something she'd never read inside them. A sentiment that made her belly flutter even if she didn't recognize it.
"What do you mean?” he asked in a low whisper.
"I mean...” Oh, hell, she didn't know what she meant. All she wanted to know was if he loved her. Yet, she lacked the courage to come right out and say so. Didn't want to influence his answer by telling him she needed to hear.
His hand covered hers, his fingers gripping with tender strength. She turned her fingers over and laced them through his.
"Be patient with me, angel."
She nodded, blinking rapidly to quell a rush of weepy emotion, and let him pull her into his embrace. His fingers trailed through her hair, and he tucked his face into the side of her neck, holding her tight.
She wasn't sure how long she could wait, but in his quiet request, she understood Riley wasn't ready.
* * * *
Their evening out didn't go quite as Riley had hoped. Maddie stayed distant. She smiled, she laughed a little, she talked as they walked through the Seaport and explored the array of stores. Through dinner she was pleasant, made small talk all the way through desert.
Yet, their connection wasn't right. He felt like he'd chased it all night, trying to pin her down and get her to open up to him, to relax and let him inside her heart as she always had. He'd had fun, but in the end, when they came back to their room and climbed into bed, he felt like he'd been on a great date. Not that he'd just spent a memorable evening in New York with the woman he couldn't live without.
He knew what she wanted, knew what she yearned to hear, and her questions shook him. He didn't know how to respond, couldn't form the words that soothed her. He'd tried to ignore where her earlier conversation was heading when she asked if he was happy, but the routine was too familiar. He knew exactly where it would go, and he'd stopped it before she got there, asking for her patience. A question that, despite its honesty, inevitably doomed him. Men who knew how they felt didn't ask for patience, and women like Maddie were smart enough to understand that.
He moved to kiss her, and although she gave him her mouth, Maddie wasn't there. Her mind was somewhere else, some distant place where he couldn't retrieve it. Riley settled in against her side, fighting off the urge to squeeze her until she broke in half.
A wealth of deep, scary emotion coursed through him as he breathed in her perfume.
He couldn't lose her. He needed her too much. She was everything he'd never known he wanted, and every dream he'd never thought to see. Just a few minutes in her smile, and he felt like he could do anything.
He pressed his mouth to her shoulder, then laid his cheek against her skin.
Her hand brushed over his forearm, and she gave him a gentle squeeze.
Swallowing, he searched for the courage, opened his mouth, and his throat closed around his emotion. Grimacing against the futility of it all, he whispered, “You make me very happy, Maddie."
Dear God, he couldn't lose her.
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CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Maddie woke up early, opening her eyes as the sunlight poured in through the balcony curtain she'd forgotten to close. Last night had been nothing but miserable, and this morning, she determined to move past it. Riley cared about her. She read it in his eyes. Knowing that should be more than enough to content her. She didn't need him to love her, she just needed to matter. Or so she convinced herself.
Stretching, she crawled over Riley and straddled his lap. The sheet fell to his waist, exposing his bronzed chest, and she glided her hands up over it as she leaned down and pressed soft kisses over his face. “Wake up, handsome,” she called in a soft voice.
The corners of his mouth twitched upwards, but he didn't move, didn't open his eyes. She knew he was awake, had been, probably since she stretched. He was such a light sleeper. With an impish grin, she nuzzled her way to the side of his neck and traced the tip of her tongue along his skin, enchanted by the way his pulse suddenly leapt to life, bounding alongside his throat. Intent on teasing, she wiggled her hips against his.
He stirred beneath her thigh.
"Rise and shine, Riley."
One hand came up to settle around her waist, the other wound into her hair. “I've risen,” he replied in a husky whisper.
Strangely, heat flooded through her body and settled between her legs. God, he turned her on so easily.
With a little tug, he brought her mouth back to his and greeted her with a hungry kiss that left her heart drumming against her ribs.
Maddie had other plans, however. Tonight was the ball, and she'd anticipated her surprise since before they left Kentucky. Drawing the stirring kiss to a close, she lifted her eyes to his and held his gaze as she inched her body lower, drawing the sheet with her.
Riley's eyes darkened.
Sitting at his knees, she glanced down to find him hard and ready. Perfect. Just the way she wanted him.
She raked a solitary fingernail up the length of his cock, and he sucked in a sharp breath. Closing her fingers around him, a bead of moisture slipped down his blunt tip. She bent down and licked it off.
"What are you doing, angel?” he managed in a hoarse voice.
"Mm. I think you know.” Her reply sounded husky to her ears, matching his own. Damn, this man could bring her to her knees without so much as touching her.
Lowering herself, she took him deep into her mouth, then pulled away, letting him slide between her lips and sucking hard against his sensitive tip.
Riley's hips lifted reflexively, and his hands fisted into the covers. “God, woman...” he croaked out.
She eased away the pressure, and raked her teeth down the length of him, swirling her tongue around his hard flesh, enjoying tasting him. Slipping one hand beneath his balls, she gave them a little lift, cupping him gently as her other hand came up to work along his length, following the path of her mouth.
He moved beneath her, pushing and sliding in time with her firm strokes. She nipped at his swollen head as her fingers took a tighter hold and gave him a firm, but gentle, tug.
It brought him almost upright in the bed, he arched his back so fiercely. His balls tightened in her hand. “Maddie, God. Get up here."
He reached for her and let out a sharp hiss when she refused and repeated the perfectly timed stroke of her teeth and fingers.
Riley fairly writhed beneath her. “I'm going...” His fingers dug into the mattress and he clamped down
on his lower lip.
With one last painstakingly slow caress, she let him slide from her lips, and took her hands away. Although she fairly ached with wanting him, and her desire dampened her inner thighs, she slid off the bed, and traipsed to the bathroom.
"Shit,” he swore from the other room. “That's cruel, darlin'. Are you still pissed off about yesterday morning?"
Tamping down a giggle, she summoned an angelic smile, poked her head out of the bathroom, and answered, “I'm not mad at all, handsome."
Ducking back inside, she started the shower, locking the door before he got the idea she was inviting him in. Through the closed door, she heard him muttering as he struggled to free himself from their tangled sheets. Safely locked inside, she gave in to her laughter.
Oh, yes, today would be fun indeed. And tonight promised to be incredible. By the time they got home, Riley would be eating from the palm of her hand and so incredibly aroused it might end up a little frightening.
Humming, she stepped beneath the steamy spray.
* * * *
Riley sat on the edge of the bed, stunned. He'd been so close, seconds from an incredible release, and fantasizing about how nice it would feel to let go with her mouth around him, when she just disappeared. His body still hummed with arousal, and he was so sensitive right now, he couldn't bring himself to get up.
What the hell was that all about? The little minx was up to something. Playful Maddie back with a vengeance. At least she wasn't miles away still. He took some relief from that. But he had a sneaking suspicion he was in a world of trouble. By the time Maddie finished whatever game she'd started, he would want to cry. In all her teasing, Maddie had never before left him wanting.
Creeping to a stand, he stepped into his shorts, his gut clenching as he pulled them on. God damn, he hadn't felt this way since puberty. Taking a deep breath, he forced his mind off his sensitive cock and on to something completely nonsexual. His horse. He needed to get to the barns and let Mister Spoilsport gallop around the track this morning.
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