Page 43 of Virgin's Stolen Nights with the Boss

‘Oh, I’m going to,’ Carmen said assuredly.

‘I saw the best psychic there.’

Elias had rolled his eyes, because Laura was clearly about to start a monologue on her favourite pastime, when Carmen chimed in, ‘Well, I want to see a show and play the tables.’

Why, Elias pondered, when he had a million things to do, was he standing here listening to his head groom and his junior stable hand chatter on? And, more to the point, why was he joining in?

‘Red or black?’ he asked.

‘Red,’ Carmen said. ‘Every time.’

‘Do you gamble?’ he asked.

‘Never.’ She shook her head. ‘But if I did, it would be—’ Her voice halted as Blake called out for him. ‘Blake’s calling.’

‘Yep,’ he said, nodding, and tore his focus away from Carmen.

He reluctantly got back to his busy day as his yard manager made his way over.

‘Laura, the truck’s ready. Elias, Wanda’s calling; she can’t get you on your cell phone.’

‘Sure.’

Carmen found she was biting her lip as she finished off Winnie’s tail. She kept telling herself it didn’t matter as she helped load the horses into a huge, luxurious horse truck and the rest of the team went off to get changed.

Elias had changed too, and came out of his office in fresh attire and long, gleaming black boots. And Blake was looking very smart.

‘It’s a shame you’re missing it,’ he said as he went to do a final check on the animals before the truck headed off with its precious cargo.

Oh, no, it wasn’t, Carmen thought.

It hurt her that Wanda would be there.

Bitterly.

More than that, it angered her.

Oh, she hadn’t expected flowers and romance from a playboy, but common decency would do! She knew she hadn’t imagined that moment on the beach last night.

Not that she would let on.

Carmen pushed out a smile for Blake. ‘Good luck!’

And she said the same to each member of the team as they piled into the coach that would take them to the venue.

‘Why aren’t you coming?’ John asked.

‘Because...’ Carmen took a breath, her anger building. She wished everyone would simply go, so she could run into a field and scream...

‘If we win, we’ll let you know where the party is!’ Laura called.

‘I hate parties.’

Carmen waved them off in the coach, then turned and found herself face to face with Elias’s scent and his chest.

‘Shouldn’t you already be gone?’ she asked.

‘On my way...’

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