Page 76 of Virgin's Stolen Nights with the Boss

‘Yes.’

Carmen nodded and felt a flutter. Because she wanted him to see her perform, to really see what she could do. She wanted to whip out her phone and show him how good she was—but that would surely only spoil things?

‘When did you start riding?’ she asked him.

‘I was about ten,’ Elias said. ‘Summer camp. Then later I used to go and man the line at polo, working for the team I eventually went on to play for. My old team.’

‘You loved it?’

‘I did,’ he agreed. ‘To the great annoyance of my father. He wanted both his sons in the family business. Unfortunately, only one of them really loved it...’

‘You don’t?’

‘There are parts of it I enjoy.’ He looked at her. ‘I’d like to take more risks, but my father always wants to play it safe. Joel did too.’

‘Oh!’ Carmen frowned. ‘I thought you would be the conservative one?’

‘Why?’

‘I don’t know... I don’t think of you as taking a lot of risks.’

‘Carmen,’ he said, ‘that was you, wasn’t it? In the office that night we had sex on the couch?’

‘I believe it was.’ She nodded. ‘That wasn’t a risk. I was a sure thing.’

She’d made him laugh.

‘And do you not think my walking away from a brilliant career to run a polo yard is a bit of a risk?’

‘Maybe,’ Carmen said. ‘Although I would call it following your heart.’ She thought for a moment. ‘Do you think your parents resent that it was Joel who died?’

If it had been anyone else asking that question Elias might not have given a polite response, and if it really had been a first date he’d have been calling for the bill. But he was crazy about Carmen, and starting to get her sometimes dark take on life.

‘No,’ he said calmly. ‘My parents were just devastated that they’d lost a son. I’ve never for a moment thought they’d have preferred it to have been me.’ He smiled at her then. ‘I do need to talk to my father about work, though.’

‘Are you going to leave?’

Ten minutes ago he’d have nodded, but after hearing more about Carmen’s mother, Elias knew how lucky he was to have his parents.

He put down his glass. ‘I don’t know,’ he admitted. ‘Maybe I can tell him I’m cutting down on some of it. If I could only get rid of that damn scholarship!’

He tapped his forehead in what he had come to think of astheirgesture—indicating he was fed up to here.

‘Win tomorrow, then,’ Carmen said. ‘Start something you love in Joel’s name instead.’

He looked at her and told her the truth. ‘You’re a brilliant first date.’

‘Only because you know you’ll get me into bed.’

But not yet. Because tonight they were fixing the world, lying on his couch, eating chocolates, talking about anything and everything, her head in his lap as they listened to music she had never heard before.

‘I don’t like it.’ She shook her head.

‘It’s romantic...’

She screwed up her nose.

‘It is,’ he insisted. ‘I looked it up especially for tonight.’

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