He nods enthusiastically and grabs my hand. I smile as I let him drag me over to the big tent. It looks like the show has already started as we duck inside the tent, and I try to get into it as we listen to the crowd cheering.
“Up next, we have the amazing Pia and her horse, Penny!” the announcer cheers over the loudspeaker. I glance up at the sound of thundering hooves just in time to see a copper-colored horse gallop past.
A tiny blonde woman runs along the side of the horse, and I watch, completely mesmerized as she reaches up and swings herself onto the back of the animal.
She waves to the crowd, a wide smile on her beautiful face before she leaps nimbly to her feet on the back of the galloping horse. My chest grows tight, my heart lurching in my chest the longer I stare at her. Sweat beads my upper lip and forehead, and my hands are shaking.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Long blonde hair floats behind the ethereal trick rider, her graceful movements hypnotizing me. I can’t look away. Everything about this woman has me on edge, all sorts of unfamiliar, ludicrous thoughts and feelings bubbling up from somewhere deep inside.
Perfect. Gorgeous. Goddess. Wife. Mother of my children. Mine, mine, mine.
She’s incredible, her lithe little body moving like a dancer as she balances and moves on top of her horse. My woman is young, no more than twenty or so, and that makes me all the more protective of her.
Swallowing thickly, I try to get myself under control. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and open them again. Of course, they land right on my girl, tracking her every movement.
My gaze slides down her body, pausing to appreciate the lean muscles in her arms and legs, her delicate little feet, and the swell of her breasts. She’s so much more than beautiful, she’s… precious. Can’t say I’ve ever thought that about another human being, but there it is.
I want to taste her ruby-red lips, swallow down her cries of pleasure as I drag my tongue down her body, and make her mine in every goddamn way. I also want to wrap my little trick rider up in a blanket and massage her aching muscles while she sips hot chocolate. I have the insane urge to draw her a bath and wash every inch of her before tucking her into bed and crawling in next to her.
My new obsession goes around the circle once more, and our eyes meet for one perfect second. Brilliant blue eyes hit me square in the chest, ripping me apart and replacing my soul with hers. It’s mine now, and I plan to treasure it, as well as my trick rider, forever.
The beauty blinks a few times, her cheeks glowing bright pink. It’s probably from the routine she just finished, but I secretly hope she’s blushing for me. She’s blushing because she knows this is the beginning of everything.
Wasn’t I just saying that no one ever sparked my interest? No one seemed worth risking my career and company for?
Yeah, well, fuck that.
I’ve found my new purpose for breathing, and it has nothing to do with investments or building a financial empire.
I can feel the intensity of this moment deep in my gut, and I suck in a sharp breath.
“Are you okay?” Georgia asks.
I can’t tearmy gaze away from my girl as she canters around the arena.
“I’m… perfect,” I tell her.
How could I be anything else when I just found the woman of my dreams?
Most people would think that it was crazy to fall in love with someone that I’ve never even talked to, someone that I’ve looked in the eye once, but I always trust my gut and my gut is telling me that Pia is meant to be mine.
Now I just need to convince her of that.
TWO
Pia
“Let’sgive Pia and Penny a big hand!”
I scan the crowd for the tenth time since my routine ended, hoping to catch another glimpse ofhim. I have no idea who he is, only that when his dark blue eyes met mine, I felt seen, truly seen, for the first time since my parents passed away. Not only that, but something about the fierce yet tender way he held my gaze made me feel… safe. Protected. Cared for.
Crazy, I know. It was just a look from some random guy in the crowd. It shouldn’t mean anything.
And yet, my heart is still rattling around in my chest, my cheeks still flushed from the memory alone. A dull, throbbing ache starts somewhere deep in my core, radiating outward and making my thighs squeeze together.
I push those strange feelings and sensations to the back of my mind, focusing back on the crowd. I smile wider, waving as I nudge Penny with my heels to trot out of the arena and out of the rear door of the big tent.