Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 149148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Her heart in her throat, Bobby watched through her binoculars as Leandro leaned forward on his bike, resolve stamped on his face. But if this continued, there was no way for him to win. Surely Leandro had known how his bike would fare against Sabastian’s in this kind of race, Bobby wondered uneasily. And if he did, then why had he even bothered to race in the first place?
A more sinister thought occurred to her, and Bobby stiffened. Was it because Leandro wanted to fool her again for whatever reason? Did he want to fool her into thinking that he cared for her – again?
When Blaine had played his cruel trick on her in high school, Bobby had told herself that she would not be fooled by another man again. That she would be wiser. But Leandro came and proved her wrong. Once a fool, always a fool.
Bobby deliberately kept her face expressionless as she watched Sabastian increase his lead, speeding along as he and his beast bent to the side when making a sharp turn to the right.
Leandro was a good distance behind him, and Bobby told herself it was how it should be. Sabastian would win the race, she would not have to be Leandro’s prize, and—-
Her eyes widened when Leandro made a sudden turn towards the ramp.
What the—-
Was he serious?
A silent gasp of horror broke out of her as she watched Leandro take the ramp, his bike shooting into the air before diving down and landing in an explosion of dirt and gravel. The dangerous jump had given Leandro a shortcut, but Sabastian was still a few miles ahead of him.
Leandro didn’t seem bothered, racing down the course but when he reached the first intersection, he made a turn to the left, away from where Sabastian was and heading to the rope bridge. This time, Bobby cursed fluidly.
That rope bridge didn’t just look flimsy – certainly not strong enough to bear the weight of Leandro’s big, badass bike. It was also thin, leaving him no room for error. Was he seriously thinking of—-
Oh my God, he was!
Bobby started to run. She didn’t care that she was giving herself away. If that fucking rope gave out, Leandro would crash from twenty feet up in the air and take a nosedive into a mountain of gravel. Whoever designed this racecourse had clearly been watching too many Saw sequels. If something happened to Leandro—-
She halted mid-run when the rope bridge did give out and Leandro was still a few feet away from reaching the other end.
Bobby screamed.
THE SCREAM HAD LEANDRO almost jerking his head around to look over his shoulder. That scream could only belong to Bobby, but he knew he would end up killing himself if he did look. As the rope gave out under him, Leandro took control of his bike, allowing his instincts to take over.
Every obstacle in Helios’ ever-changing racecourse was designed with safety nets. If the rope bridge had given out, Leandro knew it didn’t mean the end.
His gaze quickly scanned the land below him, sizing up his options and he immediately saw the best safety net to take advantage of. He turned his bike towards the sharply inclined ramp. It would mean careful balancing to prevent him from driving down at a vertical angle, but it was better than a head-on collision with the ground.
The moment his beast’s wheels hit the ramp, Leandro focused on his balance, making sure not to lean too forward or back. Just the slightest change in his position could prevent his beast from safely traversing the ramp.
The crowd cheered as he successfully rode out of the ramp, which placed him just a few feet ahead of Sabastian. He heard Sabastian revving his engine, gearing for a full blast to the finish line, and Leandro leaned forward, giving it everything he had.
He broke through the finish line just a second before Sabastian did, and triumph burst inside him. But more than that, an overwhelming sense of relief had surged into him.
Finally.
Finally, he had a chance to make Bobby truly listen.
Finally, he had a chance to make Bobby understand that he had always, always, always loved her. And he had never stopped.
Chapter Eight
BOBBY DIDN’T KNOW WHEN she started to cry. Maybe it was when she had realized the rope was truly giving out, leaving Leandro with nothing to drive on. Maybe it was when she saw that Leandro had miraculously found a way out of it, when she had almost been convinced he was driving to his death. Or maybe it was when the entire crowd of bikers roared in approval as Leandro finished first, winning the race – and her.
All she knew was that she had to cry. She didn’t even understand why and was too tired to bother figuring it out. She just needed to cry, feeling like she would explode if she didn’t.