Billionaire Erotic Romance Boxed Set: 7 Steamy Full-Length Novels (60 page)

Beautiful Surrender (Final Book) – Release Date: November 4
th
, 2013

Click the links above to meet the deliciously sexy Vincent Sorenson.

He’s waiting for you…

Winner Takes All

by Sherilyn Gray

Sasha Cormick loves her job as a jockey for the prestigious Taylor stables. She spends her days training and racing the majestic animals she fell in love with when she was a teenager. No one suspects anything about her past, and that's no accident. Sasha has spent the better part of a decade running from her disastrous family and building a new life for herself, even if that life is a lie designed to protect herself from prying eyes.

When Sasha wins the race of a lifetime, she is brought face to face with the wealthy and enigmatic owner of Taylor Stables, Damien Taylor. Now, Sasha is not sure how much longer she can continue to keep her secrets from Damien as he helps her explore the boundaries of passion.

As Sasha's whirlwind relationship with Damien develops, a ghost from her past returns to threaten the life she had worked so hard to build for herself.

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Chapter One

Barely two minutes until the starting gun. Sasha’s heart pounded in her chest as her eyes swept over Churchill Grounds. Like the other jockeys behind the starting gates alongside her, she was waiting. Nervous. But her hands were loose and easy on the reigns of the bay colt under her. Heavy Impact snorted, tossing his head as if he too was anticipating the biggest race of his life. The Kentucky Derby. Out in the stands, the voices rose and fell like an ocean’s surf, bringing goose bumps to Sasha’s skin. People from all over the world gathered in Louisville for what was arguably the biggest horserace in the world. And the most important one of her career.

Sasha felt the other jockeys in the starting gates beside her, but she ignored them. Focusing instead on herself, on Heavy Impact. On the race. She drew in a swift breath, even now hardly believing that she’d come this far, escaping her misery of a childhood to sit perched atop one of the fastest horses she’d ever ridden, and at the most famous race in the world. Sasha Cormick. At Churchill Downs with the smell of the dirt track in the air, a thousand pounds of powerful horseflesh shifting between her legs. Incredible.

Nearly a year ago, Sasha had been in disbelief when she was first courted by two well-known stables. When Linc Stratton, the head trainer from Taylor Stables, had approached her, shown her the gorgeous Taylor property— the white washed buildings and vast green pastures, the clean and bright facilities with the all the modern amenities, even inexplicably the burned ruins of an old stable showing in stark contrast in the background—she had been very impressed. That day, Linc introduced her to Heavy Impact and Sasha had just about fallen in love. The choice between the two stables had all but made itself.

Now, after over two dozen wins together, she and Heavy Impact were together, finally at the Run for the Roses. She quivered in excitement. In reaction, Heavy Impact snorted beneath her, tossed his magnificent head. She patted his sleek neck.

“Steady boy.”

The announcer’s voice blared over the speakers. Her heart pounded even harder. It was mere seconds until the gate flew open. An arctic calm descended over Sasha. The drumming of her heart faded away as if it had never been.

It all happened at once. The starting gun exploded. The bells rang out. The starting gates flew open with a wild clang.

Heavy Impact leapt forward with an effortless movement of his powerful legs, and they were immediately in the middle of the controlled stampede. Hooves pounded against the ground, dirt flying up, thundering sound as the crowd roared, cheering for their favorites. On both sides of her, the other horses bumped close, shoving at Impact as the horse pounded across the dirt, threatening to overturn each other. Impact breathed easily, his heavy body effortlessly in control. Fast. Faster.

Then they were in the lead, Impact and Sasha both breathing heavily now. Another bay jerked ahead of them. But Impact quickly regained the lead, his legs working like pistons. Sasha tightened her hands on the reigns but allowed him to set the pace. After a space of five drumming heartbeats, she reined him in just enough so he wouldn’t tire himself out. They thundered around the track to the symphony of shouts in the stands. The smell of horse and sweat and the hot day rose up around Sasha. Sasha rode on, bouncing in the flimsy saddle, her butt in the air, chin nearly buried in Impact’s short mane. They kept their lead, breathing controlled, pace steady.

He wanted more. Hooves flying, sides heaving with his effort. Not yet. Not yet. Then they reached the final stretch. Sasha gave him his head and she could almost feel his joy. Unfettered, he leapt even farther ahead, sides heaving, the sound of his hooves like music. Sasha felt a wild grin on her face, adrenaline singing through her body as they flew toward the Winner’s Circle.

Yes! The joy surged through her.

The crowd roared High Impact’s name. The announcer announced their victory. A win by a stride. Sasha laughed out loud, standing up tall in the stirrups to wave at the crowd.

“Good boy!” She pressed her face against his neck as they slowed to a canter, the crowd’s jubilation echoing in her veins.

In a blur, she was at the Winner’s Circle. A riot of flashbulbs, the parade in front of the press and jubilant crowd. Then the heavy drape of the red rose blanket across her legs, the intoxicating scent of five hundred and fifty four red roses all over her and Heavy Impact. She normally preferred tulips but in this once instance, she’d make an exception. She threw her head back and laughed.

Linc, the trainer at Taylor Stables, ambled over to them and took the reins. Tall, brown, and with a head full of prematurely gray hair, he always seemed to be smiling.

She’d liked him the moment they met.

“Sasha, you were brilliant!” He said, roughly patting Heavy Impact’s neck, gave her booted leg a squeeze. “A perfect race.”

“I told you we’d do it, Linc!” She felt the dimples dig even deeper into her cheeks with her smile. She’d known Impact was ready, that he could do it.

She jumped down from the saddle and into Linc’s arms. His hug was warm, smelling of the stables and of the still bright evening sunshine. Someone took her arm, guiding her away from him and toward another set of cameras. Linc took off her jockey’s hat, grinning. Suddenly conscious of her hat hair, Sasha ran her fingers through her shoulder length black locks, shaking the thick mane away from her face just as a camera flashed.

“Mr. Taylor! Right here, please, sir!” A voice called out just to the right of Sasha.

A moment later, Damien Taylor, the owner of Taylor Stables appeared at her side. Sasha’s face instantly grew warm, then her body flushed even more. A familiar reaction whenever she was in the presence of her boss, even though they’d never spoken more than a few words to each other the entire year she’d ridden for him. His all-American good looks—blond hair, killer blue eyes, and a face straight from a fashion magazine—had inspired quite a few early morning fantasies when they’d first met. Luckily, she’d gotten over her infatuation. Almost.

Damien Taylor flashed a bright smile. He warmly grasped her shoulder as the flashbulbs exploded and the cameras rolled. Standing so close to him, his six foot plus height made her five foot two feel even shorter. He smelled like mint julep and sunscreen. Just then, someone pushed a microphone in his face and asked him a question about the horse, how it felt to win the Derby. His deep voice rumbled pleasantly as he answered the question, nodding his head to Sasha.

“Sasha and Impact did all the work,” he said, smiling at her again. His arm fell away from her shoulder and she immediately missed its warmth.

The reporter turned to her. “You are the best looking thing out here,” he said, gearing up for a question. “I’m sure that smile of yours helped to win the race.”

Because I surely couldn’t just be a good jockey.

“Why thank you,” Sasha said, raising an acerbic eyebrow in his direction. “And that shade of makeup does wonders for your dreamy brown eyes.”

He stared at her blankly for a second before chuckling, his veneers flashing in the brilliant sunlight. “You’re such a little jokester,” he said. “What was the best moment of today?” He stuck the microphone back in her face.

“The win, of course.”

Another blank look. Then he thanked her, moved back to Damien. Sasha took that moment to step away from the reporter and Mr. Taylor’s mind-scrambling presence.

Linc shook his head, though he was smiling, his teeth a white flash in his brown face. “One day that smart mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble, young lady.”

She laughed, feeling glorious and invincible. “Not today, though.”

He laughed with her, the corners of his eyes crinkling even more in his mirth. “Just because it’s your lucky day.”

“Pardon me.”

Linc and Sasha both turned at the sound of Damien Taylor’s voice. The trainer stuck out his hand.

“Good to see you, Mr. Taylor. Congratulations on the win.”

Damien Taylor shook Linc’s hand, treating everyone in the vicinity to another devastating smile. “Thank you. But don’t think I don’t know who really won out here.” His blue eyes touched Sasha and she felt a blush climb into her cheeks.

Down girl!

“Ms. Cormick.” His eyes seemed to burn even deeper into hers. “If you’re free, I’d like to invite you to a little gathering this afternoon. Are you able to go?”

She didn’t even have to think about it. “Thank you. I’d love to come.” She paused. “As long as I get to change into something a little less horse-friendly.”

His eyes twinkled. “Good.” He reached into his inside jacket pocket, took out a card and scribbled something on the back of it. “Here’s the address. Meet me there and take all the time you need to get ready.”

After another smile, a nod in Linc’s direction, he was gone.

“Wow,” she said under her breath. “That…wow!” Did she just get invited to a party with Damien Taylor? One of the richest men in Kentucky? One of the most beautiful men she had ever seen?

“Get that deer in the headlights look off your face and go get ready.” Linc patted her on the shoulder, hard. Just like he had to Heavy Impact a few minutes before.