Bet on Me (26 page)

Why does it sound so much hotter when he says it?
I inhaled sharply, my breath catching in my throat. When it returned, it came in short rasps. I struggled to form a sentence in response and thankfully he spoke again, saving me from making a fool of myself.

“If I
do
squeal, then I’ll strip for you.”

How could a girl turn that down?

I swallowed, pretending to consider it for a second. “Fine, you’re on.”

“Be prepared to lose, sweetheart.”

Rolling my eyes, I pulled myself from his arms. We both stepped towards the men waiting for us and within a minute we were strapped into the harnesses—lying on our stomachs and facing the direction we’d be travelling so we could see everything in front and below us. It was named Flight of the Angel for a reason.

The men edged us towards the end of the platform by our feet so that we hung over the massive drop. The wire disappeared into the landscape so only the trail of red and white plastic lanterns revealed the path we were about to follow.

“Ready?” I turned to Cole with a grin and jabbed him in the side. Not expecting my action, he let out a yelp and jumped. The harness prevented him from moving too far and I barked a laugh.

“Seriously? That was way too easy!”

“That doesn’t count, we haven’t even started yet.”

“Fine, but you’ll scream.”

The men behind us began the countdown and the butterflies intensified in my stomach, only not from nerves this time. The anticipation had me bouncing in my harness, eager to begin the mile long slide down the mountain. I wanted to soar again, to experience the wind on my face and the feeling of weightlessness.

As soon as the men hit zero they let go. Instantly, we began to slide, the wheels above us turning and picking up speed with every metre. When we cleared the safety zone in which we had to keep our arms tucked in I threw mine out wide and shouted. At the same time Cole did the same thing.

We were flying.

We were free. 

I uprooted my whole life in search of what everyone had told me was unattainable and I found it. I’d even gone one better and found someone to share it with.

I had no idea where our travels would take us after we’d stayed in every one of Dalton’s hotels, but that was a long way away. For now we answered to no one, lived everyday as we wanted, and we had a ton of adventures lined up. Cole even squealed, much to my excitement.

~ THE END ~

BONUS SCENE

If you enjoyed Bet On Me and would like to read more from Cole and Alaya, I’ve written a bonus scene. To claim it, all you have to do is leave a review on your favourite retailer and fill in this
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A lot of people helped me in the creation of
Bet On Me
. This has been one of my favourite novels to date and I will always hold a soft spot in my heart for Alaya and Cole. I’m so thankful to everyone who has helped me shape this book to bring the best possible version to life.

First, and foremost, to my family. Whether it’s to talk me down off a ledge when things don’t go to plan or to celebrate when things go right, you guys are always there. I love you all so much.

Secondly, to Kirsty. Thank you for beta reading, answering any question I sent your way, giving me your honest opinion, proof reading, and for volunteering as my PA. I can’t tell you how much your friendship and help means to me.

Thirdly, to Lauren. Thank you for helping me work out the kinks in this story and always being available to beta read.

To my brilliant editor, Melissa. Thank you for making my manuscript all shiny and sparkly.

To Cass and Keren, thank you for proof reading and helping me find any last minute errors.

To all of the authors I’ve met in person or online. You are a great support system and people I can turn to for help. There are too many of you to name individually, but you guys get me.

To all of the bloggers who share and promote my books. I would love to name you all, but there are so many of you and I don’t want to leave someone out. I can’t put into words how much your help means to me. I appreciate every single thing you do for me. You guys are amazing, thank you.

And finally, to my readers. Thank you for taking a chance on my work, sticking with me, and supporting me. Without you I couldn’t live my dream and it means so much to me that you’re actually reading my books.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

#1 Amazon bestselling author Mia Hoddell lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time writing or reading, loves anything romantic, and has an overactive imagination that keeps her up until the early hours of the morning.

Mia has written over ten titles including her Seasons of Change series, the Chequered Flag series, the Elemental Killers series, and her standalone novels False Finder and Not Enough.

Her favourite genres are contemporary romance or romantic suspense, and with an ever growing list of ideas she is trying to keep up with the speed at which her imagination generates them. She also designs book covers and banners on her website
M Designs
.

For more information on new releases, giveaways, ARCs, exclusive content, and more sign up to Mia’s
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A Note From The Author

Hello,

Thank you for taking a chance on my work, and I hope you’ve enjoyed
Bet On Me
.

If you did enjoy the book, please consider leaving a review on your favourite retailer and Goodreads. Reviews are incredibly important in helping indie authors reach a wider audience.

I also love hearing from my readers. You can connect with me on social media or drop me an email via my blog.

Happy reading,

Mia

OTHER BOOKS

Standalone Reads

Not Enough

False Finder

Bet On Me

Series

Chequered Flag Series

Chameleon Soul
Twisted Mind
Stolen Breath

Seasons of Change Series

Summer Demons
Winter Angel
Autumn Ghost
Spring Knight

Seasons of Change Box Set Exclusive Short Stories

Summer Revenge
Seasons of Love

Elemental Killers

Deadly to Love
Deadly to Promise
Deadly to Lie
Deadly to Leave

The Wanderer Trilogy
The Sheol
The Flawless
The Hunted

Anthologies

Men of Mayhem

All books are available in ebook and paperback from major online retailers.

SNEAK PEEKS

CHAMELEON SOUL

ABOUT THE BOOK

After one fateful night, Raine Wilkins’ life has never been the same…
Two years into a relationship with Formula 1 driver Teo Coates, Raine walks out of his life without offering an explanation. To shield him from horrifying events that are best kept secret, Raine breaks her own heart and the heart of the man she loves. And left with no choice, Teo is forced to abandon Raine to finish his race season.
However, Teo
always
wins, and losing Raine’s heart has only made him more determined to reclaim it…
Now, a year later, he’s back, and she’s his only goal. But Raine is no longer the same girl he left behind; she’s broken by the past and struggling to cope with each day. Unbearable memories have her nights plagued with fear, while her days are spent deliberately hiding away to avoid triggering full-blown panic attacks. Therefore, when Teo returns as England’s favourite driver, and demands answers, all of Raine’s careful planning is destroyed.
She is thrown into the one place she never wants to be—the spotlight.
Her newfound fame as Teo’s public girlfriend raises old dangers, and exposes her to a group who will stop at nothing to tear them apart. If Raine and Teo are to be together, they must confront their past. However, only Raine knows the truth behind what happened during that sinister night, and revealing her secrets may cause Teo to leave for good.

PROLOGUE

Raine

I was broken.

Physically, mentally, emotionally…broken.

Then again, after what had happened, I had the right to be.

The repetitive beeps that filled the room with their annoying chime should have reassured me I was okay. That I was alive. Yet all they did was remind me of where I was, what I had gone through, and the part of me I could no longer feel. They reminded me of what I knew I’d already lost.

I’d been lying on the uncomfortable bed, which was harder than a concrete slab, for a few hours, but it doesn’t take that long for a person to know they’re changed forever. The second I woke up, I knew I’d never be the person I once was. A hollowness now filled me, and it had never been present before. It was why I had to end things.

“Are you sure this is what you want, Raine? Maybe you should wait until your mind isn’t clouded by whatever drugs they’ve got you on,” my best friend Dustin said.

He stood over my bed trying to be strong for me, yet I could see the divide in his melancholy gaze. I was asking him to knowingly hurt his family, to be an accomplice in something I knew they’d never forgive him for.

It was unfair. I was aware of that. However, I needed my best friend. If I had any hope of recovering I needed him to stand by me, hold my hand, and tell me I was doing the right thing.

I didn’t even care if he lied.

“Dustin’s right, Raine. You’re not thinking clearly right now. There’s no need to make rash decisions you can’t take back.”

Nadine, my other friend, took my hand, her touch searing against my icy fingers. When she ran her thumb over the back, careful not to touch the IV, I tilted my head to look up at her. Her dirty blonde hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun, the mismatched clothes signalling she’d been lying around the house when Dustin had called her in. She had red rings around her eyes from the tears I never saw and now, like Dustin, her eyes held a plethora of emotions. Sadness, worry, fear, confusion, disapproval—the list went on and I chose to ignore every one of them.

They could blame the drugs all they wanted; I knew my thoughts were clear. I’d had at least two hours to mull everything over and consider my choices.

I only had two: end things, or stay.

Ending things would cause a brief moment of pain, but Teo would get over it…over me. He was in the middle of starting a new life and I didn’t need to hold him back. That’s what the bastard who did this wanted. Teo was on his way to being a champion and he would never reach that status if he remained with me. He’d be constantly looking after me or worrying, and he couldn’t afford that.

I knew he’d never choose option one. He’d say he could manage both his job and me, but I would always come first.

Most girls would kill to be able to say something like that, right?

That was why I had to cut him free. He needed to focus on his career for a while and I required the space to figure out who I was now. Coming to terms and dealing with everything was going to be hard enough; I didn’t need to worry about whether or not I was damaging his chances as well.

I was making the only decision I could, hoping the painkillers they had me hooked up to would also dull the pain of me shattering my own heart.

“Give me the phone, Dustin.” I lifted my hand for the device, albeit weakly.

Conflict marred his gaze. I was splitting his loyalty between his brother and his best friend.

“Please, Dustin. You know he needs this. If Teo finds out about any of this he’s never going to get on that plane. It’ll be the end of his career and he’ll probably end up in jail. You know I’m right.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to send him away, Raine. Just tell him you can’t make it to his house tonight.” Nadine raised her other hand to my face, her fingers brushing the tendrils of my long, brunette hair back like a mother would to their child.

“You know that won’t stop him. He’s not going to leave without saying goodbye and he can’t come here without finding out the truth.”

They both hung their heads and let out deep breaths.

“Please, Dustin,” I begged. “He’ll never know you were involved. Hand me the phone and then you can go if you want.”

“I’m not leaving you, Raine. Neither of us are. If you’re seriously going to do this, then you’re going to need us more than when they brought you here in the back of that ambulance.”

“He’s right, Raine,” Nadine chimed in. “We’re not going anywhere.”

I didn’t argue, knowing they were only speaking the truth. To be honest, I was glad they were staying.

I made a grabbing motion, silently asking for the phone again.

I didn’t expect Dustin to hand it over, so when the cool metal back of my mobile touched my waiting palm it surprised me. By Nadine’s slack jaw and the questioning glare she shot Dustin, she didn’t understand the gesture either.

“Can you guys give me a minute? I’ll text you when I’m done.”

Dustin gave me a curt nod, not even bothering to hide the displeasure darkening his gaze. He turned and left the room, the door clicking shut behind him. Nadine, however, was reluctant to pull away.

“Raine, stop and think about this. Would it really be so bad for him to know?”

“If there was a way I could tell him and not have him give everything up, I would. But there isn’t. He’ll drop everything to be here for me and he’s worked too hard to get to this point just to throw it away. I was there every step of the way thanks to my friendship with Dustin.”