“You okay over there?”

She looked up at him and the raw appreciation in her shining dark eyes nearly pierced his heart. “Of course I’m okay. It’s just so beautiful around here. All this land and no traffic or city noises. I can’t get over how peaceful it is. I’ll be honest, I’ve never spent much time in the country but now I understand why people choose to move away from the city. It’s like a little slice of heaven.” His heart swelled a little but he understood exactly what she meant. The land they were on had been in his family for generations. To hear her talk about it with such awe touched a deep place in his heart. A place he’d forgotten existed.

A few white clouds dotted the pale sky and lush, green countryside surrounded them for miles. The glassy pond behind his house glistened under the new sun as docile ducks and swans soaked up the rays. With the exception of the whinnying horses, the world was silent and peaceful. Sometimes he got so caught up in work, he forgot to appreciate where he lived. The childlike pleasure he witnessed in Emma was something he doubted he could ever forget.

Chapter Seven

After saddling up the horses and finally coaxing Emma to get on one, they started off across the field toward a favorite spot of his. Oak and pine trees rustled around them as they trotted along one of the well-worn trails. It had been so long since he’d ridden for pleasure. Hell, it had been years since he’d taken a Saturday for himself.

“Where exactly are you taking me and how long until we get there?” Emma’s panicky voice broke into the calm of the morning ride.

He glanced over and chuckled. She clutched the saddle horn with both hands so tightly he could see the whites of her knuckles. He’d given her his tamest horse, Peanut, and rigged the old mare with the softest, most comfortable saddle he owned.

“I thought you were excited about this.”

“I was… I am. I just didn’t realize how far up I’d be,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Are you telling me you’ve never been on any kind of horse? Not even a little Shetland at a child’s birthday party or something?”

“What’s a shit-land?”

“A Shetland. It’s a small pony, used for packing and riding. They’re very strong for their size. Intelligent too.”

She snorted in a very un-Emma like manner. “Oh, well, the answer is still no. My father would have deemed riding horses beneath him. I used to think he was such a snob but now I’m having second thoughts.”

“Relax your body. You’re too tense. Just pretend you’re riding me.” Her head whipped up and she stared at him, apparently too shocked to speak but at least it worked. She loosened her grip on the horn and even though her face had turned a few different shades of pink and red, she wasn’t holding on for her life anymore.

“You tricked me,” she grumbled after a while of riding in silence.

“Yes but it worked.”

Finally she grinned, although he did notice that she kept glancing down at Peanut as if she were afraid he’d bolt at any moment.

“I didn’t think you were the type of girl to be afraid of anything.”

“Hey, you try shopping at Aventura Mall on Black Friday, then we’ll talk about being afraid. I’m a lot tougher than I look.” She flexed her non-existent arm muscle, then tossed her dark hair over her shoulder in mock defiance.

Aventura Mall? She was slipping. Letting little facts about her other life slip through. Good. That meant she was getting more comfortable with him. “I don’t go to malls and I don’t even know what Black Friday is.” She shook her head good-naturedly and rolled her eyes heavenward. “Why am I not surprised? I bet you shop at Cowboys-R-Us.” A low, unfamiliar rumble erupted from his chest and it nearly sucked the life out of him a minute later when he realized what was happening to him. He was falling in love with her. If he wasn’t there already. He’d never felt this way about another woman.

Nothing even remotely similar. This comfortable camaraderie. Not only was she gorgeous and smart, he genuinely liked her company. Maybe it wasn’t love. But what else could it be? When he’d kicked his ex out he hadn’t felt an ounce of regret. Now the thought of losing Emma tore a horseshoe-sized hole in his gut.

“What’s got you looking so serious all of a sudden? Are you lost?” She lifted one of her dark eyebrows and gave him a lopsided smile, revealing a tiny dimple that only added to her innocent appearance.

He shook his head and his thoughts away. “We’re here.”

“We are?” She glanced around, looking confused and a little disappointed.

“Almost.” He dismounted from his horse, then reached up to help her down.

He linked his hands under her arms and when her body slid down against his, he fought his already raging hard-on. Even after being on a horse for over an hour, she still smelled amazing. He wrapped his arms around her and inhaled the sweet smell of jasmine.

Her breasts flattened against his chest and he involuntarily surged his hips up against her body. His cock had a mind of its own. Whenever it got within a few feet of her, it had one goal and one goal only.

“You really didn’t want to show me anything did you? You just wanted to get me out here all alone so you could do whatever you wanted to me?” She murmured against his neck before she teasingly nipped him with her teeth. Her voice had taken on a husky, sensuous quality and there was no denying she’d probably let him do whatever he wanted. All he had to do was ask.

He thrust against her hips again and swallowed hard, struggling to rein his hormones in. With inhuman strength, he pulled himself away from her lean body, yanked his pack down from the horse and tugged on her hand when all he really wanted to do was tug that tight little sweater right over her head. “No, although that doesn’t sound like such a bad idea. Come on.”

“What about the horses?” She glanced behind them, apparently unaware of how hot she was making him.

“They’ll be fine. We’ll walk from here.” He’d looped their reins over a large tree branch. Not sturdy but his horses were trained.

“Where did that come from?” she asked, motioning to the backpack he now wore.

He grinned but didn’t answer. At least she didn’t push. He held her hand in his and for the second time that day, marveled over the unfamiliar sensation of it. The dirt path in front of them narrowed but it was still big enough for the two of them. Just not wide enough for two horses. After ten minutes of walking, the path ended and opened up into an oasis.

Caleb kept his eyes trained on Emma, gauging her expression. He wanted her to love his place as much as he did. Needed her to.

Her eyes widened when they stepped through the clearing of trees and without taking his eyes off her, he knew what she was seeing. She put a hand over her mouth and her grip on his hand tightened.

Tall oak and palm trees shaded the private natural spring he’d never shared with anyone. The pool of aquamarine water glistened like the Caribbean ocean. The water was seventy-two degrees year round, though she wouldn’t know that. It was his own small slice of paradise. Right after high school he’d joined the Marines when he was barely eighteen. Twelve years was enough though, so five years ago, right after his thirtieth birthday, he’d retired and taken over his father’s horse farm. After spending over a decade as a sniper and going months at a time without talking to another human being, coming back to civilization, even somewhere as small as Lake City, had been an adjustment at times. So, he used the secret place of his childhood when he needed space.

“Wow.” She expelled a long breath, as if she’d been holding it in.

“I’m glad it was worth your hideous horse ride.” He leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek.

She turned and smiled at him. “Now do I get to see what’s in your backpack?”

“Yes.” They walked to the water’s edge where he knelt on the ground and pulled out an oversized quilt. Then he pulled out a small cooler with two wine glasses and a container with a mix of champagne and orange juice.

“Are those mimosas?” She stood with hands on slim hips, staring at him as if he’d just pulled out an AK-47.

“Yeah, why?”

“Nothing, I’m just surprised. I guess I didn’t peg you for a champagne kind of guy.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me. Just as there’s a lot I don’t know about you.” He glanced up from what he was doing and lifted his eyebrows.

Her jaw twitched but she didn’t take the bait. Instead, she sat down on the quilt and took one of the glasses from him. “It might be early but after that ride, I think a little alcohol is in order.”

“I agree.” He poured both glasses halfway and stretched out next to her.

She placed her glass on a solid patch of grass and leaned back on her elbows. “So what’s the plan for today?”

He shrugged “No plan.”

She grinned at him in what he could only describe as a mischievous manner.

“Good, then we can take advantage of being alone out here.”

“I think I like that look in your eyes.”

Without responding, she sat up, rolled over and straddled him. She grabbed his arms and locked them over his head with her small hands. It’s not as if he couldn’t move if he really wanted to but surprisingly, the feel of her holding him down turned him on more than he imagined.

“You sure you’re not too sore?” he rasped out.

She shook her head and ran her tongue over her lips. He swallowed hard when she positioned herself a little further down and undid the front of his pants. He rarely wore boxers and today was no different. As she pushed his jeans over his hips, her intent expression changed, splitting her face into a wide smile.

His balls tightened almost painfully when she bent over him. Still straddling him, her dark hair pillowed down around them both. When she tentatively licked his cock, his hips bucked slightly at the soft, unexpected touch. He understood what she was doing. Something told him she’d never done this before and wanted to explore every inch of him. Not that he minded. No ma’am, not at all. She could lick, bite and touch him wherever and whenever she chose.