Mile High (Up in the Air #2)(25)

“She’ll love you if you give her an apple,” a deep, unfamiliar voice drawled behind me, a hint of a strange accent detectable. I thought it may be French, but wasn’t sure. I turned, a little startled, though I shouldn’t have been. Of course there would be people in the stables. The sight that greeted me, though, was startling.

The man was tall and smiling, his black hair shaved close to his head. He was devastatingly handsome, with a dominant but attractive nose and smiling eyes. His strong jaw had an appealing five o’clock shadow. I guessed he was in his early thirties. He was geared up in clothing similar to my own, and the tight apparel showed his heavy muscles to distraction. His teeth were even, his smile engaging. I met his light brown eyes, smiling politely.

He sized me up as I had him.

My breath caught as I saw the riding crop in his hand. It was for the horses, of course, but he looked like a man who could dominate a woman, and my newly awakened sexuality made my mind drift to the things he might do to a woman with that crop.

He held a hand for me to shake, stepping closer to me to pat the horse on the neck while he did so. I shook his hand, and he gripped mine firmly, lingering. I pulled away hastily.

“This one is Nanny. She’s a good horse.” He went to a bag near the door of her stall, pulling out an apple, and handing it to me. “If you’re looking for a horse that will adore you, look no further than Nanny. She’s as docile as they come. You don’t look like a woman who appreciates docile, though. I’m Pete, by the way. I train horses for Mr. Cavendish. In fact, I do just about anything horse-related for the boss.”

I smiled at him while I tried to feed Nanny the apple. I pulled back with a startled yip when she tried to take the apple from my hand, fingers and all.

Pete laughed, stepping in close behind me. “Not like that, ma chere.” He positioned my hand around the apple so that my fingers weren’t sticking out like tempting targets. “Never give a horse your finger, or sure enough, they’ll take it.” He held the apple to her with me, and she took it this time without touching me with her teeth.

I moved hastily away from Pete after Nanny had the apple.

“I’m Bianca,” I said, strangely breathless.

He winked at me. “I know who you are. The boss’s lady. Come with me. I have a special treat for you.” He turned and walked away, just expecting me to follow him.

He knows I’m with James, so he should be safe. Shouldn’t he? I wondered.

I hesitated, then followed.

CHAPTER TWELVE

He led me to a large, open corral that held a lovely pale horse that captured my attention immediately.

“She’s what we call a palomino, based on her coloring. The tan coat with the white hair. She’s a palomino thoroughbred, which is rare. Her name is Princess, and the boss wants you to learn to ride on her. She doesn’t have any bad habits, so she won’t be teaching you any. But she’s real particular, so it might be tricky.”

I continued to stare at the beautiful creature. She was already saddled and tossing her head restlessly.

I noticed absently where all of the horses from the stalls had been. The were frolicking and eating in a large pasture just behind Princess’s corral.

“You want to get on her, see how she feels?” Pete asked, smiling at me. He had his elbows propped up on the high post of the corral. “Mr. Cavendish said you had some injuries, so we can just work on your seat for today. You set the pace. We’ll go however fast you want.”

“You’re going to teach me to ride?” I asked him, surprised. I had oddly assumed James would be teaching me. This made more sense, I supposed.

He shrugged, smiling. “Who else? I train the horses, so why not the people that ride them?”

“Okay, yeah, I’d like to ride her. She’s exquisite.”

He gave me a wicked grin.

It made me want to shiver, but not in distaste.

“Like her rider,” he said, his tone rich with sin. “I can see why the boss wanted to see you on her. Come on, ma chere, let’s get you mounted.”

I blushed at his terminology, but followed him to the palomino.

I petted her nose first, and she sniffed me, flipping her lovely white hair.

“She seems to like you fine so far,” Pete observed. She had lovely amber eyes. “Come here, ma chere,” Pete said, standing at the horse’s side.

I stepped closer to him, but not too close. He tsk’d at me. “I won’t bite. Come here. I’ll help you on her back.”

I stepped even closer, until I felt like I was way too close. He turned me by the shoulders, his touch gentle but dominant. I sucked in a breath.

He grabbed my hips and lifted me suddenly.

“Left foot in the stirrup, right over the horse,” he said, not even breathless from the impressive lift. I did what he said, and Princess shifted restlessly when I sat in the saddle. “Now, your seat is the most important part. If you have that down correctly, it’ll make everything else work right. You actually look natural on that horse, Bianca.” As he spoke, he gripped my thigh, pushing it against the horse firmly.

His grip moved down to my foot, pushing my toe in slightly, and my heel down. “Heels down, toes in. And remember to grip her real, real tight with your thighs. She has a sensitive mouth, which is good. That’s what I meant about her not having bad habits. But it means you’re gonna be real light with the reigns. Real light. Most of your control will be gained from the movement of your legs.”