Walking away from Kieran is an amazing feeling. Knowing he’s staring at my ass only intensifies my pleasure. Fuck, after last night’s incredible orgasm, all I can think about is how amazing the real thing would be.

And I can see it in his eyes; he’s thinking about it too.

But I’ve got a job to deal with. No naughtiness in front of Olivia.

I find her at the barn, watching Jenny and her colt. She ignores me for a moment, then speaks up. “I was going to start mucking out Dreamer’s stall but I wanted to make sure that’s what we’re doing today.”

“Yep!” I tell her, keeping my voice cheerful. She nods and get to it. I watch her, but I’m confident she knows what she’s doing.

And I realize it’s a good idea for her to know that too. “Hey,” I ask, and she stops and looks up at me. Those blue eyes of hers are as serious as her father’s and it breaks my heart. “Mind if I go put Jenny out to pasture while you work? I mean, you’ve got this.”

And I see it; the small start of a smile curving the corners of her lips. She dips her head in an obvious agreement and I snap a lead on Jenny. With light feet and a warm heart, I walk her out to the pasture, her little colt following. When she’s out to pasture, I walk back toward the house, wondering where I’d lost Kieran at. He hadn’t come out to the barn, and I know he’d followed me part way.

Around the side of the house, I feel a hand grab my arm and I’m pulled hard against his chest. His hands lock on my arms and he turns me and presses my back to the side of the house. His lips meet mine, demanding and savage, like a starving man.

My lips part, allowing him deeper. I want to taste him. I want to know how he does everything. A moan escapes me, and I feel him plundering my mouth like he wants to learn my every secret. Then his lips leave mine and I whimper, a sad, pathetic sound.

“I’m going to have you,” he growls, the promise sweet to my ears.

“Are you?” I ask, unable to help myself. The need to push him, to question him drives me even now.

His teeth find a soft spot on my neck and sting as they scrape. The promise of sex and danger are almost too much for me. “Yes,” He says, breathing on the spot. The cool air eases the sting and makes my knees tremble.

“I have to go,” I tell him, and he releases me. I step away, but he grabs me and pushes my front to the side of the house and pins me there.

“I don’t take orders from you,” he says, his body leaning into to mine. His hips, pressed to mine, leave me speechless as I realize the hardness I feel in the cleft of my ass is exactly what I think it is. Pressed helplessly against my house and more aroused than I’ve ever been in my life, I can only moan in response.

How does he have such an effect on me? It doesn’t seem possible. No guy has ever done this to me.

“And I don’t take orders from you,” I say, my heart dancing. Sure, I want him. I want this. But I don’t want him to think I’ll just bow before him whenever he’d like me too.

Suddenly, he releases me and I turn to face him. But he walks away, as if nothing happened. There’s a set to his shoulders that’s tension and doom, and I’m lost in excitement.

When I finally find myself back in the barn, more composed and in control, I find Olivia working on saddling up Dreamer. I watch her try to get the heavy bit of leather over the horse’s back a few times, then step in to offer her advice. I’m not going to do it for her, but I’ll show he ran easier way. Being small and a girl on the farm taught me that where the men use brute strength, we have to use our brains and leverage.

And I can tell it means the world to her that I’m showing her rather than doing it for her. Knight is wrong. He shouldn’t be going easy on her. He should be giving her the tools to take on the world right now. She needs it. She needs to build confidence in herself. In her ability to do things on her own. She needs some control.

But it’s not my place to tell him that.

So I begin to puzzle over it in the back of my mind. I’ll figure out a way to get him to do what I want. Somehow, someway.

“Mind if I ride with you today?” I ask her. Her face lights up and I begin to saddle up the mare I take out while Jenny is unable to be ridden.

“Who’s this?” Olivia asks, and I become aware of Kieran entering the barn. Or, my body becomes aware of him. It’s the same sensation I feel before a lightning storm. That crackling of the very air as everything charges up.

“Quicksilver,” I tell her, glancing over my shoulder at him. He’s watching me closely as I put the bridle on the mare. Once she’s ready to go, we both walk our mares out of the barn. Once we’re clear of the main door, I mount up.

Olivia seems surprised, but quickly follows suit. We ride toward a pasture that’s open gate and empty. It’s a much larger space than Olivia has ridden in before, and I’m curious to see how she handles the extra legroom.

Once inside, I nudge Quicksilver into a trot. Easily rising, I notice Olivia keeping pace beside me. Her form is flawless, and I give it a moment before pushing up another notch. Quicksilver has a beautiful, even, canter, but she looks graceless and flawed beside Dreamer, who’s got the long stride of a racehorse.

And Olivia, along for the ride, is thrilled. Her face is bright and happy, and there’s a new sense of joy and freedom in her.

As I catch sight of Kieran on the fence, watching us, I smile.

This feels right.

This feels like home.

Like family.

And it’s a startling realization. One I don’t want to think about. One I can’t face. Not right now while Olivia’s so obviously in a bad place and Kieran is watching me like he can’t wait to devour me.