One Helluva Ride

Brooklyn

 

 

 

I QUICKLY QUIETLY CLOSED the bag, and keeping my face carefully neutral, I joined her on the porch. “You ready for this?” I asked, toting a picnic basket in one hand.

“I’m usually ready for anything.”

Considering the Taser in her purse I wasn’t surprised, but I was definitely concerned.

“That’s a barn.” She pointed at the structure I led her toward.

“Uh huh.”

“What’s in the barn?”

“Technically it’s a stable.” I picked up the pace when I heard Jester nicker. “Saddles and stirrups and—”

“Crops and kinky shit?”

“Well, if that’s how you wanna think about it.” Pushing open the wide door, I waited a couple seconds for my eyes to adjust.

Jester popped his head over the stall—whickering loudly.

“That is a damn horse.” Delaney clutched my arm.

“Yup.” I nudged her closer. “Jester. He’s like my granddaddy. Pretending to be ornery. Just give him a little sugar, and he’ll eat right out of your hand.”

“Sugar what?” Backing into me as we stopped in front of the stall, Delaney pressed against my front.

“Sugar cube.” I placed the tidbit in her hand and brought her palm to Jester’s muzzle.

He lipped up the quartz-colored sweet then snuffled at my woman’s palm.

Delaney jerked in my arms. “It tickles!”

I grinned, keeping my arm around her waist. “Here’s another.”

She fed him the crystal of sugar then reached out to stroke his forelock. “He’s huge.”

“He’s a good workhorse.”

She fed him one more cube, giggling at the sensation of his whiskers on her palm, then I pulled her away.

Jester neighed mournfully.

“Greedy bastard,” I scolded.

“Him or you?”

“Both probably.”

“Wasn’t that the ride?” Delaney asked.

“Nah. She is.” I opened the far end of the stable and pointed at the Appaloosa mare in the corral.

“I’ve never been on a horse.” Delaney placed both feet on the bottom rung of the fence. “Never done a lot of things.”

I just stood back as she whistled to the dappled chestnut mare who tossed her mane and pranced over.

“Nothing stopping you now.”

The sun glinted off Delaney’s high cheeks when she glanced over her shoulder. Cinnamon snuffed her nose into Delaney’s hair, and the woman bounced up in laughter.

“Are you sure I can ride her?”

“She’s trained as a saddle horse. Cinnamon here’s an easy ride.”

Delaney hopped down and came toward me, her hips swaying. “You’d know about an easy ride, wouldn’t you?”

I captured her against me, my arms loosely linked around her. “Not into easy anymore.”

“I really think a motorcycle might be more my speed.” Her eyes lowered.

“Trust me.” Letting her go, I stepped into the corral. “Do you trust me, Delaney? Cinnamon isn’t gonna hurt you. Neither am I.”

She nodded.

“Besides, she’s yours.” I led the mare to the stable, fitted her with a saddle and a hackamore, Jester and Delaney following every motion.

“You bought a horse for me?”

“Had to have something for you to ride.” Other than the cock in my pants. I winked at Delaney, watching her cheeks get all pretty and pink again. “She’s from my folks’ ranch. And technically I got Cinnamon for him.” I thumbed toward Jester. “He’s tired of being a bachelor.”

“Oh he is, is he?”

“Yep.” I grabbed my Stetson off the peg, saddled Jester with a couple extra bags, and gave Delaney a boost up onto Cinnamon.

That time I got a good feel of her ass, too. I walked around the horse, making slight adjustments to the stirrups. I’d judged the length well, but I guess that was what came from hours of studying Delaney’s top-notch body.

After swinging up onto Jester, I prodded the big fellow forward with my heels. “I’m not a huge fan of being single either.”

Delaney bounced in the saddle beside me, wary and cautious, the reins tight in her hands.

Reaching over, I loosened her fists, showed her how to hold the reins properly. “She won’t bolt on you, babe. Just relax into her rhythm and don’t hold yourself stiff.”

The sun filtered through the canopy of leaves and our horses’ hooves patted down forest-scented underbrush.

I’d tried Cinnamon out myself. She could get spirited, but that was why I knew she’d be a good match for Delaney.

“I don’t know what to do,” she said uncertainly.

“Nothing to it. Let your body adjust to how she moves.” I nudged Jester forward, and he loped toward my favorite trail.

Delaney rode beside me hesitantly at first, and I made sure to take it slow and easy, just the way I’d make love to her the first time.

Leaves brushed her cheeks. The sun dappled her face. And as her confidence grew so did her skill. I trotted beside her on Jester as she gave free reign to Cinnamon.

The horse only balked when Delaney pulled back at a fallen log.

“Jump it.” I held Jester at bay beside her.

“I can’t. No way.”

“Bet you never thought you could throw a touchdown or a three-pointer either.”

Determined. Beautiful. Thrilling. That was Delaney as she pointed her chin forward.

I sat back, in awe.

She hunkered low as if the new saddle had been bought just for her, which it had. No way I’d ever let her know that though.

When Cinnamon leaped into the air, I rose up in my stirrups.

It was only a short jump, but for starting this ride as a skittish beginner Delaney nailed it. When I rode up next to her, she grinned from ear to ear. Then she took off with a wink.

I settled behind her for a little while, pretty freakin’ content to watch her backside as she rose up and down.

But when she tossed back—“What’s the matter, Brooks? Can’t keep up?”—it was on.

Just a small push from me, and Jester quickly stretched ahead of her. Delaney’s smoky laugh followed after me.

Several moments later, she called out, “Now I can see why you stayed behind. I sure am enjoying the view.”

Looking back as I stretched and stood up in the stirrups, I caught her ogling my ass. Well, that was a good sign. I let her catch up, and on the final minutes of the ride, I glanced at her over and over again. She was radiant, taking to the freedom of being on horseback. Her braid bouncing, cheeks glowing, soft smile curving her lips.

The smell of salt was in the air. A fresh breeze fluttered her shirt against her breasts.

Delaney looked like a natural horsewoman beside me.

When the sun-soaked glittery surface of water peeked through the thinning tree line, she said, “The ocean?”

“Not quite.” I gave Jester his lead, and he prodded almost delicately down a bank.

Cinnamon followed, carefully stepping through the short brush and deepening sand.

“You seriously have your own beach.” The mare stopped on the strip of startling white sand, and Delaney glanced from the wide swath of water to me.

“Looks like it.” Jumping off Jester, I helped Delaney dismount, then ground-tied the horses, letting their reins hang.

Then I faced Delaney to the water, standing behind her with my arms around her waist. Her hair tickled my nose, and I wanted to bury my face in it.

“It’s the Intracoastal Waterway. Pretty stunning, huh?”

“It’s gorgeous, Brooks.”

“Not as gorgeous as you.” I hummed near her ear and placed a light kiss on her neck.

I felt the shiver that rolled through her. I heard the slight catch in her breath. And her hair wasn’t the only place I wanted to bury my mouth, my lips, my face, but I was in no rush.

I pulled back and released her.

Delaney spun, her eyes sparkling even more, her lips glossy and thoroughly kissable, her smile teasing. “Hmm. I thought we were gonna have a Bo Derek moment there.”

“I’m game if you are.” Definitely.

“Maybe later.” She winked with a saucy flip of her hair.

“Hold you to it but first”—I walked over to Jester and retrieved the bags—“picnic.”

The smile never leaving her face, she kicked off her boots, removed her socks, and rolled up her jeans. Sinking bare feet into the sand, she helped me arrange everything: the blanket, the little cooler, the huge sandwiches and fresh fruit I’d brought.

I shoved off my boots and socks, too. With my sleeves rolled up over my forearms and my shirt unbuttoned at the throat, I basked in the sunshine and Delaney’s easy company. Easy, except every time she took a bite of food, or licked a crumb off a finger, or sipped some beer, I remembered with a kick to my gut and a thud to my cock how much I wanted her.

My appetite for food diminished as my appetite for her grew. Didn’t help one single bit Delaney was so unselfconscious, she didn’t notice when her shirt rolled up to show a trim slice of belly or the top slipping down her shoulder clearly revealed she wasn’t wearing a bra.

I swallowed with a dry throat then took a swig of beer.

“This is really good.” Delaney said through a mouthful of sandwich piled high with deli meat, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, the works.

“I didn’t make it.”

“So you’re not perfect.”

“Definitely not, especially if you ask my ex.” I watched the shadow of a cloud race across the far horizon.

Delaney took another slower bite then wiped off her hands. “Did you come here with your wife a lot?”

“Brianna?” I gave a dry huff of laughter. “Uh, no. She was never really into the nature thing.”

Curling up on her side, Delaney reached for my hand. She drew her fingers through mine, and it was the first time she’d ever initiated contact with me.

“Is that why it ended?”

“Hard to say exactly.” I put my beer bottle down and covered her hand completely, her warmth stealing into me. “I didn’t wanna get divorced. Brianna and I were a foregone conclusion ever since high school. Everything about us pointed to marriage and happily ever after. Least I thought so.”

Delaney inched closer, watching me with somber eyes that darkened like the sun at dusk.

“Yeah, with her there’d been no risk. No ups, no downs, maybe not even any great passion.” I shrugged. “I’d probably have loved her forever, but maybe her leaving was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“Why?”

“So I could have a shot with you.” My voice rumbled, and I couldn’t look away from Delaney’s face.

Her lips parted with a gasp.

There hadn’t been any risk involved with loving Brianna. But with Delaney I’d take that fucking gamble every time. Go all in and never look back if she’d just give me a chance.