Chapter 16
Blake McMillan was making last minute arrangements for his trip to the UK, ostensibly for business, but in reality to finally make his move on Jessica and make her his. He had been avidly watching the videos his sister Charlotte provided him of Jessica riding Tempest and what he saw confirmed that this woman was exactly what he wanted. Blake knew nothing of dressage, but watched Jessica’s training sessions in open admiration. Her lithe, athletic body, especially those long, beautiful legs, entranced him more than any woman had in recent memory. He could easily imagine her riding him with the same fluid, athletic grace, her hips undulating over him, draining him of every last—he stopped in his reflection to adjust his pants, which had suddenly become much tighter. God, he had to get over there, and soon.
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It had been three days since Tempest’s near disaster, and David declared him ready for riding. Michael allowed Jessica to take the first day, and they were back to their routine in no time. Although their personal relationship had changed, both Jessica and Michael worked hard to maintain a professional demeanor when they rode, although Jessica was now openly spending time watching Michael’s training sessions, even going so far as to occasionally offer advice and observations.
Michael was finding Jessica’s active participation in his sessions a joy, and he appreciated the extent of her knowledge and expertise. She also had a very good eye for finding subtleties in his approach to Tempest that enhanced even his own experienced approach. It seemed amazing to him, but it felt as though their physical relationship enhanced their ability to communicate on all levels. It was a heady feeling. He knew he had never had this kind of connection with Emma.
The depth of his feelings for Jessica frightened him in its intensity. Truly, they had only been together as a couple for a matter of days, but it felt as though he had known her forever. In addition, his desire for her had only escalated since their first encounter. It had been impossible to stay away from her after their tryst in the loft, and the couple had, by mutual agreement, been meeting in their love nest in the hayloft every night since, ostensibly to keep watch for Tempest’s saboteur. After their first night, Michael made sure to bring protection, so there was no more worry about an accidental pregnancy, which neither of them wanted or needed right now.
Michael reflected on the past few days spent with Jessica, and couldn’t believe how happy he was. Even Ian was encouraging him to make the relationship more permanent, but there were still so many things up in the air. Michael also had to admit that in his training sessions with Jessica, she had demonstrated a reluctance to push Tempest beyond his comfort zone and elevate his performance to get the brilliance he was capable of. As a pair, Jessica and Tempest had fallen into a level of performance that got the job done, but lacked the fire necessary to compete and win at the international level. The problem was that Michael knew Tempest could perform at that level. He had asked for it and gotten it a number of times. He also understood that Jessica was probably not even aware that she was holding back. When he attempted to communicate this to Jessica in their sessions, she subtly but stubbornly resisted doing anything that might aggravate Tempest.
He understood that always in the back of Jessica’s mind was the fear that if she were injured, or worse killed, her sister Hailey would be all alone in the world, and there was no way she would risk that. He admired her so much for her dedication and support of her sister. It had to have been difficult to survive the emotional shock of losing both parents in an instant then to take complete responsibility for her sister at only twenty-one years of age, not to mention dealing with her sudden disability. It took a very special person to take on that challenge and do it as well as Jessica had. It was one of the things he most admired, and yes, loved about her.
Unfortunately, her reticence about pushing Tempest to the point that he might offer resistance before giving in made it less likely that she would win Tempest for herself. Michael tortured himself with the possibility that that might happen. How would she react if he won the competition for Tempest? Would she be hurt if he won? Then there was also the realization that once the competition was over, win or lose Jessica would be leaving to go back home to Ohio. Once that happened, he knew her absence would leave a gaping hole in his existence. How could they keep their relationship alive? Finally, he couldn’t avoid the fear that something unexpected might happen to ruin everything. Hadn’t he felt the same way with Emma, who then turned around and betrayed him with another?