Bryan Dent had no idea what he was doing. Well, he was supporting his sister, who was currently riding around the arena on her brown off the track Thoroughbred, Pokey, so named for his lack of interest in racing, that much he knew. But what he was supposed to be doing, other than being very very quiet while the riders made their horses prance around an arena marked with random letters, he had no clue. They had beer at the concession stand and hot dogs, so there was some common ground there with the events he usually attended. But the rest of this? The smell of leather and hay and terminology so foreign to me he thought he was back in that dreadful first semester of French back in high school. No. Freaking. Clue.
Lindy rode down the center of the arena, stopped at the middle mark—he gathered that was X from hours of listening to her talk about dressage—and saluted. With a nod from the judges, she turned and exited the arena. Only then did applause, polite applause, ring out from the spectators in the bleachers next to him. He stood next to the gate. Lindy called him her groom, though he didn’t know a hoof pick from a body brush. Well, he could probably figure that one out, but the rest of this? Not his bag. There wasn’t an end zone or football in sight, and judging from some of the falls he’d seen, these riders needed pads more than his football players.
His sister dismounted and led Pokey in his direction. “It’ll be a bit before they announce the scores,” she said. “Let’s go back to the barn.”
“Okay.” A few moments later, he heard his sister’s name over the loud speaker followed by a score. She smiled and threw a hug around her horse’s neck, who to his credit managed to look bemused. “Is that good?” He smiled at her. Three years younger than his thirty-seven, she had her long blonde hair gathered in some sort of net beneath her black helmet. In her black jacket, white breeches and knee-high boots, she looked smart and kind of English. She reminded him of Erin Salcietto from school. She’d been all about her books and her horses, way too high brow to spend time with the quarterback of the three-time state champion winning football team.
“Very good. It’s our personal best.” Lindy beamed at him.
That he understood, about making a personal best during an outing. “Great. I’m happy for you.” As if his thoughts conjured had conjured ghosts of the past, he heard Erin’s name over the loudspeaker. “Just a moment.” He turned and strode toward the arena, just catching his sister’s bemused expression.
She was through the opening part of the test from what he could tell when he took his place by the rail. Her big grey horse moved effortlessly through the movements; Erin made it look so easy. He was afraid to say it, but she looked better than his sister in a couple of places. Her circles were rounder, her transitions more precisely on the letter. He may not know about this sport. He did know sports and such things mattered, whether it was football or equestrian pursuits.
Her caramel blonde hair was pulled back with a small silver clip and attached hair net. He supposed it created a clean and polished look, though it made him want to remove the helmet and the ribbon tie and see if her hair spilled over her shoulders. Her stern look could be called resting bitch face. He called it laser focus and admired it in an athlete. From white gloved hands to a coat with polished silver buttons, white pants and knee-high gleaming boots she gave an air of perfection. He remembered that from school too. She’d accept no less from herself, and he supposed from those around her, which was why she’d been mostly alone.
He’d longed to muss her up. That she didn’t go to prom or other social events only whetted his appetite. He hadn’t seen her at sporting events, either. The ice princess who would rather play with her horses than football players, or at least that’s what a few members of the team had called her. The ice princess. She’d grown up, and if anything, she was an Ice Queen, and he wanted to thaw that frozen exterior to see what lay beneath.
She finished her test. He didn’t see anyone at the gate, no trainer or groom, or even a friend waiting for her. He moved to the gate and smiled at her as she exited. “Need someone to hold your horse while you get off.” He knew he didn’t use the right term and vowed to pay more attention to his sister.
She stopped and glanced down at him, shocked. “Um, sure. Thanks. It’s Bryan, right?”
That she’d remembered him made him happy, because he sure hadn’t forgotten her. “Yeah. I’m here with my sister.” He moved to the horse’s head, who thankfully looked completely bored with the situation, and gently grabbed the reins.
Erin kicked her feet free of the stirrups and dismounted with a little bend in her knees to absorb the shock. She stepped closer to him and took the reins. “Thanks. Your sister and I help each other occasionally at the shows. I didn’t know you were into horses. Figured the job at the college took up all your time.”
“I don’t really know much about this actually,” he admitted. “But it’s important to Lindy, so I want to support her.” He fell into step beside her as she led her horse to the barn.
“That’s really nice of you.” She didn’t say anything else until she reached her stall a few down from Lindy and Pokey.
His sister gave him a look and a thumbs up. He had to ask her what she knew about Erin as soon as they were home. It seemed quite possible the two of them had talked about him, since Erin knew about his job. Then again, he was in the news often enough with the local college football team as their assistant coach, so maybe she just knew. She didn’t strike him as a type to actually follow football.
He realized he’d been lost in thought and hadn’t really been listening. “…an off the track thoroughbred. I am actually working with some good friends of mine up in Wyoming to open 2 Hearts Rescue South in southern Missouri.” She swung the saddle onto a stand, then followed with the pad, turned bottom side up.
“That sounds interesting. Where at?” His sister had driven a couple of hours to make this show south of St. Louis, so he figured Erin had done the same.
She named a town not far from Deer Hill, Missouri, where his team, the Stags played. If he had his geography right, she was maybe twenty minutes from his sister’s place. Erin reached into a trunk and pulled out a business card, handing it to him. “This is my place. I don’t have any of the rescue business cards printed up yet, but my cell is on here. If you want a tour or maybe need a community service project for your team, I’d be happy to help.”
He took the card from her and tucked it into his pocket. “Thanks.” He glanced over his shoulder and saw Lindy was almost done taking care of her horse. “I better get back, but I’ll call soon.”
“I look forward to it.” She turned her attention back to the horse, letting him slip down the aisle to Lindy’s stall.
She sat on her tack trunk, looking nervous. “We should probably go back out. They’re going to post placings soon. I think the class is almost over.” She stood and he allowed her to lead him out to a small building with a large bulletin board on the side. A few moments later a young man came out and posted a piece of paper. Not long after, he got to watch his sister do a happy dance. She’d won her class. Erin had come in second.
~* * *~
Erin had thought about Bryan the entire drive home. Lindy talked about her sister, and since they had the same trainer, they often saw each other. In fact, Lindy would be helping her with the rescue. She hadn’t expected to see him here. According to Lindy, her brother ate, breathed, and slept football—nothing else. In fact, according to Lindy he hadn’t even dated because no one shared his passion for football. Well that left her out completely, Erin thought with a chuckle. The red ribbon lay across the passenger seat along with her copy of the judge’s notes that she knew she’d be spending the next month pouring over with her trainer. She didn’t understand Bryan’s word any more than he understood hers. It was nice to meet him, but perhaps she ought to put him out of her mind. She had work to do, both with the rescue and to get ready for the next show.
A week later she was still thinking about Bryan. As summer waned and talk of football grew, she’d seen him featured on news reports scrolling across her social media feed. He spoke highly of this year’s football team, though she supposed he had to do that anyway because of his position. Each report served to remind her that they were worlds apart. It was best that way.
She paused in the tack room long enough to slide her saddle off its rack, tucking it onto her left arm, while grabbing a dry saddle pad with her right. She lay it across the saddle, swiped the bridle as she walked past, and set it on the stand in the barn aisle. Tires crunched on the gravel outside. She turned and saw a red truck pull into the drive. Immediately, she recognized Bryan. Her heart skipped, and Erin cursed herself for her foolishness. Wiping her hands on her breeches—at least they were dark to hide the dirt—she strode toward him.
“I hope I’m not intruding,” he said as he stepped from his truck. He wore a Stags t-shirt, jeans, and boots, pretty much the same thing he’d been wearing at the show. “I was visiting Lindy for our pre-season cook out and thought I’d swing by.”
“It’s a welcome surprise. I was just getting ready to ride.” She gestured to the chairs flanking a wooden table outside the barn and sat. “Want to sit?”
“Sure.”
She couldn’t help admiring his lanky walk or the way he eased himself down into the chair, stretching his legs out before him. Giving him a tour seemed too formal, though she’d gotten the 2 Hearts Rescue South sign picked up just yesterday. She needed to make time to hang it by the driveway. All her other signage was in place.
“So you finally got your horse farm and now you have a rescue,” Bryan said. “That’s what you said you always wanted to do.”
She nodded. “I did.” She remembered those days in high school, telling people that she didn’t need to go to college because she was going to run a horse farm and ride professionally. Little did she know about the money required and just how little there was to be made in horses. She didn’t mention she’d gone on to get a degree in English and taught classes at the local community college three days a week. It was enough to cover expenses, if she was frugal, and with lessons and clinics the farm got by. “And you are doing something in football. Seems that we each got what we wanted to do out of life.”
“Not quite,” Bryan said with a sly smile. “The one person I wanted in high school never gave me the time of day.” When she didn’t answer, he reached out and touched her hand.
Warmth radiated from his fingers up her arms and was making her heartbeat flutter. Erin looked at him, not quite believing what she was hearing. “But you were the star quarterback. I was…well, me.” Awkward and way too into her horses, kind of shy and living in her books, she’d been a very geeky high school student, more apt to be pushed or teased by the football team than asked out by one of them.
“I was envious of the girl who knew everything.”
“Not everything, I guess.” Nervous energy hummed through her body. She stood, unable to sit still any longer. “Want that tour?”
“Sure.”
By the time she gave Bryan the admittedly short tour, the energy had dissipated and she enjoyed the flirtatious banter between them. They stopped in the barn aisle, where Jack, her thoroughbred gelding, stuck his nose against the bars to huff into her hair. She laughed and stepped forward—right into Bryan’s arms.
His hand cupped her waist, his other sliding along her jaw to tangle in the hairs escaping from her pony tail. He leaned in and kissed her, not exactly tentative, though he didn’t push. She melted. The first brush of his lips across hers warmed her, set flame to a fire that’d been smoldering since his arrival. She touched his shoulders, leaning in. Her breasts flattened against his chest, the wall of muscle making her imagine him shirtless, sculpted abs and bulging biceps. Hyper-awareness prickled over her skin, aware of his hardness, the solidness of his body against hers. He moved forward; she instinctively backed up a step, finding herself against the stall door. Bryan leaned in, bracing a hand on the stall bars next to her head.
She sighed and melted against him. Yes. This was what she wanted, the adult part of her thinking that perhaps it was best that they waited until now, for she relished his athletic physique, the way he nibbled along her lower lip, never demanding as he sought more of her. Desire built. She fisted her hand in the sleeve of his t-shirt, wondering if it’d be too forward to pull it off her body. She was tempted to try, then Jack nudged her hard.
“Oh.” She pulled away. “I--”
“Really enjoyed that.” His husky voice swept across already inflamed nerve endings, and if it weren’t for Jack demanding she complete the ride she’d promised him, she would have taken Bryan into the tack room and laid him down on the couch to have her way with him.
“I did too,” she admitted. “It seems someone is jealous.”
Bryan laughed. “I see. Well I shouldn’t keep you from him.” He brushed a thumb across her lips. “Things are going to get hectic with the season starting. I’ll text you so you have my number. Text me your schedule. I want to see you again.”
“Okay. I’d like that.” At once, she felt like the geeky high schooler talking to the star quarterback. “I hope they don’t keep you too busy.”
“I’ll find time for us. Don’t worry about that.” He turned on his heels and a few moments later she heard his truck start and he drove away.
~* * *~
The promised text had come nearly a week ago and true to his word, his schedule had gotten hectic. So too had hers with the work to finish setting up 2 Hearts Rescue South, plus preparing for the next show. This one was an overnight show about five hours away; she planned to sleep in her trailer. The sleeping quarters held a queen sized bed, making it more than comfortable for one person. Or at least she thought so until Bryan talked about going with her just to get away for the weekend.
He’d mentioned a hotel room; she told him she didn’t need one. How he’d take to sleeping in the living quarters of her trailer, she wasn’t sure. She’d splurged about five years ago on a custom trailer complete with a cooking area and a bathroom with shower. It’d saved her so much money at shows. To her it seemed like air conditioned paradise on hot show days. Given that the team probably put him up in some pretty luxurious hotels, she worried Bryan might feel differently.
She just kept reminding herself that he’d invited her along. Now, they were on the road, after leaving promptly by six am, Jake loaded next to his stablemate, the big black sport horse Izzy, she was hauling for one of her students. Bryan sat next to her in the truck, so quiet she wondered if he’d fallen asleep. She liked this. She liked it a lot and tried not to think about getting her hopes up too high.
~* * *~
Listening to Erin in the shower was killing him. When she’d suggested sleeping in her trailer he wasn’t sure what to expect. Maybe sleeping bags in a swept out stall or something. This luxury certainly wasn’t it. She’d made chicken breast and sautéed vegetables with a vinaigrette-style sauce on the cook top, and they’d drank chilled Riesling from wine glasses engraved with horse shoes. The water stopped for a final time, the image of Erin naked, dripping with water, stepping out of the shower stall filled his mind.
Bryan groaned. The camaraderie they’d shared, the easy way he’d stepped into help, even when he could tell she wasn’t used to the help, though appreciated it, made him wonder why it took so damn long for him to step up to the plate. The stolen kisses and touches whetted his appetite for more. He’d even escaped to a convenience store not far from the show grounds to pick up some condoms. This had to be the weekend that he’d have her.
She emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her hair, a horse-related t-shirt on with no bra and a pair of yoga pants. The sway of her breasts tormented him. He rose to his feet and crossed the trailer to her. Cupping her waist, he drew her to him. He unwound the towel around her hair, dropping it next to them. Ten steps took them back against the raised bed. He wished it were lower, that there wasn’t a ladder leading to the queen mattress. The low ceiling made the choreography of their love making interesting; however, it would happen. Bryan was so sure of that as he slanted his lips across hers.
Erin flattened her palm against his chest. Bryan thought she might push him away, but instead, she leaned into him, opening her mouth to take the kiss deeper. Yes. He swept his tongue into her mouth, tasting her and a hint of the mint toothpaste she’d used. Mindful that he was still hot and dusty from the day, he tried to keep distance between them. Erin pressed her body against his, and he rocked his hips so the length of his erection pressed against her stomach. She moaned.
That moan was his undoing, as was the tug she gave his shirt. She bunched it under his arms and proceeded to run her manicured fingers over his skin. The sight of those red nails against his tanned chest inflamed him. He kissed down the slender column of her neck, reaching the top of the t-shirt. He fought his urge to rip it from her; he figured that wouldn’t go over well since he’d seen her wear that shirt before. She pulled away and lifted her arms, allowing him to pull the shirt over her head. He tossed it behind them and took a moment to admire her breasts. Round and full, topped with wide pink nipples, his mouth watered just looking at them. He bent his head and took a nipple into his mouth. Erin arched her back. She moaned, her fingers tangling in his hair as she held him to her.
His lips moved over her skin. He kissed her other nipple, then moved lower until he was pushing down her yoga pants. She hadn’t put on any underwear. Had she planned this? He bit back a moan at the thought.
She shimmied out of her pants, then helped him out of his shirt. With a grin, she turned and grabbed onto the ladder leading to the mattress, swaying her hips with each rung. At the top, she rolled onto the mattress, then lay there with a “what are you waiting for” look on her face.
He grinned at her and dropped his jeans, then boots and socks. Her eyes widened as he pulled off his boxer briefs. Fully naked, he climbed up the ladder and lay down next to her. Bryan pulled her into his arms. They fit together perfectly, her head tucking beneath his chest, her breasts flattened against his chest, their legs tangled together. Her lithe muscled body aligned with his, and he felt the effects of her work in her arms, her legs, her abs, as his hands roamed over her skin.
~* * *~
Erin relaxed into Bryan’s touch. They’d been leading up to this, heavy petting sessions, long, lingering kisses in the barn. To finally feel his naked body next to hers capped an excellent day of showing. His cock pressed against her stomach, thick and insistent. Her pussy tightened when she thought about him inside of her, and she arched against him. His mouth followed his hands, taking the path he’d followed before along her collarbone, down over her breasts, pausing to suck each nipple, then lower to her stomach. He paused at her hip bones, folding his legs so he could move lower. The logistics of the trailer bed were interesting; they’d make them worse.
His warm breath blew across her sex. “Bryan,” she cried out, letting her thighs fall open even wider. His fingers stroked her labia with slow, sure touches.
“You’re so wet,” he whispered against the skin of her inner thigh. His finger parted her folds to circle her opening.
She lifted her hips. Raw need filled her veins, made it seem as if each touch bordered on too much. Whimpers emerged from her throat; she bit them back to stay quiet, though she doubted sound passed through the insulated walls of the trailer. His mouth replaced his fingers, the first stroke of his tongue against her making her insides quiver. She reached for him, cupped the back of his hand, her other hand going to the sheets to try and anchor herself to some point in reality.
His tongue thrust into her. With his big hands on her hips, he held her steady, though she wanted to buck and rock beneath him. His broad shoulders on her thighs, the way he masterfully controlled her body, only turned her on more. His finger slipped between her folds to stroke the hood of her clit, and she bit her lip, so close to release. She rode the waves of pleasure, trying to make it last, wanting to wring every last ounce of ecstasy from this moment. And then she was there, on the pinnacle, her body tight, her pussy contracting, milking his tongue as if it were a miniature cock. One cry escaped her lips as she descended into orgasm.
Release flowed through her body, a moment of exquisite and utter relaxation that had her slumping against the mattress. A foil packet tore; she realized he must have tossed a condom onto the mattress, or maybe stashed one there earlier. She watched with heavy-lidded eyes as he sheathed himself, then crawled back over her body.
She opened her thighs wider, knees going to either side of his hips to invite him to take her. She twined her arms around his neck, lifted her head to kiss him, pulling him down on top of her as she did so.
His erection rested at her opening.
Erin hooked her ankles behind his calves. Lifting her hips, she forced the tip inside of her with a moan.
Muscles bulged in Bryan’s biceps, the strain of holding himself still.
“Make love to me,” she whispered.
“With pleasure.” Bryan thrust forward, filling her in a single stroke. He groaned against her skin.
She clung to him, rising to meet him as he thrust into her. Words failed her, except to know that this was more than she’d ever imagined, better than she’d ever thought. He filled her completely, his thickness creating exquisite friction with each stroke. Almost without time to catch her breath, he stoked her desire, taking her higher and higher. His pace increased, as did hers. She pressed her thighs to his, her muscles tightening as if she could pull him closer, deeper, harder.
And then, with the sensation of flying, she came, her release spilling from her in a rush of pleasure and emotion. She squeezed her eyes closed, afraid happy tears might leak from them. He thrust once more and came, stiffening above her with a hoarse cry. Sweat covered their bodes; the smell of sex filled the trailer. Erin snuggled, and when Bryan relaxed his body onto hers, kissed him hard on the mouth. His cock softened slightly. He rolled to his side, slipping from her and tucking her against him. He quickly got rid of the condom, tossed it in a nearby small trash can, and then pulled her against him. The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was thinking how right this was, how perfect.
~ * * *~
It’d been four weeks since the show, two since she’d seen Bryan in a date-type setting. She’d gone to a couple of football games, finding new appreciation in the sport now that she saw it through his eyes. He’d come to another show, cheering for her and his sister. She’d finalized the work for the rescue, officially becoming 2 Hearts Rescue South. This weekend she planned to go to an auction in Arkansas and had already networked with trainers at Oaklawn race track to see about taking in thoroughbreds who could no longer race. She glanced across the table at Bryan as she finished Chinese takeout he’d brought from town.
“I hope you know things won’t be so hectic once the football season ends,” he said, reaching across the table to tangle his fingers with hers.
She relished the touch and nodded. “I know. And though rescue activities may pick up, I’ll always make time for us. You’re important to me. This is important to me.” She’d been thinking about them a lot over the last month, realized that now she had Bryan in her life, she couldn’t imagine it without him.
“That’s good.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her knuckles. “Because I think I’m falling in love with you.”
She was grinning like a fool and knew it. “I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you.” She set her fork down. “I’m not sure what took us so long seeing how Lindy is one of my best friends, but I’m glad you came to the show with her that day.”
“Me too.” Bryan pushed back his chair and stood, rounding the table to kneel in front of her chair. He grabbed her hands, then leaned in to kiss her. He tasted of spicy chicken and egg drop soup; she didn’t mind and returned the kiss. Who knew the dressage queen would actually get the quarterback? She certainly hadn’t thought so, and couldn’t wait to see what happened for them after the season was over.