The next day at breakfast, Noah caught sight of Riley as she came through the door of the Mess Hall. He could tell right away she hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep. She must have been crying because her eyelids were red and slightly swollen, and her face was pale.
He watched her look around and then head to get in line with the others. Standing there with his arms crossed, he scowled when he noticed the frightened looks Riley was trying to hide, and the glares the other girls were giving her.
“Riley! Can you come here? I have a question about one of the horses,” Noah shouted to get her attention.
He saw her relax and head his way.
She stood in front of him and smiled. “What do you need, Mr. Harrison?”
“Have a seat.” He waited until she sat across from him at one of the long picnic tables in the corner of the building. “How’s everything going, sweetheart?”
She glanced up at him and then quickly back down. “Good,” she said brightly.
Frustration made a muscle in his jaw tense. He leaned in close to get her full attention. “First off, you call me Noah. Secondly, if I catch you lying to me in any way, I will have your bottom bared and you over my lap for a spanking that will make it hard for you to sit for the rest of the day.”
Riley's mouth dropped open. Then she looked quickly around before facing him again and leaning toward him. “Did you just say you’d spank me?” she whispered.
“Yes.” Noah waited for her reaction.
A deep blush crept up her face. Then her eyes darkened with arousal and she fidgeted in her seat. He breathed a sigh of relief at the fact she was as attracted to him as he was to her.
It was obvious she didn’t understand everything that was happening to her body at that
moment. Perhaps why the thought of a spanking turned her on. The fact she was so innocent sent a river of need throughout him, making his cock harder than it ever had been.
“But…”
“There are no buts, baby girl.”
Her face softened, and she smiled. “I like it when you call me that.”
He nodded. “Good, because that’s what I’m always going to call you.”
Her gaze locked on his.
They were both startled when a tray was set down next to Noah, and then an older woman sat down close to him.
Noah scowled. “Connie, please move over.”
“Oh, poo, you have plenty of room.”
“Didn’t we discuss this last night?”
“I didn’t think you were serious.”
“You thought wrong. Now move over.”
****
Riley’s gaze went from the woman and then to Noah as a feeling she thought might be jealousy tightened her stomach. She didn’t understand why she felt possessive of Noah. Maybe the fact he was the only one she felt safe with? Or the attraction she had for him?
She couldn’t take another second. Standing suddenly, she grabbed her tray. “I … I have to check on something.”
She didn’t hear Noah’s call as she dumped her food and raced to the stables. The only place in the camp she truly felt calm besides when she was with Noah.
Later that day, she was putting one of the livelier horses through the paces to see how it would do with the children. She didn’t want to take a chance with it hurting one of them or them being afraid of them. Not only did it help to keep her mind off her problems, Riley always felt special when she rode because she knew she did it well.
She’d wanted to do dressage when she was younger, but her father had forbidden it, saying it was too dangerous. Since they had lost her mother, she was the only person her father had left.