"Daniel, I will stay for four weeks. But I don't want to talk about the future. Please promise me you won't mention it again.."
He was silent as I stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my body.
I didn't look back to see the look on his face.
Chapter Twenty-One
Daniel
It was another beautiful, perfect spring day. In a series of amazing days. With Francesca in my life, every day was the best day yet. We’d settled into an exciting but totally natural pattern. Make love all night, ride and work during the day, sneaking away as often as possible to spend hours leisurely exploring each others bodies.
As usual, we started out the day riding.
Today we weren’t just riding. We were racing. Francesca was winning. I grinned. She had no idea that I was letting her win.
Not that she couldn't give me a run for my money. She could. It's just that I preferred riding behind her.
The view was fucking amazing.
She was galloping now, determined to beat me. She was so competitive. It was one of her most endearing qualities.
Her many, many endearing qualities.
Two of them bouncing deliciously against the saddle as she rode vigorously across the estate.
The past two weeks had been the best of my life. Hell, even the weeks before that when I had found her and almost lost her had been amazing.
I'd never felt more alive.
Who would have thought that a wild eyed European Countess would be the one to unlock my heart after all these years?
We were opposites on the outside. She was so refined. I was rough and country.
But we suited each other perfectly.
She was nearing the path into the woods. We hadn't gone that way yet. It was not good for galloping. I pressed my heels into Black Jack and caught up with her. It wasn't easy.
Francesca could ride.
She barely glanced at me, a challenging smile on her face. She dug her heels in and her mare went even faster. She had been holding back, too.
I was impressed at the same time I was terrified.
"Francesca! Slow down!"
She didn't hear me. I had no choice but to chase after her. I reached her just as we were entering the woods. The path was too narrow to ride along side her.
I had to shout.
"Francesca! Look out!"
She heard me just in time, ducking to avoid a low hanging branch. I cursed. That was close.
Too close.
I was furious that this path wasn't better kept. Then again, only a headstrong idiot would go racing at that speed into an unknown path in the woods. She obviously got the point because she pulled back on her reigns, riding at a much more sedate pace.
I cursed, slowly bringing my horse to a walk. I followed her as we rode in silence through the woods. By the time we were back at the stables, the horses had cooled down.
I hadn't.
Not by a long shot.
The moment she dismounted I pulled her into an empty stall and pressed her against the wall.
"You deserve a spanking for that."
"For what? Beating you?"
She smiled sensuously, looking like the cat who ate the canary. She had no idea the danger she had been in! I could not lose her. I would not!
"I'm surprised Daniel. You don't seem like the insecure type..."
I growled at her.
"You could have been killed! I won't allow you to take risks like that!"
"Allow me?"
Her eyes glittered dangerously. I knew she didn't like being told what to do. I didn't care. I scooped her up and carried her kicking and screaming into the house. Jake and Elle were in the dining room having lunch. They stared open mouthed at me carrying Francesca while she hissed like a cat. She fought me the whole way up the stairs to my bedroom.
I lowered her to the floor and locked the door. Her eyes were wide as I sat down in the easy chair, yanking her facedown over my lap. I had not been joking about spanking her. She was a spoiled brat and I was going to treat her like one.
I brought my hand down once.
"That's for being reckless and rebellious!"
SMACK.
"That's for scaring me half to death!"
SMACK.
"That's so you never do that to me again!"
Her eyes were dry as I lifted her to face me. She didn't even look angry. She looked as if... as if she felt sorry for me. I hadn’t hidden the fear in my voice. The anger. I couldn’t have disguised my feelings if I wanted to.
"Daniel... I... "
I cursed, crashing my mouth down on top of hers. I kissed her hard and possessively. I wasn’t gentle. I wasn’t sweet. I took and took and took.
"I didn't mean to scare you! I won't die!"
I held her, staring deeply into her eyes. I didn't tell her about Savanah, the only other girl I had ever loved. It was so many years ago. We had just been kids, still in prep school. I didn't tell her how she died. Or that I felt deep down that it was my fault. As an adult all these years later, I knew I couldn't be blamed. But it still felt that way to me.