He pushes himself up off the bench. “We did not get our freak on. Don’t taint the memory of my first kiss.” He pushes me gently and then walks past me toward the stables.
Iadmire the beautiful horses as Jax introduces me to each one by name. I’ve never seen one up close before.
“I didn’t realize they were so big,” I say as I rub the nose of Zena, one of the mares. “Is it scary to be up there riding one?”
He comes up behind me, the heat from his body makes goosebumps prickle along my forearms. “A little, if you’re not used to it, but there’s nothing else like it. I can teach you while you’re here if you like.”
“Could you? I would love that?”
“Sure,” he whispers, his face so close to me that I feel the warmth of his breath on my neck. I imagine his lips dusting over the delicate skin there and think of how good it would feel if he unzipped my jeans and slid his hand inside. We stand like that, our bodies so close together but not quite touching—hearts pounding, breathing getting deeper and faster.
“You want to meet my horse?” He steps away and walks to the next stall, breaking the spell.
“Sure,” I follow him until I come face to face with a beautiful black horse. He clearly recognizes his owner as he dips his head and rubs it over Jax’s chest, making him laugh.
“This is Bastian,” he says.
“Hey, handsome,” I say as run my hand over the silky smoothness of his neck and for a second Jax’s eyes lock on mine and there it is again. That tension that seems to follow us wherever we go.
I stare at him, licking my lips as heat pools in my core. He wants this too, I can see it, how much he’s holding himself back. He likes me to ask for what I want, right?
“Jax?” I whisper.
“Lucia,” he growls.
“Jackson!” A high pitched squeal cuts through the air making me jump and him blink in surprise.
I turn on my heel to see a tall woman wearing jeans, a tank and cowboy boots strolling toward us. She has long wavy blonde hair. Not the kind of untamed waves I have either, but those perfect beach waves that take me an hour in the salon to get. I bet she rolls out of bed looking that good.
“Hey, Shannon,” he says with a smile.
Shannon? This tanned goddess with perfect teeth and a tiny waist is Shannon. Well, of course it is.
“Harvey told me you were back. I just dropped off Blue’s ear meds so I thought I’d say hi.” She looks at the two of us as though she’s waiting for him to introduce me.
“Hi,” I say with an awkward wave.
“Shannon this is Lucia,” he says, clearing his throat.
She arches one perfect eyebrow. “Lucia?”
“Remember my friend, Alejandro? She’s his daughter. She needed out of the city for a few days,” he says.His friend’s daughter. Not his friend. Or his work colleague. Or the woman he was just about to throw on the floor and fuck until you walked in here, Shannon.
The two of them stare at each other and then at me like I’m in the way. I feel like such an idiot when I realize that I am. When will I ever learn?
“I’ll leave you two to catch up.” I wipe my hands on my jeans. “It was great to meet you, Shannon,” I lie.
Then I walk out of the stable.
“Luce,” Jax calls after me but I keep walking with my head high.
As soon as the warm evening air hits my face, I start to cry, even though I hate myself for it. He’s broken my heart for the last time. It’s my own fault. He warned me it was one night, didn’t he?
As I walk toward the house, I feel a soft wet nose at my hand and look down to see Blue at my side. He’s licking my salty tears from my fingers where I just wiped them.
I drop to my knees. “Hey, buddy,” I sniff and he licks my face too, making me smile.
“I’m sorry. Come here, boy,” Harvey says.