Thirty-Three
Camille
I feltlike I could burst.
Each pore in my body ached with how happy I felt as I tipped my head back and let the sun warm me, the sky made my eyes sting with how bright it was, all while Terry plodded down the trail.
I was in my most favorite place.
But it was better today.
Brennan was here.
The thought had me casting him a look, and immediately, arousal and amusement danced together inside me.
Arousal because he was hot. Simple as. He also looked like he’d been born to ride, which came as no real surprise. My husband was the most competent man I’d ever met. I wasn’t sure if there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do if he set his mind to it.
This clearly wasn’t his first time on a horse, though. The way he sat in a saddle, how he held the reins, the ease with which he directed Princess Plum—all of it spoke of experience.
Which made me want to drool.
He looked like a warrior on horseback. I could easily imagine him with a sword strapped to his back as he charged into battle, which made him even hotter.
The amusement stemmed from his lack of a riding hat. I always wore one, mostly because I was a scaredy cat, but Brennan didn’t. The prospect of him in one, though, made me hide a grin. As if a horse would dare buck under his command.
As if.
“What are you grinning at?” Brennan grumbled, our eyes tangling for a flash before he returned his focus to the trail.
I thought he’d been appreciating nature, instead, he’d been watching me hide my amusement...
Ugh, why did that fill me with warmth?
I loved that he watched me. Loved. It.
“I was just imagining you wearing a riding hat.”
“And it made you grin?”
“It did,” I said, reaching forward to pet Terry. “I don’t think Princess Plum would dare toss you off her back.”
He snorted. “It’s happened a time or two.”
“It has? When?”
Brennan shrugged. “When I was learning to ride. Hobbled around for a week each time.” His lips twitched. “But it was always my ass that hurt, not my head. Anyway, helmets are uncomfortable.”
“They’re protective.”
“We all die. I’d prefer to die from falling off a horse than with a gun to the temple.”
The ease of his words had me biting my lip. We both knew that second option was more likely, so when he put it like that, I thought I’d prefer for him to die that way too.
Of course, that had turned this cheerful outing into a depressing one.
I cleared my throat. “I’m surprised you want to do this again so soon after Sunday.”
“Had a shitty day,” he grumbled, twisting his neck to ease the strain there. “But the weather’s good, and I figured, why the fuck not spend some time with my wife and get some fresh air out here?”