“I haven’t been on anything this fast since…since Andrew bought me my Porsche!” Hair whipping in the breeze, bodies bouncing and rubbing together intimately, she held onto Nash’s trim waist tightly, allowing her hands a sneak peek of what was very clearly a set of fine six-pack abs.
Nash laughed, the deep sound of it reverberating through his chest and back, the sweet sound making it to her ears despite the rhythmic gallop of hooves beneath them and the blur of wind rushing past them.
“She’s nowhere near as fast as that fancy little car of yours,” he shouted back.
He was right, she was sure, but it sure felt like it. Out in the open field, going at a steady clip, she couldn’t put an actual speed to it, but she felt as if someone had rolled down the top of a convertible, opened the engine on the Autobahn, and let loose.
In short, she felt absolutely amazing.
“I’ve never felt so alive! Is this how it always is for you?” If so, she would never drive a car again.
“The way it is for you right now? Only at the beginning,” he informed her, “but it’s still the best feeling in the world, every day of the week.”
Vivian cinched her arms around him tighter, wanting to prolong their time together, this moment. She was finally starting to see the appeal of a life in the country. It wasn’t just that it was slower paced or that the people were friendly or even that it was a totally new experience to absorb.
She felt as if this was where her life had finally started. The day that tire had ruptured and forced her onto the side of the road had been the push button triggering something wonderful. She hadn’t realized it then, but it felt as if she’d spent her whole life in a hazy dream world and she’d only now woken up.
In spite of all her doubts, being on the back of the horse with Nash, galloping around in the night under the light of the moon, was just what she needed.
It finally felt as if she fit somewhere. Not because of her clothes or the car she drove or the house she lived in or the connections she had, but because of who she was, the person inside—and the person she was becoming.
It was a feeling she didn’t want to end.
Nash pulled on the reins and made a clicking sound with his tongue, and Maxine slowed to a trot. A sense of fear and dread set in. If they stopped riding, would the bubble on such a perfect evening burst?
“Can we keep going?” Vivian asked, her voice small. “Just a little longer.”
Nash’s hand flatted over hers against his stomach. “As long as you want.”
Relieved, Vivian turned her head and rested her cheek against his warm back, imagining she could hear his heartbeat beneath her ear.
In reality, it was probably just the sound of the horse’s hooves impacting the dirt, but it didn’t hurt to pretend.
This was what it was supposed to be like, right? Falling for someone, taking refuge in their embrace, in their very presence? Carlene had been one lucky woman to have Nash’s heart that beat so fiercely in his strong chest. Vivian wondered if she knew how blessed she’d been—still was.
She didn’t even realize she’d dozed off until the horse stopped moving altogether and Nash’s fingers wrapped around hers, giving them a gentle squeeze.
“We’re here, sweetheart. Time to wake up.”
“Ughhh,” Vivian moaned. “Just five more minutes?”
Nash chuckled at her attempt at sounding like a whiny child. “Nope, ‘fraid not. Time to get up so you can go to bed.”
Forcing herself to pick her head up, Vivian waited for Nash to extricate himself from the saddle and hop down. He turned immediately and extended his arms to help her down.
“That saying never made any sense to me,” Vivian commented as she accepted his help and returned to earth.
It was strange being so low to the ground after being up so high for so long.
“Yep, but it’s true.” He flicked his gaze up toward the stars hanging above their heads. “It’s late.”
“And you need your beauty rest,” she said, nodding in understanding.
He smirked. “Not as much as you, darlin’.”
Vivian let her mouth drop open in feigned offense. “How rude!”
“Hey,” Nash said as he unbuckled the saddle, “you started it.”