“Dancer’s not a stallion, but she’s a good horse.”
The mare nods her head at him as if she understands what he’s saying.
Wrinkling my nose, I laugh. “Does everything fall in love with you?”
The words jump out, and I bite my lip at how close it sounds to me sayingIlove him. That’s crazy, although I’m acutely aware of how close I am to falling for this sexy-ass man right now, especially with him playfully showing me all his favorite things like a little boy.
He doesn’t miss a beat. “I am the youngest.”
“So I take that as a yes.”
“I can’t speak for others.” He gives me a sexy wink, and it’s a sizzle in my veins.
We’ve been so restrained since he picked me up this morning, almost as if we were meeting each other for the first time, in a new environment, where we can truly relax and be ourselves. We’re not stealing moments or hiding from prying eyes.
The tension between us is tight as a drum, but we can take our time.
I slide my hand down the horse’s nose. “She acts like she’s your horse.”
“We have a history.”
“You have a history with this horse?” Stepping closer to him, I rest my cheek against his firm shoulder.
“I was the only person to ride her regularly after Hugh brought her here. He asked me to keep her exercised, so we pretty much spent the summer together.”
“Mm, lucky girl.” I walk over to an empty stall filled with fresh hay. “Is it just me or does the smell of hay make you horny?”
His low chuckle meets my ears just before his arms circle my waist. “It’s not just you.”
Turning, I lift my hands to his cheeks, meeting his lips halfway to mine. They bump in a kiss and part, tongues desperate to taste. He drags my body firmly against his, burying his face in my neck and inhaling deeply.
“I love your scent.” His low voice filters heat through my veins. “It haunts me when we’re apart.”
“We’re together all weekend… at least?” I’m not entirely sure of the timeline.
“Everyone gets back Sunday night.” He lifts his messy dark head, hazel eyes smoldering. “I thought we could hang around and let you meet them if you want.”
There’s no way I can meet them, but I’ll figure that out when the time comes.
“Sure.” I smile, kissing his lips again, loving how I can touch him whenever I want. “You don’t think they’ll have a problem with you being my professor?”
His lips are at my jaw, tracing a line up to my cheek when he stops. “I’m only your professor for a few more months.”
Then he goes back to being my enemy. I cringe at the unwelcome thought, barging in on my happy space.
It makes me shiver, and I pull his hand as if we can run away, back in the direction of the horses. “Can we go for a ride? Then we can come back and clean up… or get dirty.”
He grins, walking past me. “Sure, help me grab a saddle.”
I follow him into the tack room, which is the size of a large utility closet, filled with blankets and saddles of all sizes and shapes, bridles… and gifts, it seems.
“Oh, man,” Dirk laughs softly, putting a straw cowboy hat on his head. “Check this out.”
He turns, tilting his head so he looks up at me from under the brim, and a flash of desire shoots straight to my core. “That’s a look I didn’t know I liked.”
“You like it?” He pulls me to his chest, tipping the brim back before leaning down to cover my lips with his in a hot kiss.
My knees actually weaken, and our kiss turns into a smile. “I never had a thing for cowboys before.”