It wasn’t until we reached the double doors leading to the outside that I recognized where we were. When we stepped into the night air, Trev was standing in front of a limousine. The guy who had led me here walked back inside without a word.

  “The night is young! Where shall we take it?” he asked with a smile on his face.

  Saxon appeared at my side. “Where do you want to go?” There was concern in his voice, unlike Trev’s.

  “Anywhere but here,” I told him.

  Saxon nodded. “Then, let’s get in the limo,” he replied.

  Trev looked at me expectantly as I sat across from him in the limo. I knew he was waiting for me to tell him where I wanted to go, but I honestly didn’t care.

  “What do you want to see?” Trev asked me.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “It’s not like she’s familiar with the area,” Saxon told him. “She’s barely seen anything other than your place and Moses Mile.”

  Trev nodded slowly, as if he was just realizing that. “You’re right. Want to swim in the springs?”

  I shook my head. “I can’t swim, remember?”

  He frowned. “We have got to fix that. If you’re gonna live in Ocala, you’ve got to learn to swim and ride. We don’t have much else going on in this area.”

  “I’m going to teach her how to ride,” Saxon said, and I turned to look at him. He gave me a reassuring smile. “You’re ready. You’ve got a bond with most of the horses. No point in continuing to put it off.”

  When I had arrived here, I hadn’t been sure I’d ever be ready to get on a horse. However, I was getting comfortable around them. They intrigued me. I hadn’t expected them to be so intelligent. My daily talks with Firefoot, Rig, and Jinx were something I looked forward to each morning. Empire had started watching me, and when I was sure that Blaise wasn’t going to show up, I’d go over and talk to him some. He appeared to want me to give him attention, like the others.

  “Okay,” I finally said, although the uncertainty in my voice was clear.

  Trev nudged my leg with his foot. “I’m still available if you feel safer with me,” he said, then winked.

  A small laugh escaped me. Trev was hard not to like. He was fun and charming. People were drawn to him and never felt uncomfortable around him. Nothing like his brother.

  Yet Trev didn’t make my skin heat up or my heart race. Apparently, my body reserved that for his elitist, intimidating, and detached older brother. I had no business feeling anything for a Hughes. I wasn’t going to be here long enough for it to matter anyway.

  “Which horse do you want me to start on?” I asked Saxon.

  “Sunshine,” he said, grinning.

  I sighed in relief. Sunshine was a sixteen-year-old quarter horse. She was the only horse I’d led out of the stables and the only one whose stall I would go in when she was in there.

  Trev rolled his eyes. “When you’re ready to learn how to really ride, let me know. All you’re gonna do on Sunshine is sit. I doubt she’ll even trot for you.”

  “She does just fine, and she’s perfect for beginners,” Saxon told him.

  Feeling a tug of excitement about my future lessons, I smiled and leaned back in the seat, relaxing for the first time since Blaise had held me on the dance floor.

  “Whatever. That’s not now. Where do you want to go?” Trev asked.

  “Moses Mile,” I replied honestly. It had been a long night. I was ready to be alone so I could think about it all.

  Trev groaned. “Seriously?”

  I nodded.

  “Can we at least get drunk first? The bar in here is loaded,” Trev said, leaning over and pulling out a bottle of whiskey.

  I shrugged. “You two can drink all you want. I’ll enjoy the ride.”

  Seventeen

  Going to sleep last night, I’d been excited about the idea of learning how to ride today. However, my anxiety this morning made it difficult for me to eat breakfast. Melanie didn’t notice as she drank her coffee and chatted about how impressive I had been last night. I hadn’t felt very impressive, but if she was happy, then I was glad I hadn’t embarrassed her.

  After forcing a few bites of bacon and eggs down, I excused myself from the table and headed out the back door toward the stables. Saxon had told me to meet him at Sunshine’s stall around eight. I still had about thirty minutes, so I made my rounds, visiting with Rig, Jinx, Firefoot, and Empire before turning to head down to the end stall where Sunshine was kept.

  Just as I reached her stall, Saxon stepped inside the back entrance. I started to smile at him, but the look on his face made me pause. He looked tense and almost apologetic.

  “Hey, bad time?” I asked him, thinking something must have come up and he needed to cancel today’s lesson.

  He took a deep breath, then shook his head, but didn’t say anything. “No, uh, it’s just that …” He paused, and his gaze looked past me.

  “I’ll be teaching you how to ride,” a familiar, deep drawl said.

  My eyes widened as I looked at Saxon, then turned to see Blaise walking toward us. His faded jeans fit him, as if they’d been made just for his long legs, and hung on his hips slightly. The black T-shirt he was wearing looked stretched across his broad shoulders. I swallowed nervously, not sure how this turn of events had happened. I hadn’t agreed to this.

  Blaise stopped a couple of feet from me and tipped his cowboy hat back with a finger. Those green eyes were locked on me. He was waiting for me to respond, although I knew by the look on his face that my reaction would mean nothing.

  Why was he here? Last night, he couldn’t get away from me fast enough.

  Saxon cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah, Blaise came by earlier this morning to check in on Empire. I mentioned your riding lessons today, and he, uh, said he’d teach you.”

  Blaise raised his eyebrows just slightly as he watched me. It felt as if he were taunting me to refuse. What would happen if I did? This was Moses Mile. He had no power here. Although Saxon sure made it seem like he did. He hadn’t even asked me if I wanted Blaise to teach me.

  Lifting my chin, I glared back at Blaise. “Why?” I asked him simply. It was a fair question. One that needed answering. One he should have to answer.

  “I’m the best,” he said, and then a slight smirk touched the corner of his lips.

  I fought against staring at those lips. Fantasizing about Blaise Hughes’s mouth was never going to be a good idea.

  I placed a hand on my hip and turned slightly toward Saxon but kept my eyes on Blaise. “Saxon can teach me just fine. I don’t need the best. It’s not like I plan on becoming a jockey.”

  “No,” was Blaise’s immediate response. The almost-teasing glint in his eyes vanished, and there was a warning there now.

  “He’s right,” Saxon said quickly before I could respond. “Blaise is a great teacher. You’ll learn quicker from him.”

  It was the tone in Saxon’s voice that kept me from refusing to allow Blaise to take over my lessons. He was nervous and clearly didn’t want me to argue with Blaise. Why? Was he afraid that Blaise would take Empire away? Blaise was his best friend’s older brother. That was all.

  “I’ve changed my mind,” I told Blaise, deciding I’d handle this if Saxon couldn’t. “I don’t want to ride.”

  Blaise looked past me toward Saxon. “You can go,” he told him.

  I turned toward Saxon to tell him that I would start my stable chores, but Saxon nodded his head at Blaise, then walked away without one glance in my direction. Letting out a frustrated sigh, I glared at his back as he retreated. He was leaving me alone to handle this. I didn’t want his help either. I’d get Trev to teach me. He’d stand up to his brother.

  “You can’t get on the back of a horse in that mood. He’ll feel it,” Blaise told me.

  I didn’t look at him. I moved my gaze to Sunshine. She was so gentle that I doubted she cared what my mood was. Not that I had agreed to let him teach me anything.

  “Let’s go,” he ordered.

  My eyes snapped to him then. “Go where?”

  “To get you on a horse,” he drawled slowly, as if I had difficulty understanding the English language.

  I pointed at Sunshine. “This is the horse Saxon was going to use to teach me how to ride.”

  Blaise held my gaze. “And I’m not Saxon.”

  That was something I had not needed clarified. I was very aware of who he was.

  Blaise started walking away from me, and I knew he expected me to follow him. I didn’t want to do anything he told me to do. Well, a part of me didn’t. The largest, most important part. There was a small, insignificant part that wasn’t ready to stop this—whatever it was—with Blaise just yet. I needed to work on that part of myself. It was struggling to make good choices.

  “Madeline, don’t make me force you,” Blaise said without looking back at me.

  Gritting my teeth, I slowly followed him. Perhaps that small, insignificant part of me was slightly bigger than I’d realized. I should be stalking right back up to the house and locking myself away in my bedroom.

  Blaise stopped in front of a stall. I knew that stall.

  I shook my head. “I can’t ride Jinx,” I told him.

  I loved Jinx. He was sweet and loved carrots. He was also a great listener. However, he was a thoroughbred. He wasn’t an old mare.

  “You can,” Blaise replied.

  I pointed back toward Sunshine. “That’s who I agreed to ride.”

  Blaise sighed, as if I were being a stubborn child and he was growing weary. “That wouldn’t be riding a horse. That would be lounging on one.”

  Placing my hands on my hips, I straightened my back and glared at him. “Saxon didn’t think so.”

  Blaise patted the side of Jinx’s neck. “Do I look like Sax to you, Madeline?” he asked me as he slowly shifted his gaze from Jinx to meet mine.

  I inhaled sharply, then rolled my eyes. That was a stupid response.

  “Do that one more time, and I’ll put you over my lap and spank your ass,” Blaise said. His voice was deeper and had a dangerous edge to it.

  Two things about his response were a problem. The first one being that it was completely out of line and abusive. The second was, for some reason, my body hated me and tingled in areas it had no business reacting. Because of the second thing, I didn’t say anything. I was afraid of my voice.

  “Now,” he said, “be a good girl and come here.”

  He was continuing to be degrading, and my traitorous body was continuing to react to it.

  I took a step closer and kept my eyes on Jinx. I trusted Jinx. He and I had a bond. He was just big. Much bigger than Sunshine. However, right now, I needed to focus on something other than Blaise Hughes.

  Jinx moved his head to meet my hand, and I smiled, relaxing some from the tension that Blaise’s words had coiled inside of me. Maybe the best thing to do was get on with this lesson and focus on learning how to ride. Then, Blaise would go away, he’d stop making my body turn on me, and I’d get on with my life.

  Blaise moved in close enough behind me that I could feel the warmth from his body. I stiffened in response, and my hand paused on Jinx’s neck. Jinx sensed my change, and he danced slightly on his feet.

  “Easy,” Blaise said in a low voice. “He can feel your emotions. You need to stay calm.”

  I closed my eyes tightly. “I was fine until you got in my personal space,” I replied through clenched teeth.

  His hand touched my right side, and I pulled my hand away from Jinx, stepping back so my sudden rush of anxiety wouldn’t startle him any more than I had already. Blaise’s other hand grabbed my left side and held me firmly.

  “This isn’t calm, Madeline,” he said so close to my ear that his breath heated my skin.

  I shivered and immediately hated myself for it.

  “Stop touching me.” My words came out in a ragged breath.

  Blaise’s hands tightened their grip, and he pulled my body with one swift tug until my back was pressed against his front. His breathing was heavy as his chest rose and fell. We stood there for a moment, saying nothing. I wasn’t sure if I could move. My legs didn’t feel very steady.

  “Your nipples are so fucking hard that I can see them through your shirt,” he said as he moved a hand from my waist to my stomach. “You sure you want me to stop touching you?”

  I was struggling to breathe. Talking wasn’t something I could manage. Not yet. I had to get control of myself. But with his body rock hard against mine and his palm flat on my stomach with his thumb almost caressing the bottom of my right breast, it was hard to do that.

  “That’s better,” he whispered. “Sweet and obedient.”

  His hands fell away, and I swayed slightly.

  “Time to get you on a horse,” Blaise informed me as he walked over and opened Jinx’s stall.

  I didn’t move. My head was still spinning.

  Blaise glanced back at me over his shoulder. “Lesson number one,” he began. “Don’t get distracted.”

  Eighteen

  Blaise was an excellent teacher. I wanted to hate him for it. He was arrogant. He was cold. He was beautiful. I could hate him for those three things, if nothing else.

  Only once did I notice Saxon while I was out in the lower round pen with Jinx and Blaise. Once I was on the back of Jinx, I found all my attention was focused on not falling off. My trust in Jinx was tested at first, but he seemed to understand my nervousness. He was attentive to my commands, and I relaxed quickly.

  Blaise helped me dismount and had me lead Jinx to the stables. No more inappropriate things were said, and he hadn’t touched me again. Relief that he would be leaving and I would have time alone to brush Jinx and start my chores had me smiling as I walked back to the stall.

  I heard one of the jockeys call out Blaise’s name, and I didn’t look back to see if he stopped or not. I continued on, not needing any direction on how to do the next few steps. Hopefully, Blaise would get busy and leave without my having to speak to him. He had said something about teaching me to trot in my next lesson, but he hadn’t said when that would be.

  While I got Jinx settled in his stall, I praised him for being such a good boy. I liked riding. There was something about it that made me feel centered. Even while the rest of my life was unsure, I had felt as if all was right when I was up there on his back.

  I wondered if my mother had felt that way. Was that why she had loved to ride?

  Patting Jinx’s side, I stepped around him and out of the stall to go get his brush. He deserved some pampering after all that. I was almost to the tack room when Blaise walked into the stables. His eyes swung from Jinx’s stall to me. I waited to see what he had to say in hopes that he’d say it and leave.

  I shifted my feet when he didn’t speak, feeling nervous under his quiet stare. He started walking toward me, and I forced myself not to watch him. It was hard. Unfortunately for females, he was nice to look at.

  “You did good,” he said to me before stopping only inches from me.

  That was entirely too close. I needed him to back up some. Give me my personal space.

  “Thanks,” I replied, barely glancing at him, then focusing my attention on the tack room door.

  He stepped closer, and I inhaled sharply. My eyes snapped back to him. One more inch, and our bodies would be touching. The sensation between my legs started up again, and I tried to tell myself to look away from him.

  Don’t make eye contact.

  It didn’t work. I was locked in.

  His eyes dropped from mine to focus on my mouth. He’d done that last night. Less than twenty-four hours, and here we were again. Too close. It was messing with my head. Confusing me. I should push him away and tell him that. I should.

  But his left hand cupped my cheek, and he tilted my head back. I didn’t breathe. The world fell away. It went silent. When he lowered his mouth to mine, my heart slammed against my chest wildly. His mouth was hot, demanding, and talented. Just like him.

  His right hand gripped my hip tightly, and I swayed into him as my hands grabbed his upper arms. It all happened too quickly. Like a small taste of something forbidden yet intoxicating, and then it was snatched away. Reminding me it wasn’t safe. It wasn’t mine.

  Blaise’s hands and mouth were no longer touching me. His body no longer in my personal space. His eyes met mine for a second, and then he turned and walked away. Long strides meant to escape. As if he couldn’t get away from me fast enough.

  I fell back against the wall and tried to regulate my breathing. That hadn’t been my first kiss. Not even close. But it was the first time a kiss had terrified me. It was the first time a kiss had owned me.

  “Maddy?” Saxon’s voice called out.

  I blinked and took another deep breath before turning toward him.

  “Yeah?” I replied, trying to sound normal.

  “You okay?” he asked as he continued in my direction.

  No. I wasn’t sure I would ever be considered okay again.

  “Yes,” I lied to him.

  He stopped in front of me and studied my face closely. There was a frown line between his brows as he did so. “You sure?”

  I nodded, wishing he would let it go. I was sure my lips were swollen and my face was flushed. They felt that way.

  “Blaise just sped out of here. Didn’t seem like he was okay,” Saxon said.

  I shrugged and turned away from him to walk into the tack room.