4
WHAT THE FUCK am I doing?Jasim strode towards the isolation paddock asking himself the same question over and over, which was a waste of time when he already knew the answer. He might be keeping to the promise he’d made that Ru could come and see the horses, but that wasn’t why he was doing this.I want him. I want to feel him under me. I want to fuck him until I forget the lie I’m living.
Not that he intended to do any such thing. He really didn’t. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t, shouldn’t…fucking hell.He walked faster with Ru hurrying to keep up at his side.
Jasim sighed. He could protest all he liked but it didn’t take away the fact that looking at Ru made his body ache in ways it hadn’t since Tye had…Do not go there.
“Have they been okay?” Ru asked.
“Yes.”
“Oh. Good.”
Jasim knew he’d been too sharp, but he wasn’t yet in control of himself.
When the two mares had arrived, Paolo, his manager, hadn’t been the only one of his staff who’d looked at Jasim as if he’d lost his mind. They all had. But Paolo was the most vociferous in sharing his opinion, followed by Leigh, the vet. Not that there was anything wrong with the horses, just that buying them made no sense.
Jasim was not known for having a soft heart because he didn’t have one. He’d made up some half-truth about doing someone a favour and when pushed, made it clear there was to be no further discussion. Which naturally would have led to a lot of discussion when he wasn’t around. As far as he’d been concerned, the horses were here and that was that. Now he wished he’d thought things through a little more carefully.
Had he imagined that Ru would come? He’d hoped, and cursed himself for hoping and as days had passed and there’d been no contact, he’d given up hoping, telling himself he’d had a lucky escape. Now his heart was fucking singing.
“How long have they been in the country? You’re keeping them away from your other horses, aren’t you? Cookie and Joni are healthy, but even an apparently healthy-looking horse can introduce infection into a yard.”
Jasim swallowed his smile. Ru sounded like the vet. It was exactly what Leigh had said, along with a lot of tutting and eye rolling.
“What sort of infections?” He was interested to see what Ru would say.
“Strangles. Equine influenza. Did Cookie and Joni count as international arrivals? Because then they’d need negative swabs for Contagious Equine Metritis and negative blood tests for Equine Viral Arteritis and Equine Infectious Anaemia.”
That brought Jasim up short, both physically and mentally. He stopped and turned to look at Ru, something he’d been trying not to do. Now his gaze snagged on those big green eyes, and that cute, earnest face, and his cock stirred.Shit.
“You seem very knowledgeable.” Jasim began walking again.
“Horses have been everything to me for the last twelve years.”
“And not now?”
“I’ve just about accepted that I’m never going to be an equine vet.”
Jasim heard the catch in Ru’s voice.
“I’ve been applying for jobs washing dishes, handing out leaflets and cleaning cars.”
A vet?So had that been a joke? Jasim guessed that it had. “Cookie and Joni are in a small paddock and stabled on their own. I can’t take any risks with my horses. Thirty days’ isolation. They’ve been here for fifteen.”
“Have they settled in?”
“Yes.”
The sound of delight that came from Ru when he saw them, made Jasim swallow hard. Ru whistled and Jasim watched as the horses registered who’d come to see them and raced across the paddock, putting their heads over the top bar of the fence, both trying to get to Ru.
“I’m as happy as Larry to see you too.” Ru stroked one then the other.
The horses were breathing on Ru’s face, their ears up, licking him, nudging him with their heads and when he laughed, the sound broke something inside Jasim. Maybe not his last defence but getting close.
“You are so beautiful,” Ru whispered. “I’ve missed you. Was the sea crossing horrible? Did you get sea sick? You’re grand now. Look at where you are. This is so gorgeous. You’re lucky.” Ru turned to him. “Can I ride Cookie?”
“Their tack came with them, but I don’t know—”
