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Javi hesitated on the other line. “I want what’s best for you, that’s all.”
“I know, but you’ll have to trust me too.”
“I do. It’s Miss Gaines I’m less sure of.”
***
“Where did you even find a ranch on such short notice?” Jules asked.
He had to smile at the way she blushed, the way the flush of her pink cheeks seemed to complement her strawberry blond hair. Xavier handed her an athletic strap to help hold her glasses on, since trying to ride a horse without being able to see where one was going was a recipe for utter disaster. Everything about Jules was endearing, not just seductive or delicious. He’d had many women in his life. He’d never cheated. Yes, he’d had casual flings with more than one woman at a time. God, Lisette and Carrie were part of that. But he was committed when he was in a long-term relationship. He just hadn’t been in one since Tina and the mess that had followed. What he felt for Jules, had felt even before they’d made love yesterday, was something deeper.
It was that damn connection that he couldn’t explain.
Then again, maybe it was everything Jules had to offer. This freedom, this enthusiasm, and her kindness. She was one hell of a woman, and he wanted her to be in his life beyond Spain. For longer than that. For a damn sight longer if he had anything to say about it.
“Antonio is an old friend of the family. My mother was a dressage champion, competed in the Olympics but only got bronze. Anyway, when my mother started to miss riding, Father made some calls and found this ranch while we were here. Antonio breeds horses that win races all over the world. A few are descendants of Triple Crown winners.”
She whistled. “Like the Belmont Stakes and all the rest?’
He arched an eyebrow at her. “I thought you didn’t ride.”
She reached out and combed her fingers through the long, flowing mane of the Arabian. It was as dark as midnight. “I don’t, but I’m from Maryland. We love having the Belmont. In high school it was a big thing to watch on TV…and, okay, drink a bit afterwards.”
He nodded and helped her saddle her horse, doing the straps and girth up as he talked. “Yes, Mother wasn’t going to compete, and she didn’t ride while she was pregnant, but she missed this. When I came along, she’d take me out here as soon as I was big enough to sit on a pony. I had a horse of my own by the time I was seven.” He turned to his own steed, a massive beast close to nineteen hands high, and put the saddle on its back. “I’m just going to take us out on the ring. I don’t know if you’re ready your first time for country trails. A lot of the land in Barcelona is hilly, and that’s a new world on a horse.”
“Why?” she asked, staring at him intensely, curiosity brimming in her ice-blue eyes.
“Because going downhill for a new rider can be terrifying. Your weight shifts and you have to work not to slip off over the neck.”
That delicious flush spread down her throat, coloring even her collarbone. “Well, I wouldn’t want to wipe out my first time on a horse, ouch.”
He nodded and then stroked her cheek with his hand. “I promise you that I’ll never let you fall.”
Xavier meant that too. She was his now, and he’d protect her. Last night in the alley, he could have lost her, and he’d leapt without fear for himself to her defense. That feeling still coiled through him, heated as any fire, and he was going to keep protecting her as long as she let him.
That bright smile lit up her face like stars in the night sky. “I’m glad for that.” Then, she quirked her head at the modest-sized mare before her. “I have no idea how to hop up on her. I…is there a step stool or something?’
He took her hand and led her to the old mare’s left side. “You need to get on this side first. All horses are socialized to be mounted from the left.”
Her grin turned impish. “Only mounted from one side, must get routine.”
He pinched the cheek of her rear in response to the joke. “You minx. It makes sense as a tradition. Back in the day, soldiers carried swords, and they mounted them in the best way to accommodate that.”
“And this horse is still tall!” she countered, before glancing at his. “Okay, so it’s not the monster you’re riding, but it’s still pretty big. I’m not like six foot plus of hot guy.”
“You think I’m hot?”
“You know I do,” she said, standing on tip toe and kissing his lips and then, to his utter shock, the indents of his dimples. “So what do I do?”
“Put one foot in the stirrups, and I’ll help you up.”
Granted, he could have gotten a step, but that wouldn’t have allowed him to run his h
ands slowly over her torso, to let his breath trail against her skin, and to then caress the firm roundness of her ass. No, a step just wasn’t as fun.
Placing his hand firmly on her hips, he counted to three and helped her up. Maneuvering around the horse, he ran the stirrups up and helped get everything settled for her. Tossing her the reins over old Tornado’s head, he smiled reassuringly back at her.
“This old mare has been on Antonio’s farm for over twenty-five years. She knows how to deal with any rider, has ferried children and kids with disabilities. She’ll be gentle with a first-timer.”
