Page 40 of Road to Rosalee

With the pain subsiding enough for her to think a little straighter, she suddenly remembered her horse. ‘Oh my god, what about Toffee?’ She looked left and right, her bottom lip clamped between her teeth.

‘Oh, don’t worry about her. She’s probably back at the homestead by now.’

‘I hope so,’ she said, her voice drifting as another wave of light-headedness had her legs turning to jelly. She fell against Zai, her cheek settling right where she’d moments ago craved for her lips to be. ‘Oops, sorry. I just feel a little woozy.’

‘All good. That’s pretty normal after the tumble you just had.’ His arms circled her, holding her against him protectively. ‘Just take a minute to breathe.’

Remaining there, she was glad for his encompassing embrace as the world gradually stopped spinning, and it was in these precious moments, she realised how she felt – as if she’d arrived home within his arms. It was an odd yet endearing sensation – one she didn’t know what to make of.

‘I’ll double you back to the homestead when you’re ready, Mel,’ Zai said ever so gently as he untangled his arms from around her and tugged his shirt back on. Unable to be done up now for the lack of buttons, it framed the hard planes of his chest and stomach perfectly.

A faint moan rose from her throat – she didn’t want him to let her go. Not ever. ‘Oh, and here I was thinking I would walk,’ she said playfully, giggling, but then wincing. ‘Ouch, it even hurts to laugh.’

‘Take it steady,’ he said, holding her hand and slowly helping her over to Sao and eventually up into his saddle.

Sliding carefully in front of her, he glanced over his shoulder. ‘Hang on nice and tight. We don’t want round two.’

‘You’re a smartarse.’ She grabbed a tentative hold of his hips. ‘You know that, right?’

‘Ha, I sure do, and you love it. And FYI, that’s not tight, Miss Melody.’ He took both of her wrists and carefully secured them around his waist. ‘This is.’

‘Gotcha,’ she said, wishing she actually did have him, all of him, now and forever.

Zai carefully eased Sao into a smooth walk.

‘You right back there?’

‘Yes.’ She centred herself, both in posture and internally. Being so close to him was doing crazy things to her. Once they reached the bottom of the ridges, she said, ‘You can go a little faster, if you like.’

‘You sure?’

‘Positive.’

‘Righto then but let me know if it gets uncomfortable for you.’

‘Will do,’ she replied, her cheek now resting upon his back.

It only took moments for Sao to fall into a smooth gallop. Giving in to the rhythm of the gelding’s rhythmic gait, the three of them became one as Sao’s long graceful strides ate up the terrain. Melody could feel the bunching of Zai’s stomach muscles as they raced across the flats. She wondered if he could feel the brush of her breasts against his back, or the frenzied beating of her heart driven wild by being so close to him. She also wondered just how she was going to ignore the fire he’d ignited in her heart. And how things would change between them if he found out she was a married woman.

Chapter

12

Sitting on the floor beside the couch where Melody was sprawled out with a bag of frozen peas against her ribs, Zai tried to keep the conversation light as he stared at the hole allowing his little toe to poke out of his sock. He had spent the past hour wishing he could capture her mouth in an all-consuming kiss and was having a real hard time keeping his hands to himself. The way their bodies had melded together as they’d galloped back to the cottage was a sensation he’d never experienced before – it was as if she was his missing piece, the one that made him whole.

He’d now learnt that any skin-on-skin contact with her was like throwing a match to fuel, and the heat she’d left in her wake was lingering like a kindled fire within his soul. Nothing he did or thought doused it. Day by day, she was getting under his skin, more and more, and he couldn’t help but find pleasure in the fact.

He was certain that this beautiful woman had changed him, had effortlessly made him want her in a way that only a man falling head over boots in love could. What in the hell was he meant to do with that? He wasn’t even sure Melody liked him as more than a mate, and he wasn’t about to go and ruin a friendship with her by giving in to his feelings. And with his reputation, Matt would almost certainly kill him if he went anywhere near his precious daughter.

‘Earth to Zai.’ Melody poked him with her foot. ‘Why are you so quiet? Has the cat gone and got your tongue?’

‘Ha, sorry, I’m just thinking about the fact that I don’t really know much about you.’ He watched her happiness quickly fade and couldn’t help wondering what nerve he’d just brushed upon.

‘Oh, okay. Well, I suppose we haven’t really known each other for very long, so that’s a given.’ She half shrugged and turned her gaze from him and towards the curtains fluttering at the open lounge-room window.

‘Well then, I reckon we should change that fact then.’ He waited for her to agree and when she didn’t, decided to prod a little further. ‘Do you have any siblings?’

She remained staring out the window. ‘Nope, and now that Mum’s gone, I don’t have any biological family, other than Matt.’