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She pressed her lips to his neck and deeply inhaled his scent before she replied, "My lips are sealed."
"Excuse me." Declan cleared his throat to announce his presence. Quinn took a step back and inhaled sharply when she saw Odin.
"He's beautiful."
"He is a fine animal," Declan said with such pride as if Odin was his very own horse.
"Do you have the papers on him? Who's his sire?"
Gabriel ran his hand down Odin's flank as pure admiration covered his features.
"He's a descendant of one of the Scarcliff's horses."
"Loki," Quinn said quietly and Gabriel turned his gaze from Odin to her.
"Aye. Perhaps you would like to see if he's as fast as his ancestor?"
"Oh, yeah."
Gabriel watched as Quinn walked Odin into the field and when they stopped, she pulled his harness from his head and dropped it to the ground. Then she stood just in front of the animal as if she was talking with him.
"What's she doing?" Declan asked from Gabriel's side.
"I'm not sure."
"Are you sure about the bareback? He's a big horse and she's rather petite."
"No, I'm not sure but she is." Gabriel was ready to start biting his nails because the contrast between his beast of a horse and Quinn was terrifying but he trusted Quinn's judgment and quietly stood back when she refused the saddle. His nails were digging into the flesh of his palms with how hard he was fisting them but his feet never moved.
After about ten minutes Quinn ran her hand down Odin's nose and then, in a move so fast he almost missed it, she grabbed his mane and pulled herself onto his back. She nudged him into a canter but that only lasted a moment before she dung her heels in and lowered herself over Odin as the two became one and disappeared, at a staggering speed, into the woods.
"I've never seen anything like that," Declan said almost reverently.
"I have. Bring me Solomon."
She loved this, the wind in her face and the powerful body under her eating the distance in long, sure strides. Odin was every bit the horse Loki had been. He was pushing to go faster but she held him back since she was unsure of the landscape. She slowed him down when they reached a clearing before stopping completely and climbing down. He had worked himself into a lather so she rubbed down his muscles and let him graze on the grass.
She knew Gabriel would come, knew before she heard the approaching horse. He was terrified of watching her ride and yet he didn't try to stop her. When he appeared before her, she felt her heart lodge into her throat because his fear coupled with his lust made him look sexy and dangerous. He jumped down before his mount had come to a full stop and in three long strides he had his mouth on hers as his arms wrapped around her, holding her close. His kiss was so intoxicating that she felt her legs going weak and then he abruptly stopped and pulled back to look deeply into her eyes.
"I'm really glad you're here."
"Me too."
The dining room was a large cavernous space with a long wooden table large enough to seat thirty but only two settings were set at the head of the table and the seat just to its left. Mr. Payne first brought out a wild mushroom bisque that was so tasty it almost had Quinn moaning in pleasure, next came a salad of field greens, goat cheese, raspberries and spiced pecans. The entree´ was Beef Wellington, the filet mignon was tender and juicy, the puffed pastry was baked to a perfect golden brown and the foie gras added just the right touch of gamey creaminess. Roasted potatoes with dill, grey salt and cracked pepper and crisp asparagus completed the meal. Quinn couldn't eat it all so Gabriel happily finished her dinner as well which amazed her because he had a body even the gods would envy.
He seemed to know where her thoughts wandered when he leaned back in his chair and offered her a crooked grin which made him look so boyish Quinn couldn't help grinning back at him.
"You should be the size of house with the amount of food you eat."
"Good genes."
Quinn snorted. "More like huge muscles."
His eyebrow rose slightly at that. "Huge, you say?"
Quinn blushed as he went on, "Don't do that, Quinn, not when I know every inch of that body turns the same lovely shade of rose."
She blushed harder.
