Page 19

“This is Big D?” I ask.

“His name is Deegan. It’s an old Irish name. It means black-haired. But he got so big we started calling him Big Deegan and eventually Big Dee.”

I take a step closer and the horse snorts at me.

“He doesn’t like you. You should keep your distance. He might kick or bite you.”

“Why wouldn’t he like me? I did nothing to him.” It annoys me that she said the horse doesn’t like me. Animals love me.

“He dislikes most males. Big Dee is a little possessive of me. He gets jealous if a guy gets too close.”

And right on cue, the horse uses his neck to pull River closer to him and shows me his teeth again. Menacing.

She giggles, grabs a brush, and runs it over his body. “Come on. Give me a hand so we can grab breakfast faster.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “I thought you said I should stay clear off him.”

“You can come closer. Just make sure not to walk or stand behind him.”

I don’t move and wonder if she’s trying to get me killed. Death by horse would be ruled an accident, right?

River takes my hand and pulls me behind her, stopping just out of reach of the horse. “I’ll introduce you to him. Hey, Deegan,” she baby-talks to the beast, rubbing his nose. “I have a friend for you to meet. Now be nice to him, okay?”

The beast snorts. And I can almost hear him saying, “Yeah, right.”

She looks over her shoulder and pulls me closer to her, then lets my hand go and grabs the brush again. “Put your hand over mine and brush him with me.”

I do it, standing just behind her, her body barely touching mine as she moves the brush over the animal with brisk movements. She smells like spring, hay, and wind, making it a heady and sweet combination, and I feel myself getting hard for her. Fuck!

“Hold the brush. Keep doing it,” she instructs me and then she bends down to pick up another brush from the ground and her ass grazes my groin. When she stands up my free hand goes to her hip and I pull her against me. She freezes.

I nuzzle the back of her head, inhaling her scent. “I like the way you smell.”

I pull her harder against my body. I know she can feel me on the small of her back. She sucks in a breath and I watch over her shoulder as her breasts heave. The first few buttons of her blouse are open, giving me a peek into the smooth skin of her cleavage. I let the brush drop to the floor and turn her into my arms, pulling her closer still. He eyes lock on mine. This close I can see flecks of green and gold in her hazel gaze. Her lips part and I lower my head to hers, never losing eye contact until the very last moment, and just as my lips graze hers . . . the beast lunges and bites me.

“Son of a bitch!” I call out as I step back and out of reach, dragging River with me. The horse snorts, whinnies, and kicks his feet on the ground.

I look at River and I can already tell she snapped back to her bitchy mode, but I can’t help to be concerned and I want to make sure she isn’t hurt. “Are you okay? Did he get you?”

She pulls away from me. “I’m fine!” She spits the words at me. “What was that about? I told you he gets jealous! What were you trying to do?”

“What am I trying to do? I’m trying not to get mauled by that beast!” I look at myself and the shoulder of my sweatshirt is ripped. He got a piece of me!

River looks alarmed for a second as her eyes see the same thing I see—my ripped shirt.

“Did he get you?”

“No, just the shirt.”

“Then it serves you right! Provoking him like that!”

“Provoking him? How?”

“By kissing me!”

“I didn’t actually get to kiss you, did I?” And before she can reply, I continue, “And I only did it because you so blatantly wanted me to, rubbing your ass on me and grabbing my hand.”

“I did not!”