Page 42

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I shake my head. “Who’s that?”

I point behind Knox to the white-haired horse.

“That’s Dolly.” He flicks his head in her direction before wrapping his arm around my waist like a seatbelt. I walk alongside him. “Do you want to pet her?”

I look in her big black eyes and my heart hammers toward unsafe territory. I feel Knox’s hand tighten on my waist and I inhale his comforting presence. Lifting a shaky hand, my fingers brush against her coarse hair, and when she doesn’t turn and snap my hand off, a whoosh falls from my lips. Knox covers his hand over my own and my trembles subside.

“What do you think?” Knox whispers against the side of my head.

“She’s a little intimidating but… I think I like her.”

“Funny, that’s what I think about you.” A snort escapes me, but I continue to pet her. “You ready to get up? She’s very sweet. She has a gentle temper and can hardly be bothered to run, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“Nowthatsounds more like me.” Knox smiles beside me and I give Dolly another look over, nodding my head. He moves to stand behind me with both of his large hands bracketing my sides.

“Go ahead and put your foot in and I’ll help you up and over.”

I lift one foot to the stirrup and push the other off the ground at the same time that Knox lifts me. It’s a cool sixty degrees—the perfect fall day, but when my waffle henley lifts and Knox’s hands graze my lower back, my entire body overheats. I settle myself into the saddle, and his hand drags down my jean-covered legs. His touch burns, even through the fabric of my jeans. I look down at where he stands, teeth digging into his bottom lip, and my mouth is suddenly bone dry. His fingers flex against me, his golden brown eyes darkening faster than the setting sun. I smile to myself, knowing that I’m not the only one affected here.

He clears his throat, rapidly blinking before stepping back. “Alright, you good?”

“Are you?”

“There’s my cheeky girl.” He smiles, handing me the reins, and moves swiftly, hopping up onto Pinto Bean. “Let’s ride, Nova.”

“Alright,horseback riding, check. What else do you want to get out of your trip?”

“Oh, I see. This was all just a big ruse to get me to tell you the rest of my plans.”

“I’m a curious guy. What can I say?”

I laugh at his sweet boy-next-door words that are a direct contradiction to the absolute sex on a stick—or in this case horse—that this man is. I can hardly stand to look at him now, with the way his hips rock back and forth from his horse’s slow movements. I can’t stop myself from thinking what it would feel like if that were me under his rolling hips. His annoyingly perfect lips lift into a smirk like he knows exactly what I’m thinking about. Of course, he does. I’m practically drowning in my own saliva over here.

“Okay, I want to try real Irish beer.”

“You didn’t get enough the other night?”

“That was Irish Whisky.”

His laugh is warm, wrapping around me. “Alright, fair. So Irish beer and flirting with retired rugby players. Got it.”

My head whips toward him. “I’m not flirting with you.”

“No?”

“No.” I knew I wasn’t being slick but I didn’t realize I had a goddamn neon sign on my forehead.

“That’s alright, Nova. I’ll flirt with you enough for the both of us.” His all-knowing smirk lifts to the sky and he lets out a full-on belly laugh.

And I’m left staring at him, absolutely gobsmacked.

After another twentyminutes spent wandering around the grounds with Knox showing me his parent’s house, the four different barns, and the wedding gazebo, we start making our way back down the hill. My heartbeat is sluggish and I find myself pulling back on Dolly’s reins as the inn comes into view.

I’m not ready for this to end.

Knox guides his horse over to the fence, the muscles in his back flexing and pulling tightly beneath his shirt as he lowers himself from the saddle. He makes no effort to hide his smile as he approaches me and places those large hands around my waist. Once again, my heart rate picks up and my breath gets lodged in my throat. His dark, wavy hair sticks out from under his hat, his jaw is set as his bourbon eyes bore into mine. His grip on my body tightens when I swing my leg over the saddle and climb down. I keep my eyes trained on Dolly in front of me as I try to regulate my breathing.

His head dips to the crook of my neck, and my eyelidsflutter closed. His lips are a warm whisper against my skin. “You did good.”