Page 61

Carla turned her lips up to whisper. “I was trying to make sure the coast was clear.”

Jacob chuckled. “Do you trust me?”

Her brows furrowed. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course.” She blushed.

“Then next time, don’t think. Do.”

Carla pursed her lips. Jacob kissed the side of her face again, then together they stepped to the horse, and as if she weighed nothing, Jacob lifted her onto the animal’s back.

“Whoo.” She shivered. “That alone was an adrenaline rush.”

The instructor spoke up in his Bajan dialect. “You eva ride uh animal dis size before?”

Carla’s mind drove straight to the gutter as she eyed Jacob.

“Not this size. But soon.” She bit her bottom lip, and he winked, then laughed and saddled his horse.

Watching his magnificence climb on top of the gelding ran a tingle through Carla. The horse moved slowly, then Jacob gave the horse a squeeze with his legs, and the gelding picked up speed.

The animal jogged down the gated field and turned in a simple circle when they made it to the curve. Coming back, Carla went into a daze watching his hard body bounce, dark melanin glistening in the sunlight, the cowboy hat on his head making him appear to be a lone ranger coming to rescue her.

With his eyes in front of him, Jacob slipped his gaze to her, a smile ushering up his face, putting his dimples and perfectly aligned teeth on show.

Trotting towards her, Jacob and the horse were like one being, circling to pull up beside Carla.

“Are you ready,bellissima?”

“To do that? No.” She shook her head.

“Why not?”

“I’ll fall off this thing.”

“Now you know better than that.”

“How? You’re going to save me?”

“Hell, yeah, I am.”

Crimson rose in her brown cheeks as she blushed. “You can’t save me from everything you know.”

“Lies.”

She giggled. “You believe that, don’t you?”

“I do. If you don’t believe in yourself, who will?”

She tilted her head. “Touché.”

Jacob smacked the animal on its flank, and Carla’s horse began a slow trot.

“Ah!” Taken by surprise, she clutched the reins. “Jacob!”

Riding up next to her, he eased her fears.