Page 35 of Back in the Saddle

Caroline glared at him.

He chuckled. ‘Fine, apparently not the right thing to say.’ Without letting go of her hand, he tugged her closer. ‘Just relax. He’ll sense it if you’re scared.’

‘I am relaxed,’ she bit out.

He raised both of their hands up, placing hers by Ringo Thunder’s head. ‘He likes being rubbed behind his ears.’

Caroline watched the horse warily. ‘You’re sure?’

Hunter moved to stand behind her. ‘I’m sure.’ He lowered his head over her shoulder. His chest was level with her back. He could feel every breath she took.

She cleared her throat, her curiously steady hand making a contact with the horse. Ringo Thunder let out a short snort, moving his head towards Caroline. He nuzzled her palm, just like he did to Hunter before.

Caroline beamed at the horse. ‘He seems to like me.’

‘He isn’t the only one,’ Hunter whispered into her hair.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Caroline

Caroline stiffened. The press of Hunter’s chest against her back plucked the concerns from her mind one by one.

Being wary of the horse? Gone.

Wondering if any of this was a good idea? Forgotten.

Back-and-forth worrying about Finn? Erased.

She swallowed against a tightness in her throat. ‘Hunter.’

‘Caroline.’ He trailed his fingers up her left clavicle without lifting his nose from her hair. ‘Just say a word and I’ll stop.’

She closed her eyes, taking a large gulp of air. ‘I don’t want you to stop.’

She wasn’t sure if she had said it out loud. Maybe she wouldn’t be sure of anything else ever again. Right now, right here, it felt like it was a real possibility.

Trying, and failing, to control her pounding heart, she whirled out of his embrace and looked into his eyes. Her cheeks burned.

She barely knew him. Why did he affect her this much? Sure, he was handsome. Very handsome. His looks, the way he dressed … The only thing missing from his wardrobe so far had been a leather jacket – that’d be the cherry on the cake to turn her into a molten puddle. He probably would wear one when the temperature dropped. He looked like a leather jacket kind of guy.

Adding to that his deep voice and accent … And the bloody perfect forearms.

There was no denying he was incredibly sexy.

It all added up to a physical attraction. But being able to objectively say that someone was good looking and not being able to keep your thoughts straight in their company were two completely different things.

At least, they used to be for Caroline.

Truth be told, she had never felt this way before. Not even with Finn. And it was unnerving.

She caught herself looking at his lips. The memory of how they felt against hers pushed to the front of her mind, making her want to taste them again.

Fuck, what am I doing? This is madness.

She took a step back. ‘Look, Hunter. You seem like a great guy. And I’m flattered you asked me out, truly. But I’m not who you’re looking for.’

His eyebrows shot up, his expression somewhere in between confusion and amusement. ‘Oh? And who do you think I’m looking for?’ He took a step towards her.