Teach Me To Ride Read online

  She shivered, her mouth curving into a slow, mischievous smile. “You think I enjoyed sex with you?”

  He grinned. “You loved it. All of it.”

  “Maybe.” She turned away toward the field. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not nervous about what you have planned now.”

  “Think of it as research.”

  “Hmm, but is it the kind of research that’s going to get me killed?” She rested her hand on the horse’s neck, smoothing her fingers in gentle circles. “What’s his name?”

  “Fire.”

  Her eyes widened. “Fire? This does not bode well.”

  He laughed. “I still caught you admiring him when I tacked him up.”

  She met his eyes. “That was before I knew you intended me to get in the saddle.”

  “You went from awed fascination, to fear, to what I can only describe as infatuation. Once you gave him that apple from the bin outside his stable, he was yours. Trust him, Caroline. He’s going to look after you.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “He is? Or you are?”

  He smiled. “Both.”

  Michael brushed past her, pushed his foot into the stirrup, and lifted himself into the saddle. She stared up at him, shifting from one foot to the other. He held out his hand.

  “God help me.” Caroline inhaled audibly and slid her palm against his.

  He pulled her up behind him and she slid her arms tightly around his waist as she settled behind the cantle on the saddle. Michael smiled when he felt the weight of her head against his back. “Are your eyes closed?”

  “Yes.”

  He grinned. “But you need to see the beauty of it. Feel the wind against your face. If you hide behind me, you’ll miss it all.”

  “I’ll let go when I know how fast you’re going to ride. Right now, I am sitting on a horse for the first time in my life in pitch black darkness.”

  Michael resisted the urge to laugh. “Relax. Trust me. You’re going to beg me for more.” Her head lifted from his back and her hands slightly loosened from where they were clamped at his torso. “Good. You ready?”

  She inhaled a shaky breath. “As I’ll ever be.”

  Michael gathered the reins and pressed his heels into Fire’s flanks. He gave a soft click with his tongue and they pushed off at a walk. He’d ease her in slowly, let her feel the power between her thighs, let her slowly trust both man and beast. The night air was warm around them, the scenery shrouded in darkness and lit by beams from the full moon. A perfect night for riding.

  Michael smiled as his dick twitched. A perfect night for riding her.

  He glanced over his shoulder. “You okay?”

  “More than okay. This feels amazing.”

  He smiled. “We’re only walking right now.”

  “I know, but…I don’t know, it still feels so freeing. Like we can escape and disappear into the night and no one would ever know.”

  His stomach knotted. Exactly. That was exactly what happened every time he sat in a saddle. It was freedom. His escape from troubles and concerns. A moment of peace with a powerful animal that only cared about the speed, the control, his master’s commands.

  “Are you ready to go faster?” He felt her tense behind him.

  Caroline’s hands gripped tightly at his stomach. “I think so. Yes.”

  “Keep your head up and trust me. I’m not going to let anything happen to you, okay?”

  She laughed. “Okay. God, I’m shaking.”

  “I want you to feel the horse. Feel his power. Then, when you write, you’ll be able to write from the heart. You’ll see why horses become a part of a person’s blood.” He drew in a long breath. “See why my father wants me to ride for him. And why I won’t.”

  He gripped the reins and kicked Fire forward. The horse’s power surged through him, and Michael pushed them into a canter. All the emotion, frustration, torment, and need rolled around inside him and fed through to his charge. Aware of Caroline behind him, of the feel of her body pressed against his, and the knowledge that she could help sever the tie to his father, escalated Michael’s passion to fever pitch and he urged Fire on a little harder.

  The wind blew past their faces and the trees blurred on either side of them.

  “Oh, my God. Oh, my God.”

  Michael grinned to hear joy rather than fear in Caroline’s cries. Her arms were tight and secure around him, but her head hadn’t dropped to his back in fright again. He would give anything to see her face. He imagined her eyes wide with wonder; her beautiful mouth stretched wide in a smile that she couldn’t hold back.

  “This is amazing,” she shouted. “Amazing.”

  He grinned. “Hold on.”

  “Why? What are you…oh, my God.”

  He surged forward and charged the hedge at a gallop. He tugged on the reins and Fire took off.

  “Michael!” Her shout was real…and loud in his ear.

  They landed with ease on the other side, and he pulled Fire back into a canter as he headed toward the darkness of the secluded forest ahead of them. Adrenaline rushed through his veins and heightened every sense. As they eased into a trot, he took the reins in one hand and ran the other over the white-knuckled grip at his waist.

  “Are you all right?”

  She shuddered out a laugh. “That…that was…oh, my God. Can we stop?”

  “Sure.”

  He led Fire to the edge of the forest and came to a halt. He dropped the reins and felt Caroline’s hands slide from his waist. He swung easily down to the ground and then raised his hands to ease her from the horse’s back. She gripped his forearms and he lowered her into his arms.

  She stared up at him, her eyes alive with passion and awe. She shook her head, opened her mouth to say something, closed it, and opened it again before cupping her hands to his jaw and roughly bringing his mouth to hers.

  ****

  Her body was wired with something so strong, so electric, that Caroline didn’t know what to do or say. She wanted him. Wanted to release the power, the knowledge, the passion that had risen like a tsunami inside of her. It rushed fiercely through her blood, heating her body and arousing her flesh.

  She thrust her tongue against his, taking, savoring, and owning his mouth. She glided her hands from his face to the hard plane of his shoulders, lower to grip biceps as hard as iron. She dug her nails into the flesh as her pussy throbbed with impatience. God, she wanted this man. Wanted to keep safe all the passion that burned like a fire inside him.

  His gaze ran over her face and down lower to her breasts. “Wow. You’re just…” He laughed, pushed his hand into his hair. “Just wow.”

  Caroline grinned. “Lost for words, huh?”

  “You feel it, don’t you?” He pressed a firm kiss to her lips. “You feel it just like I do.”

  Her body trembled with the rush of the ride, their kiss, and the palpable tension beating like a heartbeat between them. Was he talking about the horse? Them? She swallowed and nodded. She felt it, whichever he referred to. “I do. I really do.”

  “God, you are something really, really good.” His mouth came down on hers as his fingers ripped and pulled at the buttons of her borrowed shirt. He yanked it over her shoulders and reached around to unhook her bra. The cool night air hit the hot skin of her breasts and her nipples hardened. His mouth left hers and Caroline quivered with pleasure when he leaned down low and sucked one nipple and then the other into his mouth. The sharp pain assaulted her senses and sent her arousal off the charts. She scored her fingers into his hair, her body pulsing with need and desire.

  He let out a low, rumbled growl before lifting her off her feet and carrying her away from Fire. He walked deeper into the forest, away from the open space of the fields, away from everything. The trees surrounded them as they came to a small clearing. The previous week’s sunshine and heat had left the ground dry and perfect. Please let him want me. Right here, right now.

  He set her on the ground and, with her gaze on his, Caroline
snapped open the button on her trousers and lowered the zipper. She still wore no panties and the air blew against her wet pussy. The erotic rush of her arousal made it harder than ever to wait, but she forced herself down onto the grass. She leaned back on her hands, and thrust her aching breasts forward; it was agony waiting for his touch. His gaze wandered over her, his jaw tight as he lay down beside her. Their eyes locked and something deep and significant shifted inside her. This man was special. Not just because of his passion, his love, or his determination—in that moment, she understood he was special to her.

  She reached for him before the fear of what that meant could set in and she ran away. She always ran from anything remotely emotional or disconnected in any way from her career. She had to try this. Had to see what would happen. How could she turn away when it felt so right? She wouldn’t. Not this time.

  He brought his hand to the back of her neck, and they kissed as she unbuttoned and eased off his shirt. The skin-to-skin contact made her yearn for more and Caroline reached for the clasp and zipper on his jeans. His cock was rock hard, thick and long beneath the denim, and her pussy ached for more.

  But first she would taste him, lick him, bring him enough pleasure that Michael would forget the Trials, horses, and his father. She hoped, for the moment at least, he would only think of her.

  Their tongues tangled and tasted as she shifted to ease the pants over his thighs. His cock sprang free and she clasped its thickness. The power of him pulsed against her palm and she groaned into his mouth.

  “Lie back.” She whispered her command.

  He did as he was bid and she tugged off his boots and trousers, tossing them to the side. She glided lower and kissed his chest, his nipples, lower over this washboard stomach, using her nails to tease and claw gently over his skin. Shifting lower, she brought one leg over to straddle his until the bone of his knee pressed firmly against her clit. With her face hovering above his erect cock, she lifted her eyes to his and offered a gentle smile. Michael closed his eyes and dropped his head against the grass as though surrendering to the inevitable.

  He lay like a bronzed and muscular Roman god before her. Bathed in silvery moonlight, every ridge, every muscle and contour was displayed to perfection. She licked her lips and trailed her fingernails down his torso and into the thatch of pubic hair at the base of his engorged cock.

  Slowly, she trailed her fingers down the shaft toward his balls. He quivered. Caroline smiled. Forget Roman god, he was a slave at her mercy. She cupped his tight balls in her hand, before quickly grasping his cock and guiding it to her eager mouth.

  He tasted of pure man. Hot, musky masculinity assaulted her senses as she sucked, tasted, and licked his flesh. She moaned and writhed harder against his knee as her arousal soared. Around and around, she licked his cock, sucking in his pre-cum and coming back for more. He throbbed against her lips, the veins protruding…begging for release.

  “Yes, Caroline. Yes. You are so fucking sexy.” His growls came from above her, urging her on, encouraging her, and making her feel like a goddess.

  He lifted his hips, pushing his cock deeper and she took in more and more. “Jesus Christ.”

  She gripped the root of his shaft and slid her fingers up and down, groaning and moaning with pleasure. He pulled back a little and his fingers gripped her hair, pulling her lips gently from his cock. Their eyes locked, both out of breath and shaking with need.

  He seemed to restrain himself and groaned, “I want to taste you, too.”

  Caroline smiled. “With pleasure.”

  She stood and slowly reached into her small patch of pubic hair and he followed the motion with his gaze. She dipped her fingers deep inside her weeping pussy and her mouth dropped open at the evidence of her slick need for him.

  “Come here. Let me see you.” His jaw tightened.

  She walked to him and planted a foot either side of his head, facing the delicious view of his erect cock. He gripped her ankles. Slowly, Caroline crouched lower, moved her knees wider, feeling the air whisper across her open and wet pussy. Her arousal grew knowing that Michael had a full view of her. She lowered over his face and his tongue shot like a viper into her aching slit.

  She exhaled and then gritted her teeth as she slapped her hands to his chest for support before her legs gave way completely. She watched dazedly as he slathered his tongue in and out of her pussy, before moving forward to lick and circle her hardened clit. His enthusiasm was more than she could stand, his hands gripping tightly to her ankles, his groans and pants reverberating around her.

  She stared at his cock, so big and ready for her. “Oh, yes. Yes.”

  Caroline leaned toward his hips to have that cock once more in her mouth. He shifted beneath her before resuming his feast. The sexy sounds of their feeding filled Caroline’s ears as she rubbed her hand up and down the length of his cock, sucking and taking him deep to the back of her throat. His body was taut under her fingers, his shaft as hard as rock. He shifted his hips to her face as she pressed her pussy to his.

  The first sensations of her rising climax throbbed in and around her pussy. She had seconds before she would come on his face. She pulled back and lifted away to drop to the grass beside him. Turning around, they lay eye to eye, her breaths panted from her, her body weak for something only he could give.

  “Fuck me, Michael. Please.”

  He gripped her hair and kissed her hard. With their lips still joined, she dropped on her back. They parted and he turned away to snatch up his jeans. Impatient and aching with lust, Caroline watched him take a condom from his pocket and sheath himself. Moving back to her, he edged her legs apart and settled between her thighs. With his eyes locked on hers, he lifted her shaking leg onto his shoulder and, with his other hand, he positioned his cock at her slit. Without word or warning, he drove mercilessly into her heat. Her anguished, satisfied gasp shot out into the quiet night.

  He fucked her hard.

  Again and again, his cock hit a spot deep inside that sent Caroline over the edge before she could stop or savor it. She quivered and writhed beneath him as Michael pounded harder and deeper, her orgasm crashing through her and momentarily blinding her. Emotions soared as her blood roared in her ears. She quivered as wave after wave of sweet pleasure whispered through her core. Gripping his shoulders, grasping for anchor, Michael thrust and pushed until he groaned aloud and gave a final deep and lingering thrust. His body stiffened beneath her fingers and he shuddered out a curse.

  Slowly the tremors deep in her pussy subsided and Caroline’s heart beat hard with the feelings Michael evoked every time he touched her. She opened her eyes. He watched her, his gaze wandering softly over her face and telling her all she needed to know. He was equally as scared as her.

  Chapter Nine

  Caroline got out of her car for the fifth and final day of the Trials. The sun shone high in the sky and the balmy temperatures warmed her face. Locking the car, she slowly made her way toward the circle of tents, excitement thrumming steadily through her. Michael had dropped her at home after their “ride” with a kiss and a promise to see her that morning. Her impatience to talk to him over the twenty-four hour separation was as pathetic as it was worrying.

  The drive back from the deserted fields had been a frenzied time of excitement, laughter, and planning. They knew what they had to do and how they would do it. Lewis Canton would not get Michael, but Michael would get his chance to prove to the world what he was capable of—as would Caroline.

  She smiled. Today the games truly began.

  The arena was abuzz with the anticipation of Canton’s arrival and, as Caroline scanned the area, she searched for any clue that he was there already. Michael warned her that his father would arrive with fanfare, so she was confident from the mass of chatter and lack of attention on the ring that Lewis still hadn’t made an appearance. She moved to the hospitality tent and bought a latte before carrying the steaming cup away from the hubbub toward the stables.

 
; Michael had his back to her when she entered the yard, but her heart sputtered as she took in the delicious sight of him. Even from behind, he was spectacular. Her clit gave a pulse of appreciation. He stood nose to nose with Marshall May, whispering to her, every now and then stopping to blow softly into her nostrils. The horse gently scraped its rear hooves against the gravel as though controlling the urge to step closer. Who could blame her?

  Dragging her gaze from Michael’s butt and rock-hard thighs, Caroline looked at his face as he moved to the side of the horse and patted her neck, his lips still moving. He closed his eyes and Caroline’s heart filled with empathy and care for a man so filled with passion that he’d crawled under her career-orientated barriers to make her want to fix every nuance of worry in his life. So much so that she’d give someone else the bigger byline any day of the week if only Michael won every event today. This would arm him with the confidence to do whatever he wanted next, without any support from his father.

  As if sensing her presence, he lifted his head and his eyes met hers across the distance. When his brow smoothed and his face broke open with a wide smile, Caroline’s heart leapt into her throat.

  She walked closer until barely a foot separated them. “Hey you.”

  He ran his gaze over her from head to toe and back again. “Hey yourself.”

  A rare blush seared her cheeks as his blatant appraisal and she looked to Marshall May. “Is someone going to make sure they show off Daddy today?”

  The horse whinnied in response and they laughed. Michael reached for her and pulled her tight against his body. She stared at his mouth, desperate to feel it on hers. “How are you feeling?”

  “About the event or you?” The question rolled from deep in his throat. Sexy and suggestive.

  Her body tingled. “The event. I am on the back burner for now. Today is all about you and showing your father what you’re capable of.”