Her eyes slowly opened.
He stared down at her and smiled. “You okay?”
The waves of pleasure had ebbed, but they still rolled through her as she nodded.
“Flip over.” Her eyes must have widened, because he said, “I’m going to take you now, Mariah. Once again, you’re not going to move.”
She was so languid with pleasure that she did exactly as told. She felt him shift. Heard him open a drawer and then the unmistakable sound of a condom being opened. That was good, she thought, and then he pulled her underwear off and she stopped thinking because she felt him there, right there, and she wanted him inside her as she’d never wanted anything in her life.
“Zach,” she moaned as he entered her.
“Shh.” He nipped the back of her neck. “Don’t move.”
She was so ready for him that when she felt him enter her completely, she almost shattered all over again. When he pulled out, she wanted to follow, knew he’d punish her if she did that and so she didn’t move and it was so erotic, this mounting of her, this taking of her. She heard herself moan as he plunged. His palms covered the top of her hands. His fingers twined with her own. His mouth bit and nibbled and suckled the back of her neck and she knew she wouldn’t, couldn’t last and then he somehow turned her over and they were soaring higher and higher.
He cried out.
That was all it took, his gasp of pleasure—it sent her over the edge of oblivion. She didn’t move as he pulsed inside of her. Their kisses slowed, became more gentle and somehow more intimate.
“That’s two,” he teased.
She opened her eyes, saw amusement in his own, felt her world begin to tilt again.
“Let’s see if we can make it three.”
“Not possible.” The words came out as a gasp, and as it turned out, she was wrong.
Chapter Thirteen
He’d never been with a woman more perfectly matched to his needs. Anything he asked of her she willingly complied with. It stunned him. He would have bet she’d be the take-charge type in bed. Instead she gave herself to him completely.
When he awoke, he had a smile on his face, but when he rolled over, he discovered an empty bed. He sat up. Her clothes were gone, too. A sheet wrapped around his midsection nearly tripped him as he flung himself from bed. He tugged it free and headed out of his bedroom to the window opposite that overlooked his front yard.
Her car was still there. The relief that coursed through him nearly knocked him to his knees. That gave him pause for a moment, but only a second because he turned toward the master bathroom, chiding himself for not checking there first. Empty. He headed for his bedroom window next, the one that overlooked the back pasture and the track out behind the barn.
And there they were—Mariah and Dandy.
She rode as boldly as she made love, her hair wild and free. Pure poetry in motion. He watched her for a moment, and something coursed through him. Something soft and unexpected and that scared him half to death.
He frowned.
They hadn’t talked about their future. He hadn’t wanted to ruin the most amazing and erotic night of his life. She hadn’t mentioned anything, either, but if he was honest, why would she? What future did they have? It wasn’t as if they’d gone into the evening talking about marriage, kids and his house on the hill. They’d acted more like two people having an affair. Maybe that was why last night had been so carnal.
He showered and dressed, surprised to note she’d clearly done the same without him the wiser. When he finally stepped outside, he wasn’t surprised to see overcast skies. This close to the coast it almost always dawned cloudy.
“Wow,” he called out as he leaned against the rail. “Looks good.”
She pulled Dandy up, the smile on her face as bright as a spotlight. “He has a good mind.” She patted the gelding on his neck. “I can’t wait for Natalie to see him today.”
He wasn’t sure what to expect this morning, but he was glad to see her smile. “What time is she coming?”
“Any minute now.”
He couldn’t help but wonder if that was the reason for her bright smile. Did her grin have more to do with the impending arrival of her friend than seeing him? He’d no sooner thought the words than he heard a car on his drive.
Damn. Good thing he’d gotten up when he had.
Natalie didn’t look a thing like he’d expected. She wore the beige breeches and boots he’d expected and the white button-down shirt, but that was all that fit his mental image. She was young, far more youthful-looking than he would have thought possible given how sought after Mariah made her sound. She was pretty, too, with her bleached blond hair and bright blue eyes. That straight hair was pulled back into a ponytail that hung well past her shoulders.
“You made it,” Mariah called.
Clearly, Natalie had no axe to grind, either, not with evil racehorse owners—at least not judging by the smile she gave him.
“I made it.” She held out her hand when she caught his eye. “Natalie Goodman.”
“Zach Johnson.”
“Ooh, the evil racehorse owner in the flesh.”
“Natalie!” Mariah said, her cheeks turning red. She’d done that a lot last night, too.
“Don’t worry.” Natalie’s eyes were full of good humor. “I don’t share Mariah’s need to burn all racehorse owners at the stake.”
He liked this woman. He liked her a lot. “Well, thank God for that.”
When the trainer caught sight of the horse Mariah led, she suddenly became all businesslike, however. “Wow. He’s a beauty.”
Mariah nodded and turned to face the horse. “Isn’t he?”
“Sure does look the part of a potential hunter.”
Zach hung back as Natalie walked around the horse. “Remind me of his injury again?”
“Hairline fracture of the sesamoid. Super small. Nothing serious judging by the X-rays. Just enough to make him sore, but Zach says he’s been sound for weeks.”
“Which leg?”
“Right front.”
Natalie squatted down, felt the leg, nodded. When she stood up, she scanned the horse from head to toe. “Nice shoulder.”
“Think he’ll jump?” Mariah asked.
“I do. Let me see him move first.”
“You want me to ride him or trot him off?”
“Go ahead and ride.”
Mariah swung up. Within seconds she trotted off and Zach had to admit, she made Dandy look good. When she cantered him a few minutes later, he began to wonder if he should ask her to show all his retired horses to potential buyers.
“I like him,” Natalie said. “He moves beautifully. And he seems to be super quiet.”
Mariah was all smiles. “He hasn’t spooked on me once.”
Natalie faced him next. “Would you mind if I took him on a trial? I have an owner looking for a prospect that Dandy might be perfect for, but I’d like to see him over some fences before I make the call. If he jumps as cute as he moves, we might have a winner here.”
Zach had to fight not to shoot the woman a silly grin. “I don’t mind you taking him at all.”
“What kind of money were you hoping to get for him?”
Zach looked at Mariah. His retired racehorses sold at auction for $1,000, maybe a little more if they were pretty or a flashy color. Frankly, he had no idea how much the horse was worth to show people.
“I was thinking five,” Mariah answered for him. “He’s cute enough on the flat that he’d make someone a nice dressage horse, worst case.”
Five? Thousand?
“Five is good. My client had ten to spend.”
For a prospect?
“Perfect, then,” Mariah said with a smile. “When did you want to pick him up?�
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“Today if you don’t mind.”
He was in the wrong business, Zach thought as they made arrangements. Five thousand was more than Dandy had won. It seemed like a small fortune for an untried horse. He should have been marketing his animals to the show circuit for years.
“And that’s how we keep horses from being sold at auction.” Mariah’s smile was self-satisfied. “He’ll have a great home and a new career at Natalie’s place.”
“If it all works out.”
She glanced back at Dandy. “It’ll work out. He’s a beautiful animal. Someone will buy him and love him.” She met his gaze. “Just like someone will buy Dasher, too. You don’t have to auction him off to an uncertain fate. You can help him find a new life. That’s what I do, you see—help horses. It’s who I am.”
He moved in closer to her, wanting to kiss her, to say thank you and that he understood, but her eyes threw up such a roadblock, he stopped. “What’s the matter?”
Her smile had faded away like fog on a fall day. “I’ve been thinking.”
Uh-oh.
“Look, last night was...”
“Great,” he finished for her. “Wonderful.”
“I know. It was.”
“But...” he prompted.
He saw her take a deep breath. “We’re just so different.”
“Yeah. So?”
“I rescue horses and you—”
“Ruin them.”
“I wasn’t going to say that.”
“No, but you were thinking that.”
She opened her mouth, and he knew she was about to deny it, but to give her credit, she didn’t. Instead she shook her head and admitted, “Maybe I was,” with a lift of her chin. “You have to admit, last night didn’t change anything about that.”
No. It didn’t. She was right. They’d had a great time last evening, but it was never supposed to be more than sex. He should be relieved she wasn’t talking long-term commitment and telling him he would sell his racehorses if he truly cared for her. He should be relieved...but he wasn’t.
“Okay. All right. I respect what you’re saying.” Her eyes flashed with such instant relief that it got his dander up. “But if you think for one minute that we’ll be able to go on like before, that you’re not going to look at me and think of what it felt like to have me in—”
“Stop!”
“What it was like to have me do this.” He bent and kissed her. She stepped back and all he got in was a peck, but it worked. Her cheeks flared with color. “If you think that will happen, you’re wrong.”
“I have to forget. This morning I realized I’m still me and you’re still you and that we’ll both never change.”
She handed him Dandy’s reins.
“Running away won’t help.”
“I’m not running away, I’m just leaving before this goes any further.”
* * *
SHE NEARLY SPUN her car out, she mashed her foot on the gas pedal so hard. The thing was, she knew he had a point. She wouldn’t forget. How could she forget what had easily been the most erotic, sensual, mind-blowing night of her life? How could she?
She pounded the steering wheel with one hand.
He was right about one other thing, too. No matter what stupid mistake she might have made by jumping into bed with him, she was committed to helping Dasher and any other horse of his. It wouldn’t be easy having to deal with Zach on a near-daily basis, but she’d manage it somehow. She just didn’t relish the thought of being alone with him at his ranch.
As it turned out, fate took matters out of her hands. The same vet clinic where she’d done the colic surgery asked if she could fill in for one of their vets going out early on maternity leave. Mariah jumped at the chance, although if she was honest with herself, she was partly relieved to have a good excuse to avoid Zach—well, somewhat. No matter what her schedule, she still needed to work with Dasher. It was critical that the animal receive care, but she didn’t want to go back to his ranch. Working at the clinic gave her the perfect excuse not to do that. She texted Zach. She was too cowardly to actually call. His one-line response—tell me where to bring him and when—was a relief. It still meant she’d have to see him, but at least there’d be no chance of hanky-panky.
Since she’d already worked with most of the staff at the Via Del Caballo Veterinary Clinic, she settled in quickly. They specialized in equine lameness, although she was apt to do anything from draining an abscessed hoof to preg-checking a cow. Large animals came in all shapes and sizes, and she enjoyed the work. Hell, who was she kidding? She was just happy to work. Veterinary jobs were few and far between, something they didn’t tell you in vet school, and so any pustule in a foot was a good pustule in a foot—maybe not for the owner, though.
“Um, Dr. Stewart, there’s a gentleman here to see you.”
She was in the process of taking the TPR—temperature, pulse and respiration—of a sick horse, but something about the way Erin said the words had her looking up. There was a gleam in the twentysomething-year-old’s blue eyes. She had that ready-to-burst-at-the-seams expression on her face and a grin that was almost always hormonally generated.
Zach must be here.
“I’ll be there in just a minute.”
The vet tech nodded. Mariah finished with the TPR. “His respiration is up, and he has a slight temperature,” she told the nervous owner, a teenager who’d arrived with her mother and who clearly loved the black-and-white paint horse. “My guess is equine influenza. It’s going around. Did you take him off-property recently?”
The dark-haired girl looked stricken. She glanced at her blonde mom, who stood nearby. “I went to a team penning last week.”
Yup. Just as she thought. “That’ll do it.” She smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Hailey. His lungs are good and he’s in great health other than the fever and lack of appetite. He’ll get over it just like any human would.”
The relief on Hailey’s face made Mariah’s smile grow. This was the part she loved about her job. Helping animals and their owners. The teenager’s mother came forward and gave her daughter a hug. Mariah recommended doing some blood work to confirm the diagnosis. She left them in the hands of a very capable vet tech who’d draw the serum.
All in all she was in a pretty great mood as she left the building where they did their exams—well, except for the nervousness she felt at having to face Zach and all the while somehow managing to contain her attraction to him. She’d arranged for Dasher to stay in one of the stalls available to convalescing horses. She’d talked to the owner of the practice about Dasher’s care and rather than blow her off like so many old-school vets, Dr. Saffer had been genuinely interested in her program. He’d even had a suggestion about Summer, which Mariah had relayed to Zach, although she hadn’t heard if it’d worked. She hadn’t wanted to call to find out. She would put Dasher in his stall, wave goodbye to Zach and forget about him.
Or so she thought.
It’d been two days since she’d last seen him. He stood in the lobby, every assistant, vet tech and office worker having found their way to the reception area, and she could see why the moment she arrived. The dratted man wasn’t in his usual uniform of a red Triple J polo and jeans. Oh, no. He wore the jeans and a cowboy hat, all right, but he’d topped it off with a white T-shirt, skintight, that showed off every bulging biceps, triceps and deltoid she’d kissed, stroked or simply held on to when they’d made—
Don’t go there.
“You’re here. Good,” she said as breezily as she could. Good God, someone give the man a robe. “Let me show you where we’re putting Dasher.”
The five-o’clock shadow, the one he’d scuffed against her skin that made her tingle all over, was also in place. As were the sexy blue eyes, a wicked little smile—all directed at her.
Damn it. Why did she blush? She wore a lab coat, for goodness’ sake. Her hair was in a ponytail. All she needed was a pair of spectacles and she’d be the spitting image of a stereotypical doctor.
His eyes said something different.
The man undressed her with those eyes. She could have sworn his gaze lingered on her neck for just a moment, and just the memory of him nuzzling her with his stubbled chin sent a shot of desire right through her.
Yeah, sure. Pretend like nothing happened.
“You should have seen me earlier when I had my arm up a cow’s patoot.”
One of the girls behind her giggled. A little too loudly, Mariah thought. Probably Erin.
“Any animal that has you as a vet is lucky.”
And his eyes were so sincere she felt herself melt.
Get a grip, Mariah.
“Follow me,” she said.
“I can show him where to put his horse, Dr. Stewart,” Erin called out from behind her massive reception area. Really, the clinic was a showplace with its tile floors, horseshoe-shaped front desk, high ceilings, and glass-and-chrome light fixtures. “You don’t have to do it.”
Wait. Was that...? She took a deep breath. Possessiveness. She felt possessiveness bubbling in her breast. No way. Deep breath.
“That’s okay. Zach here is a friend.”
When she spotted the surprise and disappointment in Erin’s pretty blue eyes, it caught Mariah off guard—as did the smug satisfaction that coursed through her.
She was shocked at the direction her thoughts had taken, but she was only human. Erin was gorgeous: young, pretty and clearly available if Zach were so inclined. Only he wasn’t. He had eyes only for her.
“I’ll take him to his horse’s stall.” Had that sounded too possessive? Probably, but she didn’t care.
They emerged into bright sunshine. When she glanced back at Zach, the glare off the windows of the state-of-the-art facility nearly blinded her. It looked like a barn from the outside, only the front was all office, and the back was the exam rooms and the hospital ward, all with wide roll-up doors so horses could be led in and out. Trailer parking was out in front of the heavily landscaped driveway. She spotted his six-horse rig, a gleaming white trailer with the words Triple J Racing Stable emblazoned across the top. Dasher stared out at her from behind the bars of his trailer window.
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