“Mac, I can—”
“Tomorrow you can. Now let go of the horn.”
“I feel like such a baby.” But she put both hands on his shoulders.
“You’re not a baby.” She sure as hell was a woman, though. The second he’d touched her, he’d been forcefully reminded of that. She was so warm.
The dismount wasn’t smooth, but it would have been a lot worse without him holding on to her. She hadn’t taken her right foot completely out of the stirrup, so she got hung up as she tried to lift her leg over the saddle. While she worked her way out of that tangle, his hat fell off and her breasts quivered within inches of his face.
Finally she got loose and made it to the ground, although she was off balance. He continued to steady her as she searched for her footing.
“Sorry.” With a breathless little laugh, she glanced up once she had both feet planted. “That was awkward.”
“Not too bad.” Now was the time he should let go of her and she should let go of him. It didn’t seem to be happening. “At least you didn’t fall.”
“Thanks to you.”
“You okay?” He was stalling. If she lifted her hands from his shoulders, he’d release her and step back. If she didn’t, then he was going to kiss her.
She knew it. Her eyes had a gleam that told him she was thinking about what that would be like. She was curious about so many things. She was probably curious about that, too.
“I’m fine.” She said it softly, as if she didn’t want to break the mood. Her fingers tightened against the fabric of his shirt. Instead of letting go, she was hanging on.
His heart beat faster. She wanted him to kiss her. In that case, he was about to satisfy the lady’s curiosity.
Then Jasper bumped his nose against her shoulder. She squealed in surprise and whirled around. And that was the end of that.
“Jasper, goodness! You scared me!” She dragged in a breath.
“He just likes you.” And so did he. Way too much.
CHAPTER 8
Not only had Jasper startled her; he’d saved her from a very dumb move. She’d been about to let Mac kiss her. Apparently lack of sleep and lack of food had made her both shaky and stupid.
She considered acknowledging what had almost happened and letting him know it wouldn’t happen again. No, that would just embarrass both of them. Instead she’d pretend that they hadn’t been a split second away from a lip lock.
To that end, she adopted a jolly tone. “Guess I’m up for unsaddling this big guy, huh?”
“That’s okay.” He retrieved his hat, put it on and tugged down the brim so it almost hid his eyes. “I’ve put you through enough for one morning. I’ll handle it. In fact, I might take a little ride, give him some exercise.”
“Then I guess unsaddling him makes no sense.”
“Nope. We can cover that tomorrow. Oh, here’s your phone.”
She took it back and there was that slight brush of fingers again, one she shouldn’t even notice. Except from now on she would always notice. “Thank you. And thank you for the lesson. It was awesome.” She picked up her vest from the end of the hitching post. “Big day today.”
“Yep. We made lots of progress.”
“We sure did!” She almost added by golly to the end of that statement. If she had, it would qualify as the most sickeningly cheerful thing she’d ever said. “I’ll just grab my messenger bag and be on my way. See you in the morning!” She started into the barn.
“Are you taking the rest of the day off?”
She turned back to him. “No. I’ll be at Sadie’s doing portraits as usual. Why?”
“I was planning on going in for a beer later on.”
“Oh, right. Of course. Then I’ll see you there, won’t I?” She followed that with a big grin. She was so rattled it wasn’t funny. It might be funny to Georgie, though. Georgie was definitely going to get an earful today.
He regarded her with a bemused expression. “Seems like it.”
“Bye for now!” She waved and walked into the barn, but it was a wonder she hadn’t walked into a wall, instead. By the time Mac showed up at Sadie’s, she would have her act together. If the possibility of a kiss had scrambled her brain to this extent, she’d hate to think what an actual kiss would do.
The barn was a cool refuge, and she paused to drag in a breath. He’d said he might take Jasper out for a ride. If he really meant that, maybe she could stay in here until he was gone. That would save her from making any more idiotic comments.
Come to think of it, she wouldn’t mind sitting down for a moment. She’d had quite a morning, and it wasn’t even nine yet. Normally she’d still be zonked out in her bed at home. Instead she was in a barn, of all places, trying to recover what was left of her wits.
A straw bale sat near the wall where her messenger bag hung waiting for her. She decided to rest on it for a while and give Mr. Hot Cowboy plenty of time to lengthen the stirrups for his long legs and ride off into the sunrise.
His tight buns would rest in the same saddle she’d recently vacated. She might not want to think about that. But she did anyway. She wondered if the leather was still warm and if he’d notice that.
In some ways she regretted not kissing him just now. She’d sketched his mouth so many times she knew it by heart, but she didn’t know what it felt like, only what it looked like. And it looked like a mouth made for kissing.
It was wide and bracketed with smile lines, which gave it character. He had a full lower lip and an upper lip the exact shape of a bow. Not every man had such a classical mouth. She wondered if kissing him would have affected how she drew that mouth. It would be an interesting experiment, but—
“Anastasia?”
She leaped up as Mac walked into the barn. “What are you doing here?”
“Checking on you.”
“I thought you were going riding.”
“I was.” He crossed to her. “But when you didn’t come out, I thought something might be wrong. I didn’t want you to be in here crying, or—”
“Crying? Why would I be crying?”
“I don’t know. I sometimes get confused about why ladies cry.” He stepped closer. “What were you doing in here all this time?”
She gazed up at him. She was hungry, overtired, and dazed by the new awareness between them. She’d always told him the truth before, so she did it now. “I was thinking about your mouth.”
He sucked in a breath.
Now that she’d said that, she felt the need to explain. “You have an almost perfect mouth, and I can’t help wondering what it feels like. But I don’t think we should start anything.”
“I don’t think we should, either.” His voice was husky.
In the cool privacy of the barn, she felt herself slide across some invisible line of propriety. “Could I just touch it?”
“I guess.” His eyes darkened.
“I draw things better after I know what they feel like.”
“Makes sense.” His expression became unreadable, almost as if he’d gone deep within himself.
She really did want to do this, even though she dimly realized it might be a bad idea. But when would she ever get another chance? Reaching up, she started at the center of the bow and stroked to the corner.
He closed his eyes.
“You have nice lashes.” She’d noticed that before, but she’d never been this close. They were thick and dark as they lay against his cheeks.
“You should see them when the sun shines through.”
“Okay, that was funny. Now hold still and let me finish.” She ran her finger slowly over his lower lip. The texture reminded her of a rose petal, but the color was harder to describe. Maybe she’d seen it in the dawn sky this morning. She’d check again tomorrow.
She came back to the midpoint of his upper lip and dre
w her hand away. “Done. Thank you.”
His eyelids drifted open and he let out a slow breath. “All right, then.”
Looking into those dark eyes was a mistake. Her heart was already beating pretty fast after touching his mouth, and what she saw in his gaze made her want things she shouldn’t.
Taking another deep breath, he turned and started to leave the barn.
She didn’t want him to go. She wanted . . . A soft whimper escaped before she could swallow it.
He turned back. “Anastasia?”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Mac. I don’t want you to go away. I want . . . I know this is a mistake, but I want you to . . . kiss me. Please. If you would be so kind.”
He cleared his throat. “You’re probably just having an emotional reaction to the lesson.”
“Probably. But I . . . One kiss. That’s it.”
He took off his hat and laid it on the straw bale. “We’re both liable to regret this.”
“I’ll never ask you again.”
Slowly he cupped her face in both hands and looked into her eyes. “One kiss and that’s it.”
“Yes.” Her heart beat like a wild thing. “I just need this. You can make it quick, but please make it good.”
He searched her expression for a moment longer, and then his mouth came down on hers.
Oh. Ohhhh. She sagged against him as he thrust his tongue deep and kissed away every inhibition she’d ever counted on to shield herself from this kind of raw passion. He wasn’t tentative and he wasn’t gentle.
With the firm pressure of his mouth and each stroke of his tongue he told her exactly what he wanted and how much he wanted it. He left no doubt in her mind as to the level of intensity he’d bring to a sexual encounter. Caging her face with his strong fingers, he coaxed her to open wider so that he could ravish her even more thoroughly.
When he lifted his head, she was dizzy with cravings that dwarfed any she’d ever felt before. Yet he’d only kissed her. If he’d suggested they head off to his house to spend the day in his bed, she would have gone.
His voice was hoarse as he rubbed his thumbs over her cheekbones and gazed into her eyes. “Did that do the trick?”
She swallowed. He’d done what she’d asked, and if she asked for more, well, that would lead to the very thing she’d decided to avoid, to both safeguard her creativity and preserve their special friendship. “Yes.”
“I meant every bit of that kiss, so we should make sure it doesn’t happen again, okay?”
“Okay.” Apparently that’s the way he wanted it, too. That settled the matter.
Slowly he released her.
She uncurled her fingers from his shirt and stepped back. “I’ve wrinkled you.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
She couldn’t help noticing that his jeans fly didn’t look like it had before, either.
He saw the direction of her gaze and smiled. “I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t sketch that.”
“I won’t.” As the effect of the kiss began to wear off, embarrassment made her cheeks hot. She’d begged him to kiss her. How humiliating. “I shouldn’t have asked you to kiss me. Sorry about that. I don’t know what came over me.”
“Emotional overload, anxiety, lack of sleep.” He gave her a soft smile. “Don’t worry about it. As you could no doubt tell, I enjoyed myself.”
“Me, too. It was a great kiss. I just can’t believe I came right out and asked you to do it.”
“No worries.” He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “So I guess I’ll see you back here tomorrow.”
“Yes.” She picked up his hat and gave it to him. “I’ll be here at six. And I won’t . . . This won’t . . .” She gestured vaguely. “It won’t happen again.”
“That’s for the best.” He glanced at the messenger bag hanging on the wall. “Ready to take off, now?”
“Yes.” She unhooked the bag, slung it over her shoulder, and walked outside with him. The sunlight made her blink. “Are you going to ride Jasper?”
“Yep. He could use the workout and so could I.”
“How soon do you think I can go out on the trail?”
“That’s up to you. You’ll tell me when you’re ready.”
That might be very soon. Right after kissing him she hadn’t been able to think of anything but sex. Then she’d moved from that to embarrassment for her behavior, and now she was full of restless energy. All that energy had to go somewhere. Might as well channel it into this project. “What happens tomorrow?”
“Same grooming routine. Then saddling, bridling, and some actual riding in the corral.”
“I’ll be more awake, I promise.”
He chuckled. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“I’ll keep it. As long as I don’t nap, I’ll be so exhausted I’ll fall asleep early. And tonight I’m not sleeping in my clothes, either. That sucks.”
“I know. I’ve had to do it a few times and it’s not my favorite, either.” He paused next to Jasper. “Well, my ride’s here.”
“So I see.” She stepped around him and stroked Jasper’s neck. “Thanks, big guy. See you tomorrow.” Then she moved back and gestured toward the horse. “Go ahead and mount up. Show me how the pros do it.”
“Now I feel as if I should take a running jump from behind and vault into the saddle.”
“That doesn’t sound like fun for the horse.”
He smiled. “Congratulations. You just visualized the scene from Jasper’s perspective. See how far you’ve come?”
“I know. We’ll be on that trail in no time.”
His eyebrows lifted. “You sound motivated.”
“Energized.” She met his gaze. “That really was a great kiss.”
“Yeah.” For a moment she thought he might reach for her again, but then he turned away with a soft oath.
“Go on, Mac. Get the heck out of here.”
“Sounds like an excellent idea.” After quickly retrieving the reins, he shoved a boot in the stirrup and swung into the saddle with the grace of a natural athlete.
She hadn’t thought about the fact that he was coordinated, probably a lot more so than she was. Coordination was a good trait in a riding teacher and an even better trait in a lover. Oh, well.
He looked mighty good on that horse, though. He sat up there as if he’d been doing it forever, which he practically had. Touching the brim of his hat, he glanced down at her. “See you at Sadie’s.”
“See you then.”
He trotted the horse out through the open gate of the stable property. She now understood what a trot was and how difficult it could be for a beginner. But Mac sat that trot without bouncing at all.
Once he cleared the gate he nudged the horse into the next gear, which she was fairly sure was a canter. The fluid motion of horse and man was beautiful to see. She watched him until he was out of sight and then started home.
He stirred her blood, no question about that, but now wasn’t the time for a love affair, and she must have been out of her mind to ask for that kiss. That would teach her not to attempt one of the biggest challenges of her life on no sleep.
Before that explosive kiss, she’d planned to unburden herself to Georgie about her situation with Mac. But she wasn’t about to tell Georgie or anyone that she’d literally begged him to kiss her or that the requested kiss had been mind-blowingly good. That was between her and Mac.
But she had pictures on her phone she wanted to show off. Her mother would still be asleep and wouldn’t want to hear about horseback riding lessons even when she woke up. Georgie would be dying to hear about them. So after a little food and more caffeine, she’d walk down to the Bickford General Store that Georgie ran and show her the pictures.
Out of necessity she’d become a halfway decent cook, alt
hough she almost never made breakfast. Messing around in the kitchen at this hour felt very weird, but she decided to whip up an omelet and to toast some English muffins. She was starving.
When the food was ready, she sat at the kitchen table with a fork in her left hand and the sketch pad to her right. She proceeded to draw—who else?—Mac. Except this wasn’t Mac as seen from a distance. It wasn’t a portrait, either.
Instead it was Mac as he’d looked after that never-to-be-forgotten kiss. She worked to capture the desire mixed with regret that she’d seen in his eyes. He’d called a halt, not her.
As she looked at the picture emerging, she wondered if he had reasons other than the obvious ones for not getting involved. There was her career, which might or might not be affected, and there was Georgie, who might or might not disapprove. But those issues could be dealt with if the attraction turned out to be strong enough. Judging from the way he’d kissed her, it was plenty strong enough.
He’d alluded to his bad record with relationships and then had asked to change the subject. She’d been curious at the time, and now she was even more so. Maybe something in his background kept him from acting on his feelings for her. If he considered himself no good with relationships, then she’d be off-limits in his mind.
The smartest thing would be to let it go. She didn’t want to get involved any more than he did. Well, she did, but that wasn’t the wisest course. Obviously Mac recognized that as well as she did. Still, she was virtually incapable of ignoring a puzzle.
The puzzle of Mac Foster gave her even more reason to move quickly from the basics of the riding lessons to getting out on the trail. She’d never been on a trail ride, but she had a vivid imagination. With eight people, the usual component for Wild Horse Canyon Adventures, it would be casual conversation, jokes, camaraderie. But with only two people, they could talk about things.
She had a hunch something lurked in Mac’s past. Vince might know, which meant Georgie might know, but Anastasia wasn’t going that route. Mac would tell her eventually. Maybe. She’d just be patient and see how it all worked out.
Wild About the Wrangler Page 9