Riding High

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  No, no spontaneous eruptions. He clenched his jaw and stopped stroking her satiny back because he felt the need to grab a handful of her comforter in each fist. She made agonizingly slow progress down past his ribcage to his abs. His cock waited, rigid but under control, until she followed his example and dipped her tongue into his navel. Damn. His penis jerked. His body trembled, and by some miracle he didn’t come.

  He almost told her to stop right there and get the condom, but he wanted... Oh, he really hoped that she’d... Ah... Her mouth closed over his much-teased cock and slid down, down, down, until the vibrating tip touched the back of her throat. His heart beat like a wild thing, and breathing became his second most difficult task—not coming being the first. But this was what he’d been waiting for, what he didn’t want to miss if he could hold out. If he could stand the pressure when she...began to suck.

  His eyes rolled back in his head. He wasn’t sure if it was her technique—wonderful!—or his supersensitized cock, but this felt like the best he’d ever had. He was tempted to let her finish it. So tempted. His body clamored for release. But then he wouldn’t know how it felt to be joined with her in that most basic way. He couldn’t explain why it was so important to him. It just was.

  Putting a stop to the joy she was bringing him was easier said than done. He made several attempts, but then she’d use her tongue a certain way, or scrape her bottom teeth gently along the lateral ridge, and he’d be lost again.

  Finally he gripped her head with firm purpose and lifted her away. “No more.” His voice sounded like a rusty hinge.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “No.” He gulped in air. “It’s so right it’s scary. But I want... Please get a condom. Please.”

  Her voice was gentle. “Sure.”

  As if she understood. He’d believe it. They had so much to learn about each other, but in this it was as if they’d always been linked. Crazy thinking. But he couldn’t say it wasn’t true.

  She put on the condom, which was a good thing because he might have fumbled the job. He was still lying there panting and holding on to her quilt for dear life. But when she’d finished, calmness settled over him.

  She would have straddled him, but he stopped her. “Lie back, sweet Lily. It’s my turn again.”

  Maybe she saw the sense of purpose in his eyes, because she stretched out beside him. When he rose over her, she welcomed him into the haven of her arms and the shelter of her body with a knowing smile.

  He found his way with unerring precision. Gazing into the twilight blue of eyes glazed with passion, he drove home. He watched the spark ignite in her and fed that flame with steady, sure strokes. He didn’t speak. Neither did she. Their bodies said all that needed to be said.

  Her breathing quickened and her lips parted. “Yes,” she murmured.

  “Yes,” he echoed as he felt her body rise under him. He pumped faster and she tightened around his cock. “Yes, Lily.”

  “Yes!” She arched in his arms, and he loosened the iron grip that had kept him in control. One more thrust, two, and he surged into her with a bellow of satisfaction that mingled with her cries of release. Burying his cock deep in her body, he shuddered in the aftermath of a climax that felt absolutely, completely right.

  So much in his life had gone wrong, but in this golden moment, with the sun warming his shoulders, he was happy. Perhaps a man couldn’t ask more than that.

  * * *

  LILY BLAMED LACK of sleep the night before, but somehow she and Regan ended up wrapped in each other’s arms and oblivious to the rest of the world for the rest of the afternoon. The sun was low in the sky when she woke up to a crunching noise just outside the bedroom window.

  Regan obviously didn’t hear anything. He held her close, his breathing shallow, his eyes closed. Slowly she extricated herself from his embrace and eased out of the bed without waking him. Poor guy was dead to the world.

  It didn’t take her long to figure out where the strange sound was coming from. Sally peered through the window for a moment before resuming her snack, which was the bedroom windowsill. That was new. Until now, the horse had eaten only the porch railing.

  Lily glanced back at her queen-size bed, where Regan slept on. He probably needed the rest. For all she knew, he hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep for six months. Stress could do that to a person. But after the stress-relieving afternoon they’d shared, he might sleep for twelve hours.

  Locating her go-to sweatpants and a sweatshirt, she decided to put on her socks and boots, because she’d learned the hard way that it wasn’t smart to deal with a horse either barefoot or in flip-flops. The first time she’d been stepped on while wearing flip-flops, she’d been lucky and hadn’t broken any toes. She wasn’t willing to trust her luck that way again.

  But what to do about Sally? Lily admitted that Sally destroying the house and Buck obliterating the garden had gotten old. The paddock was an excellent idea, and she was embarrassed that she hadn’t thought of it before. The horses would still have a measure of freedom, but they wouldn’t have access to the entire property. Horses shouldn’t be allowed to chew on the house. They could munch on wild grass instead of whatever had struggled to grow in the flower bed.

  Lily let herself out of the house as quietly as possible before crossing the porch and walking down the steps. She had to avoid two piles of horse manure on her way around to the bedroom window where Sally was helping herself to the windowsill. Normally Lily would’ve been on poop patrol with the little tractor parked behind the barn, but today she’d been otherwise occupied. Mmm, had she ever.

  It occurred to her that normal people didn’t live this way, with animals free to destroy property and leave their little offerings where someone might step in them. She might have come to that conclusion eventually, but maybe not before some disaster that was bigger than a chewed-up building. Thank heaven for Regan O’Connelli, although if Nick had come out here on Friday he probably would have advised her to change her ways.

  But Nick didn’t have time to help out regularly at Peaceful Kingdom. Besides his work at the clinic, he had a wife and a fifteen-year-old who desperately needed him to provide fatherly guidance. Nick would have advised her to hire some employees, which she might do, anyway, but Regan had been available to move in and prop up this teetering operation immediately.

  When she thought about how she’d resisted her attraction to him because she’d worried about a rebound relationship, she had to shake her head. If she did turn out to be a rebound for Regan, so what? He wasn’t the kind to use her and dump her, and he was offering to help her turn this dicey situation into a workable rescue operation. If she could help him through this difficult time in his life, then she would, without selfishly worrying about whether she’d get hurt in the process.

  Rounding the corner of the house, she approached Sally, who glanced at her with disinterest before resuming her meal. The mare had probably chosen this end of the house because the pig wallow was on the other end. In general, the horses had avoided the pigs, and vice versa.

  The pig wallow should be moved, too, now that Lily thought about it. She’d dug it there so Wilbur would be close to the shelter of the house and she could keep an eye on him. But a sturdy pen a distance away with added protection from the elements made more sense. And the pigs, much as she hated to say it, would have to be in separate pens at mealtime. She’d caved and given Harley more food this morning, which was the only reason he hadn’t gone after Wilbur’s dish.

  With a sigh, she walked over and caught hold of Sally’s halter. “I’m dealing with a steep learning curve, Sally, old girl. Good thing a knight in shining armor showed up. Come on, now, come away from the windowsill.” She gave the halter a gentle tug.

  The mare stopped chewing on the wood.

  “Excellent. Now let’s go back to the barn, okay?” She tugged agai
n.

  Sally planted her feet and gave Lily a look that plainly said Make me.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake. Let’s go.” Lily pulled with more force.

  Sally jerked her head up so quickly that she dislodged Lily’s grip. When Lily made a grab for the halter, Sally tossed her head and backed up with a snort.

  “Okay, you’re away from the windowsill. That’s a start.” She thought of trying to move the horse with the flapping technique, but of course her sweatshirt didn’t have tails. Besides, backing Sally all the way to the barn didn’t seem like the way to go.

  As Lily stood with her hands on her hips and tried to figure out a feasible plan, the mare walked back over to the windowsill and took another bite.

  “Damn it, Sally!” Lily made another grab for her halter, and Sally moved deftly out of the way. Then she stood there, tail swishing and brown eyes placid. She seemed to be waiting patiently for Lily’s next move in the chess game they were playing.

  “Got a problem?”

  She turned as Regan, shirtless and sexy, approached. In her frustration with Sally, she’d forgotten that she might be disturbing him. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “No big deal. Need some help with that animal?” He’d pulled on his jeans and boots and come to her rescue, but clearly a shirt would have taken more time than he’d wanted to spend.

  Considering the potent image he presented in that outfit and how it immediately affected her with a case of raging lust, she forgave him his cocky grin. “She’s determined to chew on the windowsill. I guess it tastes better than the porch railing. She’s being stubborn about going back to the barn.”

  He paused about ten feet away and folded his arms across that beautiful bare chest. “I can see that.”

  “Do you think you could catch her and take her back to her stall? I’m not having much luck, and I don’t want her to destroy any more of this windowsill.”

  “I could, but it would be better if you did it.”

  “So far she’s defied me. If she had hands instead of hooves, I think she would have flipped me off.”

  He nodded. “She does have that look in her eye. How about this? Instead of going over and trying to grab her halter like you’ve been doing, you—”

  “You were watching the whole thing from the window, weren’t you?”

  “Yeah. I heard her chewing and wondered what you’d do about it. When I realized she wasn’t going to mind you, I decided to come out. We don’t want to let her think she’s the boss of you.”

  “Even if she is.”

  “She won’t be for long. How about if you walk over there slowly, arms at your sides, and talk to her in a nice, calm voice as you approach? She might stay right there.”

  “It’s worth a shot.” Although at first she’d been relieved that he might handle the problem, she recognized this was better. She needed to learn how to control the horses, and he was conveniently here to teach her.

  Turning back to Sally, she opened the conversation and began walking. “Hey, girl, you really don’t want to chew on that windowsill, even if I did use environmentally safe paint on it. You have green flecks in your teeth, and I have to say, that’s not a good look, especially at your age.”

  Behind her, she heard Regan’s soft chuckle. “That’s good. Make sure you’re completely nonthreatening in your body language.”

  She did a body check and relaxed her shoulders. “Sally, babe, let me also appeal to your generous nature. If you keep chewing up my house, I’ll be out some money for repairs. If you stop the chewing, I’ll have extra money to spend on some nice perks around here. What would make you smile? Ribbons in your mane? A little bling on your halter?”

  “She’s listening,” Regan said. “See how her ears are pitched forward?”

  “Yep. I’m almost there. Now what?”

  “Walk past her head, turn slowly toward her and casually stroke her neck. And keep talking. As you talk, work your way up her neck, scratch around her ears and stroke her muzzle, but act like you have no desire to grab the halter. And keep—”

  “I know. Keep talking.”

  “Right. Your goal is to eventually take hold of the halter without making any sudden movements. Once you have it, cluck your tongue and start walking. Make sure your mind-set is that she’ll follow. Assume she’ll come with you, and don’t jerk or tug.”

  “This feels like Jedi Knight training.” She walked past Sally’s head and slowly turned toward the horse.

  “It’s not so different from that. There’s a lot of mental stuff going on when you work with horses. They pick up on your moods and your body language so well that you’d swear they can read your mind. If you’re feeling uncertain, they won’t want to do a single thing you ask. So think success.”

  “Okay.” She continued to talk to Sally while visualizing that this interaction would go smoothly. She began stroking the mare’s neck and eventually worked her way to Sally’s muzzle. She could do this. Sally would obey her. When Lily thought she’d loved on the horse enough, she took hold of the halter, clucked her tongue and started walking toward the barn.

  Sally followed.

  Lily wanted to shout and punch her fist in the air, but that would be counterproductive. She settled for smiling at Regan in triumph.

  He answered with a wide grin and gave her a thumbs-up. Then he ambled over and joined her as they headed to the barn. “Well done.”

  “You’re a good teacher.”

  “I learned from the best. Ever hear of a horse trainer named Buck Brannaman?”

  “Nope.”

  “He’s the original horse whisperer, and I attended a clinic he gave back in Virginia. I haven’t mastered all his techniques by any means, but he helped me tune in to the horse psyche, and that makes me a better vet. And in some ways, maybe a better man.”

  She eyed him. “For the record, I’m sure you were already a darned good man.”

  “Thanks, but there’s always room for improvement.”

  She took a deep breath. “In my case, too. I realized when I walked out to confront Sally, that I don’t give a damn if this turns into a rebound relationship. That was a selfish concern and I’m over it. The animals are lucky to have you here, and so am I. You’re welcome for as long as you want to stay.”

  He walked quietly beside her, not saying anything. When he finally spoke, his voice was rough with emotion. “Thank you, Lily. That...that means more to me than you can ever know.”

  Maybe so, but she had an idea why her words had that effect. Perhaps he didn’t realize it himself, but like the animals in her care, he desperately needed someone to want him again.

  12

  AFTER POLISHING OFF the roasted portobello-mushroom sandwich Lily fixed him for lunch, Regan decided eating vegetarian meals for a week wouldn’t be bad at all. Turning into a carnivore after he’d left home twelve years ago might have been more of an act of rebellion than a dietary preference. It hadn’t hurt that he’d been starving to death, though. Between the trip out to the Last Chance and all the fun they’d had in bed, they’d blown right past the normal lunch hour.

  But now that one hunger was satisfied, the other one was making itself known. He and Lily had eaten their mushroom sandwiches at the formal dining table because she didn’t have anywhere else to eat—other than the throw cushions from the night before. She’d taken the end seat and he’d grabbed the one on her right.

  He’d also wolfed down his meal like a man who hadn’t eaten in a week. Sex usually had that effect on him, which was why he often raided the refrigerator afterward. This time he’d been too worn out, but in a really good way, to do that.

  They’d spent the meal discussing a training schedule, which was supposed to begin in fifteen or twenty minutes. If they kept to that schedule, they should be able to work wit
h two different horses this afternoon before it was time to feed the animals. As Regan observed Lily finishing her sandwich, he had some very unworthy thoughts that involved deviating from the plan.

  She swallowed her last bite and caught him watching her. “What? Did you want the last bit of mine? Are you still hungry?”

  He laughed. “At the risk of sounding like a cliché, the answer is yes, I’m still hungry, but not for food.”

  “Oh.” Her gaze locked with his. “I see.”

  “But we have a hell of a lot to accomplish, so...”

  “True.” She gave him a once-over. “But now I’m thinking about having sex with you instead.”

  “You weren’t before?”

  “Sure I was. But knowing you’ve been thinking about it, too, is a whole other thing, if you know what I mean.”

  His cock twitched. “I most certainly do.” She was still wearing those easy-access sweatpants.

  “It would help if you’d go put on your shirt while I clear the table. Sitting here with you half-naked is bound to get a girl all juiced up.”

  “Nice to know I’m appreciated.” His cock began to swell.

  “Oh, you definitely are, but we need to get going.” She stood. “So put on your shirt before I forget myself and grab you.”

  “Okay.” But he smiled as he walked into the master bedroom. She couldn’t go around delivering lines like that and expect him to be a good boy and do as he was told. Comments like hers inspired him to be a very bad boy, indeed.

  But he could be bad and still hold to the schedule. She might not believe that, so he’d have to prove it to her. The benefits to that were many, including setting the stage for more such encounters. They’d both be able to concentrate on work much better if they took occasional breaks to release some tension.

  He returned wearing a shirt just as she’d finished wiping down the table with a damp dishrag. He pointed to a place in the middle of the table. “Missed a spot.”