Glimmer (Glimmer and Glow #1)

by BETH KERY

  “Oh my God, he’s gigantic,” she exclaimed before she could stop herself, eyeing the approaching dark brown horse anxiously. “I thought we’d have something smaller for the first time.”

  “We don’t want him too small, he’s got to hold both of us.” Dylan said, a smile pulling at his mouth. “Quinn is as steady as a rock. You’ll see.”

  He took her hand, urging her toward Kevin and Quinn. Alice followed him reluctantly, hanging back. Kevin paused the horse in the shade of a maple tree and dropped what appeared to be a small wooden stepladder to the ground next to the horse.

  “I’ll just leave you all to get acquainted, if that’s all right?” Kevin said, a hint of amusement in his tone. Alice was busy studying Quinn like she might a potential enemy. Kevin handed the reins to Dylan. “My accountant is due up at the house in a bit. With Jamie gone, you two will be on your own.”

  “No problem. I’ll see to Quinn when we’re finished,” Dylan assured, shaking the older man’s hand. “Thanks for taking the time out when I called at the last minute.”

  “Anytime, Dylan,” Kevin assured, before he waved and strode toward the white house in the far distance.

  Alice’s gaze remained locked with Quinn’s the whole time. The horse regarded her back with liquid brown eyes.

  “He seems nice. Is he nice?”

  “He’s a real good guy, aren’t you, Quinn?” Dylan assured in a deep even tone, reaching up and petting Quinn’s nose. Quinn gently nuzzled Dylan, and Dylan fondly patted the side of his neck. “Do you want to pet him?” Dylan asked her. “His nose is like velvet.”

  Alice blinked and looked at Dylan’s profile, startled. He noticed her abrupt movement, doing a double take.

  “What?”

  “Nothing,” Alice whispered. “Déjà vu, I guess.”

  For a moment, it’d been like she’d heard someone say that exact thing before. Do you want to pet him? His nose is like velvet.

  Not just someone. Dylan.

  “Alice?” he prompted.

  She shook her head slightly as if to clear it and put out her hand. She held her breath.

  “He is soft,” she said, smiling a moment later as she stroked the animal’s nose. “I think he likes it,” she added tentatively when Quinn’s eyelids lowered slightly and he held still for her touch.

  “I think he likes you,” Dylan said, a smile in his voice. Encouraged, she stroked the side of the horse’s head and neck, grinning wider when Quinn’s ears twitched and he moved his head to be closer to her. While she made friends with the horse, Dylan put the riding helmet on her head and tightened the band beneath her chin.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  Her stomach lurched, but she nodded determinedly.

  “Who’s going up first, you or me?” she asked.

  “You. I’ll come up behind you once you’re on,” he said.

  He kicked the stepladder, repositioning it.

  “Easy, Quinn,” Dylan steadied at the same time he urged Alice to the ladder. She rose to the top step directly beside Quinn, her breath growing choppy. What was wrong with her? This wasn’t that far off the ground. She couldn’t shake the feeling of being a frightened child. Her embarrassment approached cringing shame.

  Dylan came up behind her on the first step of the stool. He placed his hands on the outside of her hips, and her nervousness fractured for a split second. Leave it to Dylan, to make her feel like a grown woman with just one touch.

  “Take the reins with one hand. Put your hand on the pommel,” he said, guiding her, “and this foot in the stirrup,” he designated, sliding his hand down one hip to show her what he wanted. “Don’t worry, Quinn will stay steady for you. He’s extremely well trained.”

  Alice lunged into the stirrup and lifted her other leg. For a second, she felt awkwardly suspended, and knew a moment of fear. Then Dylan heaved gently on her ass and the back of her thigh, and the next thing she knew, she was straddling Quinn’s back high up off the ground. She remained bent over, clutching the pommel for dear life, her face near Quinn’s mane.

  “You got it,” Dylan praised, using his hands to reposition her hips on the saddle. “Straighten up, now,” he urged. “Good girl.” She heard the sound of him kicking the ladder away. “Take your foot out of the stirrup for a second.”

  He was making the requests verbally, but Alice was too dazed, staring at the grass far below her in fear, that she wasn’t really responding. Dylan’s hands maneuvered her more than her uncooperative muscles did. She unwillingly straightened at his urgings, not liking the fact that the ground grew even farther away. He swung up behind her without using the ladder, his show of easy strength distracting her for a few seconds. Before there was too much opportunity for her anxiety to mount, he was landing in the saddle behind her, his long legs bracketing hers. His arms came around her, too, his hands covering hers.

  He remained like that, so that she could feel his motions. He flicked the reins, and Quinn lurched under her.

  “Whoaaahh,” erupted out of her throat involuntarily. Quinn was just walking slowly, but it’d felt like the earth had moved. The rocking sensation so far off the ground made her a little queasy.

  “It’s okay. I’ve got you,” Dylan said quietly near her ear. He tapped her left thigh. “Both feet in the stirrups. Steady yourself. Find your center. That’s right. Just relax and get used to Quinn’s pace. Alice,” he said with emphasis after a moment when she remained stiff and tense as a board. “Relax. Quinn’s got you. So do I.”

  “I’m sorry,” she moaned miserably, panic rising in her. “I told you I wouldn’t be good at this. Dylan, I want to get off.”

  “I’m right here, baby. You’re doing fantastic.”

  A terrible swooping sensation went through her stomach. “I’m afraid of falling,” she blurted out uncontrollably.

  “Look out at the lake. Don’t look at the ground,” he soothed. Alice jerked her gaze off the swaying, lurching ground and followed his instructions. Slowly, the feeling of panic receded.

  “You’re doing just fine,” he assured, his rough, compelling voice in her ear tickling her. Mesmerizing her. “There’s no way in hell you’re going to fall with me holding on to you. Horses don’t just go down for no reason. Quinn is steadier than a mountain, trust me. Just feel him. Absorb Quinn’s movement. You feel my arms around you, don’t you?” he murmured comfortingly near her ear.

  Alice nodded, sinking back against him a little for reassurance. She exhaled in relief at the familiar solid feeling of his body. He transferred the reins into one hand and placed one opened gloved hand on her belly. It felt good. It grounded her.

  Slowly, when nothing major happened, and Quinn’s slow circle around the corral remained steady, the tension in her muscles began to uncoil.

  “There you go.” The side of her neck roughened at the impact of his voice so near her ear. “You’re feeling Quinn’s movement. You’re letting your body roll with it a little.” To demonstrate his point, he moved his hand on her belly in a subtle up and down, circular motion that matched the horse’s cadence. Suddenly, she was far more focused on the pressure of his hand and the heavy warm feeling growing at her sex than she was on how far away the ground looked.

  “Still nervous?” he asked, his lips brushing against her ear when they completed a circuit of the corral. She tingled with sexual awareness.

  “No. Not too much, anyway,” she added hesitantly.

  He instructed her on use of the reins, guiding her with his hands.

  “So if you loosen up on the reins, it’s like letting up on a brake, right?” she asked a moment later.

  “Right. You’re giving him a free head … free rein. You control the speed by how much tension you put in the reins.”

  She nodded, understanding instinctively despite her anxiety.

  “Do you want me to teach you how to post?” he asked when they’d circled the corral once.

  “What’s that?”

  “When the horse trots,
you have to bob your body up and down in rhythm with it,” he said, his hand moving again in an erotic motion on her belly. His lips brushed against her sensitive ear. “It makes for an easier ride.”

  She shivered, tempted by his deep seductive tone and moving lips. Her nipples had tightened against her new bra at those words: easier ride. Yet—

  “I’m not sure I want to go any faster,” she said, twisting her head slightly to better feel his whiskers and lips against her ear and neck. She inhaled choppily when his warm mouth landed against the corner of her lips. His long fingers lowered on her belly. He pushed her back more firmly against him. She bit her lip, suppressing a soft moan at the feeling of his hard thighs and cock against her ass. “Can we just walk today?”

  “Yes. We’ll go at your pace. But I think you should push yourself a little.”

  “Why?” she asked breathlessly, because his first two fingers were rubbing the flap of her zipper directly over her mons.

  “Because I think you can do this.”

  “Okay,” she said, unable to disguise her trepidation.

  “Tell you what,” he said after a short pause. “We’ll walk him on the straightaway toward the lake, and trot and post on the way back. Sound good?”

  She frowned. They’d already traversed half the length of the corral toward the lake. They’d have to go faster soon. Too soon. Dylan must have sensed her hesitance, because his mouth nuzzled the side of her neck and his fingers lowered. Suddenly, he was applying a concise pressure on her fly just above her clit.

  “And I’m going to touch you and make you feel good,” he said quietly. “But only on the slow stretch.”

  Her mouth fell open, but nothing came out. His hand opened over her entire outer sex. He rubbed her firmly, applying an eye-crossing pressure and pushing her against him at the same time, making her highly aware of the fullness behind his jeans.

  “Won’t someone see?” she asked breathlessly.

  “No. The view of the corral from Kevin’s house is obstructed by trees, but even if someone did glimpse us, I’m only going to touch you while we face the lake. As you can see, there isn’t a soul in sight. Okay?”

  He was circling over her sex now, his motions subtle yet firm. The rolling cadence of the horse beneath them took on a new meaning, adding to the stimulation.

  “Okay,” she mumbled. She would have agreed to just about anything with Dylan’s hand between her spread thighs and his cock growing distractedly hard and full against her ass. As if he agreed, he flexed his hips slightly, pressing her bottom tighter to his crotch.

  He groaned.

  “These new jeans make your ass look edible,” he breathed out near her ear. Alice quaked and then melted at the sensation of his front teeth scraping her earlobe. “I noticed right away. But I hadn’t considered the torture of being behind you on a horse.”

  “I’m so sorry to torture you,” she muttered with distracted sarcasm.

  “That’s okay. I’ll get you back. We’re to the turn. Take the reins and tell Quinn what you want.” Alice took the reins without thinking, doing what seemed natural to guide Quinn, tilting the reins in the direction she wanted to go. The animal followed her lead without hesitation. She gave a little triumphant laugh, but it segued to a little cry of displeasure when Dylan’s hand moved off her sex.

  “Only on the approach toward the lake,” he reminded her. She frowned at the hint of laughter in his deep voice. “Okay, straighten Quinn out. Good girl.” He put his hand over hers again as Quinn came around the bend, taking control of the reins. His arm circled her waist. “Now we’re going to go faster and post. I want you to move with me on the trot, do what I do.”

  Panic leapt in her belly. “I need more instructions than that!”

  “No, you don’t. I know how you move with me. You’re perfect.”

  “But—”

  He dropped the reins and made a chirruping sound. Quinn bolted forward. She choked off a gasp. It was a slow trot, nothing more. It felt like freefalling through space. Her body went stiff in fear, her hands grasping the pommel, her thighs squeezing the saddle hard.

  Dylan’s arm tightened around her.

  “I’ve got you. Everything’s fine. We’re moving, but there’s control, Alice. Move with me. Don’t fight it.”

  It took a moment for her anxiety to subside enough to really absorb what he was saying. As keyed in to him as she always was, her body began to match the cadence of his instinctively. She realized that when she matched both his and the horse’s rhythm, the jolting, jostling, out-of-control feeling subsided.

  A spike of exhilaration pierced her anxiety.

  “That’s it,” Dylan murmured behind her warmly, sensing her body joining with his. “See how well you move with me?” he said near her ear.

  No sooner had she matched his and the horse’s stride than they had reached the length of the corral, and Dylan was pulling up on the reins. A combination of relief and disappointment went through her as Quinn slowed. Her heart was racing like mad, but she was grinning.

  “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Dylan asked.

  “No. It was amazing. Scary, but amazing.”

  “Just like life, huh?” he teased darkly.

  Just like being with you. Her broad smile faltered slightly at that incendiary thought.

  “Here, take the reins,” he said. “Hold them nice and firm so he knows to keep it slow, but don’t jerk or pull on his head too hard. Gentle, but firm. That’s right.”

  No sooner had Quinn straightened and started the slow walk toward the lake than Dylan’s fingers were deftly unfastening the buttons on her jeans.

  “What are you doing?” she asked shakily.

  “What do you think? Keep the reins firm. Don’t let them go slack,” he rasped. She watched wide-eyed in mounting excitement as he flicked the leather tab on the glove of his right hand, unfastening the snap. He peeled off the glove.

  “Oh,” Alice said shakily when he shoved his ungloved hand into the opening of her jeans. His deft fingers rubbed her tingling labia. Alice stared blindly at the glimmering lake between the distant trees, every nerve in her body focused on Dylan’s hand between her thighs.

  “I’m addicted to your pussy,” he told her gruffly, nuzzling her neck. It was hot beneath the summer sun, but the wave of heat that swept through her had nothing to do with the outdoor temperature. He burrowed his finger deeper, parting the lips. Alice gasped loudly as he dipped into the cleft and agitated her clit. He grunted and kissed her ear. “You may be scared, Alice, but you’re turned on, too,” he said, sounding gratified. “Things are nice and warm and wet down here.”

  “You’re so dirty,” she accused.

  His hand moved faster between her thighs. Her clit burned deliciously beneath the firm, lubricated glide of his fingertip. He pressed back on her with his palm, grinding his erection against her ass. Alice cried out shakily. “And you love it,” he told her hotly, nipping her earlobe. “Don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  He chuckled at her begrudging, dazed admission. His hand slid out from between her fly.

  “Hey—”

  “Time to trot,” he reminded her, sliding his leather glove back on. He kissed her ear when she made a sound of disgust. “The quicker we take this part of the trip, the sooner we’ll be walking again.”

  Alice scowled, her cheeks going hot. He had a point.

  He tugged on the end of her T-shirt, effectively covering her opened fly. Suddenly, Quinn had turned, and Dylan was putting his hand on top of hers, again demonstrating the movement required for a trot.

  This time, it took her less time to diminish her anxiety and match Dylan and Quinn’s movement. This time, she became hyperaware of moving in tandem with him while his thighs surrounded her and her ass rose and fell in rhythm with his cock.

  His jeans must be getting pretty tight, given the size of his erection.

  She was actually disappointed when he pulled up on the reins, and Quinn slowed. The
ir movement on the trot excited her as much as his hand between her thighs on the walk. Her breath was coming short and choppy from anxious excitement. She held the pommel and wiggled her bottom against the stiff column of his cock.

  She jumped when he landed a spank on the outer curve of her hip and ass.

  “Careful, Alice,” he warned. She shivered. As Quinn circled onto the straightaway, she sensed Dylan’s focused attention on her. “Take off my glove,” he told her thickly.

  Her clit twinged. Somehow, he’d known that instructing her to peel off his leather glove would excite her, and he’d been so right. She exposed his hand, peeling off the glove. How could the vision of his hand make her ripple with sexual anticipation?

  “Take the reins,” he instructed shortly.

  Alice complied, her breath stuck in her lungs. He lifted her shirt, and his bare hand again slid into the opening of her jeans. This time, he wrapped her waist with his left hand like he did on the trot, while he stirred her pussy with his right hand. He pulled her tighter against him when she moaned shakily. His cock throbbed against her ass, spiking her excitement.

  “Do you feel that?” he breathed out near her ear. Since almost her entire awareness was on his cock at that moment, she answered with that in mind.

  “Yes,” she said in a strangled voice. He was making her burn so good. She shifted her hips forward slightly against the pressure of his hand and then back with her ass against his cock, undecided as to which sensation she craved more.

  “Do you like to suck cock, Alice?”

  Her lips fell open. She couldn’t think with him stirring her sex so precisely.

  “I think I’ll like sucking yours,” she gasped sincerely.

  He reached up with the still gloved hand and palmed her chin and jaw firmly. The feeling of the leather against her sensitive skin was delicious. Holding her in place, he spoke in her ear below the helmet. “I’m going to take you into those stables and you’re going to take me in your mouth and suck me off. You’ve been killing me on this damn horse. Your mouth has been killing me for a hell of a lot longer than that.”

  Alice’s hips writhed in excitement. His hand moved faster between her thighs. The burn in her clit mounted to a sizzle.