*****
Jeanette was right on time, pulling up the gate in a sleek, white jaguar sedan with toffee-colored leather seats. Tessa hadn’t known what to wear, so she settled on a chic, powder blue pantsuit with a plunging neckline. A simple tennis bracelet and a chunky butterfly pendent completed the look. Her ballet flats were dyed to match and complimented the outfit perfectly.
Jeanette whistled when Tessa stepped into the car.
“You look hot,” she declared, winking at Tessa and smiling wide. “It’s going to be fun to dress shop with you. There are so many more options when you’re twenty, and with your skin tone.”
Jeanette drove towards the highway, exiting on a busy street before turning down a narrow lane that dead ended in front of a small boutique.
“We don’t have to go anywhere for lunch. This boutique serves snacks and champagne as you shop,” Jeanette declared as they got out of the car. Tessa had never heard of this before but she wasn’t surprised.
A smartly dressed man opened the door for them, welcoming Jeanette by name. Tessa looked around, in awe.
Along one wall, hung dresses of every imaginable style, all in a wispy peach fabric. The other three walls had shelves upon shelves of fabric, organized by weight, type and texture, as well as color.
A tall and stocky man emerged from behind the counter, his smooth, bald head shiny under the fluorescent lighting. He smiled wildly when he saw Jeanette, going to her immediately.
“Wade. It’s so nice to see you. This is Tessa.”
He air-kissed Jeanette before taking one of Tessa’s hands in his and twirling her slowly.
“Oh yes. Beautiful. I can do so much with this. Tell me, are you feeling brave today?”
Tessa smiled. “As brave as one can feel in a dress shop.” shrugged. “Why not?”
Wade smiled. “Come with me, dear.”
He whisked her around the room, picking up bolt after bolt of fabric and holding it up.
Did she like this color?
How did she like the feel of this fabric?
How daring was she willing to be?
Was she willing to trust him?
The man who had opened the door for them approached her at one point, holding a plate with little hors d’oeuvres and a flute of champagne. With all the whirlwind of inspecting the material and Wade speaking a mile a minute, Tessa didn’t have an appetite. She took the champagne, and sipped it slowly. Her first taste of champagne and didn’t think she should gulp it.
Tessa answered all the questions, giddy with shared excitement. Never before had she had a dress tailor-made just for her.
Wade loaded several bolts of fabric into a small cart before leading her to a sewing area, complete with a small stage, a mannequin and tape measures of every length hanging off a stand with arms of various lengths sticking out.
He chattered on while he measured her, adjusting the bust of the mannequin to match her measurements. He even measured her feet.
“When do you need this, Tessie?”
Tessa didn’t correct him. “Um, Friday I guess?”
“Is this for the gala?”
“Yes.”
“Well you’re lucky I have some free time in the next four days. Come in Friday morning and try it on. I can make any adjustments and deliver it to you by Saturday. I will bring the perfect accessories. Oh, and get a pedicure. Light blush, and don’t get fake nails, just a regular manicure and same color as your toes. I’m picking the shoes.” He winked at Tessa. She was overwhelmed and so thankful he was being so kind and helpful. She would have been a disaster figuring this all out on her own. She loved the idea of being pampered.
He shooed them out the door and pulled out a colored pencil for each bolt of fabric in the cart and got to work, drawing on a large tablet of paper. He didn’t lift his head when they left, he was already too deep into his work to notice the world around him.
They got back into the car and Jeanette smiled at Tessa.
“Well?”
“I feel like a princess. Thank you for bringing me here. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with.”
“I’ve never seen him quite that excited before. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with.”
Jeanette dropped Tessa off at her gate and Tessa let herself in. It had certainly been an interesting day. Tessa changed into something more comfortable. She had plenty of time to get in a hike, and she wasn’t about to pack on any weight in the next few days when Wade was working so hard on his creation.
She strapped on her running shoes, grabbed a bottle of water and left the house. She was starting to feel better about her life, and that was motivating. She still didn’t know what she wanted to do with her new-found wealth, but she felt less intimidated by the money.
Which was good considering she was only twenty-six.
She hit the trail, taking a left this time, where she normally took a right. She had thoroughly explored all of the southern trails over the last few weeks, it was time to give the northern trail some attention.
The narrow trail wove through the dense tree line, meandering around without much direction. Her music piped through the earbuds, drowning out the sound of her feet as the connected with the well-maintained trail.
When she jogged across a heavy wood bridge, the steady beat of her pounding sounded along with the music in her ears.
The north trail proved to be much prettier than the south trail, and Tessa resolved to jog this trail more often.
She saw a group of horses up ahead and nearly groaned aloud. The man from the show, the one who had yelled obscenities at her, was heading up a group of horses coming up the path towards her. Their eyes locked and a sneer curled the edge of his lips.
He held up his hand to halt the others behind him, giving Tessa a disdainful look as she slowed to a walk and assessed the situation.
There was nowhere for her to stand and the horses couldn’t very well turn back on the narrow trail. She was going to have to turn around and head back the way she’d come.
Without a word to the angry rider, she did a quick about-face, almost sprinting back the way she’d come in an attempt to put some distance between her and the horses. She was almost to the fork between the two trails when she heard her name from behind her.
*****
“Tessa?” The man’s voice was tentative, and Tessa hoped that she had misheard whoever had said it. She didn’t want to get into a confrontation with that many people alone, though she didn’t feel like she’d done anything wrong. It wasn’t like the trail was marked for horses only.
“Tessa, wait.” The voice was more urgent this time, calling out loudly from within the pack of horses lining the trail.
Tessa turned and looked, but she couldn’t see passed the other horses. She went to climb onto a short boulder, thought better of it and stood her ground. The trail was extra wide where she stood, giving the horses and riders plenty of space to move passed her.
When the first two riders passed her by, she could finally see who had called out to her. She was shocked to see Mike, sitting atop the horse that she’d watched his niece ride over the short jumping course.
His smile was wide, and it was obvious that he was happy to see her. He pulled to the side, letting the horses in line behind him pass so he could talk to her.
“It’s nice to see you, Tessa.” His smile was broad and open, and Tessa wondered again at how handsome the man was.
“I’m glad to see you, too.”
His horse started to get antsy as the other horses moved away from him. Mike looked at his riding companions and back at Tessa before smiling apologetically.
“I’d love to stay and chat, but this guy doesn’t like to be alone. I hope to see you around.”
He turned to go and Tessa frantically searched her mind for something to say, or some way to connect before he was gone again.
“Can I go with you?” she blurted out.
“On the horse?” he looked doubtful, understan
dable considering her history with horses.
Sure, why not, she thought sarcastically. “Yes. Sure. Why not?” She almost groaned. She couldn’t believe her mouth, running away with her at the sight of Mike. It was like all her commonsense fled as soon as he flashed that winning smile.
Mike called to his friends to hold up, dismounting and offering Tessa a leg up.
“I thought I might sit in the back,” she stammered, wondering what the hell she was thinking, offering to get on the beast in the first place.”
“We haven’t got all day, Mike,” the lead rider called, rolling his eyes dramatically.
Mike ignored him, motioning to Tessa again, his smile patient and steady.
“It will be safer for us both if you ride in the saddle and I sit behind you. I’ll steer. You’ll be fine. Calypso is a good mount.”
She had already asked to go, there was no turning back now. Besides, she was just telling herself it was about time she lived a little. What better way to start living than by putting herself in mortal danger.
She put her right foot in the stirrup, grabbed the front of the saddle to pull herself up. Mike chuckled softly and stopped her.
“Wrong foot.”
“I was just testing you,” she quipped.
“Sure you were.”
Tessa could hear the leader grumbling up ahead.
“Don’t mind Steve. He’s an ass.”
He cupped his hands together and lifted her up. She settled in the saddle, her body already trembling, she just wasn’t sure if it was from being close to him or in fear. Mike put his foot into the stirrup and swung up behind her, landing softly on the horses back and taking up the reins.
He held one rein in each hand, his arms one either side of her. He made a soft kissing sound and the horse stepped forward. Tessa grabbed Mike’s arms. Her fingers digging into his flannel shirt.
“You can’t fall, just relax. The more relaxed you are the more relaxed Calypso will be.”
“What do I hold on to? Where is the horn?”
“It’s an English saddle, there is no horn.” His breath was warm on her ear, his voice deep and sultry.
Slowly, Tessa removed her nails from his arms and relaxed her back against him.
“That’s better. Nice and easy.” His voice was soft and steady, and Tessa wondered for a moment if he was talking to the horse and not her.
“I’ve been hoping to run into you again,” Tessa started. “After you left, I realized I didn’t even know your last name.”
“It’s Taylor.”
“That probably wouldn’t have helped me find you.”
“Why were you looking for me?”
Tessa’s heart pounded faster.
“I guess I just thought-” she trailed off.
“You thought what?”
His mouth was almost on her neck, his voice low and seductive. She wasn’t misreading his intent now, of that she was certain.
“I thought you might want to join me for a late lunch.”
“Absolutely.”
His lips touched her neck as he spoke, but he didn’t kiss her. Tessa felt a thrill of heat rush through her, and she struggled to keep her hormones at bay with him this close.
Does he have any idea how sexy he is?
He leaned back, giving her space. Which was good, because she’d been about to throw herself at him.
They rode along in the quiet, with Mike pointing out interesting plants and animals along the way. Tessa listened with rapt attention. She had never seen most of the animals he was pointing out in real life, and she was surprised by how different this part of San Diego was from Alta Loma. Bonita was only about ten miles away, but those ten miles made a world of difference.
*****
Tessa’s bottom were starting to ache when the barn finally came into view. She loved being pressed up against Mike but was more than ready to get off this horse.
They were a few yards away when Steve whistled loudly. A man appeared out of the barn, moving quickly to hold the reins while Steve dismounted. Steve walked away without so much as a backwards glance, leaving the man to care for his horse.
Three more men appeared from around the barn, taking horses from their riders and leading them off to untack them and rub down their coats.
Tessa waited, but no one appeared to take Calypso away. Mike swung his leg behind his body and dismounted down in one clean motion, holding out his hands to help Tessa down.
“I can get down on my own,” she said.
“I know.” His eyes twinkled mischievously as he clamped his hands on her waist and pulled her out of the saddle.
She threw her arms around his neck, afraid of falling face first onto the ground. He held her in his arms for a moment, blue eyes locked with hers as he lowered her down slowly.
Tessa searched his eyes, her lips parting slightly. Mike leaned down, and brushed his lips against hers lightly before he kissed her tenderly. Tessa opened herself to him and his kiss deepened. She was trapped between Mike and the horse. Her entire body was pressed against him as he lingered, taking his sweet time kissing her senseless.
When he finally broke away, her head was spinning and she felt somewhat light-headed. Her arms will still wrapped around his neck and she smiled shyly before pulling away.
She heard a soft chuckle and glanced over Mike’s shoulder to see one of the stable hands smiling at them. Tessa felt the heat travel up her neck and to her face, giving her chocolate skin a somewhat rosy glow.
“Where’s your stable hand?” she asked, trying to distract herself from her embarrassment at being caught.
She could only imagine what Steve was thinking.
“I take care of my own animals. Some people have more money than sense.”
He smiled at her, and she wondered how he would feel about her having money. Would he look at her with the same disdain that he had when he’d looked at Steve, sitting in his shiny truck, nose buried in his phone while he waited for his stable hand to load his horse up and drive him and the horse home.
“It’s nice to see a man around here that doesn’t mind a little hard work.”
“Exactly.”
Mike unsaddled Calypso, haltered the horse and tied him to a rail before he handed Tessa a brush.
“If you ride, you groom,” he said.
She stood for a moment, eyeing the horse before she moved closer and began to gently swipe the brush over his body. Mike stood behind her. His large hand closed over hers and he threaded his fingers through hers so he could grip the brush.
“Like this,” he whispered in her ear, putting pressure on the brushing and flicking it at the end of each stroke to send the dust and dirt into the air.
He took her other hand in his, placing it on the horse’s shoulder beneath his.
“You’re standing in his blind spot. You want to make sure you have a hand on him at all times so he knows where you are and doesn’t step on you.”
Tessa could feel his heat, radiating out from his body. His closeness was getting to Tessa, and she wondered briefly how romantic it would be to jump him in a horse stall.
She shook her head, trying to concentrate on the task at hand. But his presence was overwhelming her good sense, and she was finding it hard to concentrate on anything but how good he would look naked.
He let her go, standing back to watch her groom Calypso and nodded appreciatively.
“Great job. You’ll be an old hat at this in no time.”
He picked up another brush and went to work on the other side, making quick work of grooming Calypso, before checking and cleaning his hooves.
Tessa watched with interest, and Mike explained everything he did while he worked. All of Mike’s riding buddies had loaded up their horses and pulled away in their fancy trailers.
“Why didn’t the other guys do all this?”
“They live nearby. Their stable hands will give the horses a complete brushing, bath and hoof cleaning as soon as they get back to thei
r barns.”
“Why couldn’t they do that here? The horses must be so uncomfortable being left sweaty like that.”
“When people place themselves above other living creatures, they tend to forget what seems so simple to you and me.”
“Hm. It’s a wonder their horses tolerate them.”
“You’re preaching to the choir. I’ve wondered the same thing myself on more than one occasion.”
Mike was finished grooming Calypso, but he didn’t load him into the trailer. Instead, he led him into a stall filled with wood shavings, fresh hay and water.
“You’re not taking him home?”
“Not yet. I thought I heard you invite me to lunch, though it’s almost dinner time. He’ll be finishing up about the time I return, so it works out just right.”
He locked the stall door and held his hand out to Tessa. She slipped his hand into his, her stomach full of butterflies as he squeezed her hand warmly. His truck was older, brown, and slightly beat up. He unhooked the trailer after he helped her into the passenger seat, leaving it behind so he didn’t have to drive it through town.
“I know the perfect place. Do you like fresh pasta?”
“Sounds great,” she said. Tessa didn’t honestly know if she did. She’d only ever eaten pasta in a cardboard box.
“You’ll love this place. They make their own specialty pasta and sauces. You’ve never tasted anything like it.”
Tessa was quite sure he was right about that.
*****
Mike pulled the truck to a stop in front of her garage, killing the engine and turning to look at her.
“I had a great time with you. I would like to see you again. Soon.”
“How about now?” Tessa took a deep breath, hoping she wasn’t being too forward. But she’d let this man slip through her fingers once before, and she wasn’t about to let it happen again.
“That sounds great.”
He pulled her close, kissing her gently before pulling back to look into her eyes.
“Are you sure? I can wait.”
“No. I’m sure. I’ve been kicking myself for letting you go without getting your number. I won’t make the same mistake again.”
He pulled her into his lap and kissed her again before opening the truck door. Mike stepped out, letting Tessa move ahead of him so she could lead the way.
In the Arms of the Dragon Princes Page 84