“What?” she screeched then went on, “No…” Then she realised if she did, she might be able just to hop off so she changed her mind and agreed immediately, “Okay.” She swung her right leg to the side so she was straddling the saddlehorn sideways just as he commanded but one of his arms slid around her waist and tightened before she could slide off.
Foiled, she thought.
“I’ll show you why people like to ride,” he said, his voice low and husky in her ear.
She was staring intently at the ground and therefore saw his leg tighten on the side of the horse and they bolted forward. She yelped, twisted her torso and wrapped her arms around him. As they galloped, with each beat of the horses hooves, she slid closer to Douglas.
“Are you insane?” she shouted over the wind rushing in her ears.
He subtly moved the reins and the horse turned gracefully to the left and she held on tighter. She was face to face with his muscular neck, which was a part of him she especially liked (not that there were parts of him she didn’t like). To avoid it, she forced herself to face forward and grab the horse’s mane. She tried to be gentle but she knew she was holding on for dear life.
And then, moments later, it swept over her. The realisation that Douglas knew exactly what he was doing and that the horse knew too. Horse and rider were in perfect synchronisation. She felt herself and her fingers relax and began to enjoy it. It was a risk but the risk was so thrilling and they weren’t going too fast, they weren’t out-of-control, they were safe.
Julia was safe, with Douglas.
Once she relaxed against his body, she understood exactly why he loved to be out on the horse, the wind, the crisp air, the speed, the strong beast between his legs, completely at his command, it was everything that was Douglas. And she began to love it too.
He was rounding Sommersgate and when they were within sight of the stables again, he slowed the horse to a canter then down to a roping amble.
“That wasn’t so bad was it?” His voice, again at her ear, asked quietly.
“I suppose not.” She knew she sounded surly but her guard was down, he was all around her, she could smell…
Her body tensed.
She could smell the Lalique cologne.
She closed her eyes and sighed.
“I’ll buy you a horse.” Douglas was either ignoring or oblivious to her warring emotions.
His words snapped her out of it.
“You will not!”
One of his hands captured her wrist and fiddled with the diamond watch, a watch the like that no one should wear for a simple stroll in the countryside.
She stifled a groan.
“You like it when I buy you things,” he murmured.
She wished she could move her head so he wasn’t speaking in her ear. His voice seemed to rumble through her like a shudder.
“I do not,” she retorted sharply, lying through her teeth.
His stubbled cheek slid across hers to move her hair out of the way. They were nearing the stables now and she was glad of it. His rough cheek was pressed against her smooth one and it felt nice, too nice.
“You love it,” he whispered.
“You are truly the most irritating man I’ve ever met,” she snapped in order to cover the fact that he was absolutely right. He knew it and, worse, she knew it.
He chuckled, the sound so close to her, she felt it in the pit of her belly.
The children were already back to the stables and were dismounting. Douglas pulled his horse to a halt and quickly swung his leg off so he was down before she could jump down. He grabbed her waist and she knew she could not protest in front of the children as he slid her slowly off the horse, the entire way down just inches from his body. It was enough to be meaningful sexually but not explicit, for the children.
She was back to wanting to clobber him.
That or throw her arms around his neck and promise to marry him.
“Irritating,” she grouched because it was the only thing she could do.
She was imprisoned between his body and the horse. He lifted her face by placing the side of his gloved fist under her chin. If he was going to say something, it was lost as the children interrupted.
“Now you can come riding with us!” Willie called, having helped Ruby down.
She pulled her chin from Douglas’s hand and sidled sideways, away from him and his damned horse.
“Great!” she shouted back to Willie, trying to sound more enthusiastic than she was.
Ruby ran toward her. “You and me need horses!”
She took her niece’s hand and without a backward glance, started leading her to the house.
“We’re a little ways off from that, Ruby-girl,” she said loud enough for Douglas to hear and she knew he heard because she could hear his chuckle.
It took every bit of willpower she had not to turn back and, at the very least, poke her tongue out at him.
Instead, she set her shoulders, mentally shook off the warmth that had stolen into her body, ignoring the ice that she knew was melting from around her heart and headed resolutely to the house.
She still had the scent of his cologne in her nostrils and she knew she was losing ground fast.
In fact, she knew she was just plain losing.
The problem was, it felt like winning.
* * * * *
Douglas was not happy.
In fact, he was angry.
Not at his stubborn, pig-headed bride-to-be or at least not because she was stubborn and pig-headed. That, he found, was actually a rather endearing trait of hers.
True, he would have preferred Julia to be spending her time choosing flower arrangements, drafting wedding invitations and spending long nights squirming under him as he did all of the delicious things he fully intended to do to her. Not spending her time engaging in a head-to-head battle with him for her body, heart and soul. However, he was enjoying the battle, mainly because he knew he was winning and the interim was just sweet anticipation. Anticipation that caused a slow ache that he knew would be magnificently fulfilled once he eventually triumphed.
No, he was angry because of the unknown Tony.
And he was further annoyed because of his mother. He’d just put down the phone from talking to her.
She wanted to come home to Sommersgate.
Now was most definitely not the time for Monique’s return.
In fact, Douglas had decided, there was never going to be a time for Monique to return.
Unfortunately, when he told this to his mother and, considering the frequency he, Julia and the children needed the Kensington house, informed her as well that she would need to find elsewhere to live, Monique had flown into a rage.