A.J. glanced down at her jeans in disgust.
One thing was clear, she decided. Whether it was McCloud’s Unwitting B and B or a motor lodge, she couldn’t spend two months in one set of clothes. The damn things would be walking on their own in a matter of days.
She’d have to go to her father’s house.
Grimacing, she threw the car into drive and traveled the short distance to the mansion.
Looming at the top of a private road, it was a grand house with a formal face, the only home she’d ever known. She treasured the place but couldn’t say that she liked living there. What she valued were the few memories she had of her mother from Christmases in the gracious library, Fourth of July parties down by the pond, Easter-egg hunts in the terraced gardens. But all that was in the past. The recent day-to-day existence she’d known wasn’t easy.
As she turned the car off, she was hoping her luck would hold and Regina would still be getting dressed in the master suite. If everything went smoothly, she’d be able to run in, grab her things and be out before anyone knew.
Her prayers weren’t answered.
Just as A.J. reached the last of the marble steps leading to the grand entrance, her stepmother wrenched open the ornate front door. That in and of itself was unusual and A.J. knew she was about to get an earful.
Standing ominously in the doorway, Regina was dressed in one of her perfectly tailored suits, a diamond pin flickering on her collar like a constellation of stars. The subtle peach color of the outfit set off her dramatic coloring, highlighting her coiffed black hair and dark eyes. It also emphasized the woman’s angry flush.
“You’ve done it this time,” she said. “Your father is in bed with a stomachache, Peter has had to take the day off to get a massage and my dinner party tonight is going to be ruined because of all the tension in this house. I hope you’re happy!”
This was exactly why she couldn’t stay at the mansion, A.J. thought.
She tried to get through the door but Regina blocked the way.
“How you can be so selfish is beyond me. Your father has given you everything you’ve ever wanted and you’ve consistently repaid him with heartache.”
“Look, I’m honestly sorry he’s upset,” A.J. said, faking left and scooting into the house. Heading quickly through the grand foyer to the winding staircase, she hit the stairs two at a time, leaving her stepmother to shout up at her.
“What time are you coming home tonight? The guests are arriving at seven and we will be sitting down for dinner at eight. I don’t want you showing up in your barn clothes in the middle of the soup course like you did last weekend.”
The woman was still fuming at the foot of the stairs when A.J. reappeared ten minutes later with her luggage.
“What are you doing with those?” Regina demanded.
“I’m going to be gone for a little while.”
“What do you mean gone?”
“As in not here.” A.J. walked past her stepmother, who suddenly seemed all too pleased to get out of the way.
“What should I tell your father?”
“Nothing. He already knows. I’ll phone him soon. Just tell Papa I’ll call him.”
“You can believe I will,” Regina said, softly. She appeared to be mulling things over and liking what she saw in a future that included less of her stepdaughter.
With a final nod, A.J. disappeared from the grand house. Cramming her bags on top of the equipment pile, she took off down the driveway, deep in thought.
This is my life. I’m choosing this. I’m free.
She felt stronger than she ever had, more sure than ever about her decision to buy the stallion and move away from her family’s influence. When she pulled up to Devlin’s stable, she leapt from the car, ready to take on the world. With an armload of leather and brass, she hurried inside, bound for the tack room.
And ran smack into Devlin.
He was coming out of the room just as she was rounding the corner, and the two collided, bouncing off each other. Tack exploded everywhere. Sputtering in surprise, A.J. grabbed on to the first thing she could to keep from hitting the ground with the bridles and girths. It was Devlin. As soon as she reached for him, she felt the iron strength of his arms come around her and she was pulled against his body.
A.J. gasped and looked straight into his eyes. They were hooded, full of heat. His chest was a solid wall against hers and one of his thighs was between her legs, their hips fusing. She felt a sensual pull toward him that was undeniable. In that instant, all she could think of was kissing him. She didn’t care that there were so many good reasons for her not to do so. She didn’t care that they were in broad daylight. She didn’t care that he was supposed to be her trainer. She didn’t care about anything except the way he made her blood pound and her head spin and her body melt.
Devlin’s mouth hovered deliriously over hers, just inches away. She willed it to get closer and slid her hands across his shoulders to the back of his neck. Digging her hands into his hair, she felt its silky texture and then the solid bone of his skull.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice low and thrilling.
All she could do was nod, even though it was a lie. She felt a lot of things but okay wasn’t one of them.
As he continued to support her weight, she felt his hand move up across her back to support her neck. Goose bumps prickled across her skin. He paused, as if he might pull away, and she held on to him harder. And then very slowly, as if in a dream, his lips closed the gap between them and pressed against her mouth firmly.
It was like getting struck by lightning.
When she didn’t stop him, his lips began to move over hers, caressing, cajoling until she had to open her mouth because she couldn’t breathe anymore. When she did, his tongue stole inside, sliding into her deeply. She pulled against his neck, urging him closer, and pressed her hips into his.
One of Devlin’s hands splayed across her hips and he rubbed his lower body into her. The heat at her core soared and her body began to weep for him. Their kiss took on a heated urgency that bordered on desperation and, just when she thought she couldn’t handle any more, his mouth moved down to her neck, nibbling at the delicate skin, nipping at her earlobe. She cried out. Working on nothing but reflex, her fingernails bit through the flannel of his shirt and she thought seriously about giving herself to him right there, on the ground, in front of the tack room….
Sabbath’s indignant whinny interrupted them. At the sound, Devlin looked up from A.J.’s neck and shot a glare at the stallion, whose head was out of the top of his stall. When the horse let out another howl, they reluctantly straightened, panting.