Page 6 of Riding High

ChapterTwo

Eden slipped through the half-open arched doors of the long stable block, grateful for the cool space and the drop in temperature.Her skin tingled, the little pricks of pain suggesting she’d had too much sun.She needed to put more sunscreen on her bare shoulders and arms.Damn, why did she forget her hat and her sunglasses?At least she’d pulled her hair back from her face into a complicated French plait.

Her eyes itched as she passed a tack room filled with saddles, bridles and a hundred other things she couldn’t identify.A city girl through and through, she’d had no contact with horses, ever, and this was the first time she’d been in a stable.Despite being what the older gent would call a ‘stable virgin’, she could tell it was grand.Each stall had piles of fresh straw, a big water trough and a horse blanket hanging off the door.She rubbed it between her finger and thumb– it was softer than she expected– and traced the name and estate’s oak leaf logo embroidered on the fabric.This blanket belonged to Jabba.Jabba wasn’t currently in his stall; none of the horses were.

Then she heard a soft whinny and the stamping of a hoof from the far end of the stable.Okay, at least one animal was in residence.Eden ambled deeper into the building, and as her streaming eyes adjusted to the shadows, she saw a tall man standing in a stall, his forehead resting against the snout of a fawn-coloured horse.

Number Three…

‘Hello, beautiful,’ he crooned.A shiver travelled down Eden’s spine, and the hair on her arms lifted.His was the ultimate bedroom voice, low and velvety with the slightest hint of a rasp.‘I missed you out there today.Nobody gets me like you.’

He lifted his head, and Eden took in his strong profile, stubborn chin and ever so slightly hooked nose.His dark hair, almost black, was damp with sweat, and his white and red shirt stuck to his broad back.White jodhpurs covered strong thighs and were tucked into knee-high riding boots.He was tall, an inch or two above six feet.How did that little horse hold such a big man?

God, he was gorgeous.With his stubble and strong arms, he radiated masculinity and raw power.Eden glanced around and thought about bolting; she didn’t like how he made her feel…

Unsteady, hiccupy, a little breathless.

A lot breathless.Eden put a hand on her chest, tried to suck in some air and found she was pulling in less than usual.Really, she was reacting like a fifteen-year-old meeting her celebrity crush.Pathetic.She needed to start dating again if this was how she was going to react whenever she saw a sexy man.

Turning to go, she made a scuffling sound, and Big and Sexy looked up, a frown pulling his black, thick eyebrows together.‘Hey, what are you doing here?This is private property.’

She winced.‘Oh.I’m sorry.I was looking for a cool place to sit for a while.’Her eyes were furiously itchy and was her lip swelling?She lifted her foot to scratch the back of her leg.What was wrong with her?Wanting to appear normal, or as normal as she could when she felt like ants were burrowing under her skin, she nodded at the horse.Was that jealousy she saw on its pretty face?Yeah, yeah, if her one-on-one time with this man was interrupted, she’d be irritated too.‘What’s her name?’

‘Her proper name is Rey Skywalker,’ he answered.‘Her owner is a huge Star Wars fan, and all his horses have a name from the franchise.’

‘Judging by the way you were talking to her, I thought she was your horse.’

Man, why did she sound like a breathless sex kitten?

‘I just ride them.’His big hand stroked the animal’s glossy neck.‘Rey is one of my favourites and I think she’s injured her forelock.’

‘Ah,’ Eden replied, wiping her eyes, with the now damp handkerchief.‘She’s very pretty.’

‘Do you want to stroke her?’

She did, because when next would she meet a horse?Rey gave her a do-it-and-die look.Eden scratched the inside of her wrist.‘She looks pretty big,’ she said, forcing herself to move closer.She inhaled the unique combination of horse and man, cologne and straw.He shouldn’t smell so good, but he did, like sunshine on steroids.

‘She’s tall,’ he replied.‘Stands at fifteen hands.’

Eden tentatively lifted her hand and placed it on the horse’s neck.Rey gave her the side-eye– yeah, yeah, she’d prefer Number Three’s hands on her too!Not wanting to be cowed by the horse’s snotty attitude, she stroked the animal with her open palm.‘I thought ponies were smaller than horses.’

‘The word pony is a reference to their agility, rather than their size,’ he said, his deep voice rumbling over her.Rey snorted and tossed her pretty head.That she resented Eden’s presence was pretty damn obvious.

‘I’m Jed Harris.’

Eden left her hand on the horse’s neck and looked up.And up.‘I saw you playing earlier, right?’He’d whipped his horse into impossibly tight angles, leaned halfway down its back and thundered across the field at warp speed.Even she could tell he was the best player on the field.

‘Did you enjoy your first polo match?’

Eden winced.‘That obvious, huh?’

‘Yeah.’He leaned a big shoulder into the wall next to the stall and crossed one black boot over the other.‘What’s your name?’

‘Eden Ennis.’Eden wanted to lean down and scratch the back of her leg but knew she would give him a great view of her boring, sports-bra-covered boobs.Why was shesoitchy?Everywhere?

She looked down the long stable block.The open doors framed Elmsleigh House, looking oh-so-grand with its thick stone walls and rows and rows of narrow windows.‘It’squite a house,’ she stated.That was like saying that Notre Dame was quite a church.And that he was quite a man.

Okay, do stop being ridiculous, Eden!Anyone would think she hadn’t come across a good-looking man before.And she had, of course, she had.But not one who was so tall, so fit, so effortlessly masculine.With his dark hair, thick stubble and long, lean muscles, he was quite the package.What would his lips feel like under hers?Was he as good a kisser and a lover as he was a rider?