Page 22 of Too Hot To Handle

„Now lift the reins and turn old Twinkletoes to the right.“

Tory moved her left hand so that the left rein pressed against the mare’s neck. Immediately the horse moved away from the pressure, turning right.

„Walk her around the corral.“

Twinkletoes would really rather have stayed put. She let Tory know that be refusing to budge. Tory kicked the broad barrel gently with her heels. The mare didn’t notice. Tory nudged her again. The mare stood firm.

„Honey,“ said Reever dryly, hiding a smile beneath his mustache, „Twinkletoes is so lazy and so fat she can’t tell your cute little heels from a fly. If you want to go anywhere, you’re going to have to use those long legs for something more than turning Jed on.“

Tory pretended it was Reever that she was kicking. Her heels landed with a solid thump. The mare twitched her ears and began walking slowly along the inside of the corral.

„You just keep her headed around the corral while I get Blackjack,“ said Reever.

In a few minutes Reever returned with Blackjack and a long lead rein that he snapped to Twinkletoes’s bit. He saw Tory’s mutinous expression and slanted her a hard glance.

„Little girl, I should be shot for letting you anywhere near a stirrup in those flat-heeled city shoes. I’m using the lead rein so that if your clumsiness scares the mare, I’ll make sure she can’t run away, dragging you behind. If that hurts your tender pride, get off.“

Tory looked down at her hands. White showed clearly in the knuckles that grasped the reins. With an effort she forced herself to relax. At least with Reever up on Blackjack he wouldn’t be able to touch her as easily.

He could look at her, though. He could make her feel as though he were touching her each time his glance shifted from her hands to her hips to her heels. As they rode side by side, he gave her a running commentary on how she sat wrong, held the reins wrong, held her feet wrong, her hands wrong, her head, her spine, her hips, everything was wrong. The harder she tried, the more clumsy her movements became. Every time his hand brushed over her fingers while he rearranged the reins in her hand, or positioned her leg or her arms correctly, or put his hand on the small of her back to change her posture, it was all she could do not to fall out of the saddle.

Before the ranch was out of sight, Tory decided that she had made a mistake in wanting to learn how to ride. By the time they were over the low rise leading to Wolf Creek, she was fighting not to show her feelings. No matter what she did, it was wrong. No matter how hard she tried, she only became worse. Finally she pulled back on the reins, stopping the mare.

„You win, Reever,“ Tory said, her voice ach-ingly calm. „I’m convinced I’ll never learn to ride.“

Reever stopped Blackjack. „City girl, anyone as clumsy as you better learn to take a little criticism.“

„Try giving me alittlesometime,“ Tory said, fighting to keep her voice even, „and I’ll see how I take it.“ She looked at him, her eyes silently asking for understanding, and added softly, „I’m only awkward around you, Reever.“

„Tough. I’m the only teacher you’re going to get on the Sundance,“ he retorted, his voice flat.

Tory closed her eyes for a moment before saying, „Then school’s out.“

As she spoke, she dismounted from Twinkletoes with a speed that surprised Reever. He came off Blackjack in a single swift motion that placed him only inches from Tory. Instantly she stepped backward, only to bump up against the mare’s fat barrel.

„For God’s sake,“ Reever said roughly. „Stop cringing like a whipped pup. I’m not going to touch you.“

Being compared to a cringing dog was the last straw for Tory’s pride and uncertain temper. „How was I supposed to know that?“ she demanded. „You’ve done nothing but touch me since you came to the corral!“

Reever’s face hardened into an expression that made Tory wish desperately that she had followed her original plan for avoiding conflict with him by keeping her mouth shut.

„You sure as hell didn’t mind when it was Jed’s hands all over you,“ snarled Reever.

The ice in his voice made Tory shiver. „It’s not the same when Jed touches me,“ she said, her voice so tight that it ached.

„1*11 bet. He’s young, pretty and has nothing but smiles and soft words for you.“

„That’s not – “ she began hotly.

Reever’s hard hand closed over Tory’s mouth, sealing in the words with surprising gentleness. He stepped closer, trapping her between his body and that of the docile mare. His thumbs traced the honey line of Tory’s eyebrows, touched the outer corners of her faintly tilted eyes and smoothed the hollows beneath her cheekbones before he lifted his hand to caress the trembling bow of her lips.

„Little green-eyed cat,“ Reever said roughly as he bent down to Tory. „I’ve wanted to taste you since I looked up and saw you standing on the other side of my desk all those long weeks ago.“

Reever’s face came closer to Tory until all she could see of the world was the burning clarity of his gray eyes. Then his thick black lashes swept down, concealing the expanding darkness in the center of his eyes as desire exploded through him at just the touch of her breath on his mouth. With the hot, moist tip of his tongue, he traced the sensitive line of her lips until she Ihivered between his gentle hands.

„Open your mouth,“ he said, his voice dark, deep. „Don’t you want to taste me, too?“

The warm glide of Reever’s tongue over the in terior softness of Tory’s lips made her gasp. Instantly his tongue slid inside her mouth. His heat and salt-sweet taste and slow, caressing tongue sent currents of sensation radiating through her. She forgot to think, to breathe, to do anything except tremble between his hands. Heat claimed her. melting everything, even her bones, until all she could do was cling to his hard forearms when her legs refused to support her any longer.