Page 15 of Enticed
She reached behind her and patted her back pocket, then repeated the motion with the other side, but didn’t find it. “I-I’m not sure. It must’ve fallen out of my pocket. Or I left it in the other barn. I can’t remember.”
“It’s okay. We’ll find it. But we need to get you fed soon.” Those tabs were a temporary fix. She would need to eat a meal to stabilize her blood sugar.
“My lunch is waiting for me at the other barn. I’ll just eat it when I get back up there.” She stood, and I stepped back to avoid our chests bumping, but I was ready to catch her if she stumbled again.
“Let me grab my keys so I can drive you back.”
“No need. I rode Juniper down here. I’ll just take her back.”
“Absolutely fucking not. You almost passed out on me. I’m not letting you get back on a horse until I feed you.” There was no way I’d let her out of my sight in this condition. She could fight me all she wanted. I’d hog tie her and carry her back to the barn before I let her ride her horse.
My harsh demand momentarily stunned her into silence, but then she blinked away her surprise. Slowly, her mouth curved into a devilish smile, and her eyes sparked with mischief.
“Whatever you say, cowboy,” she said, patting me on the chest before brushing past me. My skin practically buzzed where she’d touched me, and I fought the urge to rub at the spot. I squeezed my eyes closed and let my head fall back as I gathered my composure. Her touch shouldn’t affect me like that.
She’s too young.
She’s my best friend’s daughter.
It was concerning how often I had to remind myself of that.
Turning on my heel, I trailed after her. “Wait,” I called before she reached my truck. Jogging over to her, I pulled my phone from my pocket. “Give me your number,” I said, and her eyes widened, the gold around her irises brightening. She looked up at me hopefully, but before she could read too much into it, I continued. “I don’t want something like this happening again.We should exchange numbers so you can call me if you need something.”
Disappointment flashed across her features, but she shrugged it off. “Right,” she agreed. “That makes sense.” She rattled off her phone number, and I sent her a text with just my name in it before continuing to my truck. I followed behind her, stopping at the passenger side door.
“Don’t forget to save my number,” I instructed as I opened it for her. She turned to me, an all too familiar mischief dancing in her eyes.
“Yes, sir,” she declared before climbing into the passenger seat. I shut her in and rounded the hood, refusing to acknowledge the way my pulse picked up at the sound of those two words falling from her lips.
She was really testing my resolve today, and I wasn't sure how much more I could handle before I cracked.
CHAPTER TWELVE
JASMINE
“Are you coming to my first race this weekend?” I asked as Gabe slipped out of Dash’s stall. He froze, then slowly glanced over his shoulder at where I sat perched atop the feed bin. The homemade wooden box was sturdy and held my weight with ease.
“How long you been sittin’ there?” he asked as he closed the gate and slid the bolt into place. I knew what he was really asking. Had I been here long enough to hear all the gentle words of affirmation he’d used to praise Dash and all his hard work? I thought it was sweet the way he talked to the ornery colt.
“Long enough,” I replied with an impish grin.
He came over to the wooden feed bin and stopped directly in front of me. He held my gaze as he gripped the edge of the lid right next to my leg, his hand brushing my thigh, and my breath hitched. “Scoot,” he instructed with a quick jerk of his head. I scooted over just far enough so he could open one side of the bin.
When he leaned forward to grab the scoop, his arm grazed my thigh again, and I fought the urge to squirm. He was so close, his woodsy, masculine scent invaded my nose as he scooped out the horse feed. I breathed him in, watching as his muscles flexedwith the movement. He took his time scooping out the horse feed. Then he straightened and lowered the lid before taking a step back.
“Sometimes you just gotta talk real sweet to them to get them to do what you want,” he explained with a roguish grin as he backed away. Little did he know, the same could be said for me.
He disappeared into Dash’s stall again to fill his feeder, and I took the opportunity to catch my breath. His proximity had my stomach doing somersaults, and those subtle touches had stolen the breath from my lungs. He was usually careful not to touch me, so it had caught me off guard. Anticipation of what he would do next hummed beneath my skin.
“You never answered my question,” I declared as he exited Dash’s stall again and returned to me. “Are you coming,” I began, drawing out the word lasciviously, and his gaze dropped to my mouth, “to watch me race?”
“I can’t,” he said, leaning in to grab another scoop of food, and I instantly deflated. He disappeared into another stall and seconds later, I heard the clink of the pellets against the feeder. He emerged once more and dropped the scoop into the bin before shutting the lid. “Rory has a dance recital Saturday,” he said, and I could almost swear I detected a hint of regret in his voice.
“Oh,” I replied, trying not to let my disappointment show. “How is Rory doing?”
“She’s good,” he said, bracing his hands on either side of my legs. His abdomen was mere inches from brushing against my knees. If he wanted to, he could lean up and kiss me right now. And I would let him. “She can’t stop talking about you, though,” he added with a smirk, and that look made my stomach flip.
“I bet you get tired of hearing my name,” I quipped, and his expression morphed into something dark and dangerous.
