Page 16 of Enticed
“I could never get tired of that.” His gaze dropped to my mouth before flicking back up to my eyes. My chest heaved as my breaths sawed in and out of me. He swallowed hard, his throat bobbing with the action. “I need into this side of the bin,” he said, his voice strained. I held his gaze for several long seconds, unmoving while I waited to see what he would do.
Then slowly, he brought his hands toward my waist, bracing them just above my hips. I gasped when he lifted me effortlessly off the lid, my hands automatically grabbing ahold of his strong arms. The muscles flexed and bunched beneath my palms. He slowly lowered me to the ground, never once breaking eye contact. Once I was back on my feet, I expected him to let go, but his hands remained on my waist. He stood so close I could see the icy shards of crystalline blue jutting out from his pupils glow like the hottest flame. I lifted my hand to cup his face, yearning to feel his scruff against my palm.
“Jasmine,” he rasped as though the reality of what was happening had just set in. I leaned in, desperate to finally feel his lips on mine. The sound of tires on gravel had my head snapping in the direction of the door.
Gabe released me and took a step back, running a hand over his mouth. His stoic expression slid back into place, causing my chest to ache. He turned and walked toward the next stall, and the doors opened. When Gabe walked out of the stall, I acted like I was just now seeing him.
“Hey! Dad asked me to bring your breakfast down. I left it in the tack room.” He’d gotten here early again, so I volunteered to bring him a slice of homemade quiche and some fried apples.
“Thank you,” he replied with a curt nod.
“Anytime,” I sing-songed, my voice light and playful, like what most of the ranch hands were used to hearing from me.
“Hey, Jasmine,” Jeremiah said as he approached. “I wondered who drove the side by side up here.”
Cody, one of our other ranch hands, followed behind him, a devilish grin spreading over his face. They came to a stop in front of me, and Cody nudged Jeremiah with his elbow.
“Don’t let him fool you. He was worried it was your brother coming down here to rip his ass for something,” Cody countered. They laughed and shoved at each other the way guys did when they were messing around. They might have been joking, but they were all genuinely terrified of my brother. He was really a big teddy bear deep down, but his size was understandably intimidating.
“I’ve already fed these three,” Gabe interjected, motioning down the row of stalls on the left. They got the hint that social hour was over and it was time to get to work.
“Great, I’ll take care of these guys,” Jeremiah said, nodding to the stalls on the right. I stepped out of his way so he could lift the lid on the other side of the bin where I’d been sitting and scooped out some of the senior horse feed for the older horses. They had different nutritional needs than the young ones, so they got a different type of food. “While Cody starts mucking out stalls,” he added, shooting his partner a cheesy grin. Cody groaned as he grabbed the pitchfork and shovel and tossed them into the wheelbarrow.
“Are they like this every morning?” I asked, turning my attention to Gabe, but he wasn’t looking at either of them. He was watching me. I began to squirm under his scrutiny.
“Worse, usually,” he grumbled in response and glanced away. “I’m going to eat my breakfast, then I’ll come out and get Baxter if you want to save his stall for last,” he announced to the ranch hands. Baxter was one of the rescues Rowan hoped to train as a trail horse. He didn’t like anyone being in his stall and sometimes would try to kick.
“’Preciate it,” Cody said.
Gabe settled his gaze on me once more. There was so much he wanted to say. I could see it in his eyes and the hard set to his jaw, but he couldn’t talk freely, not where someone else could hear. Finally, he reverted back to the trainer I respected and admired, the one whose approval I once sought above all others.
“You better get to training. I expect you to come home with that blue ribbon tomorrow.”
Challenge accepted.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
GABE
The auditorium was stuffy, my collar was too tight, and I felt naked without my hat. I’d had to remove it because it was apparently blocking the view of the person behind me.
“Are you alright?” Celeste asked, keeping her voice low as another group performed their dance.
“I’m fine. Why?”
“Because you’re squirming all over the place. It looks like you've got a wedgie that you’re too afraid to pick,” she said, leaning in to whisper the accusation.
I snorted a laugh, and a lady with pearl earrings the size of marbles turned to give me the stink eye. Holding my hand up apologetically, I mouthedsorry. She very distinctly turned her nose up at me before facing forward again. I curled my lips inward and pressed them together to keep from laughing.
“Stop it,” Celeste chided, trying to suppress her laughter.
“Me?” I asked incredulously. “You’re the one who said wedgie. This is your fault.”
“Would you two keep it down?” Celeste’s brother leaned forward to scold us, his glare bouncing between Celeste and me. “Maybe if you two could’ve laughed like this while you weremarried, you wouldn’t be divorced now.” He fell back against his seat in a huff, and I sobered. Even though it had been the right move and we were both happier, I still felt a twinge of guilt at not being able to hold my family together.
“Don’t listen to him. He’s just salty I’m dating Owen.” She rolled her eyes, dismissing her brother’s jabs at our failed marriage while simultaneously rubbing it in his face that she was seeing his best friend, the man who’d ushered in the demise of our marriage but also set us both free. His responding scowl had us tittering like schoolgirls.
The crowd erupted in applause and we followed suit, cheering for the tiny performers. They bowed before their instructors ushered them off the stage. The next group walked onto the platform in their matching costumes.
