Page 21 of Forbidden Forget-Me-Not
She didn’t look back.
Getting out, I scanned the area. It was quiet and would remain so until evening feed. My blazer lay crumpled on the ground at the entrance and I picked it up, laying it over my arm.
Habits drilled too deep to ignore, I checked every space as I moved through the facility. No one was in the viewing area that overlooked the arena or the tack room. Kaylani’s wooden locker door stood open, but otherwise it was empty. Just as it should be. I let out a slow breath, finally relaxing.
On my way to the stalls, I heard her.
Not sobbing. Not hysterical. Just…broken. It was the only word that came to mind. Part of her was fracturing, and it was unbearable to hear her in pain. I wanted to kill anything and anyone who dared to hurt her, but this time, there was no one to target. I hated feeling powerless.
I followed the sound to Atlas’s stall and stopped short.
Kaylani had both arms wrapped around the massive gray stallion, her forehead pressed to his neck, her shoulders shaking. Atlas stood perfectly still, calm, his head lowered just enough to rest against her, as if he understood exactly what she needed.
He didn’t fuss. Didn’t stamp or shift. He held her. I hadn’t understood Kaylani’s connection to horses until she started bringing me to the stable. Now…I got it. There was something almost magical between them, a language that only they understood.
If she hadn’t been crying and breaking in front of me, I would’ve thought it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
Rubber boots. Bare legs streaked with sand. Hair tangled and untamed. Strength stripped down to the woman under the name. This was who she was when no one was watching.
This was who I loved.
I stayed back, giving her the moment, letting the horse do what he’d always done for her, better than anyone else ever could. Even better than me. There was no point in being jealous. I knew I couldn’t compete with the seventeen-hand Dutch Warmblood.
Somewhere along the line, I’d learned everything about Atlas. His moods, habits, the way he liked his feed mixed, and how he leaned into a brush when scratched just right behind his shoulder. He looked at Kaylani like he was her protector and had tried to step on my feet when I first came around, as if he were a jealous boyfriend.
But most of all, I noticed that unlike so many other competitors, Atlas never refused a jump. Together, he and Kaylani moved like one.
I’d never cared about horses before her. Now this place felt as familiar as my own skin.
Kaylani finally pulled back, wiping her cheeks with the palm of her hand. She took a deep breath and put herself back together piece by piece.
Then she looked up. Her eyes were no longer haunted. They were clear, filled with determination, and yet soft in a way that gutted me. Kaylani stepped out of the stall, closed the door, and placed her hand on my chest.
My heart beat harder.
“Tell me what you need, Lani.” My voice dropped lower. “Not what’s right. Tell me what you need.”
“I need you,” she whispered. “I need my husband. Right now.”
And just like that, every line I’d drawn inside myself was stripped away.
I nodded once, then took her hand and pulled her into the tack room, shutting the door behind us. Kaylani reached back to lock it as she stepped out of the clunky pink boots she always put on before entering the stalls.
She rose on her toes and brushed her lips across mine. I cupped her face and kissed her fiercely, swallowing the last traces of her fear. Her kiss was desperate and certain, no hesitation, only need.
Her fingers went to my belt, undoing it with practiced urgency. I groaned as she dragged the zipper down and slid her hand inside.
“Fuck,” I growled against her mouth as she stroked me. I’d been holding myself together all day, and she had unraveled me in seconds.
“You’re already hard,” she murmured.
“What do you think you do to me, dancing around in a bikini?” I bit out, nipping her neck.
“You were like this all day?”
“Yes.” The word came out strained.
She squeezed me, testing my control.
