Page 32 of Dream Date With the Millionaire
“Now that I’ve seen you ride him, yes.”
The words came out strong and sure. His certainty made her feel good about her riding abilities, but she was having trouble coming to terms with the cost.
“Doesn’t that price seem a tad…” she searched for the right word—indulgent and ridiculous probably wouldn’t go down well “…excessive?”
He shrugged. “It is expensive for a horse, but you get what you pay for.”
“Twenty-two thousand would pay for a lot.”
Her mother didn’t make that much money after taxes in a year.
A teenaged boy wearing jeans, a long-sleeved shirt and paddock boots approached them. “I’ll take him from you.”
Dani stared at the kid with acne on his face and a love of horses shining in his eyes. She’d been like him, mucking stalls so she could be around the animals she loved and exercise them when their owners didn’t have as much time.
Bryce stood waiting, hands in his pockets.
Giving the kid the horse felt wrong though, until she remembered that was his job. Dani didn’t want to get him into trouble. She handed over the reins. “I put him through his paces.”
The teenager smiled. “I’ll take care of him.”
“Thank you.” Dani watched him lead the horse away. She noticed his boots. A lot like hers. Scuffed and creased after years of use. She never could afford new ones so kept cleaning the leather with Murphy’s Oil and Saddle Soap. Bryce’s boots were the opposite of hers—newer and very expensive.
Uneasiness crept down her spine.
Dani knew she and Bryce were from totally different worlds, but being out here with him drove the point home. He was a horse owner; she was a stable hand.
She’d spent her high school years surrounded by people who’d treated their animals with more respect than they’d treated her. She’d lived in apartments, a car and a single-wide trailer.
He’d grown up in a world of nannies and chefs and chauffeurs. Where his father dated women young enough to be his daughter. Where paying an obscene amount for a horse was considered normal.
Her heart twisted.
“Thanks for helping me out today,” he said.
“It was my pleasure.”
And it was. In spite of the jolt of reality, she’d enjoyed being with him today. Truth be told, she didn’t want the day to end. She didn’t want their differences to come between them. She wanted to focus on the good things, not what gave her pause.
For the first time in a long while, Dani wanted to believe in happy endings, that obstacles, no matter how big, could be overcome. That just because people came from opposite worlds, things could still work out. That loving someone didn’t mean you’d eventually be left with nothing but a broken heart.
“Being out here has been like a dream come true,” she admitted.
“I know.” The intensity of his eyes made her feel as if she were the only woman in the world. “I wouldn’t want to be here with anyone but you.”
Her breath caught in her throat. Dani wanted to be the only one for him. She forced herself to breathe.
Dani didn’t want to care. A lifetime of being disappointed, of struggling, of simply surviving didn’t want her to care. But, heaven help her, she did care. About what he’d said. About him. She couldn’t help herself.
“Me, either,” she said.
Desire flared in Bryce’s eyes, but his attention didn’t make her feel cheap, like some man’s possession or plaything du jour. He made her feel beautiful, sexy, wanted. A way she hadn’t felt in…forever.
She wanted him to kiss her. Her lips parted in hope.
He lowered his head and covered her mouth with his. The touch of his lips brought a jolt of electricity crackling through her.
His lips ran over hers with such tenderness tears stung Dani’s eyes. His kiss flowed through her, a current of affection, filling all the empty spaces inside with warmth.
He tasted like the coffee they’d drunk on the drive—warm, strong and rich. But there was more—salt, heat, male.
She drank up his kiss as if she’d never taste another drop.
As he increased the pressure of his mouth, her knees went weak. She’d heard the phrase “being kissed senseless.” She finally understood what those words meant.
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders to keep from falling.
If he kept kissing her this way, she’d be a puddle on the ground.
Dani didn’t think she would mind.
The familiar scents of dirt, hay and horse reminded her of the farm, but here in Bryce’s kiss she’d found the only home she needed.
His arms wrapped around her, pulling her against his chest. Dani wanted to get closer. Body pressed against body. She hadn’t realized he was so strong, so solid before.
