Page 10 of Improper Proposal
“I can’t believe you just said that.”
He grins. “I’m nothing if not honest.”
He likes me.
“Honesty is good,” I say. I pride myself on honesty, too. Well, up until last night, anyway. And truthfully, I very well could be here for George. I won’t know the truth until one of the girls text me back.
“Harper, I have to say, I kind of hate that George found you first.”
Oh, but he didn’t.
I want to tell him that. I want to come clean. Heck, there are a lot of things I want to do with Will, but I’m just not sure of anything, so I close my mouth and pray one of the girls gets back to me sooner rather than later.
He climbs up and sits in front of me, and I slide my hands around his hard body to hang on, and of course, to cop a feel. His muscles bunch beneath my hands as I splay my fingers, trying to touch more of his body. God, I am so juvenile.
“All set?” he asks.
“Let’s go.”
I hold him tighter as he sets the horse into motion. “What’s her name?” I ask, leaning in and putting my mouth next to his ear. His low moan vibrates over the sound of the horse’s hooves hitting the ground, and I have to admit, I like the effect I have on him. The effect he has on me. I close my eyes and give a long-suffering sigh because there isn’t a thing I can do about this attraction between us.
“Buttercup,” he says.
I take a deep breath, swallow my disappointment, and ask, “Who named her?”
“Not me,” he says, laughing. “She’s Annabella’s horse.”
“She won’t mind us taking her out?”
“Nope.” He flicks the reins and Buttercup starts up a dirt path, and we go higher into the mountains. I glance behind me and admire the view in the valley below.
“It’s gorgeous up here.” I snuggle in as the air grows cooler, and absorb Will’s warmth. I have to admit, I’m really enjoying this, probably far too much. When we reach the top, Buttercup stops, and Will slides from the saddle. His feet hit the ground with a thud, and dirt and fallen leaves stir up around him.
I breathe in the fresh air, take in the quiet. “It’s so peaceful here.”
He rubs his hand along Buttercup’s nose, and for the first time in my life I’m jealous of a horse. As raw need pumps through my veins, my mind drifts. What would it be like if he touched me like that, those deft fingers stroking the length of my body with careful precision? Without conscious thought, my hips move in the saddle as my body stirs to life. A sound rumbles in my throat, and that’s when I catch Will’s inscrutable gaze locked on me. I shake my head to get it on right. I can’t give him the idea that I want him. What would he think of me? More importantly, why does what he thinks of me matter so much?
“Yeah, way different from New York,” he says quietly, his eyes still latched on mine.
“I’ll say. I can see why you like coming here.”
“There’s no place quite like it.”
His words make me think of Dorothy, and how I’d wanted to tap my heels together and go home last night. I can’t say as I want to do that now. I kind of like it here with Will and his big family.
“I could get used to this.” I run my hands along Buttercup’s mane. “Do you visit a lot?”
“Not as much as I’d like. I want to get here more often. Work ties me down.”
“I can understand that.” Work ties me down, too, which is why I put the pact together. For once, I needed some no-strings fun, a
n epic adventure. But I’m just not sure what adventure I’m supposed to be on. Am I here for George, or was there a mistake in the address?
“Harper?”
“Yeah?” I ask.
“Everything okay?”
