My Secret Fantasies

But something about Miranda made him want to dust off at least     a few of his finer points. And it was more than the fact that the soft tapping     of leather against her thigh was driving him wild.

“I’m trying to know you better,” she said softly, giving him a     sideways glance.

Damn, but he liked seeing her open up to him. Trust him a     little bit.

“I’ve got a surprise for you,” he admitted, his voice hoarse     with want. No, make that need.

“Really?” The tap, tap, tapping of the slack reins on her thigh     slowed. Stopped.

He had to swallow hard to keep from dragging her down into the     cold grass right here.

“You see that barn on the far right?” They were close enough     now to make out several of the stables and barns. Smoke curled from a handful of     the stone chimneys. At least one of those fires was wood-burning, the scent a     distinct sweetness in the air.

“The one still under construction?” She squinted into the     distance, her lips pursing again as she concentrated.

“There’s no construction today. I sent the workers over to a     different project, to be sure we’d have the place to ourselves.”

She raised an eyebrow. “An empty barn?”

“My office is completed. And private.” Probably more private     than the house, where his friends and her friends dropped by unannounced.

“Oh.” Her blue eyes took on a glow that he recognized from     other times she’d been focused on him and...excited. A vein throbbed fast in her     temple and he wanted to drag his tongue over that spot.

“The surprise is in there.” He was so close to being able to do     whatever he wanted with her.

“I like surprises.” She shifted in the saddle and gave him a     slow, steamy appraisal with her eyes. “Race you for it?”

“I think I’d rather watch you as you ride away.” The sight of     her splayed thighs and subtle curves was a sweet torment he wasn’t ready to quit     just yet.

“I don’t know about that.” The heightened color in her cheeks     reminded him she wasn’t used to such blatant flirting. But when she leaned     closer, the soft puff of her breath on his cheek was like a finger stroke across     the front of his jeans. “You’re probably just afraid you can’t keep up.”

With a flick of the reins, she took off, her mare responding     instantly to a command for speed.

Damien watched her—as promised—her lean body bent low over the     animal’s back. And while she did look mighty fine from this angle, he hoped like     hell he wouldn’t be watching Miranda walk away from him any time soon.

9

TEARING ACROSS THE FIELDS, I couldn’t help but feel just a little bit hopeful. Riding was a thrill I hadn’t experienced in so long, and Damien’s reaction to my news had been surprisingly...okay. He hadn’t gotten surly. Hadn’t insisted we turn around and go home to start preparing for the worst.

He still treated me as if he wanted me, and that was a gift I hadn’t expected.

I dared a look over my shoulder at one point and saw him coming for me, his horse a dark, charging blur over the green field. Another thrill shot through me and I couldn’t believe my luck. He didn’t want me to leave. At least not yet.

I didn’t mind taking things one day at a time when I didn’t know where else to go, anyhow. I would savor every second with Damien. Because even if he couldn’t help me forge my dream of running my own business, he had given me something more important. He’d done more to heal my old phobias about men in the past few days than I’d managed in long months of counseling sessions. Even my writing hadn’t been as effective as Damien’s tenderness and his obvious desire for me.

Last night, I’d actively pushed aside my issues to be with him. By this morning, those issues were still there, but I didn’t have to wrestle with them nearly as hard. They stood quietly in the background, nervous but out of my way. It was an amazing feeling.

Ahead of me, I saw Scotty waving one arm by the unfinished barn, and had a moment of worry. What if he was here to tell us that reporters had arrived? That Gutsy Girl fans were at the house, waiting for us?