Chapter 37 Nelly
NELLY
“I'm still too nervous to ride Ghost alone.” The words tumbled out of me, rushed and embarrassed, as I watched Boone start walking in the direction of the mare’s stall.
“I know she's safe. I mean, she's so gentle. But riding alone still scares the hell out of me. I just keep picturing the few times I’ve tried. As you know, the attempts didn’t end well.”
In my previous life as a ballerina, I'd prided myself on fearlessness and never giving up. How many times had I launched into the air, trusting my ability, and landed beautifully? How many times had I given myself over to my partner, full of faith that they’d lift and lower me safely?
How many times did I push past pain, until my pointe shoes filled with blood, to prepare for a show?
But this was different. I hadn't grown up around horses like these men had.
To them, mounting a horse was as natural as breathing.
In my case, any time I got in a saddle, I was knocked off it almost immediately.
Boone's nonjudgmental, dark eyes held mine. "You could ride with me," he suggested, his deep voice betraying no eagerness. "If you'd be comfortable with that."
Delicious electricity pulsed through me at the thought of being pressed against him, his arms around me. The attraction I felt toward him, toward all my Alphas, was becoming harder to ignore.
“Would that be okay with you though?" I asked, though every cell in my body was screaming for me to shut up and just climb onto a damn horse with him.
"That’s like asking if I’m okay to breathe, Nelly,” he spoke slowly, measuring his words. His lovely, dark brown eyes deepened until the irises were imperceptible.
My heart pounded against my ribs. Something about the way he phrased it, like being with me was as essential as air to him, made my knees weak.
I'd been around plenty of Alphas at the club who'd said far more explicit things, but this quiet declaration hit differently. Maybe Boone wanted to strip me bare too, maybe he wanted my body just as badly as those willing to pay extra in a private dance room, but I didn’t even mind.
In fact, I might even welcome it… free of charge.
"Then yes," I said, trying to sound casual. "I'd like that."
Boone nodded once, his movements economical as always.
He turned, heading for bridles and saddles hanging on the wall.
He gathered what we needed, and I watched him, captivated by the way his long braid swung between his shoulder blades with each step.
The leather cord that bound it today terminated in topaz beads.
They were bright teal dots against his dark shirt.
We pushed out of the stables, leaving behind its smell which I’d grown accustomed to, like so many other things about ranch life.
Boone moved with purpose toward the stables’ paddock, hopping over the fence and approaching his giant horse Behaichi.
The stallion nickered, stomping his front right hoof.
Boone curled one arm around Behaichi’s neck in a modified hug, the riding gear supported under the opposite arm.
“Mind taking us for a ride, boy?”
The horse stomped his hoof again, shifting back and forth in anticipation.
I hung back, watching as Boone efficiently saddled and bridled the horse.
He operated with practiced ease, checking and double-checking each strap.
When he finished, he led the stallion towards the gate.
I moved to meet them, undoing the snap clip and pulling the chain away.
I pulled the gate outward, creating a pass through.
When they’d joined me on my side of the fence, I closed and secured the gate again.
For a moment, I faced away from them, hand still on the gate.
When I turned, Boone held out his hand to me.
"Ready?"
That one word felt monumental. I nodded, unable to speak. Tentatively, I moved closer to Boone and Behaichi. The glossy stallion was massive compared to Ghost, and standing beside him, I felt tiny. Even the saddle stirrup seemed impossibly high off the ground.
"I'll boost you up," Boone said, interlacing his fingers to create a step for me.
I placed my hand on his shoulder for balance, feeling solid muscle beneath his shirt. His skin radiated heat that seemed to travel up my arm. As I stepped into his makeshift stirrup, he lifted me with ease, as if I weighed nothing.
It was like a Pas de deux lift.
And, without reservation, I trusted this partner to never let me fall.
Once I was settled in the saddle, Boone swung himself up behind me in one fluid motion that made involuntarily let out a small gasp. His chest pressed against my back, and his arms came around me to take the reins. He pulled me even closer to him, and I was enveloped in his earthy, musky scent.
I watched Boone's hands as he shifted the leather reins in front of me, tugging gently and directing Behaichi’s path.
His fingers moved with practiced ease, strong and certain.
The horse never fought him, letting himself be guided.
Boone had long, thick fingers. The waning sunlight hit just right, making his deeply tanned hands glow.
The memory of him gently touching my face, resurfaced.
The way he’d traced his thumb down my cheek, stealing the tear I’d shed.
As if recollection could truly recall the past, my face tingled in exactly the place he’d touched it.
My mind and body and inner Omega began to daydream…
To imagine…
To picture…
Boone’s hands touching more than just my cheek.
I swallowed hard and forced my eyes away, reminding myself for the thousandth time that I wasn't supposed to stay here.
I wasn't supposed to want any of them—not Boone with his quiet intensity, Wade with his nurturing touch, Cooper with his easy smiles, Levi with his brilliant mind, or Wyatt with his unbreakable exterior hiding fragility beneath.
Stop imagining a tomorrow here, I scolded. I was supposed to be ready to bolt the very second Eros emailed their answer. Yes or no, it didn’t matter.
My mind began to spin, caught on a carousel as a truth I’d been denying tried to dawn on me despite my best efforts to ignore it.
This wasn’t something I could ignore anymore though.
It was staring me in the face. The spinning contraption full of embellished horses had stopped right in front of a blinking sign.
You’re still in denial.
If you’re really hellbent on leaving, regardless of Eros’s reply, then why are you still here now? They trust you. Grab the keys. Go tonight. Never look back.
My Omega nature wanted me to be here, yes.
But if I was being completely honest, that was only a small part of it.
My stubbornness and resolve to leave had grown weaker by the day, eroded by moments like this—Boone behind me in the saddle, pressed so close that I could feel the ridges of his abdominal muscles and the line of his manhood against my bottom.
I shifted slightly, feeling the way he pushed against my borrowed jeans.
The idea that the most intimate parts of our bodies were so close made vibrating anticipation pulse down below.
I tried to ignore it, but every slight movement of the horse beneath us pushed us together in new ways, creating friction that made my breath catch.
"You alright?" Boone's voice rumbled against my back, his breath pushing against my ear.
Shit, he could probably smell the lust on me, like I’d bathed in Omega pheromones.
"Fine," I managed, though my voice sounded strained even to my own ears. "Just... getting used to this."
Getting used to what?
To wanting him?
To needing him?
To constantly thinking about marking and mating his entire pack?
We rode in silence for a while, Behaichi's powerful strides carrying us across the ranch.
The sun kept traveling closer to the horizon, making the world around us golden.
I tried to focus on the breathtaking beauty of the landscape rather than the breathtaking, beautiful possibility seated behind me.
"I used to hate riding," Boone said suddenly, breaking the quiet between us. "When I was a kid, fell off more times than I care to admit.”
I turned my head slightly, surprised. "You did?"
He nodded, his chin brushing against my hair. “Got a lot of shit for it growing up. Riding comes second nature on the reservation. I was the black sheep.”
"I can't imagine you falling off a horse," I admitted.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t imagine it actually,” he teased, fluttering the reins and prompting Behaichi to quicken his steps.
We fell into a comfortable silence as the massive stallion carried us across the vast pasture. I leaned back against Boone. He stiffened, but only for a heartbeat before relaxing again. His own scent fogged around me, betraying his own desires.
The Wyoming landscape seemed to go on forever, the horizon never getting nearer.
This was nothing like the urban confines of Seattle or Tacoma or even San Francisco where I'd spent most of my life.
Here, the world had room to breathe, revealing its character within gentle slopes and patches of wildflowers interrupting emerald grass.
The picturesque sky arched overhead, impossibly wide and quickly becoming painted with the telltale pinks and golds of approaching sunset.
I shivered not only at how lovely it all looked, but also at the feel of my head resting against the chest of my Alpha behind me.
"Cold?" he asked immediately.
"No," I said truthfully. “Not cold.”
He made a sound that suggested he didn't believe me but wouldn't argue.
A moment later, I felt him shift slightly, his body curving just a fraction more around mine, offering his warmth without comment.
The subtle protectiveness of the gesture made me shiver again.
He probably thought I really was cold now.