Chapter 45
ANNALISE
The sight of Brody perched on Sky’s back the next morning has me stumbling, nearly getting a mouthful of dirty snow. His posture is perfect and confident. The twinkle in his eyes is nothing short of magical. I wasn’t prepared for this visual, but I’m so not going to complain.
I fix my balance and jog toward him, not caring that the path is slick with fresh ice or that Poppy is no doubt watching us in her rear-view mirror as she drives off.
It would be worth the skinned knees and the teasing just to get to him as quickly as possible.
My heart soars as the distance between us shrinks, Sky’s ears pushing forward while she watches me.
Brody gifts me an unabashed smile, one so damn bright my knees threaten to lock at the beauty of it.
His hat is low on his head, jacket zipped high and boots tucked easily in the stirrups.
I’ve never seen someone look so regal on a saddle before.
Like they were meant to be there, born for it, even. And that’s exactly it.
Brody was born to ride Sky, two best friends bound together by nature itself.
I’m an emotional wreck beneath my warm grin and flushed skin when I finally reach the pair.
My man doesn’t hesitate to slip from the saddle and take me in his arms, palms cupping my face the way they always seem to.
Our first kiss after a week apart is staggering.
It’s a swell of love and want and greed strong enough to steal my breath and intensify the thrum of my heartbeat.
The world around us burns brighter, feels warmer, becomes complete .
Contentment blooms in my belly, a valley of vibrant flowers springing to life in my most hidden places. They smell of him, of us.
I hold him back just as tight as he holds me, putting everything I feel into the way I kiss him back.
Sky whinnies from behind him, and then he lurches forward, both of us staggering.
Inching back a breath, I peek over his shoulder and find a wide brown eye staring at us expectantly. I shoot her a wink.
“I missed you, sweetheart,” Brody rasps, ignoring Sky for a beat longer as he focuses so completely on me.
“Really? After that greeting, I couldn’t tell.”
I glide my hands beneath his jacket and up his back. He shivers, pressing his lips to the tip of my nose.
“Alright, smartass.”
“I missed you too, Brody,” I murmur before stealing another kiss and hugging him tight.
“Seems Sky missed you too. The needy thing.”
The tan horse, seemingly deciding she’s had enough of waiting, butts past Brody and moves toward me. I laugh when she rubs against my shoulder, demanding attention.
“Did he not give you enough pets, beautiful girl?” I ask her, patting her neck and shoulder.
“She’s had damn near more attention in the last twenty-four hours than she has in a long time. Now she’s just being greedy.”
“Were you here last night, then?”
I figured he was when he stopped answering my texts shortly after he got back in town.
My first instinct was to run to the ranch the moment he arrived, but some gut instinct told me to wait.
I don’t know what happened here last night, but I’m just relieved to see him this happy in Sky’s presence.
He looks like he’s shed a heavy weight from his heart, like he’s refreshed and simply at peace.
He moves to Sky’s other side and gives her soft strokes on the back. “Yeah. We rode until the sun was comin’ up. Once I got back in the saddle, I couldn’t seem to get off. Even rode into town. Went past your house and up Main Street.”
My throat tightens. “That would have been a sight to see.”
“Considered wakin’ you up and askin’ you to join us, but I figured I’d wait until today.”
I gasp, my hand stopping midway across Sky’s shoulder. “We’re going for a ride?”
He chuckles deeply, nodding. “If you’re up for it. There’s somethin’ I want to show you in town.”
“Are we actually allowed to do this?”
“I’ve been ridin’ into town since I was a boy. Haven’t done it for a long time before last night, but I gotta admit that I don’t really care if anyone’s got a problem with it now. Not today.”
I roll my lips, a smile begging to break through. My pulse races with excitement. “Then, yes! Yes, yes, yes. But don’t think this means you’re getting out of telling me all about what happened in Nashville this past week. I’ve been waiting very impatiently,” I warn him.
He doesn’t fight me on it, just drifts close and grabs me by my hips, pulling me flush to his front.
The feel of him against me is addictive and enthralling, threatening to turn me into mush.
Especially when he winds a hand through the hair at my nape and buries his face in my neck, inhaling with a deep, desperate groan.
I swallow, and his lips find my pulse before they part and he licks a hot trail up the underside of my jaw.
“Never loved being bossed around, Anna, but when you do it, my cock turns to steel. I’d let you order me around any fuckin’ day if it meant I got to hold you like this after.
” He digs his teeth into the sensitive skin below my ear and whispers, “I’ve jerked off to the memories of you ridin’ me for a week now.
Have you touched yourself thinkin’ of me? ”
“Oh, my God.” A shiver so violent it becomes nothing short of a full-body shake moves through me. My body grows tight with arousal, my clit throbbing. “You can’t say those things to me out here. Not when anyone could walk by and hear.”
“Anyone with half a mind wouldn’t consider comin’ out here for a damn second when I’ve finally got my hands back on you after bein’ gone a week. It’s a fuckin’ miracle I haven’t taken you against the side of the stable already with how out of my mind I feel right now.”
I drop my forehead to his chest and curse the rough scrape of my hard nipples against my bra when any slight movement has pleasure rippling down my spine.
“Take me on a ride to town first. If I let you fuck me right now, we won’t make it out until tomorrow, and you’ve got me too excited to wait. We have plenty of time together still, right?”
His eyes snare mine, so focused and intense, the flare of arousal forgotten for the time being. “We got time, baby. I’ll devour you later, all damn night long if I get my way.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“Let’s get you in the saddle, then. Slide your left foot in the stirrup, and then grab the reins in your left hand.”
I follow his instructions, too excited to think of anything besides riding Sky.
A squeak escapes me when Brody uses his grip on my hips to give me a boost when I push off my right leg to throw myself up and into the saddle.
I settle onto it with a rough exhale before loosening my hold on the reins, feeling a hell of a lot higher up than I actually am.
I’m grateful when Sky doesn’t move as I try and find a natural position on the saddle.
“Good?” he asks, hovering at my side, touching Sky’s neck. “It’s normal not to feel steady yet, but she won’t move until we’re ready for her to. Keep your back straight and hold her reins, but not too tight.”
He mounts Sky with much more grace than I had. In the blink of an eye, he’s perched behind me, his back to my chest. We hold her reins together, and then we’re moving at a calm, slow pace.
“Try and move with her. Relax your legs and let yourself sway,” Brody says gently, his mouth so close to my ear.
“It’s a lot easier in theory,” I admit.
He hums in agreement. “Riding a horse takes practice.”
“It’s a good thing I have a great teacher, then.”
“We’ll have you ridin’ on your own in no time,” he says, leading Sky through the open Steele Ranch gate and onto the road to town. “Up for goin’ a bit faster?”
Despite my nerves, I blurt out, “Yes.”
Brody slides an arm around my waist, fingers curling in my belt loop before Sky picks up speed. She doesn’t take off, but the uptake in pace shifts how I sit in the saddle, the bouncing motion taking me by surprise.
“I won’t let you fall. Relax your legs and let yourself move with her,” he instructs, his tone gentle.
It’s hard to think of much other than the steady feel of him behind me, holding me protectively, but I try. Slowly, I begin to relax, fighting off the discomfort of being jolted around. The rhythmic sound of her hooves in the snow travels through me, and I try and lean into it.
“How did you manage to stay away from her for so long? This is amazing. I feel so free,” I say, bewildered by the sudden love I have for this new experience. Something clicks into place, a sense of rightness, maybe.
Brody tightens his hold on me, hot breath fanning the back of my head.
“I was a stubborn ass too terrified to acknowledge a lifetime of pent-up grief. My mother loved to fix broken horses. Her entire career revolved around how many wild ones she could tame and heal from past tortures. That passion took her from me.”
“What happened?” I ask, going off my instincts when they tell me he’s not going to tuck tail and run. He’s ready to talk about this now; I know it deep in my gut.
“It was a freak accident. She always wanted to push boundaries and do what nobody else thought was possible. That night, that same drive led her and one of the battered mares too far out on the east side of the ranch where she knew nobody would come lookin’ for them.
Nobody found her for hours after she was bucked off one of the wild ones she’d been workin’ with.
Wrong place, wrong time, wrong horse. The entire thing was wrong.
There were too many rocks, and when she flew off . . .”
I release the reins in my right hand and grab his from its place on my middle, clutching it tight, hoping he can feel the strength I’m offering him. “You don’t have to continue. I’m sorry, Brody. I’m so, so sorry.”