“Bespectacled, eh?” I adjust my glasses out of habit at her mention of them. “That into glasses then?”
“They highlight your cheekbones and make you a bit scarier.”
“Scarier?”
“Yes. Like you’re deadly and smart. You could slit my throat while you read me poems and explain their meaning and pentameter. That kind of thing.”
I pull her close and kiss her softly. I shouldn’t. Not out here in the open where my family can see. Because the way I kiss her isn’t like I’m trying to seduce her or keep her in line with little favors. I kiss her like I want to make her mine.
THIRTY-ONE
Zephyrine
Leviand I have spent the last week riding every day after Dakota gave me a couple of days of introductory courses. I’m still struggling to get in and out of the saddle gracefully, but once I’m in, it’s not half bad. Teddy and I have bonded over our week together. The one day I rode Lady Luck instead because he was out on the trail, he greeted me with an enthusiastic neigh and sniff at my pocket for treats when he saw me in the barn again. I guess this is why people love horses so much. If I had one like Teddy, I might too.
As we wait for the horses to be saddled by one of the ranch hands, a blonde woman, whose lack of makeup and mud-caked state take absolutely nothing away from how gorgeous she is, grins at Levi. He tells her something that makes her laugh and touch his arm as I hover near the entrance to the stables. It’s obvious they know each other well, maybe even as well as we do, and my heart plummets in my chest as the two of them continue chattering on while she finishes her work. It’s a glimpse at his life before I got here, and likely after too.
Levi grabs one of the reins, and she grabs the other, walking the horses in my direction. They look like the perfect couple, side by side, both raised out here with horses in the mountains. She probably doesn’t look like a fool when she climbs into the saddle, and he’s probably never had to rescue her from drowning in a lake because she’s clumsy as hell.
“You should come out with us for drinks,” I hear her tell him as she nudges his shoulder.
“When are you going?”
“Friday night, after we’ve got things all closed up for the day around here.”
“I might be able to make it,” he says as he tilts his head in consideration, and the nerves prick at my chest.
“You’d be my hero if you did.”
“You’ve got my number?” he asks, and my heart sinks even lower.
“Yep.”
“All right. Text me when you know the time.” He smiles at her, and she positively beams back in return, the golden strands that have come loose from her braid under her hat framing her perfect heart-shaped face.
I think I might hate her. Which is ridiculous. She seems like a perfectly sweet person. She’s been nothing but kind the last couple of days we’ve been down here. Even downright encouraging to me when we brought the horses back the other night after she saw me attempting to ride. I can’t blame Levi for liking her. I probably would too in his shoes.
“Teddy’s out on the trail. She saddled Lady Luck for you. Said she’s a good pick for novice riders.” Levi’s grin remains as he brings the horses to me.
“I’ll bet,” I say as I take the reins, and we walk them both out of the barn. I frown at Lady Luck. It’s not her fault she’s notTeddy. Just like it’s not mine that I’m a nun with a complicated past and not a carefree ranch hand with normal Friday nights.
“You all right?” He frowns as he looks me over.
“Fine. Just nervous,” I deflect.
I’m not about to admit I’m jealous over him. It would be the most ludicrous thing in the world to be jealous over a man I have zero claim to when I’m a nun in training who’s planning to return to her convent just as soon as I fulfill my side of this bargain. He doesn’t belong to me, even if that wasn’t the case. He’s been clear all along that he’s not good for any sort of attachment, that his only loyalty is to his family.
I’m the daughter of the person he hates most in the world. The one he’s using to get to that person, training her to ride because he needs her to know how when they use her to penetrate his defenses and steal from him. This isn’t some great love affair. It’s a distraction. One I wanted. Needed, really, in the wake of everything with Corey. But one I absolutely can’t get caught up in. Being silly and believing it’s some sort of fairytale. Seeing them makes me realize how much the cabin fever has gotten to me.
Especially since I’m a novice rider, in every sense of the word. I might not be a virgin, but I’m wildly out of practice, and I doubt eagerness makes up for a lack of skill. It’s a good thing I didn’t have to try to seduce my captor to get out of this hostage situation. I would have failed miserably.
My heart stops in my chest. Isn’t that what he’s been doing this whole time? Flirting with me, leading me on, making me think he wants me just to get under my skin. It certainly worked back at the abbey and continues to hold me captive while we’ve been here. I rub the heel of my palm over my sternum. What if everything he’s done has been a lie to get me to do what he wants and I’m just too dense to realize it?
“You ready? I can boost you.” Levi helps me up the small set of steps.
“I’ve got it.” I put my foot in the stirrup and swing my leg over the saddle. There’s nothing like a fear of looking ridiculous to push you out of your comfort zone in a hurry. Blessedly, I don’t fall off the horse, and Lady Luck is as patient as promised. Maybe she’s in on the conspiracy to make me feel comfortable here too. I blow out a frustrated sigh, annoyed with my own need to over analyze everything.
“You good?” He looks up at me, still holding Reaper’s reins. His brow furrows under his cowboy hat, and his eyes narrow behind his glasses like he’s trying to determine what has me so terse. I’m hoping this ride keeps me focused enough that I forget all of this.
