“I can’t remember the last time I felt so alive,” he said.
“Learning something new can do that to you sometimes.”
He pulled me closer. “And I think that being here with you can do that to me, too.”
I looked at him, uncertain what to do. His gaze dipped to my lips, and they responded by parting, waiting. But was I ready to go there?
Maybe.
Then the image of Susie and Matt kissing came to me like a flash, like a punch in the gut. Before Ricky could make the final approach, I leaned into him and pressed my lips to his.
The kiss, a little awkward and lacking authenticity, left me dissatisfied. We pulled away from one another, our gazes uncertain.
“That was a surprise,” he said still holding me.
“I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately,” I said, hating the half lie. My kiss was brought on by my longing for Matthew and only a curious interest in Ricky.
“I can say wholeheartedly that I’ve thought an awful lot about you. The times we’ve spent together, learning how to get close to a horse, and getting closer still to you... I couldn’t ask for a better way to spend the week.”
I leaned into him again, this time kissing him with the tenderness he deserved. He smelled good, tasted good, and of course, he looked so good. Any girl would kill to be in my shoes. I’d be foolish to pass up the chance at a relationship with him.
“It has, indeed, been a special week.”
Hand in hand, we strolled along the edge of the pond, chatting about the production, about some of the actors, about horses, but skirting topics that hit too close to home.
When he asked about my childhood with Matt, I simply said it was pleasant and ages ago.
And when I brought up his work as a superhero, he was slightly dismissive, unwilling to delve into the topic.
“I want to tell you something,” he said when we headed back to the horses. “Before we go back to the main house, I’d like to make this clear.”
He grabbed my hand and held it up. “This.”
I frowned. “I’m sorry. I don’t follow. What do you mean?”
“This,” he said again showing me our clasped hands. “Us.”
Us?
“People are already talking,” he said.
“Really? Saying what?”
“What a lovely couple we’d make if only we’d give ourselves a chance.”
“Oh.”
I’d heard nothing of the sort.
But when we returned to the main house after leaving the horses in the stable, I noticed the knowing glances, the nods of approval and the occasional thumbs up.
Rather than resist the growing rumors, I played into them. I grabbed Ricky’s hand and unabashedly leaned into him, looking up at him with a loving gaze.
Ricky didn’t hesitate. He released my hand and put his arm around me, pulling me closer still.
*****
THE RUMOR MILL DIDits job. Before the day was out everyone knew Ricky and I were an item. To my dismay however, word also circulated that Matthew and Susie were a hot couple as well.
