My heartbeat increases with every fraction of an inch he moves closer. His hand wraps around the back of my neck gently and my eyes flutter closed just as his lips take mine. Sucking in a breath and my fingers tingling to feel his beard. I lift my hands and grip his jaw. The kiss is slow and soft. The tip of his tongue darts out and licks my upper lip. I gasp, giving him his opportunity to flick his tongue against mine.
I meet his tongue tentatively at first. When his tongue strokes mine, I grip his jaw tighter and pull myself closer to him, whichmakes me rub against his hardness. He grunts and I freeze. He pushes me away softly, kissing me one more time before I slide off his lap.
I look down. “I’m sorry.” My heart is still racing, but now it aches.I want him. I do, but…
“Never apologize, Olivia. I wish I had enough self control to stop that reaction, but I don’t. However, I do have enough self control to never push you further than you’re willing to go.” He tips my chin up with his index finger until our eyes connect. “I needed you to know my story before we continued. If you still want to continue?”
“I do. I have a lot to learn, but you’re the only person I want to teach me.”
He leans forward and kisses me softly again. “I will enjoy teaching you, sweetness.”
We take another reprieve for the rest of the day. Victor takes me horseback riding, something I’ve never done, but fall in love with instantly. He introduces me to his horse, Raven. She’s all black.
“Her name is Raven. I bought her the day after I saw you and your friends. She reminds me of you.”
“How so?” I ask.
“She has hair the same color as yours.”
I smile widely at his answer, loving it. It makes me want to kiss him again, but I don’t know if we’re at that point where we can kiss whenever we want. He leans forward, cupping my cheek softly, and kisses me.Guess we are.He gets Sunshine out of her stall, tells me how to mount the horse, and how to control the horse while riding.
Cinnamon stomps in her stall and Victor chuckles. “He’s mad you’re not riding him.” I walk over to his stall and reach my hand in to rub his head, but he steps back.
“Awww, come on, Cinnamon. I’ll ride you once I learn,” I promise him. Victor said Sunshine is easier to learn on before moving to Cinnamon. He lifts his head and stares at me like he understands. “I’ll give you more sugar cubes when we get back.” He breathes out, but steps forward again, allowing me to rub his head. I chuckle and shake my head, giving him a few more pats before walking back over to Sunshine. “Is he always like this, Sunshine?”
She huffs and stomps one foot. Victor helps me get on Sunshine and reminds me how to hold the reins. When he mounts Raven, he leads the way. I’m nervous at first, but force myself to take a few deep breaths in an attempt to not make Sunshine nervous. Victor guides me throughout his land. He has a few cows, but he wants more and a bull so he can breed.
“How much land do you have?”
“Four hundred acres,” he answers.
I thought Donovan’s one hundred acres was a lot, but Victor’s is even bigger, so it's hard to wrap my mind around. Donovan wanted my mom and dad’s house and land too, but mom left that to Victor in the will. It infuriated Donovan, but made me glad he didn’t get it. That house and land had been in my mom’s family for several generations and I didn’t want it in the hands of that lunatic.
My muscles begin to feel stiff and sore. I didn’t realize all the muscles riding a horse used.
“Let’s take a break. I brought lunch and the horses need some water,” Victor says.
I follow him to a clearing that has a little area for us to sit and eat the lunch he brought. It allows the horses to get close enoughto the lake to drink some water. He helps me off Sunshine, and I wonder how he’s so good at reading my cues.
Ever since I got away from Donovan’s clutches, I’ve worked hard at hiding my emotions, but Victor knows. Victor grabs the blanket he brought and spreads it out on the ground, motioning for me to sit. As I squat down, muscles in my legs and back protest.
“I’m sore,” I tell him as he grabs the picnic basket off Raven, sits it down in the middle of the blanket, then sits next to me. He chuckles as he opens the basket and begins taking out items Betsy packed for us.
“Riding does use a lot of muscles you’re probably not used to working. Even if you work out.” He hands me one of the sandwiches and grabs two apples. “I’m going to feed these to the horses, then I’ll join you.” He stands and makes his way over to the horses. Taking a bite out of the turkey BLT, savoring the salty taste of the bacon, I admire how he fills out the dark jeans he’s wearing. He lifts the apple up to Raven first. She tries to take the whole apple, but Victor tsks at her so she bites it.
He’s obviously done this before, but I tense slightly because she could bite him even if she didn’t do it intentionally. He’s dressed so simply today with a black T-shirt and baseball hat. The way the T-shirt clings to him has me sucking in a breath and shifting. All of these sensations are so new to me. Even with him. In the beginning, he helped me lower my guard, so it’s like for the very first time ever I’m able to be more aware of other things.
Like how sexy he looks and how much I’d like him to come back over here, then let me climb into his lap and kiss him until we’re both breathless. All caught up in my fantasy, I lick my lips and shift again. The heat from earlier stirs in my lower stomach and my core aches.Is this what Caroline feels with Bass and Ansley with Lincoln?They both openly talk about their sex lives and I play along, but I had no idea this is how it felt.
“Olivia?” My eyes snap up to Victor, realizing he’s standing over me looking down.
“Yes?” I swallow at the sight of him. He squats down so he’s at eye level with me, a smirk playing on his lips.
“You okay?” he murmurs.
His gaze moving from my eyes, down my neck, my breasts, to my legs and back up. It feels like a caress and everything in me wants him to follow that gaze with his fingers. I nod, unable to use my voice right now. He hums as he slowly lifts his hand and rubs his finger along the column of my neck. I swallow again, trying to wet my dry throat and his eyes latch on to the movement.
My breathing increases and my nipples harden to small peaks he notices, but it doesn’t bother me. I’m wearing jeans and a simple white T-shirt. He leans forward slowly as he gathers my hair in his hand and pulls on my hair, making me tilt my head back. Tensing for a brief moment, he pauses until I relax. Victor won’t hurt me. He pulls on my hair again, forcing me to expose my neck to him even more.
