Saint mounts like its second nature, overalls hugging his body like they were tailored just for him. He glances over, lips twitching into a grin. “Well, well,” he drawls, guiding his horse closer. “You look like a pro. Part of me didn’t think you’d be able to get up there yourself.”
I smirk, nudging my horse forward a little. “Some things you don’t forget how to ride.”
His grin deepens, his gaze dragging down my body before finding my eyes again. “Yeah,” he says, voice dipping low. “Some things you don’t forget.”
He gives his horse a light kick, and it shoots forward with a snort and a burst of speed. “Think you can keep up, pretty?” he calls, his smug grin audible in his voice.
I laugh, heels digging in as my horse surges after him. “Try me!”
The world blurs around us as we race across the open field, the ground trembling beneath the gallop of hooves. The wind whips through my curls, stinging my cheeks as laugh from somewhere deep and free. The ranch behind us fades—music, chatter, lights—all replaced by the rush of air, the pulse in my veins, and Saint’s silhouette just ahead of me under the amber sky.
He slows near a tall oak at the far edge of the property, its branches stretching wide like an umbrella against the fading sky. I pull up beside him, both of us breathless and grinning, the horses huffing and pawing at the dirt beneath us.
“Not bad,” he says, leaning forward on his saddle, that cocky grin flashing in the low light. “Didn’t think you’d actually give me a run for my money.”
I laugh, pushing my hair back from my face. “Guess youdon’tknow me that well.”
It’s quieter out here—peaceful in a way that feels almost like the fairytale I used to dream about, before stupid boys stomped it into the dirt. Makes me think… if the right person ever does come along, am I even capable of letting them in? Or did I let too many wrong ones break me?
We sit under the tree, the last of the sunset bleeding pinks and shades of oranges and gold across the horizon. Just me, Saint, and the steady rhythm of our horses breathing in sync. When I glance at him, he’s already looking at me—his soft caramel eyes, unreadable, but full of that same heat that never really goes away when we’re together.
“You look sexy as fuck today. That outfit isn’t helping my self-control… not that I have much to begin with around you. You like the country vibe?”
Heat shoots through me, my laugh breaking softer than I mean for it to. “You’re shameless but actually I do,” I admit. “I’ve actually been around horses before. My granddad had a few when I was younger. Every time my brother and I went to his place for the summer, we’d ride up and down the street till the streetlights came on. So, I’m used to the overalls, boots and matching hats thing.”
“Sounds like you had some fun summers growing up.” His eyes warm with curiosity as he studies me. “You’ve only got one sibling?”
“Yeah,” I say, the word coming out flatter then I intend. “Unfortunately.” A bitter smile tugs at my lips before I look away, reins twisting lightly in my hands. “My granddad passed a few years ago. I miss him like hell. He was the only one who really kept the family together.”
I exhale through a short laugh, shaking off the weight that creeps up my chest. “The rest of my family’s a mess, though. No surprise there. I stopped trying to be around people who can’t love me for me.”
Then I lift my chin, waving a hand in the air like I’m swatting away the heaviness. “But enough of that—no point talking about them when we could be doing something waymore fun.” My eyes flicker back to his, a smirk pulling at my lips.
“Look like I’m not the only one who’s smart and sexy,” he says, his gaze dragging over me like he wishes we had all the time in the world. “You think I brought you out here just to watch the sunset?”
“And here I was thinking we were riding to take in the scenery,” I taunt, lifting my chin.
He leans closer, his voice dropping rougher, his eyes locked on mine. “Don’t get me wrong—it’s beautiful out here. But it ain’t got shit on you.” His gaze dips slow, deliberate, before meeting mine again. “You’d find that out if I got you alone a little quicker.”
I remove my hat, the cool grass pressing against my back, and for once, I don’t care about bugs or grass stains. His body blocks out the fading light, one hand braced beside my head, his fingers skimming down my stomach. His lips claim mine, hungry and desperate, the only air he seems able to survive onisthe breath he steals from me.
I grip his shoulders, breath shallow. “Are you always this bold,” I ask softly, “or is this just… me?”
He lets out a slow chuckle. “Only you,” he says, lust curling through every word. “You get under my skin, pretty. I tried not to think about you after that night, but every time I close my eyes—” his thumb grazes my lower lip—“you’re right there.”
A shiver runs through me, part from the wind, but mostly from him. “Maybe you should’ve tried harder to forget.”
He smiles, leaning closer until our noses brush. “Now why would I do that when I know you want me just as much as I want you?” His breath fanning against my mouth. “You make forgetting you sound like it’s easy.”
My heartbeat stutters hard, drowning out my better judgment. “You talk like that to all the girls you end up obsessed with… or just me?”
His grin fades into something heavier, more honest. “No,” he murmurs. “Only the ones I actually want to keep. Though I can’t lie you’re the only girl to ever fight the fact that they want me.”
My chest rises and falls in quick bursts, my fingers clutching at the straps of his overalls like they’re the only thing keeping me from letting him rip these jeans off and take me right now.
The truth slips out before I can stop it. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you either. I’ve just been through so much, that the feelings I have for you so soon scares the hell out of me.”
He stills for just a second, his eyes locking with mine, fire flickering deep inside them. That look telling me I’ve just said exactly what he’s been waiting to hear. His mouth finds mine again, harder this time, stealing whatever breath I have left. The world around us dissolves into just the two of us tangled beneath the night sky.
