“Knox,” I call to him, urging Apollo on faster to catch up to him and Honey.
He glances over his shoulder at me but doesn’t stop. I catch up and begin to walk at his side, our horses matching pace.
I hold his eyes, and I feel my heart beating hard. “I’m sorry.”
CHAPTER 20
Ifinish loading up everything into the pack and lift it, hoisting it onto my shoulder to carry it out to where Chase readies the horses for the drive. He secures his own pack to his saddle and then turns to Apollo, wincing when the Roan pins his ears back in a fuck off gesture.
I have everything Elena will need in the pack on my back, but the woman herself is nowhere to be seen. I saw her at four a.m. this morning when I woke her up, but she’s been silent since.
While I don’t want to leave her here alone, I will if she’s late. The schedule is tight as it is, that even a few minutes will push us over the limit.
The guys like her, but even they’ll be pissed ifshe makes us late.
I had Apollo ready for her half an hour ago, and he’s getting just as restless.
Finally, she appears from the house, wearing a pair of denim jeans, her boots, a tight white tee and her hat, her hair left down and pulled across her shoulder. She’s a fucking cowboy’s dream, with a body like that, a face to start a war and a smart mouth that both angers you and gets you hard.
“Cowboy,” She says by way of greeting, her hand reaching for Apollo. He immediately settles with her touch, turning his face toward her.
“Are you ready?” I ask, heading to my own horse to secure the pack.
“I guess so.” She shrugs.
“And your pain?” I press.
She quirks a brow. “What would be the right answer for you?”
My head jerks back at the answer. “The truth.”
“It’s sore but manageable.”
I stare at her, the truth hanging between us, “If it gets too much, you let me know.”
“Yes, sir.” She winks and turns away to stare up at her horse. He really is too big for her, even with the stirrups to lend her a hand up.
Before I can step in, Chase is offering her a hand up, his hands on her waist, hers on his shoulder ashe guides her into the stirrup where she can then throw a leg over to secure herself in the saddle.
It isn’t what I did, though. I got her in the seat without the stirrups.
It doesn’t help the jealousy burning through me, though. I like Chase, but fuck, I want to bury him in the woods.
I’m sorry.
The two words had felt weighted, like it was more than an apology someone gives when they find out someone you care about is dead, it was an apology for every wrong, even when they were not committed by her own hand.
She goes against everything I know.
I am steel.
But she is sin.
She is a temptation that I am finding harder and harder to resist.
She makes herself comfortable in her saddle and once the pack is secure, I climb onto the back of Honey, handing her over a fresh canteen of water to tuck into the pocket on her saddle.
Her smile is soft in answer, but then a loud bark behind us draws her attention as Judge comes sprinting toward us, having escaped Sal’s hold.
