CHAPTER 23
Iride behind Knox with Chase behind me, Judge happily trotting at the side of Apollo as we make our way back to the ranch. The weather has taken a turn, the sky is now covered in a thick layer of ominous grey clouds, and the air feels heavy and charged.
A storm is brewing, and the humidity makes me sweat worse than when it’s blazing sun. I pick at my shirt, pulling it away from my skin.
I woke up before Knox did and scrambled out of the tent, having woken up pressed against him. I don’t play fucking games, and the push and pull between us is giving me whiplash.
The first drop of rain hits my cheek, and I turn my face to the clouds. The downpour starts slowlybefore it builds to a thunderous level. It takes minutes to soak all three of us through. But neither Chase nor Knox appears to be in any hurry to get out of the weather. The cool water is a reprieve to my overheated skin.
“Ten minutes,” Knox calls back to me without looking.
A deep rumble of thunder echoes through the clouds, bouncing off the mountain behind us, the wind whipping through the trees and sending a shiver down my spine.
By the time we reach the edge of the ranch, I am completely drenched, the same as the horses, the guys and Judge. Another roll of thunder splits the sky, followed by a bright fork of lightning that makes me jump on top of Apollo. His ears pin back as his whole body goes rigid beneath me. I am not stupid; I know my experience and a spooked horse is out of my depth. He shifts, dancing across the gravel as his head throws back, the reins slipping through my hands.
Fear and anxiety rattle through me, making my thighs tighten on the back of Apollo. He pulls his head down, tightening the reins, and any confidence I had on the back of him leaves me.
“Elena,” Knox steers Honey around, bringing her closer but not in direct line of Apollo, who shifts more erratically beneath me.
I turn my wide eyes to him.
“Hey,” He soothes, “It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay!” A shrill sound leaves me. I’m going to get thrown off.Fuck.
“Elena,” Knox’s voice is stern, “You need to relax.”
“Relax!?” A gasp leaves me as Apollo suddenly steps back quickly, jerking me in the saddle.
“Elena, you’re scaring him,” Knox pins me with his eyes. “Just breathe, you’re not coming off.”
My heart is pounding inside my chest, rain running rivers over my face, but none of that matters, not as he pins me with his eyes.
“Breathe, darlin’.”
Slowly he brings Honey up next to us, his knee touching mine before he reaches across and cups my chin, “Breathe.”
I suck in a stuttering breath, “That’s it. Relax a little, trust he won’t hurt you. He got you up the mountain, he’ll get you back down.”
“The thunder,” I swallow thickly.
“Apollo is not reacting to the weather, darlin’, it’s you. Just take a minute, okay? Just breathe.”
A clap of thunder erupts through the clouds.
“Good girl,” Knox praises, “We can make it back. Do you trust me?”
My whole body shivers, and as much as it pains me to admit it, I do. “Yes.”
“Good,” His fingers release my chin. “Loose rein, tight grip.” He commands.
He turns around but stays close, watching me follow his instructions. Apollo relaxes beneath me. Even when another bolt of lightning splits the sky, he doesn’t spook like before.
“Good,” Knox keeps his voice steady and strong, sticking to my side as we slowly start walking again. “Keep going, darlin’.”
I turn my chin to him a little, but he’s already watching me, his body strong, one hand resting on his thigh, the other on the reins, his confidence keeping him steady. I feed from it, a man as steadfast as Knox radiates the kind of energy you want to keep around you. It’s safety, warmth. Everything I’ve never had from a man. Not even my father was a safe man. I loved him, of course, but he wasn’tsafe.
It just makes my heart hurt.
